Lahiri 44th in first round at Phoenix Open
Scottsdale (US), Feb 11: Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri made a strong comeback after a sedate start as he was one-under 70 in the opening round of the USD 8.2 million Waste Management Phoenix Open here. Lahiri’s 70 placed him T-44 in the unfinished first round, which was suspended due to darkness. Indian-American Sahith Theegala, who has often expressed a desire to play in India, was in stunning form as he was 7-under through 16 holes after starting from the 10th. Theegala, a much decorated collegiate golfer, faces a clutch 16-footer for par on 8th, his 17th hole when he returns on the second day. Playing on a sponsor’s exemption, Theegala is the provisional leader at 7-under, as Korea’s KH Lee fired a super 6-under 65 for the first round clubhouse lead. Theegala was thrilled to be there in the first place as a sponsor’s exemption. (PTI)
India’s shuttler Mir wins Iran Fajr International Challenge
Shiraz (Iran), Feb 11: Junior World No 1 Indian shuttler Tasnim Mir on Friday notched a three-game win over Yulia Yosephine Susanto of Indonesia in the final to claim the women’s singles title at the Iran Fajr International Challenge here. The 16-year-old from Gujarat, who became the first Indian woman shuttler to claim the world no 1 status in u-19 singles, beat second seed Susato 21-11, 11-21, 21-7 in 51 minutes. Tasnim, ranked number 404 in the senior world rankings, lagged 1-3 early on but she soon clawed back at 5-5 before reeling off six straight points to create a huge gap, which her rival couldn’t bridge. The Indonesian came out all cylinders blazing in the second game, jumping to a 9-2 advantage. She kept moving ahead to roar back into the contest in a jiffy. In the decider, Tasnim got her bearings back, zooming to 6-1. She didn’t look back and shut the door on her rival to comfortably pocket the title. En route to the title, Tasnim defeated Iran’s Nazanin Zamani, Armenia’s Lilit Poghosyan, Iran’s Fatemeh Babaei, India’s Samayara Panwar before outwitting top seed and World Number 71 Martina Repiska in the semi-finals. (PTI)
Greece appoints Gus Poyet as coach for national football team
Athens, Feb 11: Gus Poyet was hired as coach of Greece’s national team on Friday in a change of leadership after its failure to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar. The Greek Football Federation said it had reached an agreement with the former Chelsea, Tottenham and Uruguay midfielder. Details of the deal were not immediately announced. The 54-year-old Poyet replaces Dutch coach John van’t Schip who resigned in November after Greece finished third in its World Cup qualifying group behind Spain and Sweden. (AP)
Costa Rica at 100% capacity for qualifiers vs Canada, US
Washington, Feb 11: Costa Rica’s Estadio Nacional in San Jose will have 100% of its 35,000-seat capacity available to fans for its final two home qualifiers next month against Canada and the United States. The Costa Rican Football Federation announced the decision on Thursday. Costa Rica hosts Canada on March 24, plays at El Salvador three days later and closes at home against the US on March 30. Canada, seeking its first World Cup appearance since 1986, leads North and Central America and the Caribbean with 25 points and can clinch with one win. The top three nations earn berths for this year’s tournament in Qatar and the fourth-place nation advances to a playoff in June against the Oceania champion, likely New Zealand. (AP)
F1 extends Bahrain GP contract through 2036
Paris, Feb 11: Formula One extended its contract to continue racing in Bahrain until 2036, saying Friday that the Middle Eastern country holds a “very special place in our sport.” The Sakhir-based circuit has held F1 races since 2004 and will stage the season-opener next month. Ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix last year, seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton urged the global racing series to not ignore human rights violations in the countries where it stages races. Bahrain has been accused of exploiting the series to gloss over, or “sportswash,” its human rights record. The Bahrain GP is scheduled March 20 and the Bahrain International Circuit will also host pre-season testing. Red Bull driver Max Verstappen won a thrilling title last year in controversial fashion with a last-lap overtake of Hamilton’s Mercedes in the final race at the Abu Dhabi GP. (AP)