Diksha stuns Sutthiviriyakul to reach semis as Indian juniors shine
Pune, Aug 30: Indian shuttler Diksha Sudhakar produced a brilliant performance to upset ninth seed Pimchanok Sutthiviriyakul of Thailand 21-11, 19-21, 21-9 and advance to the women’s singles semifinals of the late Sushant Chipalkatti India Junior International Grand Prix Badminton Tournament here on Saturday. Dianka Waldia fought past compatriot Rishika Nandi 21-9, 13-21, 21-12 at the P. E. Society’s Modern PDMBA Sports Complex. In the mixed doubles quarterfinals, India’s Bornil Aakash Changmai and Zenith Abbigail pulled off the biggest upset of the day by defeating the top-seeded pair Bhavya Chhabra and Angel Punera 23-21, 21-17 in an all-India contest. Second seeds C Lalramsanga and Taarini Suri also advanced with a 21-18, 21-17 win over Thailand’s Tachin Wiriyachairerk and Sarisa Janpeng. Another all-India clash saw Vansh Dev and Shravani Walekar edge out Divyansh Rawat and Dianka Waldia 21-16, 6-21, 21-14. The women’s doubles category also brought cheer for the home side in the quarterfinals as India’s Aanya Bisht and Angel Punera displayed clinical form to beat Thailand’s second seeds Phattharin Aiamvareesrisakul and Sarisa Jenpeng 21-14, 21-10. (PTI)
Jharkhand to host East Zone Badminton C’ship from Sept 4
Jamshedpur, Aug 30: Around 180 shuttlers from six states will vie for top honours during the four-day East Zone Badminton Championship, beginning here on September 4. The players from Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and host Jharkhand will be seen in action in the singles, doubles and mixed events of senior and under-19 category during the championship. (PTI)
3 Scottish brothers set world record for fastest Pacific row
Sydney, Aug 30: Three Scottish brothers set a world record Saturday for completing the fastest unsupported row across the full Pacific Ocean. Jamie, Ewan and Lachlan Maclean completed the journey in 139 days, arriving in Cairns, Australia. They rowed over 9,000 miles non-stop from Peru, becoming the first team to achieve the full crossing from South America to Australia. The trio from Edinburgh endured storms, seasickness, injuries and violent storms, including one that swept Lachlan overboard, while raising over GBP 700,000 (USD 945,690) toward a GBP 1 million (USD 1,350,450) target for clean water projects. The three rowed into the Cairns Marlin Marina playing the bagpipes and waving the Scottish, Australian and United Kingdom flags. More than 50 family members, supporters and fans, including their mother Sheila, greeted the brothers. In the hours before their arrival, the eldest brother, Ewan, uploaded a video calling the marina ahead of their approach. The Macleans said the experience gave them a new perspective on life. They plan to continue fundraising as they aim to fund projects that provide clean water to 40,000 people living in Madagascar through the brothers’ charity, the Maclean Foundation. The previous record for the fastest full, unassisted, nonstop Pacific row was 160 days, set by Russian solo rower Fyodor Konyukhov in 2014. (AP)
Italian swimmers detained briefly at Singapore airport for shoplifting
Rome, Aug 30: Two Italian swimmers returning home from the world championships in Singapore were stopped and briefly detained by airport authorities on the Asian island for shoplifting. Benedetta Pilato, who won a bronze medal in the 50-metre breaststroke, and Chiara Tarantino were released after the Italian embassy intervened on their behalf, the Italian swimming federation said on Friday. “While condemning the incident, the Italian swimming federation reserves the right to carefully evaluate the matter,” the federation said in a statement. Tarantino put items that she stole inside Pilato’s suitcase, the Gazzetta dello Sport reported. The incident occurred long after the worlds ended on August 3, as the swimmers returned from vacation in Bali. “On days that should have been mainly for rest and mental relaxation, I went through, far from home, particularly difficult moments, which fortunately turned out to be independent of my will, but which seriously affected me,” Pilato wrote on Instagram. “I want to specify that I collaborated with local authorities from the very beginning, with the full support of the Italian embassy. Fortunately, the incident ended within a few hours, without any implications, thanks to my maximum transparency with the Singapore airport authorities.” “From this experience, I’ve learned great lessons about prudence, individual responsibility and the value of the people around me.” (AP)
