New Delhi, July 30 (IANS) Two-time Olympian Vinesh Phogat has sought help from the Embassy of France in India and Sports Minister Manukh Mandaviya for a visa for her brother whose application was rejected earlier.

Vinesh earned the Paris Olympics quota in the women’s 50kg semifinal at the Asian Olympic qualifier. Taking to ‘X’ Vinesh wrote “Requesting @FranceinIndia to please grant a visa to my brother. He has submitted his second application on yesterday after his first visa application was rejected. It has been a lifelong dream to have my family watch me play at the Olympics. Need your help @mansukhmandviya sir.”

Earlier, Vinesh Phogat herself sought “urgent help” from Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, the Ministry of External Affairs, and other authorities after her visa for Spain got delayed.

Indian wrestlers Antim Panghal (women’s 53kg) and Aman Sehrawat (men’s 57kg) have been seeded fourth and sixth in their respective weight categories. The remaining four Indian wrestlers — Vinesh Phogat (women’s 50kg), Anshu Malik (women’s 57kg), Nisha Dahiya (women’s 68kg) and Reetika Hooda (women’s 76kg) — will be unseeded at Paris 2024. They will be randomly drawn into brackets the day before the women’s freestyle wrestling begins in Paris.

–IANS

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Chateauroux , July 30 (IANS) India’s 10m Air Pistol mixed team of Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh clinch bronze medal after beating South Korea 16-10 at the Paris Olympics.

Paris Olympics: Manu, Sarbajot win 10m Air Pistol mixed team bronze, beats South Korea

This was an historic medal for Manu as she become the first Indian to win two medals at the same edition of the Olympics. Overall, third Indian to win more than one individual medal in the Olympics.

Sarabjot, on the toher hand, got his first Olympic medal.

Earlier, Manu won a bronze in the women’s 10m Air Pistol event.

This is India’s second medal in Paris.

More details to follow.

–IANS

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Paris, July 30 (IANS) Surfing competition at the Paris Olympics, scheduled for Tuesday, has also been called off due to bad weather conditions, the organisers said.

“The competition is OFF, 30/07/2024 7:00am GMT-10 with a color code of RED Technical delegates decision on color code tendencies for the next session is expected on 30/07/2024 at 17:45 GMT-10,” it said.

The organisers also said an update for the next session will be made at 17:45 local time (Tahiti) on Tuesday.

“No competition on Tuesday July 30 in Tahiti due to poor weather conditions: 4m+ wave and very strong onshore wind,” French Surfing Federation said in a statement.

–IANS

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Washington, July 30 (IANS) Emma Raducanu advanced to the second round of the DC Open, defeating the world No. 35, Elise Mertens, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4.

In their last encounter at Wimbledon, Raducanu had breezed past Mertens, dropping just three games. She seemed on course for a similar result on Monday night, dominating the first set by winning five consecutive games.

However, Mertens adjusted her strategy in the second set. She cut down on errors and took advantage of Raducanu’s momentary lapse in concentration. The Belgian broke serve after Raducanu had a 40-0 lead in the sixth game, using that momentum to level the match by taking the second set 6-3.

The final set was a rollercoaster. Raducanu broke early to establish a 3-1 lead, but Mertens clawed her way back, breaking the Briton and saving two break points to even the score at 3-3. She saved five crucial break points in a tense service game, then broke Mertens once more.

Mertens fought valiantly, breaking back as Raducanu served for the match, but her 11th double fault of the match handed Raducanu a match point. The Brit seized the opportunity with a precise backhand volley, clinching the victory.

“I was playing some pretty good tennis in patches throughout. Especially in the first set and moments in the third set. I lost some focus in the second. It’s not easy playing at 11:30. I got here Thursday night so I’m still jet-lagged. I was telling myself, ‘I’m not leaving. This is not happening. You’re not losing this match,” Raducanu was quoted by WTA.

–IANS

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Paris, July 30 (IANS) The men’s triathlon at the Paris Olympic Games has been postponed due to water-quality issues in the River Seine. Scheduled for Tuesday morning 11:30 am IST (8:00 am CET), the event has now been moved to Wednesday 2:15 am IST (10:45 am CET).

This rescheduling aligns it with the women’s triathlon, which was set for 24 hours later. The women’s race will begin at 11:30 am IST on Wednesday, followed by the men’s event at 2:15 am IST.

“Following the disappointing news that water quality results were not within the permitted levels to hold the swim segment of the men’s individual event as planned on July 30, the race has been postponed and will now take place at 10.45 am (CET) on Wednesday July 31.

“There has been no impact upon the schedule of the women’s race, with the athletes still set to go out at 8am on Wednesday, however, both of the medal ceremonies will now be held after the conclusion of the men’s event,” World Triathlon said in a statement.

World Triathlon announced the postponement on Tuesday morning, citing concerns over the water quality in the Seine. “Considering the latest weather information, it has been decided to schedule the men’s triathlon event on July 31 at 10h 45. The women’s triathlon is due to take place the same day at 8am. Both triathlons are subject to the forthcoming water tests complying with the established World Triathlon thresholds for swimming. The original contingency day also remains in place for August 2, for further considerations,” it said.

The organisation has also set Friday as a contingency day if either or both events cannot proceed as planned on Wednesday.

“Paris 2024 and World Triathlon reiterate that their priority is the health of the athletes. The tests carried out in the Seine today revealed water quality levels did not provide sufficient guarantees to allow the event to be hold,” World Triathlon said.

“Unfortunately, meteorological events beyond our control, such as rain which fell over Paris on July 26 and 27, can alter water quality and compel us to reschedule the event for health concerns. Despite the improvement in the water quality levels, the readings at some points of the swim course are still above the acceptable limits” it added.

The decision follows a series of water quality tests conducted after heavy rainfall during the Olympic opening ceremony and subsequent outdoor events. The rain exacerbated pollution levels in the Seine, a river that flows through the heart of Paris and has a combined sewer system.

The Seine has a long history of pollution, with swimming in the river banned since 1923. However, French authorities have invested 1.4 billion euros in a project to improve water quality ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games. This effort included a high-profile swim in the Seine earlier this month by France’s sports minister, Amelie Oudea-Castera, alongside Paralympic triathlon champion Alexis Hanquinquant.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and Paris 2024 chief Tony Estanguet also participated in the swim to demonstrate the river’s improved conditions.

The country’s President, Emmanuel Macron, who had expressed a willingness to join, was notably absent. Despite these demonstrations, tests had previously revealed faecal matter levels ten times above the acceptable limit, forcing a delay in the planned swim.

–IANS

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