Gap between India and Pakistan is quite vast, unlikely to reduce in future: Bangar

Mumbai, Jan 18 (IANS) Ethiopians Tadu Abate Deme and Yeshi Kalayu Chekole achieved notable wins at the 21st Mumbai Marathon, a World Athletics gold label event, held here on Sunday. The leading Indian finishers were Sanjivani and Kartik.

The top three finishers each took home USD 50,000, USD 25,000, and USD 15,000, respectively.

It was Yeshi Chekole’s first career win in a major marathon, although she had been running this distance since 2019. The 28-year-old neatly executed what she had revealed earlier during a pre-race media interaction, staying relaxed and finishing strongly.

About a dozen Ethiopian women started the race together. Among them were last year’s third-place finisher, Medina Deme Armino, and Shure Demise, the fastest entrant, who clocked a PB of 2:20:59 eleven years ago in Dubai.

Armino wanted to triumph this time in the absence of the top two from last year — Joyce Chepkemoi and Shitaye Eshete. Drawing on her knowledge of the Mumbai roads from her previous sojourn, Armino was in command during the first half of the race. However, she faded and began to lag behind the leader, Kidsan Alema, thereafter.

Yeshi stayed with Kidsan and two other compatriots, Gojjam Tesgaye and Birke Debele, until the runners covered three-fourths of the distance. She then broke away from the group a few kilometres later and ran solo for the rest of the race. Ultimately, she won with a time of 2:25:13, the fifth-fastest among Mumbai winners to date.

“I am very happy to be the Champion today. I came here expecting to break the course record, but I was a little shaky in the weather. However, I am very happy with the result. I felt strong and positive throughout, especially on both the uphill and downhill sections”, Yeshi said after the race.

Kidsan shared that she was encouraged by the spectators’ support throughout the course. “In the middle of the race, my body started to feel a bit warm and I dropped slightly behind the leading group”, she further added.

In the men’s elite marathon, Kenyan Leonard Kiprotich Langat was in a tight race with last year’s runner-up Merhawi Kesete from Eritrea and Tadu Abate from Ethiopia right from the beginning. Uganda’s 2023 World Marathon Champion Victor Kiplangat and Ethiopian Gada Gemsisa stayed close behind until reaching the halfway point.

Both Abate and Langat traded the lead until reaching 40 km, with Kesete about 50 metres behind. Abate sped up in the final kilometre, while Langat had difficulty closing the gap. The Ethiopian finished first in 2:09:55, with Langat crossing 15 seconds later as the runner-up. Kesete finished third in 2:10:22.

With the victory, the Ethiopians secured both the men’s and women’s titles simultaneously in Mumbai for the seventh time.

“It was a very competitive and tactical race from start to finish. The course was challenging, but it was well organised, and the roads were in good condition,” said Langat.

A joyful Tadu explained, “I am delighted to win this race and grateful to the organisers for the competition, and for all our partners. The hills were tough, but once I settled into the rhythm after the halfway point, I focused on conserving energy and choosing the right moments. My body felt in good condition, and I am glad to be here in Mumbai and to win the race”.

Sanjivani Jadhav’s name has been associated with distance running in the country for well over a decade. However, excelling in a marathon on her debut at the distance brought her immense joy. She clocked 2:49:02 on her maiden attempt, finishing overall tenth among the women runners and first among the Indian women. Reflecting on her achievement, she said, “I’m really happy, I feel amazing. This was my first time running a marathon, and I won. After 35 km, I knew I was going to win gold.”

The experienced Nirmaben Thakor, who was gunning for a hat-trick of marathon wins, finished a distant second at 2:49:13. Speaking after the race, she said, “I had trained really hard and was aiming for gold, but hard luck, maybe next time.”

Sonam finished third on the podium with a time of 2:49:24, describing the race as a learning experience rather than a battle. “I kept following my senior and trained with her,” she said. “I learned how to manage my pace and run a marathon. It wasn’t a competition; we were running like sisters.”

Kartik Karkera, training in Russia, ran only his second marathon. Initially, he drew little attention with a modest 2:30:30, placing fifteenth at last year’s Moscow Marathon. Typically a metric mile specialist, Karthik outperformed seasoned Indian road runners like Anish Thapa and Srinu Bugatha in today’s race, setting a new personal best of 2:19:55 and earning the Top Indian Male runner’s award in Mumbai.

Speaking after his victory, Kartik said, “This was my first marathon in Mumbai, and it feels great to win on my debut. I had to push through the challenging course, but I enjoyed being here in Mumbai and participating in this special race. My next goal is to qualify for the Asian Games.”

Defending champion Anish Thapa showcased his consistency at the Mumbai Marathon with another strong performance, finishing second in 2:20:08. He stayed competitive throughout the race before ultimately securing a podium position. Reflecting on his run, he said, “Delighted to finish second, but I think I could have done better.”

Pradeep Chaudhary finished third with a time of 2:20:49 and reflected on a challenging race. “I was extremely nervous, and midway through the race I started experiencing cramps, which forced me to stop briefly. The upcoming season is crucial for me, with a packed calendar that includes the Asian Games,” he said.

The top three finishers in the Indian elite men’s and women’s categories received prize money of Rs 5 lakh, 4 lakh and 3 lakh, respectively.

