Para Swimming Nationals: Lakhan Singh wins gold
PANAJI, Oct 20: Rajasthan’s Lakhan Singh claimed the gold medal in the men’s S4 100m freestyle with an impressive time of 3:04.50 in the National Para-Swimming Championship here on Sunday.He was followed closely by Kamalkant from Odisha and Haryan’s Balraj, who secured silver and bronze, respectively.Odisha’s Narhari secured victory in the S5 100m freestyle with a remarkable time of 1:54.73, edging out Lakshmarao from Andhra Pradesh and Shams Aalam of Bihar, who took silver and bronze.Maharashtra’s Chaitanya Vishwas stood out in the S6 100m freestyle, winning gold with a time of 1:15.64, followed by Uttarakhand Rajendra Singh and Odisha’s Chaitonya.The S7 category saw a strong performance from Karnataka, with Tejas and Gopichand finishing first and second, respectively. Tejas clocked in at 1:14.19, while Charith from Andhra Pradesh secured the bronze.Karnataka continued to dominate the pool, with Shridhar winning gold in the S8 category with a time of 1:07.46. The S9 event saw another impressive showing, with Sahil Rajaram and Amol of Karnataka finishing first and second.In the S10 category, Kapil Kumar from the Services took gold with a time of 1:02.50, while Ajay Hindurao and Swapnil Sanjay from Maharashtra earned silver and bronze. (PTI)
RSPB, IOC to square off in women’s hockey final
NEW DELHI, Oct 20: Railway Sports Promotion Board and Indian Oil Corporation Ltd on Sunday emerged as the two finalists in the Senior Women Inter-Department National Hockey Championship after winning their respective semifinals here.RSPB trounced Sports Authority of India 4-0 in their first semifinal match. Neha (20’), Salima Tete (34’), captain Navneet Kaur (38’) and Lalremsiami (60’) were the goal-scorers for the side.In the other semifinal game, IOC overcame the Central Board Of Direct Taxes challenge to win 4-1.While Mumtaz Khan (21’, 28’) scored a brace for IOC, Jyoti (1’) and Beauty Dungdung (17’) were the other goal-scorers.Meanwhile, Jaspreet Kaur (9’) scored the lone goal for CBDT.Besides the final, SAI will face CBDT in the third-place playoff on Monday. (PTI)
Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley set to step down
SYDNEY, Oct 20: Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley has announced his resignation after five years at the helm and will step down from his post in March next year following the conclusion of the current season.As per Sydney Morning Herald’s report, Cricket Australia chair Mike Baird and fellow directors informed Hockley that he was not seen as a long-term option and offered him the opportunity to exit on amicable terms.“Hockley advised CA’s board of his intended departure after chair Mike Baird and fellow directors had decided that they did not see him as a long-term CEO, but wanted to give him the chance to exit on his own terms,” SMH reported.“This was a difficult decision,” Hockley was quoted as saying by the newspaper.“However, following what promises to be a blockbuster summer and with our five-year strategic plan well progressed, this is the right time to pursue another challenge, while giving the board plenty of time to find its next CEO to build on the strong foundations now in place,” he further stated.With India set to arrive in less than three weeks time for a blockbuster five-Test series, Hockley said that right now goodbye is not on his mind.“This is not the time for goodbyes, as I remain completely focused on the season ahead and supporting the board on succession and a smooth transition.” Among the contenders to replace Hockley, the frontrunner is Cricket Australia’s Head of Cricket, James Allsopp. Other names in the running include former CA Head of Broadcast and Commercial Stephanie Beltrame, former women’s captain Belinda Clark, and Australian Cricketers’ Association CEO Todd Greenberg. (PTI)
Nagal loses in Basel, Bollipalli-Khade wins first ATP 250 title
NEW DELHI, Oct 20: India’s Sumit Nagal crashed out in the second round of qualifying at the Swiss Indoors in Basel, even as the unheralded pair of Rithvik Choudhary Bollipalli and Arjun Khade won the Almaty Open men’s doubles title on Sunday.Nagal, an Olympian and India’s top singles player, lost 6-4 7-6(2) against James Duckworth of Australia in the qualifiers in Basel.But it was a dream-come-true moment for Bollipalli and Khade in Almaty.The Indian pair fought tooth and nail for one hour and 41 minutes to get the better of Colombia’s Nicolas Barrientos and Skander Mansouri of Tinusia 3-6 7-6 14-12 to win their first ATP 250 title. (PTI)