‘It’s great to see T20 cricket return to Mysuru, says Gundappa Vishwanath

Bengaluru, July 11 (IANS) Shree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru roared with pride and purpose as Day 1 of the 7th Indian Open Para Athletics Championship, which concluded on a high note, showcasing extraordinary talent and determination from over 262 para-athletes representing states across the country.

The day began with a powerful display in the Men’s Javelin Throw (F12 & F64), where double Paralympic medallist Sumit Antil of Haryana reaffirmed his dominance by clinching gold with an outstanding throw of 72.25 meters. His compatriot Manjeet secured silver with a commendable effort of 54.56 meters, while Pradeep Kumar of SSCB earned bronze with a throw of 45.17 meters.

In the F40 & F41 Javelin category, Haryana’s golden streak continued with Paris Paralympics champion Navdeep Singh throwing 42.63 meters to secure top honours. Prince, also from Haryana, bagged the silver medal with a 31.90-metre effort, and Delhi’s Ritender completed the podium with a 30.85-metre throw. In the Javelin F46 category, Rajasthan’s Sundar Singh Gujjar emerged victorious with a throw of 64.53 metres, narrowly edging out Haryana’s Rinku Hooda (63.98m) and Uttar Pradesh’s Ajeet Singh (63.25m).

On the track, Uttar Pradesh’s Preeti Pal dazzled the crowd in the Women’s 100m (T35, T37 & T42) by winning gold with an impressive 15-second sprint. She was followed by Gujarat’s Bina Mordiay, who clocked 17.20 seconds, while Haryana’s Avani claimed bronze at 20.40 seconds. In the Women’s 100m (T12 & T13) category, Simran from Uttar Pradesh continued her fine form, finishing in 12.30 seconds to take the gold, ahead of Odisha’s Janaki Oram (14.20 seconds) and Goa’s Sakshi Kale (14.90 seconds).

In Men’s Shot Put (F56 & F57), the Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) executed a clean sweep, with Hokato Sema claiming gold with a throw of 14.88 meters, followed by Soman Rana (14.66m) and Shubham Juyal (13.58m). In the Women’s 400m (T11, T12, T13 & T20), Telangana’s Deepthi Jeevanji dominated, clocking 56.70 seconds for gold. Gujarat’s Damor Tejal Amaraji (58.70 seconds) and Haryana’s Bhuvi Agarwal (1:09.60) completed the podium.

Tamil Nadu’s Muthuraja Karaiyalan secured the gold in Men’s Discus Throw (F55 & F56), while Haryana’s Yogesh Kathuniya and Raman claimed silver and bronze, respectively. In the Men’s 100m (T12), Haryana’s Vishnu emerged victorious with a time of 11.90 seconds, just ahead of Maharashtra’s Shubham Arun Singnath, who clocked 12.33 seconds.

Delhi’s Sujith sprinted to gold in the Men’s 100m (T13) with a time of 11.52 seconds, followed closely by Gujarat’s Meet Tadhani Hareshkumar (11.63 seconds) and Uttar Pradesh’s Priyanshu Kaushik (11.97 seconds). In the T35 category, Haryana’s Vinay took the top spot with 13.87 seconds, while Anubhav Choudhary from Uttar Pradesh (14.16 seconds) and Delhi’s Jatin Singh (14.21 seconds) claimed silver and bronze, respectively.

Delhi’s Chirag outpaced his competitors in the Men’s 100m (T36), winning gold in 12.70 seconds, with Madhya Pradesh’s Arpit Sharma (14.23 seconds) and Haryana’s Sahil (15.37 seconds) rounding off the podium. In the Men’s 100m (T37 & T38) category, Gujarat’s Rakeshbhai Bhatt Dhanjibhai clinched gold with a time of 11.89 seconds, edging out Uttar Pradesh’s Shreyansh Trivedi (11.97 seconds) and Delhi’s Dhawan (13.58 seconds).

Punjab’s Vivek Sharma triumphed in the Men’s 100m (T42) with a time of 13.11 seconds, followed by Andhra Pradesh’s Venkateshwarlu Gadi (15.27 seconds) and Rajasthan’s Thakaram Ram Meghwal (16.42 seconds). Kerala’s Mohammed Basil Morssi claimed gold in the T46 & T47 sprint, finishing in 10.95 seconds. He was trailed by Tamil Nadu’s Sheik Abdul Kad Mohammed (11.17 seconds) and Maharashtra’s Sunil Daynoba Anpate (11.30 seconds).

Chhattisgarh’s Sukhdev delivered a commanding performance in the Men’s 1500m (T11), winning gold in 4:36.71. Karnataka’s Keshavmurthy Koratiken (4:44.55) took silver, while Paralympian Ankur Dhama of Haryana earned bronze (4:51.65). In the Discus Throw (F57), Delhi’s Atul Kaushik dominated with a gold-winning effort of 45.99 meters, as Uttar Pradesh’s Priyans Kumar and Birbhadara Singh completed the medal lineup.

