PICKLEBALL
India bags six medals at World Pickleball Championship in Hong Kong
India produced a stellar performance at the Hong Kong leg of the World Pickleball Championship, securing a total of six medals, including one gold, three silvers, and two bronze.
The duo of Vanshik Kapadia and Vrushali Thakare clinched the gold medal in the 19+ open mixed doubles category in the November 29-December 1 meet.
Kuldip Mahajan won a silver partnering South Korea’s Kim Eung Gwon in the 19+ open mixed doubles.
Vanshik Kapadia (19+ open men’s singles) and Karina Aditya Dwipayani and Vrushali Thakare (19+ open women’s doubles) were the other two silver-medallists.
The Indian contingent also brought home two bronze medals, with Isha Lakhani and Roos Van Reek finishing on the podium in the 19+ open women’s doubles category.
Mayur Patil teamed up with Neilson Chen in the 19+ open mixed doubles for India’s second bronze.
This performance builds on India’s strong showing at the World Pickleball Championship’s India leg in November, where the country claimed a rich haul of 28 medals, including 11 gold.
-PTI
SWIMMING
Meenakshi Pahuja completes 17km swim from Revas Jetty to Gateway of India
Meenakshi Pahuja (centre) with her support team after the successful
swim to the Gateway of India in Mumbai on Friday.
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Meenakshi Pahuja (centre) with her support team after the successful
swim to the Gateway of India in Mumbai on Friday.
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Meenakshi Pahuja swam 17km in the Arabian Sea from Revas Jetty to Gateway of India on Friday, adding another glorious chapter to her long list of achievements in open water swimming.
An Associate Professor at the Lady Shri Ram College, the 47-year-old Meenakshi was spreading the awareness of water pollution, while overcoming the challenges of temperature, wind, jellyfish and water snakes in accomplishing her task.
In her endeavour, Meenakshi was supported by an efficient escort team of Abhinav Kant Chaturvedi, Krish Gandhi and Faisal Siddiqui.
“My late father VK Pahuja taught me perseverance and commitment”, said Meenakshi after her successful swim.
“Water is a powerful element of nature that sustains life. Let us pledge not to pollute it and take steps to save our natural resources for future generations,” said Meenakshi, who had received the Nari Shakti Puraskar from the President Ram Nath Kovind.
Meenakshi was the first Indian to complete the prestigious swims Key West (Florida), Lake Zurich (Switzerland) and Tex Robertson Highland Lakes Challenge (Texas). She also swam Apolima Strait (Samoa) and Lake Constance (Germany).
She won medals in the Labuan Sea Cross, in Malaysia, and the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim in New York.
-Team Sportstar
FENCING
Former IOA top official Rajeev Mehta elected Secretary General of Fencing Confederation of Asia
Former Indian Olympic Association’s (IOA) top official Rajeev Mehta has been elected as the Secretary-General of the Fencing Confederation of Asia (FCA) during the organization’s General Assembly on Sunday, December 1.
Mehta, who currently serves as the Secretary-General of the Fencing Association of India, becomes the first Indian to hold the continental position. Mehta served as Secretary General of the IOA for eight years from 2014 to 2022.
“I passionately believe that strong working relationships with internal and external stakeholders will help us gain better leverage for the advancement of FCA. Our goal is to usher in a new era of collaboration, openness, and transparency in fencing,” Mehta said.
-Team Sportstar
ATHLETICS
Sakshi Malik to flag off Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation Marathon; 15,000 to participate
Olympic bronze medallist and Commonwealth Games gold winner Sakshi Malik will flag off the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation Marathon on December 8, which will see more than 15,000 runners taking part.
The men’s elite full marathon will be headlined by Army’s Pradeep Singh, who boasts the fastest personal best of 2:16.55 in the field and is likely to face a strong challenge from Army-mate Dhanwant Prahlad, who has a personal best of 2:18.10.
