India boxers assure 8 medals in U-19 women’s category
JAKARTA, July 9: Indian women boxers continued their impressive run at the Asian U-19 and U-23 Boxing Championships with six pugilists advancing to the semifinals to assure themselves of medals on day 5 of the tournament here on Thursday.Leading the charge, Chandrika Bhoresh Pujari (51kg) delivered a dominant 5:0 victory over Kazakhstan’s Zhadyra Kaltay, while Joyshree Devi (54kg) registered a convincing 5:0 win against Kazakhstan’s Maral Tolepbergen.Prachi (57kg) continued her fine form with a clinical 5:0 win over Uzbekistan’s Robiya Ravshanova, while Chahat (60kg) secured a comprehensive 5:0 victory against Kazakhstan’s Zhasmin Abramyan.In the 48kg category, Gunjan edged past Mongolia’s Altanzul Altangadas in a closely contested 3:0 split decision, while Anshika (75kg) added to India’s medal tally with a hard-fought 4:1 win over Kazakhstan’s Altyngul Aimukhan.India also saw two closely fought bouts not go their way, with Vanshika (65kg) going down to Uzbekistan’s Rushanabonu Isoeva via RSC in the first round, and Lakshu (70kg) losing to Uzbekistan’s Maftuna Yangieva by a 5:0 decision.With these results, India have now assured eight medals in the U-19 women’s competition, highlighting the depth and promise of the country’s youth boxing programme. (PTI)
Paralympics great Sarah Storey retires at 48 years
LONDON, July 9: Paralympics great Sarah Storey retired from competitive racing on Thursday at age 48 instead of training for a 10th Games in Los Angeles in 2028.The 19-time Paralympics gold medalist won her first titles for Britain in swimming at Barcelona in 1992, and completed her fourth straight sweep of cycling’s road race and time trial at Paris in 2024.Storey told British broadcaster BBC she now wants to help improve the quality and visibility of Para-sport.“The years between each Games haven’t been utilised well enough to create the momentum that I and others hoped to see,” she said.“I see this as a critical stage. There are many areas of Para-sport that still need attention, and that is something that has played a big part in my decision.” Storey competed at each Paralympics in swimming from Barcelona through Athens in 2004, winning 16 medals including five gold. She switched to cycling after an ear infection stopped her swimming for months.She won 14 gold medals as the dominant women’s cyclist from the 2008 Beijing Paralympics through Paris.Storey was born with a disabled left hand because her arm got entangled with the umbilical cord in the womb. (PTI)
Former Romanian football player drowns in lake
BUCHAREST, July 9: Former Romania football player Gabriel Muresan has died after drowning in a lake near the town where he was the mayor, local media reported on Thursday. He was 44.The Romanian football federation confirmed the death of a midfielder who played nine times for the national team, including in qualifying games for the World Cup and Euros from 2007-11.“The Romanian Football Federation sends its most sincere condolences to the family, friends and all those who knew Gabriel Muresan,” it said.Muresan was “a devoted servant of our community,” the public authority in Apold said on Facebook. He had been mayor there since 2020.The most successful period of Muresan’s career was with Cluj, where he won Romanian league titles. In the Champions League, Muresan played in three group-stage campaigns including games against Chelsea, Manchester United and Roma. (PTI)
