Indian cyclists finish second with 16 medals in Track Asia Cup

September 17, 2016

New Delhi, Sep 17: The Indian Cyclists finished second in the Track Asia Cup campaign by winning 16 medals overall, including 5 Gold, 4 Silver and 7 Bronze here at the Indira Gandhi Stadium velodrome on Friday.

Asia

On the final day of the Track Asia Cup, India bagged eight medals including 2 gold, 2 silver and 4 bronze medals.

Hongkong took the top spot with 18 medals overall, including 11 Gold, 4 Silver and 3 Bronze.

On finishing second in the medal tally, Coach RK Sharma said "I am satisfied with the performance of our cyclists in the Track Asia Cup especially Junior cyclists have shown good performance in this prestigious event and lived upto the expectations. I am sure this event has been a great learning experience for all the cyclists looking ahead Asian Track Cycling Championship in 2017. We have ample time before our next event and our cyclists will surely improve their performance by then".

Onkar Singh, Secretary General, CFI said "5 years back, when we taken over Cycling Federation of India at that time Indian Cyclists were at 149th place in World Ranking but now Indian Cycling has been improved much and most of our riders are Under-10 rank in UCI World Ranking. The day is not so far when we will win the medals in World Championships, he added."

Indian cyclist Deborah Herold in her final Sprint event took the first position, grabbing a gold medal with a time of 12.576 and 12.493 in the first and second round respectively. She beat Zhaojuan of Hong Kong, who went on to take the silver medal, clocking 12.820 and 12.734 in both the rounds respectively. The third position was awarded to Farina Shawati of Malaysia with a timing of 12.552 and 12.342 in the rounds. While Kezia Vargheese of India was given the fourth in this event.

Deborah lost the gold medal in her favourite event 'Keirin' by a whisker and could manage only silver ahead of her teammate Kezia Varghesse (Bronze) while two other riders of Hongkong and Malaysia collapsed and fell down after which they were unable to complete the race.

Deborah turns out to be the star performer of the event with 3 golds and one silver medal with her.

On winning silver medal in her favourite event 'Keirin', Deborah said, "I am unlucky that I lost the easy gold, I lost my focus due to the collision of other riders, this happened to me even last year also because of which I failed to win any medal in this event and this time I don't want to repeat the history and lost the medal. I am determined to do better in the Asian Track Cycling Championship to be held in India in February 2017 where riders from nearly 31 countries will take part".

In the Men's elite Keirin event, Indian cyclist Amarjeet Singh fails to win any medal and finished 8th.

In the Men Junior Sprint final, the gold and silver was awarded to Chun Long and TSZ Chun from Hong Kong respectively. Chun Long was clocked at 11.315 and 12.842 in both the rounds respectively and Tsz Chun was timed at 11.445 and 13.098 for the rounds. The bronze medal was awarded to our Indian cyclist Sanuraj P with a timing of 12.203 and 12.322 in the first and second round respectively. Emerson was at the fourth position with timing of 12.225 and 11.352 in both the rounds.

In the Men's Junior Keirin, Emerson wins bronze medal for India.

The Women Junior Sprint final however saw India bag the first two positions adding another gold and a silver to the medal tally. Nayana Rajesh, was awarded the gold medal and was clocked at 12.658 and 12.865 in both the rounds respectively. Anu Chutia grabbed the silver position, with a timing of 12.764 and 13.178 in the first and second rounds. Hoi Wah of Hong Kong was at the third position with a time of 13.644 and 13.300.

However, the Men Elite Sprint Final could not manage getting any positions in the event, the gold and silver positions were awarded to Shih Fang from Taiwan and Ali Askari from Iran respectively. The bronze medal went to Shih Hsin from Taiwan. Shih Fang was timed at 11.085 and 11.091 and Ali Askari was clocked at 10.994 and 11.412.

In the team Elite Women's team pursuit, India bagged bronze medal comprising Raj Kumari Devi, Bidya Luxmi Tourangbam, Ratuja Satputhe and G Amritha Regunath.

The main attraction of the last day was the point race of 30 km, where 14 riders took part together and they have to complete the 120 rounds of the track. However, Indian couldn't win the medal in this race and Krishna Nayakodi and Ramesh Nagarajan could secure 8th place and 10th place respectively.

Ka Yu Leung and Chun Wing Leung of Hong Kong distributed Gold and Silver each other with 90 and 73 points respectively. The third place went to Yousif Alhammadi of UAE with a total of 40 points.

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News Network
February 18,2020

Berlin, Feb 18: Sachin Tendulkar being lifted on the shoulders of his teammates after their World Cup triumph at home in 2011 has been voted the Laureus best sporting moment in the last 20 years.

With the backing of Indian cricket fans, Tendulkar got the maximum number of votes to emerge winner on Monday.

Tendulkar, competing in his sixth and last World Cup, finally realised his long-term dream when skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni smacked Sri Lankan pacer Nuwan Kulasekara out of the park for a winning six.

The charged-up Indian cricketers rushed to the ground and soon they lifted Tendulkar on their shoulders and made a lap of honour, a moment etched in the minds of the fans.

Former Australian skipper Steve Waugh handed the trophy to Tendulkar after tennis legend Boris Becker announced the winner at a glittering ceremony.

“It's incredible. The feeling of winning the world cup was beyond what words can express. How many times you get an event happening where there are no mixed opinions. Very rarely the entire country celebrates,” Tendulkar said after receiving the trophy.

