Vaires-sur-Marne, July 30 (IANS) India’s sole rowing athlete at the Olympics, Balraj Panwar eliminated from medal contention after finishing fifth in the men’s single scull fourth quarterfinal on Tuesday at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium.

The 25-year old finished fifth with a timing of 7:05.10 which was insufficient to make him qualify for the medal rounds of the competition. He will now take part in the C/D semifinals of the event, which will see him fight for a final ranking between 13th-24th place.

Polish athlete,Yauheni Zalatoy representing the Athlètes Individuels Neutres (AIN) finished first with a time of 6:49.27 in the quarterfinal event.

Balraj had carved his way to the quarterfinals after finishing fourth in the first heat with a time of 7:07.11 and finishing second in Repechage 2 with a time of 7:12.41.

Quarterfinal 4 results:

Yauheni Zalatoy (AIN) – 6:49.27 (Qualified for Semifinal A/B)

Giedrius Bieliauskas (Lithuania) – 6:51.80 (Qualified for Semifinal A/B)

Ryuta Arakawa (Japan) – 6:54.17 (Qualified for Semifinal A/B)

Kristian Vasilev (Bulgaria) – 6:58.67 (Qualified for Semifinal C/D)

Balraj Panwar (India) – 7:05.10 (Qualified for Semifinal C/D)

Abdelkhalek Elbanna (Egypt) – 7:18.59 (Qualified for Semifinal C/D)

–IANS

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Dubai, July 30 (IANS) Indian batter Smriti Mandhana and spinner Radha Yadav have gained places in the latest ICC Women’s T20I Rankings after the culmination of the Women’s Asia Cup played in Dambulla.

Mandhana has progressed one spot to take fourth position after scores of 55 not out against Bangladesh in the semifinal and 60 against Sri Lanka in the final, two places shy of her career-best second position. Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu also saw her reach career best-equalling sixth position after scoring 49 not out against Bangladesh, 63 against Pakistan in the semifinal and a match-winning 61 off 43 in the final.

In the other development in the batting rankings, Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana has moved up three spots to 14th position, India’s Jemimah Rodrigues is up one place to 18th while Sri Lanka’s Harshita Samarawickrama is back in the top 20 after her Player of the Match effort of 69 not out in the final of the Asia Cup.

Wicketkeepers Muneeba Ali of Pakistan (up six places to 35th) and Nannapat Koncharoenkai of Thailand (up three places to 37th) have also made notable gains while Aliya Riyaz of Pakistan (up two places to 52nd) and Theertha Satish of the United Arab Emirates (up four places to 60th) are among the others to move up the rankings.

In the bowling rankings, Pakistan’s left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal has moved up one slot to fourth after finishing with four wickets in the semifinal against Sri Lanka while India’s new-ball bowler Renuka Singh is back in the top five following a three-wicket haul against Bangladesh in the other semifinal.

India’s Radha Yadav (up seven places to 13th), Udeshika Prabhodhani (up six places to 24th), Sugandhika Kumari (up four places to 27th) and Kavisha Dilhari (up five places to 30th) of Sri Lanka are among the others to move up the bowling rankings.

Dilhari has also moved up 19 places to 96th among batters and advanced 10 places to 17th among all-rounders.

–IANS

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Chateauroux, July 30 (IANS) Shooter Manu Bhaker said she is feeling a lot of gratitude for achieving the feat of becoming first Indian athlete to win two medals at a single edition of the Olympics on Tuesday.

Manu and Sarabjot Singh clinched the bronze medal in the 10m Air Pistol Team event after registering a 16-10 victory over South Korea following 13 shots in the bronze medal playoff.

“I feel really proud. I feel a lot of gratitude to able to achieve this feat. It is just blessings. Thank you so much for all the blessings and love,” said Manu after the taking the historic bronze.

This was also Manu’s and India’s second medal at the Paris Games. She also has the chance to win a third medal when the 22-year-old features in the women’s 25m Pistol event.

In the bronze medal playoff, the South Korean team of Lee Wonho and Oh Ye Jin took the first series. The Indian duo, however, bounced back to lead 8-2. The contest took an exciting turn in the latter half as Korea managed to bounce back but India never looked like conceding their lead and sealed the victory.

“Actually, we can’t control anything; we can just try to do our best. Before coming here also, me and my partner were like, okay let’s try our best and however it goes, we will accept, and we will just keep fighting till the last shot,” said Manu.

