Davis Cup: D Suresh shines on debut, Nagal makes winning return
Biel (Switzerland), Sep 12: Pulled out of reserves, Dhakshineshwar Suresh stunned higher-ranked Jerome Kym of Switzerland in straight sets before Sumit Nagal made a triumphant return to the Davis Cup, placing India on the cusp of a rare win against a European side in an away tie, here Friday. Captain Rohit Rajpal showed immense faith in Dhakshineshwar, playing him ahead of Aryan Shah, and the tall Chennai player did not disappoint, coming out a 7-6 (4) 6-3 winner against 155th ranked Kym. Dhakshineshwar is placed 626 on the ATP charts but his stupendous game and confidence belied his low ranking. He charged the net a lot more after measuring the game of his opponent who seemed to be lacking a plan B. Nagal, who is now struggling to stay inside top-300 after being in top-100 last year, made a winning return to the Davis Cup with a 6-3 7-6 (4) result against Marc-Andrea Huesler that gave India a commanding 2-0 lead at the end of day one. India are now very close to pulling off a memorable Davis Cup win on the European soil as they need to win one of the three matches on Saturday.. (PTI)
Kundan, Husain emerge winners in ultra races at challenging Leh runs
Leh, Sep 12: Local runners lived up to the expectations, dominating high-altitude road races in Ladakh as Tsewang Kundan and Shabir Husain emerged champions in the Silk Route Ultra and Khardungla Challenge respectively. Kundan clocked 13 hours, 50 minutes, 01 seconds to claim the top honours in the grueling Silk Route Ultra, a 122-km race that runs through rugged Himalayan terrain. He was followed by Phunchok Namgail (14:38:14) in second place, while Skarma Phurbu Tsering came third in 15:01:01. In the Khardungla Challenge, a 72-km run over the world’s highest motorable pass at more than 17,500 feet, Husain clinched victory in 06:58:40, narrowly edging past Tsering Norboo (07:01:29) and Stanzin Namgyal (07:05:28) in a closely-fought race. Rajasthan’s Sufiya Runner (19:12:36) and Namgyal Lhamo (8:31:47) were the winners in the women’s categories in the Silk Route and Khardungla Challenge respectively. (PTI)
Ethiopian runner Welteji barred over alleged missed drug test
Lausanne (Switzerland), Sep 12: Organisers of the Ladakh Marathon on Tuesday said they plEthiopian middle-distance runner Diribe Welteji has been barred from the world track championships a day before her first race amid a legal dispute over allegedly missing a drug test. Welteji, the silver medallist in the 1500 metres at the last world championships in 2023, was set to race in the 1500 heats on Saturday but has now been “declared ineligible” by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Welteji was accused in May of refusing to give a sample for a doping test “without any justification,” CAS said. She was cleared by an Ethiopian anti-doping panel last month but the Athletics Integrity Unit, which oversees doping cases on behalf of World Athletics, appealed to CAS against that ruling Thursday and asked for Welteji to be suspended until the case is resolved. That request has now been granted. The 23-year-old Ethiopian would have been a medal contender in Tokyo. (AP)
Olympic sprinter gets 4-year ban for positive test for anabolic steroid
Lausanne, Sep 12: Two-time Olympic finalist Erriyon Knighton was banned for four years on Friday in a doping case of an anabolic steroid that almost certainly rules the 21-year-old United States sprinter out of the 2028 Los Angeles Games. The Court of Arbitration for Sport said its judges upheld separate appeals by the World Anti-Doping Agency and track and field investigators which asked for a maximum four-year ban after he was cleared by a tribunal in the US. CAS said the ban that starts Friday is cut for the more than two months of a provisional suspension Knighton served last year. The ban should expire in early July 2028, just days before the LA Olympics open. (AP)