Chennai, Jan 25 (IANS) As a child obsessed with sports, Durga Singh would run in the wide open spaces around the fields in her remote village of Belwa Thakurai in Gopalganj district of Bihar. In an area with little sporting background, Durga’s father Shambhu Sharan Singh, a wheat farmer, was the only person who encouraged her.

“I have faced a lot of challenges. There was no eagerness for sport in my family, apart from my father, who would always say, ‘you go wherever you want to, do whatever you want to.’ Only he supported me, which is why I am here,” an elated Durga said after shattering the 1500m Games record with a timing of 4 minutes 29.22 seconds at the 6th Khelo India Youth Games in Chennai on Wednesday.

The Class X student had won the 1500m gold at 38th Junior National Athletics Championship in Coimbatore last year clocking 4 minutes 38.29 seconds.

The fourth of five siblings, Durga would also play kabaddi and football as a child but her heroes were runners. She was such a fan of PT Usha and Usain Bolt that she had their pictures printed and framed in her room.

Her talent was noticed early on, at least in her school. “I would be taken with senior students for matches. People would fight to have me in their team.”

Medals would come thick and fast in local meets. But she did not realise their value at that time. “I would come first or second, bring the medal home and fling it aside. I would not care much about it as no one valued my achievements at home then. Relatives who’d come home would be surprised at how the medals would be just lying around.”

Gradually, the 17-year-old’s talent started getting noticed even more. She visited Patliputra Sports Complex in Patna to train under coach Rakesh Singh and there’s no looking back since. Her attitude towards medals also changed thereafter.

“I then realised the name you can make for yourself if you win medals. I became more determined and started working much harder. Now I want to make my country proud,” she signed off.

Paris, Aug 28 (IANS) The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has started a one-year countdown for next year’s Paralympic Games in Paris. The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will start on August 28.

In one year, Para athletes from around the world will shine in the City of Light, competing at the most spectacular and diverse Games ever. The Paris Paralympic Games will be held from August 28 to September 8, 2024, and will involve 549 events in 22 sports.

On Monday, the IPC invited the fans to join the countdown to the dazzling Opening Ceremony that will be held outside of a stadium for the first time in Paralympic history. 

One year from now, Paris will host its first Paralympic Games. Up to 4,400 Para athletes from across the globe will take centre stage during Paris 2024 at some of the most iconic landmarks in the city.

The Opening Ceremony on August 28 will take place outside of a stadium for the first time, with the Athletes’ Parade winding its way through the heart of the French capital to the iconic Place de la Concorde.

International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Andrew Parsons believes world-class sport, iconic venues, the first Games since the pandemic, and a revolutionary approach by the Organising Committee, are the perfect ingredients to deliver a Paralympics that will surpass the achievements of any previous Games edition.

“As we reach the one-year-to-go milestone, all the stars are aligning for Paris 2024 to deliver tremendous and memorable Paralympic Games, setting a benchmark for all future editions,” Parsons said.

“The Organising Committee has promised innovative and revolutionary Paralympics, Games Wide Open to all. To date, they are delivering on all their promises and with 12 months to go I could not be more excited for the Games and the legacy they will deliver,” he said.

“Having attended many Para sports events this year, the level of sports performance is quite simply incredible. With the environment Paris 2024 is creating for athletes next summer, which includes many stunning sports venues at the heart of the city, I think the sporting action will surpass all of our expectations.

“These will be the first Paralympics in Europe since London 2012 and the first to be held with spectators since Rio 2016. This combination, together with accessible and affordable tickets, will ensure we have massive crowds packing the venues, bringing the best out of our athletes. I think the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games are going to be spectacular,” Parsons said.

The quest for medals in Paris will be played out across the beautiful city of Paris; blind football matches at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, Para equestrian events in the gardens of the Chateau de Versailles, with both wheelchair fencing and Para taekwondo staged at the Grand Palais.

