Former shot putter Bahadur Sagoo to replace Sumariwalla as AFI chief
New Delhi, Jan 5: Adille Sumariwalla’s eventful reign as Athletics Federation of India (AFI) President for three consecutive terms will come to an end when Asian Games gold winner Bahadur Singh Sagoo is elected to the top post during the national federation’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Chandigarh on Tuesday. The 67-year-old Sumariwalla, whose stewardship of the AFI saw Neeraj Chopra win a historic gold and a silver in the Tokyo and Paris Olympics respectively, is not eligible to contest elections under the existing National Sports Code. Sumariwalla, who is currently a member of the powerful executive board of World Athletics, was first elected as AFI chief in 2012. The 51-year-old Sagoo, who won a shot put gold in the 2002 Busan Asian Games and also took part in 2000 and 2004 Olympics, will be elected unopposed as the new AFI chief in the elections to be held during the January 7-8 AGM in Chandigarh. Sagoo is the lone candidate left in the fray after incumbent senior vice president Anju Bobby George opted out of the race for the top post. Anju will, however, remain as the senior vice president for a second term. There will also be no election for the remaining posts, just like what happened during the last elections in 2020. (PTI)
Varun Tomar shines in men’s 10m air pistol at 67th Shooting Nationals
New Delhi, Jan 5: Reigning Asian champion Varun Tomar grabbed the spotlight by clinching both the senior and the junior men’s 10m air pistol titles at the 67th National Shooting Championship Competitions (NSCC) here on Sunday. The 21-year-old Army marksman, who narrowly missed out on last year’s Paris Olympics, overcame a sluggish start in the senior final to snatch his maiden national crown at the expense of teammate Pradhyumn Singh, who fell short by 0.8 points. Rajasthan’s Aakash Bhardwaj won the bronze. Tomar then had a similar slow start in the junior final, but quickly made up ground, staying in touch with eventual silver winner Nikhil Saroha of Uttar Pradesh who was on a start-to-finish mission. Tomar’s patience finally paid off after the 21st shot as Nikhil blinked with an 8.5, handing the senior pro an easy double gold in the end at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting range. Tomar’s score in the senior final was 238, while he was clearly more confident in the junior final, resulting in greater accuracy with a tally of 246.2. Pradhyumn also rounded off a fruitful day with a second medal, a bronze in the junior men’s air pistol. The youth final saw a UP 1-2 when Chirag Sharma overcame the 14-year-old Dev Pratap by margin of 1.3 after 24 shots. Chirag finished with 241.8. Rajasthan’s Mayank Choudhary won bronze. Haryana, Rajasthan and Maharashtra stood 1-2-3 on the medal tally at the Pistol Nationals with 23, 22 and 13 gold medals respectively. (PTI)
Sumit Nagal makes main draw in Auckland
Auckland, Jan 5: India’s number one singles player Sumit Nagal qualified for the main draw of the ASB Classic, an ATP 250 event, with a straight set win over higher-ranked Frenchman Adrian Mannarino, here Sunday. The 26-year-old Indian, ranked 98th, faced a stiff resistance from the world number 66 before prevailing 7-6(5), 6-3 in the final round of the qualifiers. Nagal has been striving to shrug off poor form as he made a number of first round exits before managing to keep his place in the top-100 at the end of 2024 season. The main draw competition will serve as good preparation for Nagal ahead of Australian Open, season’s first Grand Slam, starting January 12 in Melbourne. The win against Mannarino, who featured in top-20 last year around the same time, will also work as a confidence booster for Nagal, who has decided not to compete in India’s upcoming Davis Cup tie against Togo in New Delhi. (PTI)
17-member Indian squad named for Physically Disabled CT
New Delhi, Jan 5: Vikrant Ravindra Keni was on Sunday named as captain of the 17-member Indian squad for the Physically Disabled Champions Trophy, beginning in Sri Lanka from January 12. The tournament for the physically disabled players is being held for the first time since 2019 and India will begin their campaign with a clash against Pakistan on the opening day. The DCCI’s national selection panel picked the team after an intensive training camp in Jaipur under head coach Rohit Jalani. The Squad: Vikrant Ravindra Keni (captain), Ravindra Gopinath Sante (vice-captain), Yogender Singh (wk), Akhil Reddy, Radhika Prasad, Dependra Singh (wk), Akash Anil Patil, Sunny Goyat, Pawan Kumar, Jithendra, Narendra, Rajesh, Nikhil Manhas, Amir Hassan, Majid Magray, Kunal Dattatray Phanase and Surendra. (PTI)