Bhaker, Mitharval finish 4th in issf wc
changwon: The Indian duo of Manu Bhaker and Om Prakash Mitharwal missed out on a medal and finished fourth in the 10m mixed team air pistol event after shooting a qualification world record in the ongoing ISSF World Cup here on Thursday. This was India's fourth fourth-place finish in the World Cup stage 2. The pair had earlier shot a qualification world record in the event, shooting a combined 778 to claim the record by a point from the German couple Christian and Sandra Reitz, who won Silver after qualifying in fifth place. The Chinese pair of Xiaojing Ji and Jiayu Wu won Gold with a world record score of 487.7 in the finals. Serbia's Damir Mikec and Zorana Arunovic won Bronze. Eight Indians have so far reached seven finals at the Changwon International Shooting centre, including in two team events, but so far only Shahzar Rizvi has won a medal -- in the men's 10m air pistol.
Sardar among 55 players named for camp
bengaluru: Former skipper Sardar Singh was on Thursday named in the 55-member probable list announced by Hockey India for the men's national camp starting at the Sports Authority of India campus here on Friday. Sardar, who was dropped from the 18-member Indian hockey squad led by Manpreet Singh for the Commonwealth Games, has been included in the probable list which will be pruned down to 48 after the camp concludes on May 18. The list features all the 18 players who were part of the Indian men's team that returned from the Commonwealth Games without a medal after finishing fourth, following a 1-2 loss to England in the Bronze medal playoff. Forward Ramandeep Singh, defenders Surender Kumar, Birendra lakra, Dipsan Tirkey and Nilam Sanjeep Xess also feature in the list of 55, which also includes players from the domestic circuit who showcased outstanding performance at the Senior National Championship (A and B Division).
Nadal cruises into Barcelona open q/f
barcelona: Rafael Nadal cruised into the Barcelona Open quarterfinals by defeating fellow Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-lopez 6-1, 6-3 on Thursday. The top-ranked Nadal converted on his second match point to clinch his 16th straight victory on clay and set up an encounter with Martin Klizan, who eliminated Novak Djokovic in the second round. "I came out with the conviction that I could play a lot better than I did on Wednesday (against Roberto Carballes Baena), and that's what happened," Nadal said. Coming off his 11th Monte Carlo title, Nadal has won 11 of his 12 ATP Tour matches this season, with the only loss coming from an injury retirement in the Australian Open quarterfinals. He has won 40 consecutive sets on clay to extend his own record, and has won 33 of his last 34 matches on the dirt.
Indian women dominate Asian Youth c’ship
bangkok: World youth Gold-medallist Nitu notched up an impressive win along with three others as Indian women boxers outshone their male counterparts in the semifinals of the Asian Youth Boxing Championships here on Thursday. Nitu (48kg), Anamika (51kg), Manisha (64kg) and lalita (69kg) entered the final of the tournament, which is also a qualifying event for the October Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires. Divya Pawar (54kg) and Astha Pahwa (75kg) had to be content with Bronze medals after going down in the semifinals.
India to fight for bronze at Archery Wc
shanghai: The Indian men and women's compound teams advanced to the Bronze medal play-offs on a day of disappointments in stage one of the Archery World Cup here on Thursday. The trio of Abhishek Verma, Rajat Chauhan and Chinna Raju Srither lost 233-236 to their Korean opponents in the men's compound semifinal and they will face France for the Bronze. "It's a good start to the season. last year we were the Gold medallist team. This time, the Bronze medal, we will play. It's good," Verma said. The Indian men's compound team, spearheaded by Verma, are the defending champions at the Asian Games. In the women's compound team semi-final, Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Muskan Kirar and Mahdhumita Kumari had a close fight against the Russian team before going down 227-228.