Senthilkumar in quarterfinals of German Open squash
New Delhi, April 5: National champion Velavan Senthilkumar shocked eighth seed George Parker of England to enter the quarterfinals of the German Open in Hamburg. Senthilkumar, a 2023 Asian silver medallist, was consistent during his 11-5, 11-8, 9-11, 11-9 second round win over Parker in 61 minutes on Thursday. He started the match gaining an early lead, with the Englishman struggling to keep up with the pace of his rival. Parker came closer in the second, fighting for every point and scoring through some accurate drops. But the Indian played crucial points better to take a 2-0 lead. But in the third game, Parker looked focused and showed his quality, pushing Senthilkumar with aggressive shot-making to win the third game 11-9. However, Senthilkumar regained his focus in the fourth game and won it 11-9 despite some heavy fight from Parker. In the quarterfinals, Senthilkumar will face No. 4 seed Eain Yow Ng of Malaysia. Earlier, Senthilkumar, ranked 59 in the world had defeated Yassin Elshafei of Egypt 6-11, 7-11, 11-6, 11-3, 11-9 in 62 minutes in the first round. (PTI)
Shot put legend Valerie Adams to grace Bengaluru World 10K
Bengaluru, April 5: Legendary New Zealand shot putter Valerie Adams was on Friday named the ‘International Event Ambassador’ for the 16th TCS World 10K Bengaluru to be held on April 28. Adams had won shot put gold in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, besides bagging a silver (2016) and bronze (2021) before retiring. “The increasing enthusiasm for running in India is both motivating and inspiring,” stated Adams, a four-time consecutive world champion, in a press release. (PTI)
Feud in IOA continues
New Delhi, April 5: The internal feud in the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) took a new twist here on Friday when nine members of its executive council asked “unauthorised persons” not to enter its headquarters in a notice directed towards two recently appointed officials. The notice was posted at the IOA office premises after a meeting of nine executive council members on Tuesday. IOA president PT Usha and most members of the executive council have been at loggerheads since the appointment of Raghuram Iyer as CEO on January 6. Iyer had earlier served as CEO of Indian Premier League side Rajasthan Royals. “This notice is issued to inform that unauthorised persons are not allowed to enter into the building/offices of the IOA,” the notice signed by nine members of the executive council read. “It has come to the notice of the council members that non approved/terminated staff is entering and occupying the offices which is illegal and amounts to trespassing,” it said. The notice was signed by senior vice president Ajay Patel, vice presidents Rajlakshmi Singh Deo and Gagan Narang, treasurer Sahdev Yadav and members Dola Banerjee, Harpal Singh, Yogeshwar Dutt, Amitabh Sharma and Bhupinder Singh Bajwa. It is learnt that Usha is currently not in town though she has been apprised of the development. Just a few days after Iyer was made CEO, 12 out of 15 EC members alleged that Usha “exerted pressure” on them to pave the way for his appointment, a charge the legendary athlete described as “shameful”. In February, a majority of EC members claimed that they signed a suspension order declaring Iyer’s appointment as null and void. The EC members claimed that they had also cancelled the appointment of Ajay Narang as executive assistant to the IOA president. (PTI)