Page 50 - Sports

Will perform much better in next CWG: PV Sindhu

New Delhi, May 05 (ANI): Star Indian shuttler PV Sindhu, who clinched a silver medal at the recently-concluded 21st edition of the Commonwealth Games said she has done better compaired to the last Commonwealth Games and she will hope that it will be much better in the next Commonwealth Games.

Performing in bigger tournaments is priority and not rankings: Indian Badminton Coach Gopichand

New Delhi, May 05 (ANI): On the recent performance by Indian Badminton team in Commonwealth Games 2018, where Indian ace shuttlers Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu faced each other in the women's singles final, Indian Badminton Coach Pullela Gopichand said that he is hopeful about great performance in future tournaments. "Ranking is about luck and it's not a priority, but I think performance in the big tournaments is what we are looking for", former Indian badminton player said.

Javelin thrower Neeraj snaps own record at IAAF Diamond League

New Delhi, May 05 (ANI): Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who clinched gold at the recently-concluded 21st edition of the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, missed on a bronze medal but shattered his own national record by finishing fourth at the season-opening leg of the IAAF Diamond League. The 20-year-old clocked a throw of 87.43 m in his second attempt to break his previously owned national record mark of 86.48 metres. Neeraj, who had earlier won CWG Gold with a throw of 86.47m--his previous season's best, posted a throw of 81.17m in his first attempt.

NBA's Brook Lopez sees lot of opportunity in India for young basketball players

New Delhi, May 04 (ANI): American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) Brook Lopez shared that he sees a lot of opportunity in India for basketball. He said that the young players are very passionate and have tremendous love for the game. Lopez added that NBA academy and grass root level program can built the solid foundation in the kids to become the professional basketball player.

ITTF President says unifying Korea teams at world championships is good for peace

Halmstad (Sweden), May 04 (ANI): The President of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) said that the unification of the Korean teams' midway through the tournament was an attempt to further peace efforts. North and South Korea requested to field a unified team for the semi-finals of the championships, which will be played against Japan on Friday in Halmstad, Sweden. The last time that a unified Korea team played the world table tennis championships was 1991 in Chiba, Japan, where the women's team shocked defending champions China to win the gold medal.

Arsene Wenger 'very sad' after Atletico ruin his Arsenal farewell

Madrid (Spain), May 04 (ANI): Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger expressed his sadness after missing out on the Europa League final following Thursday's 1-0 defeat at Atletico Madrid in his last European game in charge of the London club. "A very intense game between two teams that who gave absolutely everything. I would say the team who won tonight is Atletico Madrid, congratulations to them, good luck in the final. I would say the winner of tonight's game is a clear favourite to win the competition," said Wenger.

Arsenal will press Atletico high to stop Costa Arsene Wenger

Madrid (Spain), May 03 (ANI): Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger said that his team will try to keep the ball in Atletico Madrid's half in order to keep striker Diego Costa at bay in their Europa League second leg. Costa rejoined Atletico after three seasons at Chelsea where the Brazilian born striker got to know the Premier League side. "He played in England and he was very successful but it is our job to keep him quiet and maybe the best way to keep him quiet is not to play too much in our half and play more in the half of Atletico Madrid," said Wenger. "We know we need to score. So we have a clear demand in our heads and the clear approach. We need to have a positive way. The only way what we don't know is will Atletico Madrid do the same? Will they in the opposite have a more cautious approach and try to get us on the break, that's what we have to deal with in the game," added Wenger. With the tie poised at 1-1, Arsenal are forced to score if they want to battle to book a ticket to the f

Jurgen Klopp admits Liverpool needed luck to overcome Roma

Rome (Italy), May 03 (ANI): Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said that they needed luck to get past AS Roma in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final on Wednesday after old defensive issues reared their head. Liverpool came into the match at the Stadio Olimpico with a 5-2 first-leg advantage after they tore Roma apart at Anfield last week. "So, it was the first time that we were not really as good as we can be, so we needed luck and that's what we had. But I think that over the whole Champions League campaign so far it's absolutely deserved. As I said before the game, it would have been deserved for Roma, I think for both teams it would have been crazy if we played extra time, if you go two times 15 minutes I have no clue how that would have happened, it would have been really crazy. But it was 7-6 on aggregate which sounds crazy because it is crazy. We came in the competition as a qualifier and now we are in the final and I am really, really happy for the boys and really ha

