40 Indian boxers to compete in Asian U19 and U22 C’ships
NEW DELHI, July 30: India has sent a 40-member team for the Asian U19 and U22 Boxing Championships, starting on Wednesday in Bangkok.The tournament, which will bring together 396 boxers from 26 nations, is being organised by the Asian Boxing in association with World Boxing and the Thailand Boxing Association.It will feature two age groups U19 (born between 2007 and 2008) and U22 (born between 2004 and 2006) with both men and women competing under Olympic-style boxing rules.The Indian team features a strong mix of talent across both divisions. Leading the charge is three-time Asian Champion and two-time National Champion Vishvanath Suresh.Joining him are National Championships medallists Sagar, Preet Malik and Khelo India gold medallist Suman Kumari.Boxers will compete across ten weight categories in each division. For U19 men, the categories range from 47kg- 50kg up to +90kg, while U19 women will fight in classes from 45-48kg to +80kg.The U22 men and women will compete in the same weight ranges. (PTI)
Dutch cyclist Ellen van Dijk says she will retire end of season
PARIS, July 30: Multiple world champion Ellen van Dijk will retire from cycling at the end of the season, saying an increasing worry about dangerous crashes influenced her decision.The 38-year-old from the Netherlands has won 70 races in all categories during a stellar career. This includes three individual and three team world time trial titles, one world title in the scratch discipline, five European titles and a solo win over 139 kilometers (86 miles) in the Tour of Flanders.“I’m going to retire as a professional cyclist at the end of the season after 20 years. It’s been a big part of my life, a superlong career that I feel very thankful for,” the Lidl-Trek rider said in comments from her team. “In the last two years I had a lot of nasty crashes and this for sure makes me more scared on the bike in the peloton, and it makes me lose the real love of the road racing.” With 41 victories in races against the clock, Van Dijk is among the greats in time trials. She is also the former women’s world record holder for the hour, riding a fraction over 49 kilometres (about 30 miles) in 2022 – a record since beaten.Van Dijk thanked Lidl-Trek for their commitment to women’s cycling.“It means a lot to me what this team did for women’s cycling,” she said. “Trek always believed in women’s cycling and invested a lot in it and has played a big role in making women’s cycling what it is today.” (AP)
Musetti and Rune win opening matches at National Bank Open
TORONTO, July 30: Third-seeded Lorenzo Musetti and No. 5 seed Holger Rune won their opening matches Tuesday at the National Bank Open.Musetti beat Australian qualifier James Duckworth 7-5, 6-1, while Rune was a 7-6 (7), 6-3 winner over Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard on a hot, sunny afternoon.All seeded players had a first-round bye in the Masters 1000 tournament. Top-ranked Jannik Sinner, No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, No. 5 Jack Draper and No. 6 Novak Djokovic are all skipping the hard-court event.No. 8 seed Casper Ruud, No. 11 Karen Khachanov, No. 14 Francisco Cerundolo and No. 18 Alexei Popyrin, the defending champion, were among the other winners. (PTI)