Two-time winner and last year’s runner-up Mohit Rathor will also be in fray, who holds the course record of 2:18.05 which he had set in 2022.
The women’s half marathon will feature the defending champion Prajakta Godbole from Maharashtra, who has a personal best of 1:14.21, Phoolan Pal (personal best of 1:16.20), Archana Jadhav and Tamsi Singh.
The half marathon elite men’s event will be led by Arun Rathod, who is the fastest in the field, with a personal best of 1:04.39. He is set to face challenges from Dinesh (1:05.44) and Deepak Kumbhar (1:05.45).
The total prize money in the event is Rs 58 lakh, from which the winner of the full marathon will win Rs 3 lakh while the winners of the half marathons will get Rs 2 lakh each.
Western Railway has sanctioned two special trains for participants to travel to Vasai and Virar, departing from Churchgate Station at 2:30am and 3:00am respectively.
Special buses have been also arranged by the Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation to ferry participants from Vasai and Virar to the starting points of the half marathon, full marathon, 10K and 5K races.
Cash prizes have also been announced for a photography competition.
– PTI
TENNIS
Tennis Premier League: Yash Mumbai Eagles beats Chennai Smashers to go top
Karan Singh, Zeynep Sonmez and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan proved dominant in powering Yash Mumbai Eagles to a 58-42 victory over Chennai Smashers in the preliminary phase of the Tennis Premier League at the CCI on Friday.
The sterling fare which included Karan Singh beating the world No.75 Hugo Gaston 14-11, took the team’s collection to 215 points, and the top of the table.
Rithvik Bollipalli and Conny Perrin made it a close loss for Punjab in the mixed doubles, but Jeevan and Karan wound up the show with a 15-10 win for Mumbai in the men’s doubles against Gaston and Rithvik.
Gabriela Knutson, Anirudh Chandrasekar and Bernabe Miralles came up with an inspiring fare for Bengaluru SG Pipers to pull down the leader Hyderabad Strikers to the second spot by inflicting a 53-47 defeat. Hyderabad (211) was followed by Rajasthan Rangers (205), Gujarat Panthers (201), Punjab Patriots (198), Bengaluru SG Pipers (198), Chennai Smashers (190) and Bengal Wizards (182).
One more day of preliminary league matches would see the top four teams trying to consolidate their position for the semifinals.
The results (league):
Gujarat Panthers bt Bengal Wizards 51-49 (Ekaterina Kazionova bt Kamilla Rakhimova 13-12; Sumit Nagal bt Niki Poonacha 16-9; Kazionova & Siddhant Banthia lost to Kamilla & Sriram Balaji 10-15; Sumit & Banthia lost to Balaji & Poonacha 12-13).
Yash Mumbai Eagles bt Chennai Smashers 58-42 (Zeynep Sonmez bt Conny Perrin 16-9; Karan Singh bt Hugo Gaston 14-11; Zenep & Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan bt Conny & Rithvik Bollipalli 13-12; Jeevan & Karan bt Gaston & Rithvik 15-10).
Rajasthan Rangers bt Punjab Patriots 51-49 (Cristina Dinu lost to Elina Avanesyan 10-15; Arthur Fery bt S Mukund 16-9; Cristina & Rohan Bopanna lost to Elina & Saketh Myneni 12-13; Arthur & Bopanna bt Mukund & Saketh 13-12).
Bengaluru SG Pipers bt Hyderabad Strikers 53-47 (Gabriela Knutson bt Harriet Dart 13-12; Bernabe Miralles bt Benjamin Lock 15-10; Gabriela & Anirudh Chandrasekar bt Harriet & Vishnu Vardhan 13-12; Bernabe & Anirudh lost to Benjamin & Vishnu 12-13).
