Ind’S lasting impression on Messi
Bangalore: Argentine superstar lionel Messi on Friday said that India left a “lasting impression” on him when he set foot on the country nearly three years ago, in a visit that was marked by a never-seen-before hysteria among football fans. “The last time I stepped into India, I was overwhelmed with the warmth and passion this country showered on me. India left its famously lasting impression and with that lingering memory, my family and I have always wanted to develop an association with the country,” Messi said.
Wrestling wc starts toDAY
los Angeles: A young Indian team, led by world championships silver medallist Amit Kumar, will be hoping to make a notable impact in their debut appearance at the men’s freestyle wrestling world cup, starting here on Saturday. The two-day event will witness top-10 wrestling nations, divided into two groups, vying for honours at lA Forum in California. India are placed in pool A alongside defending world cup champions Iran, hosts USA, Armenia and Turkey, while the second group has runners-up Russia, Georgia, Ukraine, Mongolia and Japan. The Indian squad includes is as follows, Bajrang in 61kg category, Amit Dhankar (70kg), Satyavrat Kadian (97kg) Rajneesh (65kg), Praveen Rana (74kg), Pawan Kumar (86kg), and Krishan Kumar (125kg).
Three Indians in Asian GP final
New Delhi: Three Indian Archers — Abhishek Verma, Sandeep Kumar and l Bombayla Devi, will vie for honours in the finals on the concluding day of the first Asian Grand Prix Archery Championship in Bangkok on Friday. In Compound Men Individual category, Abhishek will fight for Gold with Esmaeil Ebadi of Iran, while Sandeep Kumar will pose a challenge to Dehchai Thepchai of Thailand for the Bronze Medal, Archery Association of India president, Vijay Kumar Malhotra said in a statement. l Bombayla Devi will face Kaori Kawanaka of Japan in Recurve Women Individual Bronze Medal match.
SSCB, SAI & COA win
lucknow: Chandigarh Olympic Association (COA), Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) and Sports Authority Of India (SAI) registered their maiden wins on the opening day for Pool A and Pool B matches of the fourth Hockey India Senior Men National Championship here on Friday. Chandigarh Olympic Association defeated Andhra Pradesh 4-2 in Pool A, Services Sports Control Board beat Association of Indian Universities 1-0 and Comptroller & Auditor General of India overcame Sports Authority Of India 5-1 in a Pool B match.
Aman Raj registers maiden victory
New Delhi: Young golfer Aman Raj posted his maiden victory on the Indian Golf Union circuit when he completed a wire to wire victory to emerge as the new champion of the ninth edition of the Delhi NCR Cup that culminated at the Delhi Golf Club here on Friday. leading by six shots at the start of the final round, the lad from Patna was a five-stroke winner over another upcoming youngster Feroz Singh Garewal of Chandigarh.