The world’s best runners, throwers and jumpers will return to the Stade de France, the country’s largest stadium, in Paris. The venue, located in Saint-Denis, was originally built for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, and since then, has staged some of the world’s biggest sporting moments. At the Rugby World Cup later this year, 10 matches, including the tournament opener and the final, will take place here.

Budapest (Hungary), Aug 26 (IANS) The Indian men’s 4x400m relay team caused a sensation at the World Athletics Championships here finishing second behind the United States in the semifinal heat, setting the Asian Record and qualifying for the final.

As the contestants went into the final leg of the first semifinal in the men’s 4x400m relay race on Saturday, there was a buzz in the stadium as India went neck-and-neck with the USA for the finish line.

Though the USA team of Trevor Bassitt, Matthew Boling, Christopher Bailey and Justin Robinson eventually pulled ahead to win the heat in 2:58.47, India held on to second in an Asian Record of 2:59.05.

The Indian quartet of Muhammad Anas Yahiya, Amoj Jacob, Muhammad Ajmal Variathodi and Rajes Ramesh came up with a superb race to set a new Asian record, dipping below 3 minutes. The Indian team improved on the previous mark of 2:29.51 set by Japan in last year’s World Championship in Eugene, USA.

On Saturday, India was followed by Great Britain and Botswana, both clocking 2:59.42. Britain grabbed the third automatic qualifying spot, while Botswana advanced on time.

Jamaica won the second semifinal in 2:59.82 — and they’ll have individual champion Antonio Watson to bring in for the final.

France took second place from Italy and the Netherlands, all of them making it through to the final.

But the focus on Saturday was on the Indian team as it was placed second overall, with a timing faster than sprint powerhouse Jamaica.

Amlan Borgohain of India won the 100 and 200 metres races at the Flanders Cup athletics competition in Merksem, Belgium, earning a golden double.

Borgohain finished the meet as the quickest man with a time of 10.70s. His 10.25-second 100-meter national record is his.

Victor Hofmans (11.01) of Belgium and Aubrey Allen (10.80) of Jamaica finished second and third, respectively.

In the 200 metres, the 25-year-old Borgohain finished first in 20.96 seconds, beating out Hofman (21.42) and Samuel Rowe of Jamaica (21.88).

Borgohain also possesses the 20.52-second 200-meter national record.

The International Antwerp Athletics Gala is another name for the Category F meet on the World Athletics calendar.

At the Portland Track Festival in the United States, Sanjivani Jadhav finished second in the women’s 10,000-meter race with a time of 32 minutes, 46.88 seconds.

Jyothi Yarraji placed fourth in the 100-meter hurdles event at the ORLEN Janusz Kusocinski Memorial in Chorzow, Poland, with a subpar time of 13.03 seconds.

On May 5, Neeraj Chopra will begin his season in the Doha Diamond League. The Olympic champion will compete in a field with several other notable athletes, including the defending world champion Anderson Peters and the silver medalist at the Olympic Games, Jakub Vadlejch.

Neeraj Chopra, the 2023 Olympic javelin champion, will kick off his season on May 5 in the Doha Diamond League. Along with world champion Anderson Peters and Olympic silver medalist Jakub Vadlejch, he will be competing in the men’s javelin event.

After being the first Indian athlete to win the Diamond League Trophy in 2022, Neeraj Chopra is currently training in Turkey and plans to stay there until May 31.

The Doha Diamond League is one of the 14 one-day meetings this season, and the final will be place in Eugene, Oregon, USA, in September. This will be the first time a Diamond League final has been hosted outside of Europe.

Chopra, who threw 89.94 metres at a meet last year and came in second, set a lifetime best and finished in the top three of the Stockholm Diamond League. Anderson Peters won the Doha Diamond League with a fifth-longest ever throw of 93.07 metres, while the Indian star was sidelined by injury.

In addition to Neeraj, Peters, and Vadlejch, European champion Julian Weber (GER) will be competing in the Doha Diamond League. Weber placed fourth at both the Olympics and the world championships with a best of 89.54 metres. Keshorn Walcott, a two-time Olympian and the current national record holder in Trinidad and Tobago, has a best of 90.16 metres.