Category: Sports

On Sunday, Mestawut Fikir and Mulugeta Uma, two Ethiopian runners, made incredible breakthroughs at the Paris Marathon, winning the women’s and men’s divisions, respectively.

Before winning, Uma experienced a tense moment when he nearly collided with a race official close to the finish line. He kept cool and acknowledged the applauding crowd as he crossed the finish line, even after the scare. Uma took first place for 2 hours, 5 minutes, and 33 seconds, besting the Kenyan pairs of Titus Kipruto (2:05:48) and Elisha Rotich (2:06:54), who were the 2021 champions.

Fikir had fierce opposition in the women’s division, especially from fellow Ethiopian Enat Tirusew. But in the closing moments, Fikir overtook him and won in two hours, twenty minutes, and forty-five seconds, with Tirusew following closely behind at three seconds.

Notably, with 2 hours, 21 minutes, and 46 seconds, Kenya’s seasoned runner Vivian Cheruiyot—a distinguished athlete with many Olympic and world championship medals in the 5,000 and 10,000 metres—took third place. In the realm of long-distance running, the Paris Marathon will always be remembered for showcasing the remarkable talent and tenacity of these runners.

The race for the Orange Cap continues to heat up in the IPL 2024, with familiar names maintaining their dominance while fresh faces make their mark. Virat Kohli continues to hold the top spot with an impressive tally of 203 runs in four matches, boasting a formidable strike rate of 140. With a strike rate of 160, Riyan Parag of the Rajasthan Royals has scored 181 runs in just three matches.

However, the most recent addition to the top five was Abhishek Sharma of Sunrisers Hyderabad, who shot himself into contention with a brilliant 37 runs off of only 12 balls against the Chennai Super Kings. After four games, he has scored 161 runs at an incredible strike rate of 217 thanks to this effort. He has surpassed Sai Sudharsan and other notable players to take fifth place on the Orange Cap leaderboard.

Heinrich Klaasen, a Sunrisers Hyderabad player, is one of the other prominent candidates. He now holds the third position with 177 runs at an incredible strike rate of 203 in four games.

Shubhman Gill, the skipper of the Gujarat Titans, is presently ranked fourth with 164 runs in four games while keeping a strong strike average of 159.

Caitlin Clark, the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) Division I women’s single-season and career scoring record-breaker, clinched her second consecutive Naismith National Player of the Year Award.

The senior from Iowa was given the honour in Cleveland prior to her team’s trip to the Final Four. Stanford’s Cameron Brink, UConn’s Paige Bueckers, and USC’s JuJu Watkins were among the nominees.

Clark acknowledged gratitude while highlighting the importance of competing for her team in the Final Four. With 32 points, nine assists, and 7.3 rebounds per game, she is leading the nation in points. Throughout her four-year career, she has earned 3,900 points, with 1,183 points this season.

Along with Breanna Stewart of UConn, Clark is one of the few women’s basketball players to have won two Naismith trophies. After recovering from an injury, Buecker averages 22 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.9 assists. With 27.1 points, USC’s Watkins set a freshman scoring record, and Stanford’s Brink finished with 17.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and a league-high 3.7 blocks per game. In the upcoming match, UConn will be facing Iowa.

Italian qualifier Fabio Fognini surprised top-seeded Serbian Laslo Djere 7-6 (1), 2-6, 6-4 in the Grand Prix Hassan II’s second round in Marrakech, Morocco. Fognini overcame Djere’s strong second set to win the match in the third set.

Fognini advances with fellow Italians Lorenzo Sonego and Matteo Berrettini, while Pavel Kotov of Russia defeats Flavio Cobolli. Spanish qualifier Pablo Llamas Ruiz upset No. 8 seed Dominik Koepfer in the Millennium Estoril Open, advancing him to face David Jorda Sanchis in the second round. Defying Portuguese wild cards, Arthur Fils and Gael Monfils advanced with other victors such as Botic Van De Zandschulp, Jan Choinski, Marton Fucsovics, Cristian Garin, and Pedro Martinez.

Ben Shelton, ranked #1 in the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship, overcame Zizou Bergs of Belgium in the second round, winning 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. Both Brandon Nakashima and Marcos Giron, two other Americans who advanced to the quarterfinals, matched Shelton’s tenacity.

Giron defeated J.J. Wolf, and Nakashima defeated Rinky Hijikata. The biggest upset of the day came from Italy’s Luciano Darderi, who defeated Argentina’s second-seeded Francisco Cerundolo 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (4).

On Friday, the official stamp for the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games was unveiled ahead of the highly anticipated event.

The stamp was created in cooperation with La Poste Group and the Paris 2024 organising committee, and it was unveiled at the esteemed French Postal Museum. It features famous sites like the iconic Eiffel Tower and the serene River Seine, taking inspiration from the vivid visual identity of the Paris Olympics. Its design is energised by sporting features like athletic tracks and bouncing balls, including exceptional finishes with hot stamping.

The Paris 2024 organising committee president, Tony Estanguet, expressed excitement about the stamp’s ability to spread the games’ spirit around the world. Commemorating Olympic events in France has been a tradition for La Poste Group since 1924. Since then, the company has produced stamps that are particularly designed for each edition.

The official Olympic stamp, which costs 1.96 euros (2.12 USD), will be circulated in 800,000 copies, providing fans with a concrete memento of excitement for the upcoming event. It is scheduled to go on sale on March 29 and represents the excitement and prestige of the Paris Olympics, captivating viewers worldwide.

