Category: Sports

The eight-time major champion and former World No. 1 Andre Agassi will lead Team World beginning with the 2025 Laver Cup in San Francisco. He takes over for John McEnroe, who has been captain of Team World since the competition’s launch in 2017. At this year’s competition in Berlin, Germany, from September 20–22, McEnroe will play his longtime opponent, Team Europe Captain Bjorn Borg, for the final time.

With his aggressive play and captivating flair, Agassi, one of only five men to achieve a career Grand Slam in the Open Era, revolutionised tennis in the 1990s. Throughout a 21-year career, he won eight major titles, an Olympic Gold Medal, and 60 ATP Tour trophies. He also held the top spot in the world rankings for 101 weeks.

Agassi said he was excited about his new position and emphasised how important it is to recognise and cater to players’ requirements as well as how competitive the Laver Cup is. He wants to increase the players’ chances of winning by developing a relationship based on mutual respect and trust.

Tony Godsick, Chairman of the Laver Cup, praised Agassi’s selection, pointing to his accomplishments and appeal. Agassi received support from McEnroe as well, who expressed faith in his successor’s ability.

On Wednesday, India’s Sachin Sarjerao Khilari broke India’s record by defending his gold medal in the men’s shot put F46 category at the World Para Athletics Championship with an Asian record. Sachin broke his previous Asian record of 16.21 metres achieved in Paris last year, heaving the iron ball to a height of 16.30 metres.

Dharambir placed third in the men’s club throw F51 final with a throw of 33.61 metres. The gold medalist from the Asian Games in Hangzhou was confident about his victory. Sachin said from Kobe, “I was expecting the gold here, and I am happy. I have also qualified for the Paris Olympics and hope to win gold there too.”

India still has three days to go, and head coach Satyanarayan is confident his team will win two more gold medals and strive for a total of 17 medals. India moved up to third place on Tuesday as Paralympic champion Sumit Antil successfully defended his F64 javelin throw world championship. Thangavelu Mariyappan and Ekta Bhyan both won gold.

With 12 medals in total—five of them gold—India is currently ranked third, behind China and Brazil. This exceeds their previous highest total of 10 medals from the Paris 2023 edition (3 gold, 4 silver, and 3 bronze).

India’s mixed 4x400m relay team set a national record while winning gold at the inaugural Asian Relay Championships in Bangkok. The team of Jyothika Sri Dandi, Muhammad Ajmal, Amoj Jacob, and Subha Venkatesan clocked in at 3:14.12 to break the previous record of 3:14.34 from the Hangzhou Asian Games. With respective times of 3:17.00 and 3:18.45, Sri Lanka and Vietnam came in second and third, respectively.

Even with the win, India’s time puts them outside the 15th or 16th spot required for Olympic qualification, ranking 21st in the World Athletics “Road to Paris” rankings. The mixed 4×400-metre relay at the Paris Olympics will include just 16 teams. Only two spots remain for the best times until the June 30 deadline, after 14 teams at the World Athletics Relays in Nassau, Bahamas, have already qualified.

The Czech Republic (3:11.98) and Italy (3:13.56) are currently occupying the 15th and 16th positions, respectively. India failed to beat Italy’s time, despite its best efforts. According to the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), the team may participate in additional international tournaments before the deadline.

On Tuesday, India will also compete in the women’s and men’s 4×400-metre relay competitions.

German football legend Philipp Lahm has picked France as the favourite to win the 2024 UEFA European Championship, citing their “well-equipped and talented squad.”  As the director of tournaments for Euro 2024, Lahm voiced his excitement about Germany hosting its first big competition since the World Cup in 2006.

The former Bayern Munich defender, head coach Julian Nagelsmann, and director of football Ruud Voller were all complimented by the French team in an interview with Xinhua. Lahm said, “They have a remarkably talented squad that is well-equipped.” He hailed Nagelsmann as a “young, talented coach” whose tactical approach has rejuvenated the faltering national team and called Voller a beloved character among the supporters.

Lahm underlined the need for team unity in international competitions after leading Germany to victory in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He said that getting the team’s strength on the pitch throughout the competition is the most difficult task. Additionally, he brought up the World Cup in Qatar as an illustration of surprising performances, showcasing Argentina’s tenacity and Morocco’s triumph.

The forty-year-old stated, “The Euro presents a fantastic chance to unite people, particularly during these trying times. To build a bright future for everybody, we need positivity.” Furthermore, he emphasised the Euros’ capacity for unity.

In the Thailand Open 2024 men’s doubles final, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won over Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi of China with scores of 21-15, 21-15. The Indian duo’s achievement holds special significance as it is their first Superseries (Super 500) level triumph. They previously won this title in 2019. They also stand to regain the top spot in the world rankings with this most recent victory.

Throughout the tournament, the top-seeded Indian team showed remarkable dominance, winning all of their matches without dropping a single game. Their win today marks their second World Tour success of 2024, having previously won at the French Open in March. Unlike their exciting run in 2019, they had a very easy ride this year, defeating opponents who were all ranked in the top 80.

The world No. 64 team was their highest-ranked opponent before the championship, and their biggest game-winning deficit was 16. Though the last match against the world No. 29 pair seemed like an easy win with a score of 21-15, 21-15, it was a test of their abilities and resiliency.

