India’s athletics high performance director Hermann resigns
New Delhi, Nov 22: India’s athletics high performance director Volker Hermann on Sunday announced that he has resigned from the position. Hermann said in a statement that he put on his Facebook page that he had resigned from the position “three weeks ago” after he was convinced that he could no longer “meet the self-imposed expectations” that came from being the Athletics Federation of India’s (AFI) high performance director.The AFI is yet to make an official response to the development.”After one and a half fruitful and inspiring years in India, the day has come when I could not any longer meet the self-imposed expectations coming along with the role of AFI’s high performance director, which is why I resigned from my position three weeks ago,” said Hermann in his statement.”I believe that athletics in India has a great future ahead of it. It requires a conducive and likewise sustainable infrastructure to support its countless talented athletes and coaches. It also needs players with a strong, confident, and independent mindset to succeed at world stage.”Hermann said that he is looking forward to the further development of the athletes in the country. “I have made a lot of close friends, making my stint an unforgettable time, which has enriched my life in many different ways and makes me looking back on a very positive note. I might change my perspective, but I am still looking forward to watch the further development of our athletes and coaches and their coming successes,” he said. (IANS)
Akhil Rabindra notches top-10 finish
Bengaluru, Nov 22: Akhil Rabindra, 24-year-old racer and the only Asian to seal an Aston Martin Racing Driver Academy spot earlier this year, helped AGS Events earn a P9 finish in the Pro-Am category at the penultimate race of the French FFSA GT Championship at the 3.8 km long Paul Ricard Circuit in France on Saturday.The AGS Event-duo, comprising of Gilles Vannelet and Aston Martin Academy Driver Rabindra, was behind the wheels of No. 69 Aston Martin Vantage AMR yesterday.Thirty cars competed for the pole position at the final of the Paul Ricard Circuit track in the FFSA French Championship this weekend. Rabindra and his teammate Vannelet, who drove an Aston Martin Vantage AMR, clocked 1:32:792 minutes and qualified P6 in Q1 before Rabindra finished in 1:32:571 minutes to qualify at P13 in Q2.The AGS Event duo completed 37-lap in Race 1 in 01:02:13.938 hours to finish P9 in Pro-Am category and P14 overall.”There are plenty of opportunities for us to improve and we’re on an upward spiral mode right now. It will be an acid test for us on Sunday and we’re up for it,” Rabindra said.(IANS)
Prajnesh reaches Orlando Open final
Orlando, Nov 22: Ace Indian tennis player Prajnesh Gunneswaran has reached the finals of the Orlando Open after beating USA’s Christopher Eubanks in the semifinal. The Indian player beat his opponent in 6-4, 7-6 on Saturday to make his way into the final. Prajnesh will now face world No 202 Brandon Nakashima in the final to win the USD 52,080 hard-court tournament. Earlier, Gunneswaran had climbed to the 133rd spot on the ATP charts with his win over Kazakhstan’s Dmitry Popko in the quarters and become the the top-ranked Indian tennis player. (UNI)
Fans return for ITTF finals
Zhengzhou, Nov 22: “We are back,” Steve Dainton, CEO of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), simply put it when mentioning that fans are returning to the venue.As a part of the ITTF #RESTART series, the 2020 ITTF Finals is underway from Thursday to Sunday at the Zhengzhou Olympic Sports Center in central China’s Henan province, reports Xinhua news agency.It marks the first international tournament that is staged in China with spectators on-site since the coronavirus outbreak.”Hearing the cheers of the audience and seeing everyone waving passionately, a long-lost sense of familiarity returned,” said World Table Tennis (WTT) Council Chair Liu Guoliang.”Our players are back on the playing field, and this time, our fans are also back in the house,” Liu, President of the Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA), noted.”We have seen many international events played without spectators, which is kind of different. The atmosphere may not be that good,” Dainton pointed out. “When they applaud and cheer for you, you feel this is the real competition.”During the Finals, Yao Zhiying, a table tennis fan aged around 60, came to the venue every day to support the Chinese team.”I haven’t been watching games on site for a long time. Now I can fully unleash my strength to cheer for them,” said Yao, a member of the local table tennis association.It has been 10 months since Dong Yanan was sitting in the venue to watch live table tennis. (IANS)
Brazil’s Marta to miss 2 games
Sao Paulo, Nov 22: Six-time world player of the year Marta tested positive for the coronavirus and will miss Brazil’s upcoming friendly games against Ecuador. Brazil’s soccer confederation announced the news Saturday and said it has informed Orlando Pride, Marta’s team in the National Women’s Soccer League, of the test results. No details have been given about the 34-year-old forward’s condition. Marta will be replaced by 19-year-old defender Camila in the two games in Sao Paulo on Friday and December 1. The Brazil squad will gather on Monday in Sao Paulo for preparations. Marta has chased titles for Brazil in every tournament since 2002. She has suggested that the 2019 Women’s World Cup might not have been her last.Marta is often regarded as the greatest female player of all time. She has been named FIFA World Player of the Year six times, five of them being consecutive (from 2006 through 2010) and the latest award coming in 2018. She was a member of the Brazilian national teams that won the silver medal at the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics. She was also awarded the Golden Ball (MVP) at the 2004 FIFA U-19 Women’s WC. (AP)