Keshavan wins gold in Asian luge Championship
New Delhi: India's veteran Winter Olympian Shiva Keshavan on Friday won a gold medal at the Asian luge Championships at Altenberg, Germany. The sole Indian participant and defending Asian champion retained his title with a time of 55.60 seconds. Due to technical reasons, the Asian luge Championships took place at Altenberg in Germany. In a race that was full of surprises, Keshavan started slow but recovered the lead after the second corner. There was a tense moment in the Infamous Curve 11-12 combination, also known as the 'labyrinth', where Keshavan's sled started a sideways skid, but the Indian was able to bring it under control and retain the lead.
Minerva beat newcomers NEROCA 2-1
ludhiana: Minerva Punjab beat debutants NEROCA FC 2-1 in a thrilling I-league match here on Friday. After Felix Chidi (18th minute) put Neroca FC in the lead but Chencho (24th) and lago (45+2) scored to secure all three points for the hosts. Manipur side NEROCA started the match with high pace and intensity which bothered Minerva's defence for much of the first 20 minutes. Meanwhile, Minerva's back four stood firm until the 18th minute when a superb solo run by Chidi resulted to the first goal of the match. NEROCA did not get much time to celebrate as Minerva struck back six minutes later through Chencho who hit the ball in the far right corner of the goal. Just as the first half was about to end, lago Bei found the net from Abhishek's cross.
Ira topples top seed Rituparna to enter semis
Mumbai: Reigning junior national champion Ira Sharma shocked top-seed Rituparna Das packing to enter the semi-finals in the $20,000 Tata Open India International Challenge Badminton, here on Friday. Also biting the dust was second seed Sri Krishna Priya Kudaravalli who was beaten by eighth seeded Ruthvika Shivani Gudde, who boasts a win over Olympic silver medallist P V Sindhu in the past. Both the upsets were achieved after the underdogs trailed by a game before recovering. Agencies