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Lahiri becomes 1st Indian to qualify for President's Cup team

September 8, 2015

New Delhi, Sep 8: Ace golfer Anirban Lahiri added another feather to his cap by becoming the first Indian to qualify for the prestigious President's Cup.

Lahiri

Lahiri, World No.40, came through as one of the automatic qualifications for the International Team, which will take on United States in the biennial Presidents Cup in Korea.

In the International Team standings, the deadline for which ended on Monday, Lahiri finished seventh to make the team.

Also becoming the first from his country to make the team was Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee, who was ninth.

Expressing his elation at the qualification, Lahiri, winner of Malaysian Open and Hero Indian Open, said, "I can't describe the feeling because growing up, you look up to events like the Ryder Cup and feel terrible about it as you can’t be a part of something like that.

But thankfully, we have the Presidents Cup for us to aim for and it is an achievement to make the team.

At one stage, Lahiri had fell out of the Top-10, but his fifth place finish at the PGA Championships hauled him back into the zone.

"I know Jeev (Milkha Singh) was really close to getting in one year when he was in the world's top-50 and unfortunately, he couldn't due to injury.

It would have done a lot of good for golf, not just in India but also in the whole of Asia."

He added, "I'm looking forward to being a part of the International Team. It'll be a massive boost for golf in the region. You get so many eyeballs and everybody in America will be watching.

To be a part of something historic like that is extremely special. All I want to do is make sure that I get a point for the International Team."

Lahiri has a good record at Matchplay, having been part of the Asian Team in EurAsia Cup and he also performed well at the WGC-Matchplay.

Lahiri contributed two points out of three including a singles win over higher ranked Victor Dubuisson.

Thongchai, currently ranked 44th in the world, has come close to making the International Team previously and was delighted to add another career highlight to his glowing resume.

The Thai legend was the playing captain for Team Asia in the thrilling come-from-behind 10-10 draw with Team Europe in the inaugural EurAsia Cup in Malaysia last yea, where he defeated Graeme McDowell in the singles.

"It's a proud moment for me. It'll be the first time that a Thai player will play in the Presidents Cup. I think it can help the other young Asian players. When they see that I can get into the team, then they too will aim for it" said the 45-year-old, who holds 13 Asian Tour victories and has also triumphed twice on European soil.

Lahiri and Thongchai join Jason Day (Aus), Louis Oosthuizen (SAF), Adam Scott (Aus), Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn), Branden Grace (SAF), Marc Leishman (Aus), Charl Schwartzel (SAF) and Danny Lee, the Korean-born Australian in the International Team with captain Nick Price naming two picks later on Tuesday.

As of now the International team has four Australia, three South Africans and one each from Japan, India and Thailand.

The U.S. team will consist of Jordan Spieth, Bubba Watson, Jimmy Walker, Zach Johnson, Jim Furyk, Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Matt Kuchar and Chris Kirk, with two more picks to be included.

The Presidents Cup will be held at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club in Songdo IBD, Incheon City, from October 6 to 11.

Asian Tour Chairman Kyi Hla Han hailed Lahiri and Thongchai for their achievements.

"The Asian Tour is delighted and proud to see our members Anirban Lahiri and Thongchai Jaidee earning automatic places in the International Team.

"It is another feather in the cap for them as Anirban will be the first Indian and Thongchai the first Thai to play in the Presidents Cup.

"It is a fitting reward for their magnificent performances on the Asian Tour and across the globe over the past two seasons," he said.

"We expect them to contribute immensely towards the International Team’s attempt to regain the Presidents Cup but ultimately, their presence will boost the development of the game across Asia.

Young golfers will now have another reason to aspire for the top and with Japan's Hideki Matsuyama also in the International Team, it proves that Asian golf has grown in stature and strength.

This is another fantastic testament towards the role played by the Asian Tour in developing professional golf in the region.

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Agencies
January 11,2020

London, Jan 11: Former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar's famous lap around the Wankhede Stadium after the World Cup 2011 win has been nominated in Laureas's list for the most inspiring sporting event in the last twenty years.

The moment featuring Tendulkar has been described as "Carried on the shoulders by a nation".

On his sixth attempt at the World Cup and with India not having won the competition since 1983, Tendulkar finally became a part of the team that lifted the coveted trophy. Carried on the shoulders of the Indian team, he made a lap of honour, shedding tears of joy after the victory was sealed in his home city.

The 2011 World Cup was also the first time, in which a host nation ended up winning the trophy.

Apart from Tendulkar, England's Andrew Flintoff is the only other cricketer to feature in the list. In 2005, England managed to defeat Australia in an Ashes Test, but Flintoff chose to first shake hands with Brett Lee rather than celebrate with his side.

Matthias Steiner (weightlifting), Natalie du Toit (swimming), Sky Brown (skateboarding), Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee (triathlon), Xia Boyu (mountaineering) have been nominated in the list.

Female tennis stars also feature in the list for coming up with an equal play, equal pay campaign. After pressure from Venus Williams and others, Wimbledon announced that female tennis players would receive prize money equal to the men's.

German international footballer Miroslav Klose was playing for Lazio in Italy's Serie A in 2012 against Napoli when he rose for a ball in the early moments of the game.

The ball came spiraling off his hand and skirted into the back of the net and a goal was awarded. While most players would carry on as if nothing had happened, Klose was honest with the referee and admitted that he handled the ball.

As a result, he also finds a place on the list.

The Laureus Sporting Moment Award celebrates the moments where the sport has unified people in the most extraordinary way.

This campaign has shortlisted 20 sporting stories from the last 20 years that have left their mark on the world.

The winner will be decided on the basis of public voting. It has already started, and the final date to cast the vote is February 16.

Finally, the result will be declared on February 17.
With three knock-out rounds, the top-20 moments will be whittled down to ten then five, with the top-five moments going head-to-head.

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Agencies
April 12,2020

London, Apr 12: Former Formula 1 legendary driver Stirling Moss died at the age of 90 on Sunday.

"All at F1 send our heartfelt condolences to Lady Susie and Sir Stirling's family and friends," Formula 1 said in a statement.

Often referred to as the greatest driver never to win the world championship, Moss contested 66 Grands Prix from 1951 to 1961, driving for the likes of Vanwall, Maserati and Mercedes, where he famously formed a contented and ruthlessly effective partnership with lead driver Juan Manuel Fangio.

In his 10-year-long stint at the tracks, Moss took 16 wins, some of which rank among the truly iconic drives in the sport's history - his 1961 victories in Monaco and Germany in particular often held up as all-time classics.

Moss won the 1955 Mille Miglia on public roads for Mercedes at an average speed of close to 100mph, while he also competed in rallies and land-speed attempts.

Following an enforced retirement from racing (barring a brief comeback in saloon cars in the 1980s) after a major crash at Goodwood in 1962, Moss maintained a presence in Formula 1 as both a sports correspondent and an interested observer, before retiring from public life in January of 2018.

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News Network
July 5,2020

Colombo, Jul 5: Sri Lanka batsman Kusal Mendis was on Sunday arrested for knocking down a pedestrian while driving, police said.

Mendis hit a 74-year-old man, killing him in the wee hours, in the Colombo suburb of Panadura.

He is to be produced before a magistrate later today, police said.

The 25-year-old wicket-keeper batsman has represented Sri Lanka in 44 Tests and 76 ODIs. Mendis was part of the national squad which had resumed training after the Covid-19 lockdown.

Sri Lanka's international assignments, including a tour by India, have been cancelled due to the pandemic.

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