In Javelin Throw (F33, F53 & F54), Uttar Pradesh’s Pradeep Kumar bagged gold, Odisha’s Kamalakanta Nayak took silver, and Delhi’s Abhishek Chamoli secured bronze. In the Men’s Long Jump (T13), Delhi’s Sujith soared to 6.54 meters to claim gold, with Gujarat’s Chauhan Pradip Mafaji (5.7 m) and Andhra Pradesh’s Srihari Boddu (5.64m) finishing second and third.

Rajasthan’s Praveen Sharma emerged victorious in Men’s Shot Put (F11 & F20) with a throw of 12.03 metres. Haryana athletes followed closely—Sagar took silver with 11.91m, and Monu Ghangas won bronze with 11.71m. In the Women’s 100m (T12 & T13 another strong showing from Simran, she reaffirmed her title, clocking 12.30 seconds to secure gold again, followed by Janaki Oram (14.20 seconds) and Sakshi Kale (14.90 seconds).

This edition of the championship holds critical importance as it serves as the final selection trial for the Indian contingent heading to the prestigious New Delhi 2025 World Para Athletics Championships later this year.

The energy and excellence displayed at the Kanteerava Stadium on Day 1 laid a strong foundation for what promises to be a historic championship. As the Indian para athletics community eyes the upcoming World Championships in New Delhi, the performances today are a clear indication that the athletes are ready to shine on the global stage.

The 7th Indian Open Para Athletics Championship concluded on a high note, showcasing extraordinary talent and determination from over 262 para-athletes representing states across the country.

–IANS

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Singapore, July 26 (IANS) Amid rumours of Newcastle forward Alexander Isak hoping to leave the club during the summer transfer window, head coach Eddie Howe admitted that there are things going on behind the scenes, but he is confident that the Swedish striker will stay at the club.

On Thursday, Isak was left out of Newcastle’s pre-season squad citing a thigh injury, however, ESPN report suggested that Isak has informed the club that he wishes to leave and Liverpool, PSG and Al-Hilal are the three clubs interested. Newcastle are said to be not interested in letting him go.

“Of course, there are things going on behind the scenes. Conversations will remain private. We’d love him to continue his journey at Newcastle. We’re in a strong position financially and we’re determined to be successful.

“As far as I’m aware, contract talks aren’t taking place, there’s still so much that could happen. I hope he stays. At the moment, l’m confident he stays. There’s no timescale on it. The club will make the right decision and we’re trying to improve the squad regardless of Alex’s situation. We want stability and want the group to have a good feeling, I don’t think we’re distracted,” said Howe in the pre-game press conference.

Isak played a huge role in Newcastle’s solid season, with 27 goals across 42 games in all competitions and secured UCL football for next season, while also ending the team’s trophy drought by lifting the Carabao Cup.

Newcastle will face Arsenal at the Singapore National Stadium on Sunday as part of their pre-season preparations.

“There was a bit of fatigue in the training today. The heat was one thing, but I think the players were still adjusting to time zones, so I think it’s a definite advantage for Arsenal tomorrow, having been here for much longer than we have.

“But it’s a pre-season game, so we just want to get certain bits from the game; we want to be fitter, we want to be tactically better. We’re up against a really good opponent so I think the game’s a great one for us in terms of how we perform,” he added.

–IANS

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Hyderabad, Aug 18 (IANS) Hyderabad Open 2025, an initiative of the World Pickleball League On Tour along with Hyderabad Superstars, will be played between August 22 and 24 here at CrossCourts. The tournament, with a total of 60 categories, carries a total prize pool of 15 lakhs.

With 60 categories at the intermediate, advance and professional level, Hyderabad Open 2025 has ensured inclusivity and participation amongst recreational players as well as professional pickleball athletes.

The lucrative prize money is only an indication into the fact that pickleball is and can now be considered a career option amongst many athletes. The categories available for all the intermediate, advance and professional players are very ably divided by DUPR ratings that ensures a level playing field for all.

U/18 singles (boys and girls), U/18 doubles (boys and girls), U/18 mixed doubles, 35+ singles (men and women), 35+ doubles (men and women) and 35+ mixed doubles, 50+ singles (men and women), 50+ doubles (men and women), 50+ mixed doubles, Open Singles (men and women), Open doubles (men and women), Open Mixed doubles are the categories available across the intermediate, advance and professional levels.

Hyderabad Open is expected to draw over 500 players over three days making it the biggest pickleball tournament in Hyderabad.

Hyderabad Superstars is one of the franchises of the World Pickleball League that is now in its second season. Semi-finalists of Season 1, the Hyderabad Superstars are excited to inculcate an even richer pickleball culture in an extremely diverse community. Pickleball in Hyderabad is growing exponentially, keeping in step with the rest of the country and a tournament like the Hyderabad Open will only further encourage the community further.

The Hyderabad Open 2025, an initiative called the World Pickleball League’s On Tour along with Hyderabad Superstars will be a great platform for upcoming players from Hyderabad that could find a place in the Hyderabad Superstars.

The franchise, Backed by KLO Sports, Rakul Preet Singh and Jackky Bhagnani, will be a part of The World Pickleball League as it returns for a bigger and better Season 2 at one of India’s most iconic cultural venues – Jio World Garden, Mumbai – from January 24 to February 8, 2026.

–IANS

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