Balbir Sr’s roadmap for success
New Delhi: Pained by the steady decline of Indian hockey over the years, the legendary Balbir Singh Sr has drawn up a roadmap, which includes an innovative three-tier league, to help the country regain lost glory. The iconic centre forward, who won gold medals at the 1948 (london), 1952 (Helsinki) and 1956 (Melbourne) Olympics, said it was imperative for India to quickly put a revival plan in place to raise the standard of hockey which is “very bad and disappointing” at the moment. Balbir reckons that factional tension, lack of trained coaches at the grassroot level and absence of systematic national league were three primary concerns for Indian hockey at the moment. “I have prepared a scheme of a national hockey league. We should hold it once a year and finish it within a month,” Balbir Sr said during an interaction.
lifters hit a century of medals
New Delhi: Indian weightlifters continued to break new records at the Commonwealth Youth, Junior and Senior Championships, taking their overall medal tally to an unprecedented 102, including 53 gold, on the penultimate day of the event in Penang, Malaysia on Friday. The biggest contributors to the tally were the youth boys, who notched up 24, including 16 gold. The youth girls were not too far behind with 21 medals, inclusive of a dozen gold. The senior men and women have so far won 21 medals in all, nine of them being gold.
Negre wants India to win Jr WC
New Delhi: The International Hockey Federation (FIH) president leandro Negre expects India to be a force to reckon with in the Hero Junior World Cup but said it won’t be easy for the hosts to win the tournament to be held from December 6-15. Negre said the event is the perfect platform for talented young players to make a name for themselves. “Of course, if India were to win the tournament the impact would be huge, but with so many great hockey nations competing it is really difficult to predict who will lift the trophy,” Negre said.
Thidapa holds on to lead
New Delhi: First-day joint leader Thidapa Suwannapura of Thailand shot a modest two-over 74 but still held on to her lead after the second and penultimate round of the Hero Women’s Indian Open 2013 being played at the Delhi Golf Club (DGC) here on Friday. At four-under 140 aggregate, the Thai girl is one stroke clear of the other overnight joint leader Valentine Derrey of France, who managed a three-over 75, and ladies European Tour (lET) sensation Charley Hull of England, who rose from fourth to tied second position after posting an even-par 72. The 20-year-old Indian amateur, Gauri Monga carded a two-under 70 to jump from overnight 13th to fourth.
Rashid takes three-stroke lead
Mumbai: Rashid Khan returned a four-under-66 to move into a three-stroke lead in round three of the CG Open 2013 being played at the Bombay Presidency Golf Club here on Friday. Rashid’s three-day total now reads 16-under-194. Chikkarangappa S, who fired a two-under-68, has the next best total score of 13-under-197. PNS/Agencies