Decide by May 4 on posthumous Padma Vibhushan for Jadhav: HC
Mumbai, April 20: The Bombay High Court has directed the Union government to decide by May 4 on conferment of the Padma Vibhushan award posthumously to wrestler Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav, India’s first individual Olympic medallist. Justices Madhav Jamdar and Pravin Patil of the HC’s Kolhapur bench, in the order on April 15, said it is not disputed that Jadhav, a wrestler hailing from Maharashtra, was India’s first individual Olympic medallist. The court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the ‘Kusteeveer Khashaba Jadhav Foundation’, founded by his son Ranjeet Jadhav. The PIL sought a direction to the Ministry of Home Affairs (Padma Awards Cell) to consider and decide afresh their representation for posthumous conferment of Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian award, to Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav. Khashaba Jadhav, who passed away in 1984, had won the bronze medal in the Helsinki Olympic Games held in 1952. He was awarded the Arjuna Award posthumously in 2001. (PTI)
HCL Squash PSA Challenger Tour: Suraj Chand bags men’s title
Chennai, April 20: India’s Suraj Kumar Chand secured the HCL Squash PSA Challenger Tour title with a straight game win over South Korea’s Jeongmin Ryu in the men’s final here on Monday. The Indian second seed, ranked 134 in the world, beat his eighth seed opponent 11-5, 11-9, 11-3 for his fourth PSA Tour title. Egyptian seventh seed Rouqaia Othman defeated Malaysian second seed Harleein Tan 12-10, 11-7, 9-11, 11-7 in the women’s final. (PTI)
Defending champ Korir sets course record to win Boston Marathon
Boston, April 20: Defending champion John Korir shattered the Boston Marathon course record on Monday, riding a tailwind to outrun the strongest field in race history and win in 2 hours, 1 minute, 52 seconds – the fifth-fastest marathon of all time. Sharon Lokedi joined her fellow Kenyan as a back-to-back champion, winning the women’s race in 2:18:51. Zouhair Talbi and Jess McClain ran the fastest times ever for Americans, in the men’s and women’s races, respectively. A year after joining his brother Wesley, the 2012 champion, as the only relatives to win the race, John Korir broke away from the pack as it headed into Heartbreak Hill in Newton and opened a 40-second lead. He peeked behind him as he went through Kenmore Square with a mile to go, sticking out his tongue and spreading his arms as he ran down Boylston Street to beat the previous course record of 2:03:02 set by Geoffrey Mutai in 2011 by 70 seconds. Kelvin Kiptum holds the marathon world record, with a 2:00:35 on the flatter Chicago course in 2023. (AP)
National Rugby: WB begin campaign in style
Rajgir (Bihar), April 20: Defending champions West Bengal made a commanding start in the men’s section of the Senior National Rugby Sevens Championship on Monday, registering emphatic wins over Chandigarh and Chhattisgarh. They defeated Chandigarh 49-7 and followed it up with a dominant 66-0 victory against Chhattisgarh. Multiple-time national champions Haryana also delivered an impressive performance, securing convincing wins against Uttar Pradesh (29-0) and Madhya Pradesh (47-0). Among other notable results, Maharashtra recorded the biggest win of the day, thrashing Andaman & Nicobar 92-0. Odisha, Bihar, and Rajasthan also posted comprehensive victories in their respective matches. (PTI)