Overall, Manu became the third Indian — after wrestler Sushil Kumar and shuttler PV Sindhu — to win more than one individual medal in the Olympics.

Sarabjot Singh, who bagged his first Olympic medal, is now the sixth Indian shooter to win a medal at the Summer Games.

“There was lot of pressure and the crowd amazing , So, I am really happy,” said Sarabjot.

Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore — Athens 2004, Abhinav Bindra — Beijing 2008, Vijay Kumar — London 2012, Gagan Narang — London 2012, Manu Bhaker – Paris 2024 are the other shooters to have won medals at the Olympics.

–IANS

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Chateauroux, July 30 (IANS) The years of hard work finally paid off, said Sarabjot Singh’s coach Abhishek Rana, after his protege bagged his maiden Olympic medal on Tuesday.

Sarabjot, who was competing in his debut Olympics, partnered with Manu Bhaker in 10m Air Pistol mixed team event, to win the bronze medal, beating South Korea 16-10.

“It’s a wonderful moment. Years of hard work have paid off today. While we didn’t get the gold, earning a bronze medal is a valuable new experience. From here, we will begin a new journey and aim to win gold in the next Olympics,” Rana told broadcasters after the match.

Last year, Sarabjot won the gold medal in 10m Air Pistol men’s team event and a silver medal in mixed team at the Asian Games in China. He also won multiple medals in the international stage across junior and senior level.

–IANS

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Chennai, July 30 (IANS) Chennaiyin FC have announced a 22-member squad for the ongoing Durand Cup. The Marina Machans will begin their charge against the Indian Army on Wednesday at the JRD Tata Sports Complex Stadium in Jamshedpur.

The squad features a blend of senior team members and promising reserves, including notable players such as Vincy Barretto, Bikash Yumnam, Irfan Yadwad, Samik Mitra, Alexander Romario Jesuraj, and Sachu Siby. This mix of experience and youth is reflected in the roster, which comprises three goalkeepers, eight defenders, nine midfielders, and two forwards, ensuring a well-balanced team across all positions.

“It’s a very good team because it’s a mixture of senior team players from the ISL team and also the reserve team players and also the players who have been shortlisted who have got an opportunity to come and represent Chennaiyin FC in the Durand Cup,” said assistant coach Noel Wilson, who joined Owen Coyle’s coaching staff ahead of the new season.

Chennaiyin FC have been drawn alongside Indian Super League (ISL) side Jamshedpur FC, as well as the armed forces’ Indian Army and Assam Rifles in Group D of the Durand Cup 2024. All six games of the group stage will take place at the JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur, following which the group winners and, possibly, the second-placed team, will advance to the knockout stage.

The Marina Machans will take on Jamshedpur FC on August 4 after their first match in the tournament and they will conclude their group stage run against Assam Rifles on August 11.

Chennaiyin previously reached the quarter-finals of the Durand Cup in 2022 and 2023, and are looking to better their past performances this time around, as per assistant coach Wilson, “We are going there to win games. We are not going there to take part. As a team, we are going to be together, on the field, off the field. There’s going to be unity. We are going to go on the field and fight and give our 100 percent.”

First played 136 years ago, the Durand Cup is the oldest existing football club contest in Asia and the fifth-oldest in the world, adding to its alluring appeal. Hosted by the Durand Football Tournament Society and the All India Football Federation, the cup has traditionally been the curtain-raiser for the Indian domestic football season.

The 133rd edition of the tournament, being played in 2024, is the third under the Asian Football Confederation umbrella. Presently, 24 teams participate in the competition: all 14 from the Indian Super League, plus invitees from the I-League, state leagues, armed forces, and foreign armed forces.

Chennaiyin FC Squad For Durand Cup 2024

Goalkeepers: Mohanraj K, Samik Mitra, Malhar Umesh Mohol

Defenders: Niketh N, Bikash Yumnam, Alexander Romario Jesuraj, Rojjak Ali SK, YV Praful Kumar, Aby S, Shanu Stellus, Sachu Siby

Midfielders: Ngangom Raman Singh, Ganeshpandi S, Solaimalai R, Jayasurya, Vivek S, Karthik T, Vincy Barretto, Komal Thatal, Lalpekhlua

Forwards: Vishal R, Irfan Yadwad

–IANS

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