Category: Sports

27-year-old Donia Abu Talib, a taekwondo competitor from Saudi Arabia, became the first Saudi woman to ever qualify for the Olympics. Her goal is to bring home the first gold medal from Saudi Arabia at the Olympics in Paris. Due to the lack of possibilities for female athletes in her hometown of Jeddah, she honed her skills at a male club. This experience, she says, made her strong and resilient.

Since Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman took office, Saudi Arabia has made strides in empowering women, particularly in the realm of sports. After getting official backing and competing to great success as a result of these reforms, Abu Talib won the Arab Taekwondo Championship in 2020 and the Asian and world championships in 2022, earning her bronze medals. The Asian Taekwondo Championships, where she took first place this year, gave her the confidence boost she needed to compete at the Olympics.

Abu Talib trained with the renowned Russian coach Kurban Bogdaev after officials took notice of her development. Her career has the support of the Saudi Taekwondo Federation, which acknowledges the importance of her accomplishments.

Saudi Arabia’s changing attitude towards women’s sports is reflected in Abu Talib’s unwavering will as she prepares for her historic Olympic debut.

Marcus Stoinis of Australia has surpassed Mohammad Nabi of Afghanistan to become the top all-rounder in the most recent ICC Twenty20 rankings. Stoinis helped Australia reach the Super Eights of the Twenty20 World Cup by taking six wickets and contributing significantly with the bat.

Nabi fell three spots in the rankings, while Stoinis rose to become the best all-around player. Veteran Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh and skipper Wanindu Hasaranga of Sri Lanka both rose to the positions of second and third, respectively.

The West Indies bowler, Akeal Hosein, a left-arm spinner, jumped six spots to second position on the bowlers’ list, behind only Adil Rashid of England. Meanwhile, his colleague Gudakesh Motie jumped sixteen places to thirteenth, and Alzarri Joseph advanced six spots to eleventh.

As in the longer format, India’s Suryakumar Yadav was still the best batter in the rankings. In the second, third, and fourth positions, respectively, Phil Salt, Babar Azam, and Mohammad Rizwan stayed put.

Travis Head, an opener from Australia, climbed five spots to fifth, while Nicholas Pooran, a wicketkeeper-batsman from the West Indies, jumped eight spots to eleventh. Sherfane Rutherford of the West Indies also made a massive jump, moving up the ranks to 42nd place.

On Tuesday, the ICC Women’s ODI batting rankings were announced, and India’s vice-captain, Smriti Mandhana, shot up two spots to take the third rank. With a match-winning 117 runs—her first hundred at home—the left-handed opener helped India beat South Africa by 143 runs in a three-match series.

After losing her top spot to England’s Natalie Sciver-Brunt, Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu is now in second place with 715 points, behind Mandhana. Last month, Sciver-Brunt scored an outstanding 124 not out against Pakistan, reclaiming her position as top scorer.

Meanwhile, Pooja Vastrakar rose three spots to 38th, and veteran India all-rounder Deepti Sharma climbed up three spots and achieved 20th rank. Vastrakar made the most significant jump in the all-rounder rankings, climbing up four spots to take over the 18th spot in the ranking. Veteran South African Marizanne Kapp is still the best one-day international all-rounder.

After a clean 2/10 in the first game of the series, Deepti improved his ODI bowling ranking by one spot, moving up to fourth. Her commanding lead in the standings served as a reminder of England spinner Sophie Ecclestone’s continued dominance in one-day international bowling.

At Tuesday’s Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland, Neeraj Chopra won the gold medal with a throw of 85.97 metres. He dominated over Finland’s Oliver Helander (83.96 metres) and Toni Keranen (84.19 metres). German Max Dehning had a terrible day, finishing seventh with only 79.84 metres, while former world champion Anderson Peters finished fourth with 82.58 metres.

After Chopra’s first throw, Helander momentarily caught up to him and took the lead. However, he kept his lead throughout the race with his third throw of 85.97 metres. His early performance assured Chopra’s victory, even if he had a string of unsuccessful throws after his greatest effort.

After suffering a small strain in his adductor muscles, Chopra returned with a win, which bodes well for his continued form and recuperation. He threw six balls with the following distances: 83.62, 83.45, 85.97, 82.21, a foul, and 82.97 metres. Chopra turned up a strong effort, leaving Keranen and Helander in the dust in the final standings.

Olympian Lamont Marcell Jacobs won the 100-metre dash in 9.93 seconds, and 110-metre hurdles winner Omar McLeod finished in 13.38 seconds, showcasing the intense level of competition at the Paavo Nurmi Games.

Former California men’s basketball player Jaylen Brown, who helped the Boston Celtics win their record-tying 18th NBA Championship, was named the 2024 Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player. After five games, the Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks. In the series-clinching victory, Brown hit 21 points, including 15 in the first half. He also grabbed eight rebounds and six assists.

Brown averaged 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.6 steals per game with a 44% field goal percentage. Game 3 was his breakout performance, when he scored 30 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and made eight assists. He was Boston’s leading scorer in Game 1 with 22 points.

To his credit, Brown made history by being the first Golden Bear to ever win Most Valuable Player in an NBA Finals game. While accepting the MVP award from teammate Jayson Tatum, Brown stated, “It was a full team effort. Brown was selected to the All-Pac-12 First Team in 2015-16 and was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2016. The Celtics drafted him third overall in 2016.

He has been named to the NBA All-Star team three times, and in 2023, he was named to the NBA Second Team.