“And this is a reminder of how powerful a sport is and what magic it does to our lives. Even now when I watch that it has stayed with me.”

Becker then asked Tendulkar to share the emotions he felt at that time and the Indian legend put in perspective how important it was for him to hold that trophy.

“My journey started in 1983 when I was 10 years old. India had won the World Cup. I did not understand the significance and just because everybody was celebrating, I also joined the party.

“But somewhere I knew something special has happened to the country and I wanted to experience it one day and that's how my journey began.”

“It was the proudest moment of my life, holding that trophy which I chased for 22 years but I never lost hope. I was merely lifting that trophy on behalf of my countrymen.”

The 46-year-old Tendulkar, the highest run-getter in the cricket world, said holding the Laureus trophy has also given him great honour.

He also shared the impact the revolutionary South African leader Nelson Mandela had on him. He met him when he was just 19 years old.

“His hardship did not affect his leadership. Out of many messages he left, the most important I felt was that sport has got the power to unite everyone.

"Today, sitting in this room with so many athletes, some of them did not have everything but they made the best of everything they had. I thank them for inspiring youngsters to pick a sport of their choice and chase their dreams. This trophy belongs to all of us, it's not just about me.”

In a tweet on Tuesday, Tendulkar dedicated the award to his country, teammates and fans.

"Thank you all for the overwhelming love and support! I dedicate this @LaureusSport award to India, all my teammates, fans and well wishers in India and across the world who have always supported Indian cricket," he tweeted.

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News Network
January 3,2020

Jeddah, Jan 3: Spanish driver Fernando Alonso is aiming to create history as the first Formula One world champion to win the Dakar Rally when the 12-day marathon gets underway in Saudi Arabia on Sunday.

Alonso, who won the F1 championship with Renault in 2005 and 2006, is one of 351 starters in this year's 7,500 km race which has moved from South America to Saudi Arabia, both venues a long way from the original 1979 route between Paris and the Senegalese capital Dakar.

Among the starters will be motorbikes, quad bikes and trucks but Alonso, who will have five-time bike champion Marc Coma navigating his Toyota, will be in the car category as he bids to become one of the greatest all-round drivers of all time.

Apart from his success in F1, the 38-year-old Spaniard has also won the Le Mans 24-hour race and has singled out the Indianapolis 500 as his priority for 2020. He describes Dakar as “the biggest challenge of my career”.

Alonso is not the first F1 driver to take part in the race, however.

The Belgian Jacky Ickx, a winner of eight grand prix and six-time winner of Le Mans, won Dakar in 1983 and came second in 1986 and 1989. Frenchman Patrick Tambay, who had two wins in his 114 grand prix, came third in 1988 and 1989.

Given the treacherous conditions--long stretches of sand dunes--Alonso is not overly confident of challenging for victory, noting that even the nine-time world rally champion Sebastien Loeb was unable to deliver when he raced the Dakar. Loeb won 13 stages but could only finish second in 2017 and third in 2019.

“If Loeb still hasn't won the Dakar, imagine me, who is coming from asphalt,” Alonso told RTVE. “I think the goal is more to approach the rally as an enriching experience for us.”

Fellow Toyota driver Nasser Al-Attiyah is a more likely candidate, not least because the Qatari is a three-time winner and reigning champion.

"Give me some sand and I'm happy," Al-Attiyah told dakar.com.

He will be pressed, however, by the Minis of Carlos Sainz and 'Monsieur Dakar' aka Stephane Peterhansel who has won 13 Dakars across bikes and cars in 30 races.

“We are obviously very excited about the Dakar in Saudi Arabia. It will be a new challenge for everyone,” said Peterhansel who will be partnered by Paulo Fiuza after the Frenchman's wife Andrea pulled out for health reasons.

“Unfortunately, it is not possible to contest the rally with Andrea, as was planned, however I have known Paulo Fiuza for a very long time. According to the organisers, the navigation will be very complicated and play a major role this time.”

Cyril Despres, a five-time winner on bikes, is also back with a new teammate -- explorer Mike Horn.

“I was stuck in the ice for a month, and now I'm heading to Jeddah. For the first time, the Dakar Rally is in Saudi Arabia and I'm doing it with a very good friend of mine, Cyril Despres,” tweeted Horn whose adventures include an 18-month solo journey around the equator without using any motorised transport.

Horn is also the first man to travel without dogs or transport to the North Pole during winter, in permanent darkness.

Across the dunes of Saudi Arabia that experience may come in handy.

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Agencies
June 9,2020

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed interim changes to its playing regulations, which include the ban on the use of saliva to shine the ball and allowing home umpires in international series as per a release issued by the international body.

The ICC Chief Executives' Committee (CEC) ratified recommendations from the Anil Kumble-led Cricket Committee, aimed at mitigating the risks posed by the COVID-19 virus and protect the safety of players and match officials when cricket resumes.

COVID-19 Replacements

Teams will be allowed to replace players displaying symptoms of COVID-19 during a Test match. In line with concussion replacements, the Match Referee will approve the nearest like-for-like replacement.

However, the regulation for COVID-19 replacements will not be applicable in ODIs and T20Is.

Ban on Saliva on Ball

Players will not be permitted to use saliva to shine the ball. If a player does apply saliva to the ball, the umpires will manage the situation with some leniency during an initial period of adjustment for the players, but subsequent instances will result in the team receiving a warning.

Whenever saliva is applied to the ball, the umpires will be instructed to clean the ball before play recommences.

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