Shapath hits two perfect series to finish day one as best Indian shooter
Almaty (Kazakhstan), May 8: India’s Shapath Bharadwaj hit two perfect series and followed it up with 21 shots in the third series to end day one of the men’s trap event with a total of 71 hits from 75 in the ISSF World Cup for Shotgun here on Friday. Manisha Keer, with a score of 69, was the best-placed Indian women in her trap event. Shapath started the day with two perfect rounds but only managed 21 in the third series, dropping him down the standings. Vivaan Kapoor also shot a perfect 25 in his second series, after starting with 22 hits and finishing the day with 23 shots in the third series. The third Indian in the competition, Ahvar Rizvi, shot 23, 22 and 23 to finish day one on a score of 68 at the Asanov Shooting Club. Udaivir Singh Jaijee and Ali Aman Elahi, competing for ranking points, scored 71 and 66 respectively. In the women’s event, Manisha Keer began with two consecutive series of 24 each before finishing the day with a total score of 69 after hitting 21 targets in the third series. She is currently in 17th position. The last 50 targets and the finals of both men’s and women’s events will be held on Saturday. (PTI)
5 Indian boxers move to semifinals of Asian U-17 Boxing C’ships
Tashkent, May 8: Five Indian boxers progressed to the semifinals of the Asian U17 Boxing Championships with dominating wins here on Friday. In the quarterfinals, Yash Yadav (50kg) secured a hard-fought 4:1 victory over Kubanychbek Bolushov of Kyrgyzstan. Nivesh Pal (54kg) continued the dominance, registering a unanimous win against Shingen Kanai of Japan to book his place in the semifinals. In the 70kg category, Naman Kumar produced a commanding performance, defeating Ruzibek Miravotov of Tajikistan with a 5-0 decision. Lakshay Phogat (75kg) also impressed, securing a clinical 5-0 victory over Cheng-En Li of Chinese Taipei to progress to the last four. In other results, Karung Albertson (60kg) went down 0-5 against Emir Mukhit of Kazakhstan, Ranveer (66kg) suffered a 0:5 defeat against Islam Suleimanogly of Kazakhstan, while Siddhant (+80kg) lost 0-5 to Sabyrzhan Sagym of Kazakhstan, ending their campaigns. With four more medals confirmed today, India’s total tally in the U-17 boys category now stands at five. The Indian contingent will look to build on this momentum and push for top podium finishes in the semifinal stage. (PTI)
Global Chess League returns to India for fourth season
New Delhi, May 8: The fourth season of the Global Chess League (GCL), a joint initiative of Tech Mahindra and FIDE, will be held in India, aiming to leverage the country’s booming chess culture, the tournament organisers announced on Friday. The host city will be revealed soon, the GCL said. The third season of the event was held in Mumbai last December, in which Alpine SG Pipers emerged triumphant. The league has already changed the format of the game, and it will continue its emphasis on rapid-fire matches, mixed-gender teams, and high-intensity competition to promote chess as a premier spectator sport. The Season 4 will once again bring together the world’s leading players in a team-based format. Arkady Dvorkovich, president, FIDE, said. (PTI)
Tennis players from Belarus, Russia to continue playing as neutrals: ITF
London, May 8: Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka and former men’s No. 1 Daniil Medvedev will continue to play under neutral status after the International Tennis Federation announced Friday that it will “not change its existing position” over suspensions for Belarus and Russia. In a political shift Thursday, the International Olympic Committee said athletes from Belarus should once again compete with their full national identity and not be vetted for neutral status, even as the war in Ukraine continues. (PTI)
