Pistol shooter who left camp without notice now in Oly trials
New Delhi, March 27: A pistol shooter, who left the preparatory camp for the Asia Olympic Qualifiers in December last year without informing the national federation, has been selected for the trials to pick the Paris Games squad after apologising for his disciplinary breach. The trials will be held in Delhi and Bhopal in April and May respectively. Bhavesh Shekhawat, who competes in 25m rapid-fire event, left the camp on December 29 and was incommunicado till January 4 this year, forcing the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) to replace him in the squad for the Olympic qualifiers in Jakarta. NRAI secretary Rajiv Bhatia said on Wednesday that the marksman from Rajasthan has “apologised” for his misdemeanour, paving the way for him to compete in the trials and stake claim for a Paris Olympics berth. “Yes, he came to us (after leaving). He came with his father and apologised, so we have closed the matter. It was a personal matter,” Bhatia said. (PTI)
Nagra clinches title in first leg of National Eventing Championship
New Delhi, March 27: Arjan Singh Nagra, riding Bianca, emerged the national champion in the novice category in the first leg of the National Eventing Championship, while Manvendra Singh and Sthavi Asthana claimed the second and third positions respectively, here. Nagra did not concede any penalty while clearing 11 obstacles, completing the run in exactly one hour at the Army Polo & Riding Centre. He also did not concede a penalty in show jumping but in the dressage section was 31.6 seconds more than the allowed time-limit. In the 44-rider competition, over a 380-metre course, Nagra conceded the least penalties (31.6) and was followed by Manvendra (31.9) and Sthavi (34.2) in the leader-board. (PTI)
Chennaiyin FC’s Bijay Chhetri signs for Latin American club
Chennai, March 27: Indian defender Bijay Chhetri has joined Uruguayan football club Colon FC on loan until the year-end, his Indian Super League (ISL) club Chennaiyin FC said on Wednesday. Chhetri thus became the first Indian footballer to sign for a Latin American club. Colon is based in Montevideo, while the club competes in Segunda División Professional (second division) of the country, where it is currently placed third on the Group B league table. The 22-year-old Bijay from Manipur began his footballing career with Shillong Lajong in 2016 and made his senior appearance with Indian Arrows in 2018. Since then, he has played for clubs like Chennai City, Real Kashmir and Sreenidi Deccan before joining CFC this season, his maiden ISL club. (PTI)
CCI Billiards Classic: Advani fires in with top 305 break
Mumbai, March 27: World champion Pankaj Advani of India oozed class with a triple century break of 305 as he tamed compatriot Rovin D’Souza and cruised to a comprehensive 1197-156 point win in his opening Group-A league match of the All India CCI Billiards Classic here on Wednesday. Advani, who last November won a grand double, triumphing the time format and long-up in the IBSF World Billiards Championship, played with sublime touch as he executed his shots with perfection and took complete control of the match. Besides, Advani dominated the table for long periods and collected breaks of 188, 162, 191, 92 and 97, sailing to a fluent win. (PTI)