Fourth Darjeeling Police Marathon concludes
Siliguri: Darjeeling Police and Amway India organised the fourth edition of Amway Darjeeling Police Marathon 2016 in Darjeeling to celebrate the 154th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. The objective behind organizing the Amway Darjeeling Police marathon is to spread awareness about health and fitness amongst people in Darjeeling and North Bengal. The sporting event is also dedicated to establish peace and harmony between people of Hills and plains. Anish Thapa, Homelal Shresththa and Tirtha Pun, all from Shillong won the first and second and third prizes respectively in men’s category. In the women’s category, Kanchi Maya from Koju, Kathmandu, Jhuma Khatun from Siliguri, Pratima Tudu from Hoogly came first, second and third respectively. The event was flagged off by Shiny Wilson, former Indian Athlete on January 12 at Sukhika Pokhri and also presented the prizes to the winners.
Tearful Muller wins in Sydney for first tour title
SYDNEY: An emotional Gilles Muller clinched a first ATP Tour title in his 17th year as a professional when he beat Briton Dan Evans 7-6(5) 6-2 to win the Sydney International on Saturday. The 33-year-old left-hander from Luxembourg had lost all five of his previous tour finals but prevailed at the sixth attempt in the Australian Open warm-up event at the Olympic Tennis Centre. Muller raised his arms aloft in triumph after converting his third championship point off his second serve to conclude the final in a shade under an hour-and-a-half on Ken Rosewall Arena. (AFP)
Chelsea eye Real Madrid striker Morata: Report
London: The rumour mill has it that English football league leaders Chelsea are eager to replace Diego Costa with Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata in the January transfer window. According to a report in Italian website Calciomercato, Morata was contacted by Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte after a bust-up with Costa recently. The Spain striker was left out of their Saturday’s tie against Leicester City. With big money offers from China for Spanish international Costa, the London club is eyeing a replacement and has put Morata at the top of their list of players to buy. But the catch here is with Madrid’s transfer ban in place until the summer, Real Madrid chief coach Zinedine Zidane could be unwilling to part ways with Karim Benzema’s back-up. (IANS)
Azharuddin’s nomination for HCA polls rejected
Hyderabad: In a setback to former Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin, his nomination for the post of president of the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) was rejected by the returning officer on Saturday. Returning officer K. Rajeev Reddy cited the ban imposed on Azhar by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for his alleged involvement in match-fixing. Azharuddin, however, said the returning officer had not given reasons for rejecting his nomination and demanded the same in writing. The former batsman plans to approach the court next week to challenge the returning officer’s action. Azhar said he can’t be prevented from contesting the HCA elections as the court had struck down the ban on him. (IANS)