On Monday, the Esports Federation of India (ESFI) announced the commencement of the National Esports Championships (NESC) on April 18, offering a platform for gamers nationwide to exhibit their skills in DOTA 2, eFootball, and Counter-Strike 2 across open and female categories. 

The tournament’s online qualifiers, adopting a double-elimination format, will kick off on April 18, paving the way for participants to compete for spots in the regional qualifiers. These regional contests will see Indian gamers competing against counterparts from other Asian nations to secure berths for the prestigious 16th World Esports Championships (WEC), scheduled to begin on November 11 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The International Esports Federation (IESF) is in charge of organising WEC 2024, which promises fierce competition across a variety of game genres, including Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, the eFootball series, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, and PUBG Mobile. Additionally,  this year’s championship boasts a substantial USD 1 million prize pool, a testament to the growing significance and popularity of esports globally.

ESFI President Vinod Tiwari expressed his enthusiasm for NESC 2024, reflecting on India’s remarkable debut at the Asian Games 2022 and the success of last year’s female CS:GO qualifiers.

Formula One’s parent company, Liberty Media, has made headlines with its recent announcement of acquiring MotoGP’s parent company, Dorna, in a significant deal valued at $4.53 billion.

According to a statement released by MotoGP on Monday, Liberty Media will gain control of approximately 86% of Dorna, while the existing management will maintain a 14% equity stake. The acquisition is estimated to value Dorna/MotoGP at €4.2 billion ($4.53 billion) in terms of enterprise value, with an equity value of €3.5 billion.

Liberty Media’s President and CEO, Greg Maffei, expressed the company’s excitement about adding MotoGP to its roster of leading live sports and entertainment properties in a statement. Similarly, Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna, also welcomed the acquisition as a significant milestone for MotoGP and racing enthusiasts globally.

However, the acquisition is subject to regulatory clearances and approvals, with an expected completion timeline by the end of the year. The deal might attract regulatory scrutiny, given the historical conditions associated with Dorna’s ownership. In the past, CVC Capital Partners’ acquisition of Formula One in 2006, has faced similar regulatory checks.

India’s badminton chances at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris seem bright, and the country is predicted to send its largest-ever team. The top-seeded pair of Satwik and Chirag are considered India’s main competitors after showcasing their abilities at the French Open, which was recently held at the Olympic stadium.  Their coach, Pullela Gopichand, expresses confidence in their abilities.

Lakshya Sen’s comeback in the men’s singles has inspired hope thanks to his noteworthy wins at the All England and French Open. Sen, who is under Vimal Kumar’s coaching, is in good physical and mental health, which might help him perform well in Paris. Despite Prannoy’s early health problems in 2024, Gopichand’s guarantees indicate that he is recovering and preparing for future competitions.

Prakash Padukone is mentoring Sindhu, and she is improving, especially in terms of her physical conditioning and resilience. Padukone highlights that, to succeed in Paris, she must strengthen her mental toughness. Furthermore, Tanisha and Ashwini’s doubles partnership adds depth to India’s lineup, as Ashwini’s background and Tanisha’s chemistry maximise their potential.

India looks to have more promising badminton possibilities than ever before, with athletes peaking at the right time and a strong contingent set to compete.

Carlos Alcaraz, a Spaniard, claimed his second consecutive Indian Wells ATP title by defeating Daniil Medvedev 7-6 (7/5), 6-1. This marked his return to form after a slow start to the season, including an early exit at the Australian Open and an ankle injury in February’s Rio de Janeiro tournament.

Alcaraz, 20, initially had doubts about entering the tournament, given his longest title drought since winning the 2022 US Open. Notably, Alcaraz prevented Medvedev from claiming the only ATP Masters 1000 title missing from his collection. Alcaraz overcame a beehive of opponents to upset Jannik Sinner, the winner of the Australian Open, and advance past Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals.

Reflecting on his victory, Alcaraz acknowledged the significance of winning a Masters 1000 tournament, boosting his motivation and confidence for upcoming events, notably the Miami tournament. His win also solidified his place alongside Rafael Nadal as one of the few players to win five Masters 1000 titles before turning 21.

Despite Medvedev’s strong start, Alcaraz rallied back in the first set, eventually dominating the tiebreaker and securing control of the match. With entertaining rallies showcasing his skills, Alcaraz sealed his victory with a remarkable forehand passing shot, captivating the audience and solidifying his status as a rising star in tennis.

Cricket Australia (CA) has unveiled the schedule for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024–25, featuring five Tests between India and Australia. The series will start on November 22 with a high-stakes match at Perth Stadium. In early December, there will be a day-night pink-ball test at Adelaide Oval. India will play their second day-night Test match against Australia since 2020 and their fifth overall. 

Australia and India will play a five-match series as part of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time since 1991–1992, allowing both teams to secure their spots in the ICC World Test Championship final.

A three-match ODI and T20I series will follow Pakistan’s visit, which will mark the start of Australia’s domestic summer. India’s women’s team will also tour Australia, playing three ODIs in December.

Australia will play three one-day internationals (ODIs) against New Zealand after the Women’s T20 World Cup, and then on December 5, they will play against India in Brisbane and Perth. The Women’s Ashes series against England, which consists of three ODIs, three T20Is, and a historic day-night Test at the MCG in January, will thereafter take the front stage.