Academy Team Kochi wins 3rd IBFF tournament

Kochi (Kerala), May 02 (ANI): On the fifth day of All India Invitational Blind Football tournament which kicked off in Kochi, the Academy Team Kochi won the third Indian Blind Football Federation (IBFF) National Blind Football Tournament beating KWAB Bengaluru 1-0 in a closely fought final played at the Jogo Football Arena. Gabriel Nongrum won the golden boot and best player of the tournament with a total tally of 10 goals in the tournament. The tournament started from April 27, will end on Tuesday. The IBFF Academy is India's first and only academy offering Blind Football Training and vocational skills. The aim of IBFF is to develop the Indian Blind Football Team, presently ranked 29th in the world for the Paralympics.

Faf du Plessis praises Dhoni as Chennai get back to winning ways in IPL

Pune (Maharashtra), May 1 (ANI): Chennai Super Kings batsman Faf du Plessis was all praises for Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the veteran wicketkeeper scored a quick-fire half-century to help his side post an imposing total and beat Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League. Australia's Shane Watson hit a belligerent 78 and Dhoni scored his third 50 of the tournament to put a challenging 211 on board in the first innings. Delhi, during the chase, always stayed behind the asking rate and failed to win the match despite a late surge from all-rounders Vijay Shankar and Rishabh Pant. Dhoni scored 51 off 22 balls which included two boundaries and five sixes. South Africa skipper du Plessis lauded Dhoni for his ability to smash any bowler, adding that this quality can make life difficult for any captain.

Meet of the champions: PM Modi interacts with Commonwealth Games medallists

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met and congratulated the medal winners at the recently concluded Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, on Monday. PM Modi also complimented those who could not win medals but had performed creditably.

4th day of All India Invitational Blind Football tournament kicks off in Kochi

Kochi (Kerala), May 01 (ANI): Fourth day of 3rd edition of All India Invitational Blind Football tournament was kicked off in Kochi. The tournament is organized by The Indian Blind Football Federation (IBFF). The tournament started from April 27, will end on Tuesday. More than 100 visually impaired players from across the country are participating in the tournament. The semi-finals and final matches will be played at the international quality artificial turf ground in Kochi.

Fans celebrate after Barcelona claims La Liga title

Barcelona (Spain), Apr 30 (ANI): Barcelona clinched a 25th La Liga title on April 29 after winning 4-2 at Deportivo La Coruna. Messi claimed his 32nd league goal of the season to round off the victory and give Barca a seventh Liga title in 10 years, completing a fourth domestic double in that same period after beating Sevilla 5-0 in the King's Cup final last week. While Barcelona rubber-stamped a decade of domestic dominance by clinching the La Liga title on Sunday in dramatic circumstances, there is an inescapable feeling that their feats have been upstaged by Real Madrid's continued success in Europe. Hundreds of Barca fans gathered on Las Ramblas, in the heart of the city of Barcelona, to celebrate as is customary around the Canaletas fountain. The fans have launched songs to remember their arch rival Real Madrid who is competing in the Champions League.

Messi hits three as Barcelona clinch league title at Deportivo

A Coruna (Spain), Apr 30 (ANI): Barcelona were crowned La Liga champions for the 25th time after beating Deportivo La Coruna 4-2 with the help of a hat-trick from talisman Lionel Messi. Barca marched into a 2-0 lead with goals from record signing Philippe Coutinho and top scorer Messi in the first half. Depotivo striker Lucas Perez pulled one back for Deportivo five minutes before halftime and Turkish midfielder Emre Colak levelled for the Galicians in the 64th minute. But Argentine maestro Messi had other ideas, restoring Barca's lead from close range in the 82nd minute before completing his treble with his 32nd league goal of the season.

