Haryana, Jharkhand set up title clash for Jr Women’s C’ship
Kakinada, Aug 10: Haryana and Jharkhand registered identical 3-0 wins to set up the title clash in the Junior Women’s National Championship here Sunday. In the day’s first semi-final, captain Shashi Kasha (8’) gave Haryana an early lead against Hockey before Supriya (45’, 47’) struck twice in quick succession to seal the win. In the other last-four encounter, Jharkhand got past Uttar Pradesh with goals from Sweety Dungdung (13’), Rina Kullu (56’) and captain Rajni Kerketta (59’). The final will be played on Monday, while Chhattisgarh will take on Uttar Pradesh for third place. (PTI)
India’s Ramesh Budhial wins bronze in Asian Surfing
Chennai, Aug 10: Ramesh Budhial became the first-ever Indian to win a medal in the Asian Surfing Championships while clinching the bronze in the Open Men’s category here on Sunday. Budhial, also the first-ever from the country to reach the medal round, accumulated 12.60 points to bag bronze. The gold went to Kanoa Heejae of Korea, who led the field with 15.17 points while Indonesia’s Pajar Ariyana grabbed silver with 14.57 points. In the Open Women’s category, Japan’s Anri Matsuno (14.90 points) won the gold, warding off stiff competition from compatriot Sumomo Sato (13.70). Isabel Higgs of Thailand settled for bronze with 11.76 points. Korea’s Kanoa Heejae, who won the men’s gold earlier, made the day sweeter, winning the Under-18 boys’ gold as well, scoring 14.33 points. Chinese duo of Shidong Wu (13.10) Shulou Jiang (8) won the silver and bronze medals respectively. In the girls’ U18 section, Siqi Yang of China dominated the field with 14.50 points to take the gold medal, and Shuhan Jin (10.33) made it a Chinese 1-2 in the event. The bronze medal went to Thailand’s Isabel (8.10 points). (PTI)
Motorsport: Anish Shetty, Bhuvan Bonu put up dominating show
Coimbatore, Aug 10: Seasoned rider Anish Shetty completed a hat-trick of wins in the Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup while teenager Bhuvan Bonu emerged winner in the Novice Cup as Round 1 of the JK Tyre Racing Championship concluded here Sunday. The GT Cup grid is a mix between the seasoned riders and novices. Anish showed that the rich field belonged to him. Defending champion Navaneeth Kumar bounced back to second place while Kayan Zubin Patel was also impressive. In the standings, Anish is way ahead with 30 points. Kayan is at 19 points and Navaneeth at 12 points. Among the amateurs, Bryan Nicholas from Pondicherry was just too good as he won all three races (36 points). Behind him was Johring Warisa (27 points) from Umrangso. Kabir Sahoch from Vadodara was third in overall standing with 18 points. In the Novice Cup, Bhuvan was too fast for the rest of the field. The 15-year-old from Bengaluru, who trains in the United States of America pushed his car effortlessly. (PTI)
BCB appoints new ACU consultant, introduces new first-class team
Dhaka, Aug 10: The Bangladesh Cricket Board has roped in Alex Marshall, former head of ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit, as a consultant for one-year to oversee its operations, as the BCB aims to “enhance its reputation” after being rocked by numerous episodes of fixing in recent years. Besides Marshall, the BCB has made two more important appointments, with Julian Wood coming in as a specialist batting coach for three months and Tony Hemming joining as head of turf management for two years and will be in charge of all international venues and curators. Wood is a power-hitting specialist who recently worked with Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). Marshall was the ICC’s anti-corruption unit general manager until September last year. These decisions were taken during a meeting of the Board members at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium here on Saturday. BCB’s media committee chairman Iftekhar Rahman also said the ICC’s integrity unit will monitor the upcoming Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). Meanwhile, the BCB introduced Mymensingh as the latest first-class team while replacing Dhaka Metropolis, which was introduced in 2011. (PTI)
Two Japanese boxers die from brain injuries in separate bouts
Tokyo, Aug 10: Two Japanese boxers have died from brain injuries sustained in separate bouts on the same card at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall. Shigetoshi Kotari, 28, collapsed shortly after completing a 12-round draw against Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation junior lightweight champion Yamato Hata on August 2. He underwent emergency brain surgery for a subdural hematoma – a condition where blood collects between the brain and skull- but died on Friday. “Rest in peace, Shigetoshi Kotari,” the World Boxing Organization wrote on social media. “The boxing world mourns the tragic passing of Japanese fighter Shigetoshi Kotari, who succumbed to injuries sustained during his August 2nd title fight. On Saturday, fellow 28-year-old Hiromasa Urakawa died after suffering the same injury during a knockout loss to Yoji Saito. He had undergone a craniotomy in an attempt to save his life. “This heartbreaking news comes just days after the passing of Shigetoshi Kotari, who died from injuries suffered in his fight on the same card,” the WBO said in another social media post on Saturday. (AP)
Cyclists to wear GPS tracking devices to improve rider safety
Lausanne, Aug 10: Riders will be testing out GPS tracking devices at the Tour of Romandie this week, ahead of the safety measure becoming mandatory at the world road champions later this year. World cycling’s governing body is asking one rider from each team to wear a tracking device at the three-day women’s event in Switzerland, beginning Friday. The same technology will then be used at the road world championships in Kigali, Rwanda, from September 21-28, where every rider – from junior to elite level – will have to carry the device. “The objective of this test is to refine the UCI’s safety tracking software and establish protocols to provide real-time data to race control, medical teams and UCI Commissaires,” the UCI said . (AP)