–IANS

hs/

Dubai, Feb 23 (IANS) Virat Kohli brought back his vintage best to hit his 51st ODI century off 111 balls and help India inch closer to a semi-finals spot with a comprehensive six-wicket win over Pakistan in the high-stakes 2025 Champions Trophy Group A clash at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.

India had come into the game as favourites to win this game, and justified that billing through an impressive bowling performance to bundle out Pakistan for 241 in 49.4 overs. In the chase, Kohli led the charge by hitting seven boundaries in a sublime knock and sharing a solid 114-run stand with Shreyas Iyer, who made a 67-ball 56, as India reached home with 45 balls to spare.

Chasing 242, Rohit Sharma got going by edging Naseem Shah for a four and followed it up with a trademark pick-up going for six, which helped him go past 9,000 runs as an opener in ODIs and becoming the sixth player to do so. From the other end, Gill began with two boundaries off Shaheen Shah Afridi.

But Shaheen struck in the fifth over by deceiving Rohit with late movement on a 143kmph inswinging yorker, and castling him through the gate. But Gill was undeterred and went on to hit Shaheen for five boundaries, with the front foot straight drive gently punched past the pacer. By the time power-play ended, Gill had collected 35 runs off 25 balls against Shaheen.

Shortly after, Gill was dropped on 35 by Khushdil Shah off Haris Rauf, who was later creamed for two boundaries by Kohli, as the veteran batter crossed 14,000 ODI runs mark. But his innings came to an end on 46 when wrist-spinner Abrar Ahmed deceived Gill with a ripping carrom ball delivery that crashed into his off-stump.

Kohli and Iyer pulled Haris Rauf for a boundary each before the former got his fifty by lofting Naseem over the in-field for four, before dispatching Shaheen over long-on for another boundary. With less than 90 runs needed, Iyer, who was on 17 off 34 balls at one point, shifted his gears by smashing Khushdil for back-to-back fours, before being dropped on 25 by Saud Shakeel.

Iyer welcomed Salman Ali Agha by dancing down the pitch and clubbing over mid-wicket for six, before rocking back to smash Khushdil through point for four more. After both batters became beneficiaries of missed direct hit chances, Kohli nicely rolled his wrists against Rauf for a delightful boundary, while Iyer took a single off Abrar to get his 21st ODI fifty in 63 balls.

After dispatching Khushdil for a down-the-ground four, Iyer rocked back to slash but was caught by extra cover diving to his right. With an eye to finish off the game quickly, Hardik Pandya was promoted but fell right after pulling behind a bouncer from Shaheen to keeper Mohammad Rizwan.

There was some tension on whether Kohli would get his hundred or not with 12 runs remaining. But with Axar Patel refusing a double, Kohli quashed all those doubts by dancing down the pitch and slamming Khushdil through extra cover for a four to raise his bat and look upwards, as he led the charge in another successful chase for India in ODIs.

Brief Scores: Pakistan 241 all out in 49.4 overs (Saud Shakeel 62, Mohammad Rizwan 46; Kuldeep Yadav 3-40, Hardik Pandya 2-31) lost to India 244/4 in 42.3 overs (Virat Kohli 100 not out, Shreyas Iyer 56; Shaheen Shah Afridi 2-74) by six wickets

–IANS

nr/

Darwin, Aug 6 (IANS) Left-handed opener Ryan Rickelton said he will stick to his aggressive batting approach in a bid to own South Africa’s T20I opening slot ahead of next year’s World Cup, set to happen in India and Sri Lanka.

With no Quinton de Kock, Temba Bavuma and Reeza Hendricks in the team, Rickleton, 27, is set to partner 17-year-old Lhuan-dre Pretorius at the top of the order in the three-match T20I series against Australia starting on Sunday.

“I’m still trying to establish myself in the T20 side but I don’t think there’ll be any expectation for me to change anything that I’ve been doing in these last two years. It’s just an opportunity for me to hopefully claim that opening spot for this South African side, going into the World Cup and further on past that,” Rickleton was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo on Wednesday.

He also feels the return of captain Aiden Markram and experienced batters Rassie van der Dussen and Tristan Stubbs would further allow him to play his natural game. “The way the team is structured fits the mould of how they want me to play too, so I’m pretty comfortable with what’s required. I am always looking to land that first punch and get the side off to a good start no matter who’s alongside me at the top.”

Rickelton admitted he had not been ‘hitting the ball too well’ in recent days at the practice session after six weeks off the cricketing schedule, but was confident of finding rhythm quickly ahead of series against Australia.

“I haven’t been hitting the ball too well these last couple of days but I’m not too worried. We’ve played a lot of cricket this year already and it’s not something that you just lose full stop. It will take a few more sessions for me to get going.”

“But I’m watching the rest of the guys, they’re really hitting the ball quite nicely and you can see the guys that have been playing are moving a lot better than a few of the guys that have taken a little bit of time off.”

He signed off by saying the the packed schedule of playing non-stop eight months of cricket, including an IPL 2025 stint with the Mumbai Indians, had already taught him lessons in mental and physical workload management.

“This was my first IPL year and it’s long three months in India which can really stretch you, mentally more than anything. I would still like to play leagues when the opportunity comes along and next year there’s a break after the IPL so there’s some space in between.”

“Once you get to the groove of playing a lot of cricket, it can be really nice when you’re playing quite well but it can also be quite dark if you’re not playing too well. It’s more trying to manage the space mentally. That’s probably the balance that I’m trying to walk at the moment.”

–IANS

nr/