Japan's Kanoa Igarashi bags World Surf League Qualifying Series

Santa Cruz (Portugal), Apr 29 (ANI): Japan's Kanoa Igarashi claims World Surf League Qualifying Series win at the Pro Santa Cruz in Portugal. Igarashi outdueled Spaniard Aritz Aranburu in the two man final heat with his score of 13.83 (out of possible 20) while Aranburu managed a score of just 7.40 at the Praia de Fisica on Portugal's western shore. Igarashi, currently ranked 24th in the world, also competes on the top tier WSL Championship Tour but after a difficult start to the season took part in the Qualifying Series event.

Arsenal manager Wenger hopes for peaceful exit against Jose Mourinho

London (United Kingdom), Apr 28 (ANI): Before his final match against the Manchester United as a manager of Arsenal, Arsene Wenger joked and said, he wanted Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho to let him leave in peace as he voiced his respect for the enigmatic Portuguese manager. Wenger also said that he was approached by numerous clubs in the past but he stayed loyal to Arsenal. 'I respect Mourinho' insists Wenger ahead of final Premier League clash as Arsenal manager with his bitter rival. "Look it depends... (laughter from room) I respect him of course, I respect him a lot and I don't want to go into individual (incidents). He should leave me with a little bit of peace for my final weeks and not try and push me into a final confrontation. I want to go peacefully with Mourinho as well because he's a great manager," Said Wenger. Arsenal and Manchester United will lock their horns on Sunday. Wenger looked ahead to his final game against Manchester United as Arsenal manager on Sund

Saina Nehwal, Prannoy ease to semis in Asia Badminton Championship

New Delhi, Apr 28 (ANI): Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal and H.S. Prannoy entered the semifinals of the women's and men's singles competition at the 2018 Asia Badminton Championship on Friday. Nehwal continued her top form as she beat unseeded Korean Lee Jang Mi, 21-15, 21-13, in a 43-minute clash. She will now face World No. 1 Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei. The two-time gold medallist of the recently concluded Gold Coast Commonwealth Games fought back valiantly from 3-8 and 9-13 deficits respectively, to take a lead 14-13, before finishing the first set in style. Prannoy, who missed out on a medal at the recently concluded Gold Coast Commonwealth Games eked out a hard-fought victory over second-seeded Korean Son Wan Ho, 18-21, 23-21, 21-12. He will now face Olympic champion and third seed Chen Long of China.

Rohan Bopanna, Yuki Bhambri recommended for Arjuna Award

New Delhi, Apr 27 (ANI): The All India Tennis Association (AITA) has decided to recommend the names of star shuttlers Rohan Bopanna and Yuki Bhambri for the prestigious Arjuna Award. Bhambri has recently broke back into the top-100 in the ATP men's singles chart for the first time since February 2016 following his-title winning performance at the Taipei Challenger. He leapfrogged 22 places to secure his career-best 83rd spot on the charts, surpassing his previous feat of attaining rank 88 in November 2015. Bopanna, on the other hand, continued to lead for India in rankings for men's doubles as he stood at the 19th place.

BCCI recommends Shikhar Dhawan, Smriti Mandhana for Arjuna Award

New Delhi, Apr 26 (ANI): The Board for Cricket Control in India (BCCI) on Wednesday recommended Indian cricketers Smriti Mandhana and Shikhar Dhawan for the Arjuna Award, in recognition of the exuberant performances the two openers have put in recently. Shikhar Dhawan currently opens the innings for the Indian Premier League (IPL) side Sunrisers Hyderabad and has been an indispensable asset across all three formats for the Indian team in recent years. While women's cricket team opener Mandhana has also made quite the ripple in Women's International Cricket, since making her Test and One Day International (ODI) debuts in 2014 and 2016 respectively, starring in India's 2018 Women's World Cup campaign.

Barcelona fans celebrate after thrashing Sevilla in cup final

Barcelona (Spain), Apr 22 (ANI): Barcelona fans spilled out on streets on April 21 to celebrate Barcelona's historic victory. The team clinched Copa del Rey trophy by winning against Sevilla. Dancing around and lighting flares, the fans sang into the night as they heaped praise on their team's performance. The unstoppable duo of Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi bagged a goal each with a Philippe Coutinho penalty adding to a Luis Suarez brace.