-Kamesh Srinivasan
Ankita Raina loses in doubles quarterfinals in Dubai ITF
Ankita Raina, in partnership with Zhibek Kulambayeva of Kazakhstan, was beaten 6-4, 6-7(2), [10-6] in the doubles quarterfinals by Jodie Burrage and Freya Christie of Britain at the 100,000 USD ITF women’s tennis tournament in Dubai, UAE, on Friday.
– Team Sportstar
Summit clashes set up in ITF Juniors
Second seed Rishitha Basireddy edged out Aishwarya Jadhav 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(3) to set up a title clash against top seed Aoi Watanabe of Japan in the ITF junior tennis tournament at the Deccan Gymkhana on Friday.
In the boys final, Arjun Rathi will play Aaron Gabet of France.
The results:
Under-18 boys
Singles (semifinals): Arjun Rathi bt Vihaan Reddy (USA) 7-5, 6-2; Aaron Gabet (Fra) bt Fedor Altukhov 7-5, 6-2.
Doubles (final): Alan Aiukhanov & FEdor Altukhov bt Cody Atkinson (Nzl) & Roshan Santhosh (USA) 7-5, 7-6(7).
Under-18 girls
Singles (semifinals): Aoi Watanabe (Jpn) bt Yasaman Yazdani (Iri) 6-4, 7-5; Rishitha Basireddy bt Aishwarya Jadhav 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(3).
Doubles (final): Cocomi Saito & Rio wakayama (Jpn) bt Riya Sachdeva & Aoi Watanabe (Jpn) 6-3, 3-6, [10-8].
– Kamesh Srinivasan
TABLE TENNIS
UTT National Ranking tournament: Gem, Ishani win titles
Gem Mahalanabish of Bengal defeated Ariv Dutta of NCOE to win the boys title under-11 title at the UTT National Ranking table tennis tournament in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday.
Gem came back to beat Ariv Dutta 9-11, 12-10, 11-5, 8-11, 11-4 in the final.
In the girls final, Assam’s Ishani Gogi beat Sakshya Santosh in straight games (11-4, 12-9, 11-8).
RESULTS (Under-11)
Finals : Gem Mahalanabish (Ben) bt Ariv Dutta (NCOE) 9-11, 12-10, 11-5, 8-11,11-4.
Semifinals: Ariv Dutta (NCOE) bt R. Aadi Seshan (Ker) 11-4, 11-9, 11-5, Gem Mahalanabish (Ben) bt H. Tanish (TN) 11-7, 11-9, 13-11.
Quarterfinals: Aadi Seshan (Ker) bt Arunim Agarwal 11-9, 7-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-8; Ariv Dutta (NCOE) bt Biprojeet Paul (Asm) 11-1, 11-4, 5-11, 11-8; H. Tanish (TN) bt Sativk Sharma (Pun) 11-6, 11-4, 7-11, 11-6; Gem, Mahalanabish (Ben) bt Atharva Malviya (Har) 11-6, 11-7, 11-2.
Girls: Final: Ishani Gogi (Asm) bt Sakshya Santosh 11-4, 12-9, 11-8.
Semifinals: Sakshya Santosh (Kar) bt Divija Paul (Asm) 3-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-8; Ishani Gogoi (Asm) bt Pehel Gupat (UP) 11-8, 11-9, 14-12.
Quarterfinals: Ishani Gogoi (Asm) bt Jinaya Vadhan (Mah) 14-12, 11-3, 11-9; Santosh Sakshya (Kar) bt Mahato Akshita (Ben) 11-7, 11-2, 11-4; Pehal Gupta (UP) bt Avya Phalaswal (Har) 11-9, 11-9, 11-9; Divja Paul (Asm) bt Mandar (Del).
– Team Sportstar
HANDBALL
Asian Women’s Handball Championship: India loses to Japan in last league-stage match
India’s Maninder Kaur (centre) attempts a shot at the Japanese goal during the Asian Women’s Handball Championship match in New Delhi on Friday.
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
India’s Maninder Kaur (centre) attempts a shot at the Japanese goal during the Asian Women’s Handball Championship match in New Delhi on Friday.
