World Cup Archery Stage 1: India eves grab gold
guatemala, April 25: Indian women’s recurve team held its nerve to pip Mexico 5-4 (27-26) in an intriguing final to grab a gold medal in the Archery World Cup Stage 1 here on Sunday. Locked 4-4 in the shoot-off, the Indian team comprising seasoned Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat and Komalika Bari shot 27 to edge out their Mexican rivals by one point and claim their first World Cup team gold after seven years. Deepika showed utmost composure to drill a perfect 10 in the final arrow of the shoot-off to put pressure on the 2012 London Olympics silver medalist Aida Roman who needed a nine but only to drift away for a poor eight score. This was India’s fifth recurve women’s team gold in World Cup having won in Shanghai- 2011, Medellin-2013, Wroclaw-2013 and 2014 previously. (PTI)
Australian Rules match sets pandemic attendance record
Melbourne, April 25: More than 78,000 Australian Rules football fans crowded the Melbourne Cricket Ground Sunday to watch an Australian Football League match between Collingwood and Essendon — the biggest crowd for a sports event since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The crowd of 78,113 topped the 67,000 who attended a Twenty20 cricket international between India and England at Ahmedabad last month. The annual ANZAC Day match is one of the traditional highlights of the AFL season, when sport combines with a solemn national commemoration. ANZAC Day (April 25) is the day on which Australians commemorate those who served in both world wars and in other conflicts and peacekeeping operations. The match did not take place last year because of the pandemic and crowds since have been down on previous years. But a decision by the Victoria State government to allow the Melbourne Cricket Ground to be filled to 85 percent of its capacity led to Sunday’s record turnout. (AP)
Amit settles for bronze at Governor’s Cup in Russia
New Delhi, April 25: Olympic-bound Indian boxer Amit Panghal (52kg) settled for a bronze medal at the Governor’s Cup in St Petersburg, Russia after going down to world champion and familiar foe Shakhobidin Zoirov in the semifinals. Amit, a world championships silver-medallist, lost 5-0 to the Uzbek, who is also the reigning Olympic champion. This was the Indian’s second loss to Zoirov after the 2019 world championships. Zoirov had been upstaged by India’s Asian silver-winning boxer Deepak Kumar in the Strandja Memorial Tournament in Bulgaria earlier this year. Amit was the lone Indian to make the medal rounds of the Governor’s Cup after seasoned competitors like Olympic-bound Ashish Kumar (75kg) and Sumit Sangwan (81kg) bowed out early. The 23-year-old has claimed gold medals at the Asian Games and the Asian Championships and also became India’s first world championship finalist in 2019. (PTI)
Egypt’s national football team coach tests positive
CAIRO, April 25: Egypt’s national team coach has tested positive for the coronavirus, the country’s soccer association announced Sunday. Hossam el-Badry was diagnosed with COVID-19 after his daughter tested positive earlier this month, the Egyptian Football Association said in a statement. He has been isolated at his home, it said. Egypt secured a spot last month in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations and is hoping to reach the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar. Mohamed Elshenawy, goalkeeper of the national team had tested positive earlier this month while in November, Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah tested positive after he traveled to Cairo to play in Egypt’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Togo. (AP)