The Boston Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks 106-88 in Game 5 of the Finals to win their 18th NBA championship. Jayson Tatum spearheaded the charge with 31 points, 11 assists, and 8 rebounds. Finals MVP Jaylen Brown averaged 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and five assists throughout the series. He added 21 points, eight rebounds, and six assists.

After a 16-3 playoff run, the Celtics finally won it all against the Mavericks. This came on the 16th anniversary of their previous championship. Derrick White scored fourteen points, while Jrue Holiday tallied fifteen points and 11 rebounds. The Bruins broke the game open with a 17-7 run in the second quarter, seizing control of the situation. With a 49-foot buzzer-beater from Payton Pritchard, the Celtics took a commanding 67-46 lead into halftime.

The Mavericks had trouble preventing turnovers, even though Luka Doncic had a solid game with 28 points and 12 boards. Two other players, Kyrie Irving (15 points) and Josh Green (14 points), also contributed. But Boston was too much for Dallas to handle. The Celtics went up 78-52 in the third quarter and never looked back, easily winning the record-setting championship.

India’s women’s table tennis team, consisting of Poymantee Baisya, Moumita Dutta, and Yashini Sivasankar, secured India’s first medal at the 2024 BRICS Games held in Kazan, Russia, by clinching the bronze. Despite a semifinal loss to China, the team showed resilience throughout the tournament.

Yashini Sivasankar set the tone early by winning her opening match against Wang Xiaonan in a closely contested battle (11-7, 4-11, 11-8, 7-11, 11-2). This victory gave India a promising start, but China fought back strongly, winning three consecutive matches to take the tie 3-1.

Earlier rounds saw the Indian team dominate, securing their semifinal berth with commanding 3-0 victories over Bahrain and Belarus. In contrast, the Indian men’s team of Anirban Ghosh, Jeet Chandra, and Snehit Suravajjula finished in fifth place overall. They managed a 3-1 win over Bahrain in the 5th-6th place playoff but narrowly missed out on a medal after a close 2-3 defeat to Iran in the quarterfinals.

Looking ahead, the focus shifts to individual events starting from May 15th, with Indian athletes participating across various sports including Wushu, Rowing, Tennis, and Table Tennis. The upcoming highlights of Athletics and Boxing are scheduled to commence the following Saturday, promising more action and opportunities for India to shine on the international stage.

Nihal Sarin emerged victorious at the Romanian Grand Prix 2024 after defeating Imre Balog of Hungary in a tie-breaker held on Friday night in Cluj, Romania. The prestigious chess event featured a format comprising two classical and three rapid events, boasting a substantial prize pool of 175,000 euros.

Throughout the tournament, Nihal Sarin maintained an impressive record, securing the title without a single loss. For ten rounds plus tie-breakers, he amassed a commanding 9.5 points out of 11, comprising eight wins and three draws.

Despite his triumph, Nihal Sarin’s classical rating remains just shy of 2700 points, currently standing at 2698. He belongs to a promising generation of Indian chess players alongside Arjun Erigaisi, Gukesh D, and R Praggnanandhaa, among others, yet has often operated in their shadows.

Looking ahead, Nihal Sarin’s focus will shift to upcoming events crucial for his potential selection in the upcoming FIDE Chess Olympiad scheduled for September this year. His performance in the Romanian Grand Prix has undoubtedly bolstered his prospects and positioned him favourably among his peers.

Meanwhile, Narayanan Sunilduth Lyna represented India in the Grand Prix, finishing in 19th place with a commendable score of 7 points out of 10, contributing to a strong showing by the Indian contingent in the international chess arena.

Indian chess sensation Divya Deshmukh, an 18-year-old International Master, achieved a remarkable victory at the FIDE World U20 Girls Chess Championship held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. She secured the title with a dominant performance, scoring 10 points out of a possible 11. Her decisive victory came in the final round against Bulgarian Grandmaster Beloslava Krasteva, where she played with the white pieces.

Deshmukh’s journey to the championship included pivotal wins throughout the tournament, notably against Sachi Jain in the penultimate round. Her strategic prowess and ability to handle pressure were evident throughout, culminating in her undefeated run and her second consecutive major title, following her earlier triumph at the Sharjah Challengers in May.

In her post-tournament remarks to PTI, Deshmukh highlighted her growth in managing pressure and enhancing her overall game. Her achievement also solidifies her position at the top of the FIDE Ratings for junior girls, showcasing her consistency and skill on the global chess stage.

The competition, which featured 101 players from 27 nations, concluded with Deshmukh’s stellar performance, reinforcing India’s strong presence in international chess. Her success not only brings personal accolades but also underscores the depth of talent emerging from India in the world of chess.

Shruti Vora, riding Magnanimous, has made history in Indian equestrian sports by being the first rider from India to win a three-star Grand Prix event.

In the CDI-3 competition, which took place in Lipica, Slovenia, from June 7 to 9, Shruti received 67.761 points. Tatiana Antonenco (Aachen) of Moldova came in second with a score of 66.522, behind the Indian. With a score of 66.087, Juliane Jerich (Quarter Girl) of Austria rounded out the top three.

Shruti’s accomplishment was greeted with joy by the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI), whose Secretary General, Col. Jaiveer Singh, declared, “This is a historic achievement for the Indian equestrian fraternity. Her accomplishment would surely encourage many women to strive for excellence in this field of sports.”

Shruti Vora not only won the Grand Prix but also demonstrated her abilities in the Grand Prix Special, finishing just behind Antonenco-Aachen in second place with a score of 66.085

Shruti Vora, an Indian competitor, hails from Kolkata and has competed for her country in several major international events, such as the Asian Games and the Dressage World Championship. Her latest victory is a major turning point in Indian equestrian history and demonstrates her commitment.