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Former champion Japan proved too strong for host India as it cruised to a 48-15 victory in the last league-stage match of the 20th Asian women’s handball championship at the KD Jadhav arena of the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi on Friday.
It was the second loss of the four-team league stage for India, which had lost its chance for semifinals when it lost by two goals to Iran.
Iran won its second match against Hong Kong to make the semifinals, which would also ensure a berth in the next edition of the World Championship.
Having finished third in the group, India will compete in the positional matches for 5th to 8th places.
RESULTS (LEAGUE STAGE)
Group-A: Korea bt China 25-14; Kazakhstan bt Singapore 38-7.
Group-B: Iran bt Hong Kong 26-17; Japan bt India 48-15.
– Team Sportstar
POLO
Mackenzie scores four
Chris Mackenzie scored four goals in guiding Vimal Arion Achievers to a 7-5 victory over Delta Polo in the last league match of the D’Monde Cup polo tournament on Friday.
In the final to be played on Sunday at the Jaipur Polo ground, Vimal Arion Achievers will play Jindal Panther.
The results (league):
Vimal Arion Achievers 7 (Chris Mackenzie 4, Abhimanyu Pathak 2, Vishwarupe Bajaj) bt Delta Polo 5 (Santiago Marambio 5).
– Kamesh Srinivasan
HOCKEY
60th Nehru hockey tournament: PSPB, Railways set up summit clash
Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) beat Comptroller and Auditor General XI 4-2 in the tie-break after the teams were locked 2-2 at the end of the regulation period in the semifinals of the SNBP 60th Nehru hockey tournament at the Shivaji Stadium in New Delhi on Friday.
The Petroleum team led 2-0 with the goals scored by Mandeep Antil and Tejas Chavan. CAG XI fought back with a goal each in the third and fourth quarter through Nabin Kujur and Venkatesh Telugu.
In the shoot-off, Harjeet Singh, Tejas Chavan, Vikramjit Singh and Kothajeet Singh found the target for the Petroleum team. Deepak Malik and Abharan Sudev alone succeeded for CAG XI.
In the other semifinal, Railways Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) beat Indian Navy 4-2, after having led 4-0 till the 50th minute.
The final will be played at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
RESULTS (SEMIFINALS)
PSPB 2 (Mandeep Antil, Tejas Chavan) bt CAG XI 2 (Nabin Kujur, Venkatesh Telugu) 4-2 (tie-break).
RSPB 4 (Pratap Lakra 2, Yuvraj Walmiki, CS Shamanth) bt Indian Navy 2 (Pawan Rajbhar, Sushil Dhanwar).
– Team Sportstar
PARA SPORTS
India finishes fourth in World Ability Youth Games
India finished fourth in the World Ability Sport Youth Games in Ratchasimha, Thailand.
Devendra of Telangana won two gold in shotput and discus besides a silver in sprint events (under-17) category.
Jyoti of Haryana bagged a gold in the under-20 girls category in javelin besides two silver in discus and shotput.
Shivani of Andhra Pradesh clinched the gold in the under-20 shot put event while Lakshmikant of Karnataka also won a gold in the under-16 triple jump event.
Para athletes from Aditya Mehta Foundation (Hyderabad) who won an
impressive haul of 16 medals including five gold in the World Ability
Sport Youth Games in Thailand.
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Para athletes from Aditya Mehta Foundation (Hyderabad) who won an
impressive haul of 16 medals including five gold in the World Ability
Sport Youth Games in Thailand.
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Hyderabad-based Aditya Mehta Foundation’s trainees have put up a commendable show with five gold, eight silver and three bronze to play a major role in India’s medal haul.
The other medallists from AMF were: Boys: U-17: Satish – silver in shotput and discus; Pritam – silver in shotput and bronze in javelin. Girls: Janu – two bronze in shotput and javelin.
– V V SUBRAHMANYAM
