India clinches 4 medals at Special Olympics Asia Pacific Badminton
New Delhi, Sep 26: India emerged the top performer at the Special Olympics Asia Pacific Badminton Competition in Kuala Lumpur by clinching one gold and three silver medals in various events. In the September 16 to 20 championship at Stadium Juara, Bukit Kiara, Chanvi Sharma was the standout performer, winning gold in the women’s singles event and adding a silver in women’s doubles alongside partner Sujita Sukumaran, a press release from Special Olympics Bharat stated. Ankit Dalal claimed silver in men’s singles and doubled his tally with another silver in the men’s doubles, partnering Amal Biju. The High Commissioner of India to Malaysia, B N Reddy also met the athletes at the closing ceremony to congratulate them. The competition brought together 80 players from 10 countries. (PTI)
Indian junior women’s hockey team loses 2-3 against Australia
Canberra, Sep 26: The Indian junior women’s hockey team suffered a 2-3 loss to Australia’s U21 side at the National Hockey Centre here on Friday. Lalthantluangi (47th minute) and Sonam (54th) were the scorers for India, while Bianca Zurrer (36th), Evie Sransby (45th) and Sammy Love (59th) struck for Australia. The first half remained goalless as both sides couldn’t manage to break the deadlock in a tight contest. In the 36th minute, Australia found the opening goal through a penalty corner conversion by Zurrer. Australia extended their lead with another penalty corner goal, this time courtesy Sransby in the 45th minute. In the fourth quarter, India bounced back in the contest with two crucial goals. In the 47th minute, Lalthantluangi converted a penalty corner to reduce the deficit, followed by a field goal by Sonam in the 54th minute to level the scores. With just over a minute left on the clock, Australia’s Love scored through a penalty corner to secure a win for the home team. (PTI)
Inaugural BFI Cup in Chennai from October 1
New Delhi, Sep 26: Aimed at providing upcoming boxers a pathway to the national camp, the Boxing Federation of India will conduct the inaugural BFI Cup in Chennai from October 1 to 7. The competition, which is set to be conducted in 10 categories for both men and women, will provide the gold and silver-medallists entry to the elite national camp. State units or boards which finished inside top-eight in the 8th Elite nationals can send one boxer to the BFI Cup in each category along with the Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) National Centre of Excellence (NCOE) in Rohtak, which regularly hosts the youth camps, and host Tamil Nadu. Apart from this, participants from the last two Elite National Championships will also be allowed to compete, the federation said. Those who competed in the 2024 and 2025 Asian U-22 championships, medallists in any international meet since 2022, medallists from the Goa and Uttarakhand National Games, and medallists from the 6th Youth Nationals will also be eligible to participate. (PTI)
The way cricketers push themselves inspired me: Usain Bolt
Mumbai, Sep 26: Legendary sprinter Usain Bolt says cricket was his inspiration to excel on the track after watching talented cricketers push themselves and give their all on the field. Bolt, whose name is synonymous with speed and world records, ended his career with eight Olympic gold and 11 World Championships top-podium finishes, something never achieved by any track and field athlete. “For me, I was a huge cricket fan growing up. So, I watched cricket growing up. Watching all the talent of the cricketers growing up and the way they worked and the way they pushed themselves and the way they carried themselves was something that inspired me at a young age to work hard and to be the best that I could be,” said the Jamaican in a “Fireside chat” at the Jamnabai Narsee Campus here on Friday. Asked what would be the three words that describe his road to greatness, Bolt, who holds the 100m world record of 9.58 seconds, said it was all about hard work for him. (PTI)
