Indian youth boxers shine with 5 wins in Futures Cup
Bangkok, March 10: Five Indian youth boxers registered wins on the third day of the World Boxing Futures Cup here on Tuesday. In the morning session, Chandrika Pujari (50kg) secured a convincing 5-0 unanimous decision win over a Venezuelan boxer, while Joyshree Devi (54kg) continued her strong run with a Referee Stopped Contest (RSC) victory in the third round against her Kazakh opponent. In the men’s division, L. Ambekar (50kg) also advanced with a dominant 5-0 win over his rival from Ecuador. The evening session saw Gunjan (48kg) edge past her Italian contestant in a close 3-2 win, while Prachi (60kg) delivered a commanding performance to defeat the competitor from Ecuador with an RSC victory in the first round. (PTI)
Manu Bhaker tops women’s 10m pistol event in national trials finals
New Delhi, March 10: Olympian Manu Bhaker topped the finals of women’s 10m pistol event in the national selection trials T3 (Group A) which concluded here on Tuesday. Trial two winner Sainyam finished second while Esha Singh secured the third spot in the eight-woman final. Manu, who squeezed into the finals as the last qualifier, maintained her lead from the end of the second series to finish on top with a total score of 246.1, which was a comfortable 4.2 points more than World Cup Final silver medallist Sainyam who finished with 241.9. Asian Championship gold and World Championship bronze medallist Esha finished third with a score of 220.6. The national squad will now start another coaching camp here from Wednesday. (PTI)
Double delight for Krishna Nagar at para badminton National
Hyderabad, March 10: Paralympic champion Krishna Nagar delivered a dominant performance to clinch two gold medals in the SH6 category of the 7th Senior National Para Badminton Championship here on Tuesday. Krishna first secured the men’s singles SH6 title, defeating Sudarsan M S in the final with a 21-10, 21-19 victory. Displaying strong attacking play and composure throughout the match, Nagar lived up to his top billing to claim the national crown. He then went on to secure his second gold medal in the mixed doubles SH6 event, partnering Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan. The pair defeated Sudarsan M S and Shreya Kumari 21-7, 21-11. SH6 is a classification in para-badminton for players of short stature, usually caused by conditions such as dwarfism. (PTI)
Para swimmer gets ban in abuse case involving autistic teammate
Denver (US), March 10: The US Centre for SafeSport has permanently banned a Paralympic swimmer who was accused of sexually assaulting an autistic teammate at the Games in 2021 and for about a year after that. The centre on Monday handed down the suspension to Robert Griswold, whose case led to a 2022 lawsuit that was eventually dismissed when a judge ruled the court lacked jurisdiction. The lawsuit spelled out a pattern of grooming and sexual assault that began when Griswold and the swimmer traveled to Tokyo for the Paralympics in 2021. It accused the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee and the SafeSport center for “shielding and protecting” Griswold while he committed the acts. “Accountability is the path to long-term culture change,” said the centre’s new CEO, Benita Fitzgerald Mosely. The centre, created in 2017 to deal with sex abuse in Olympic and Paralympic sports, was removed from the lawsuit over jurisdictional issues in 2023. Two years later, a federal judge dismissed the suit altogether. The centre placed Griswold on temporary suspension in August 2022, and more than 3 1/2 years later, increased that to permanent ineligibility for sexual and physical misconduct. The centre’s Centralized Disciplinary Database said Griswold has the right to appeal. (AP)
Winter Paralympics: Oksana Masters bags 11th gold medal
Milan, March 10: Oksana Masters’ 11th Paralympic gold medal was “redemption” for the most decorated American Winter Paralympian. And it was clear just how much it meant to her. Masters screamed loudly several times in delight after winning the women’s sprint sitting discipline in Para cross-country skiing on Tuesday at Milan Cortina. She finished second in the event four years ago. “It was just such a relief and redemption from Beijing. It was the one that got away. I love sprints and I hate sprints because there’s so much stress,” Masters said. Masters was 40 metres behind leader Yunji Kim at the start of the final incline but powered up the ascent to overtake her rival as they crested the summit. It was a second gold medal at Milan Cortina for Masters, who won the women’s sprint sitting discipline in Para biathlon on Saturday. The 36-year-old was coming off a difficult season that included surgery, a bone infection and a concussion. Masters now has seven Winter Paralympic gold medals to go along with her four victories at the Summer Paralympics. She has competed in every Paralympics since 2012, earning medals in Para cross-country and Para biathlon in the winter and Para cycling and Para rowing in the summer. Her total medal haul stands at 21 — 16 in the Winter Games and five in the Summer Games. Masters was born in Ukraine with birth defects believed to be related to the Chernobyl nuclear accident. She had to go through orphanages at an early age in Ukraine before being adopted by an American mother. She had her left leg amputated at age 9, and her right leg amputated at age 14. (AP)
Indian men’s basketball team heads home after being stranded in Doha
New Delhi, March 10: After being stranded in Doha for 10 days, the Indian men’s Basketball team is on their way back home, Basketball Federation of India said on Tuesday. The Indian contingent travelled to Doha for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers, but found themselves stranded in Doha, due to ongoing geopolitical tensions in the region that have disrupted international airspace and flight operation. The Qatar Basketball Federation has arranged hotel and other logistical support for the Indian contingent made all the arrangements for the safety and security of players and staff until Embassy of India to ensure the safe return of the team. The team first travelled to Damman by road, from there the continent departed in two groups due to limited flight availability. One group travelled on the route Dammam to Jeddah to Mumbai while the second group took a direct flight from Dammam to Lucknow. (IANS)