Throughout the competition, Satwik and Chirag’s steadfast perseverance and steady play have cemented their place among the world’s best men’s doubles teams.

India won its first medals thanks to Day 3 victories by Nishad Kumar and Preethi Pal with silver and bronze at the World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, Japan. Silver medalist Nishad Kumar at the Tokyo Paralympics jumped 1.99 metres to place second in the men’s T47 high jump competition.

American Roderick Townsend won gold with a jump of 2.05 metres. Another competitor from India, Ram Pal, finished sixth with a season-best 1.90m. Notably, after winning the event at the 2023 Paris Championships, this is Nishad Kumar’s second straight silver in the same competition. The T47 classification is beneficial to athletes who have limitations at the wrist or below the elbow.

Preethi Pal finished in 30.49 seconds to take home the medal in the women’s T35 200m final, adding to India’s total. Athletes with impaired coordination are included in the T35 category. In the women’s T20 400m heat, Deepthi Jeevanji also made an impression by breaking the Asian record with a time of 56.18 seconds, which guaranteed her a place in the final. T20 competitors are athletes with intellectual disabilities.

With 26 podium finishes (10 gold, 8 silver, and 8 bronze), China tops the medal table, with India currently in 29th place.

The USA’s Alise Willoughby and France’s Joris Daudet each won their third BMX racing world title in Rock Hill, South Carolina, securing spots for their countries at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Married to former Australian rider Sam Willoughby, the silver medalist from Rio 2016, Willoughby stunned the home fans by winning at Rock Hill a second time, to go along with her victories in 2017 and 2019.

The 33-year-old took the lead right away and defeated American Daleny Vaughn and Zoe Claessens of Switzerland. Her sixth World Championship BMX racing medal came from this triumph.

Daudet defeated the current Olympic champion, Niek Kimmann of the Netherlands, and is a strong candidate for Paris 2024. With this most recent victory, Daudet has won twelve medals in fourteen years, including two golds from the 2011 and 2017 European BMX Championships. Daudet’s plan to lead from the first corner worked at Rock Hill, and he hopes to improve on his Tokyo 2020 seventh-place result.

The World Championships were held in the United States for the first time since 2023. In the past, the tournament was mostly held in Europe, with a few out-of-region events held in places like Argentina.

Top-ranked Iga Swiatek dominated No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, winning the Italian Open final 6-2, 6-3, claiming her third trophy on Rome’s red clay.

Swiatek didn’t drop a set at the Foro Italico, extending her winning streak to 12 matches. She defeated No. 3 Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-3 in the semifinals. Next weekend marks the beginning of Roland Garros, where Swiatek hopes to win a record-tying third title in Paris and fourth overall.

Sabalenka praised Swiatek and made a joke about defeating her at Roland Garros at the award ceremony. After Serena Williams in 2013, Swiatek became the first female to win Madrid and Rome consecutively. The Madrid Open final, where Swiatek defeated Sabalenka on three match points, was a stark contrast to this one.

Sabalenka was pushed to make mistakes by Swiatek’s movement and precise groundstrokes. In her first two service games of the second set, Swiatek saved seven break points and made only eight unforced errors, as opposed to Sabalenka’s 28. With the victory, Swiatek’s lifetime record against Sabalenka was improved to 8-3 and her record in Rome to 20-2. She also defeated Sabalenka in Madrid last year and went on to win nine successive finals.

Golden State Warriors’ standout, Stephen Curry, has secured the 2023–24 Magic Johnson Award, announced by the Professional Basketball Writers Association. More than 200 PBWA members chose this prestigious award to recognise NBA players who excel on the court and who also interact with the media and spectators with grace and cooperation.

Curry won the Johnson Award in 2016 and now has two wins under his belt. being the second recipient after Damian Lillard and Shane Battier. Finalists Bam Adebayo, DeMar DeRozan, Rudy Gobert, and Tyrese Haliburton challenged Curry with stiff competition.

Curry has racked up a remarkable number of awards over the course of his 15-year career, including two league MVPs, four NBA titles, 10 All-Star selections, and a spot on the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team. He received recognition for his off-court achievements last season when he was selected as the Social Justice Champion and awarded the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, which earned him the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Trophy.

During the 2023–24 season, Curry maintained his stellar performance, averaging 26.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game, further solidifying his reputation as a Clutch Player of the Year.

Neeraj Chopra, an Indian javelin thrower, won gold in his maiden domestic tournament after a three-year absence, despite his throw being less than ideal at 82.27m. Even though he won the Federation Cup in Bhubaneswar, Chopra blamed his poor performance on his short recuperation period following his participation in Doha.

Feeling out of sorts in the new weather, he decided to stop after four throws. While downplaying his performance, Chopra admitted that the throw wasn’t typical of him and that he was confident in his ability to perform at his peak when it mattered most.

With a personal best of 89.94m, he expressed optimism about his chances of breaking the ninety metres, pointing out the significance of the situation and timing.

Chopra spoke with fans amid the celebration during the home meet, highlighting how happy he was to be back fighting in India after a long break. Before defending his Olympic title in Paris, Chopra plans to improve his form in the the next competitions in the Czech Republic and Finland.

He acknowledged the tough competition, emphasised the intensity seen in Doha, and promised to keep working towards progress. Chopra stays focused on giving his finest performance when the stakes are highest because he is prepared and determined.