London, July 6 (IANS) West Ham United have announced the signing of Wolverhampton Wanderers central defender Maximilian Kilman.

The 27-year-old has put pen to paper on a seven-year contract at London Stadium after spending six hugely successful years at Molineux, where he played under new Hammers head coach Julen Lopetegui and was named captain last year.

“It’s an amazing feeling to be a West Ham United player. As soon as I was aware of the interest from the Club, it was an opportunity I was keen to pursue, so I couldn’t be more delighted to be here,” said Kilman to the West Ham media team.

Possessing plenty of Premier League experience, Kilman has forged a strong reputation as a hugely talented and reliable defender with more than 150 appearances at Wolves, where he played his part in their run to the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals in 2019/20.

“I really enjoyed working with Julen during his time at Wolves – he’s a top-class coach and someone I learned a lot from, and I am confident I will continue to improve as a player under his management here,” added the 27-year-old.

Having started his career at non-league Maidenhead United, where he was managed by Hammers legend Alan Devonshire, Kilman has thrived ever since moving up to the top flight with his August 2018 move to the Midlands, and is now thrilled to be taking the next step of his career in east London.

“Having spoken at length to both Julen and Tim [Steidten], I was hugely encouraged about the ambition of the Club and their plans for the future. They want to make a big noise here at West Ham and as a new player coming in, that’s an incredible thing to hear,” concluded Kilman.

–IANS

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Calgary (Canada), July 6 (IANS) Indian shuttler Priyanshu Rajawat knocked out world no. 4 Anders Antonsen in the quarter-final of the Canada Open to advance to the semifinals.

Rajawat outclassed Antonsen 21-11, 17-21, 21-19 in a competitive one-hour and 19-minute quarterfinal on Friday night (IST). It was also his first win over a top-10 ranked player. He will now lock horns with France’s Alex Lanier in his second World Tour Super 500 semifinal.

In the first game, the 22-year-old Indian shuttler took a 7-4 lead against Antonsen before the score was tied at 9-9. Following that, Rajawat took five straight points to reclaim the lead. The Danish made a valiant effort to rally, but Rajawat eventually won the opening game with seven straight points.

The second game saw Antonsen proving his class with a strong comeback. Rajawat matched the competitiveness of his opponent with a 17-17 score before Antonsen unleashed his true potential with four consecutive points to take the match to a decider.

Rajawat led the final game 5-1 at one point, but Antonsen answered with six straight points to lead the game at 7-5. Although Rajawat made a spirited comeback, earning three points, the seasoned Dane led by just a slim margin at the mid-game break, 11–10. It was a close battle between the two players until Rajawat closed the gap with back-to-back points at 19-19 to win the match.

Rajawat continued his stellar run in the tournament with another win over a higher-ranked opponent. Earlier, he defeated world number 24 Rasmus Gemke of Denmark and Japan’s Takuma Obayashi, ranked 33rd in the previous matches.

He remains the sole Indian in the competition after the women’s doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand made a quarterfinal exit. The third-seeded Indians lost to Chinese Taipei’s Pei Shan Hsieh and En-Tzu Hung 18-21, 21-19, 16-21 in the quarterfinal.

–IANS

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Vadodara, July 6 (IANS) Corbett FC and Golazo FC will contest the final of the third edition of the AIFF Futsal Club Championship 2023-24 at the Swarnim Gujarat Sports University on Sunday.

With both teams marking their first-ever appearance in the tournament this season, a new champions will be crowned for the third time in a row. Corbett FC thrashed the inaugural champions Delhi FC 11-1 in the quarter-finals, before winning 6-5 in the semi-final against Ambelim SC.

Golazo FC, hailing from Himachal Pradesh, have had an utterly dominant campaign so far, conceding just five goals in as many matches, while scoring 39. They were somewhat made to work against FC Thyristor in the semi-final as they came from 1-2 down to win 5-3.

A goal-laden final could be on the cards as both teams have displayed high-speed attacking futsal in the tournament so far, scoring at least five goals in each of their matches.

Corbett FC topped Group A, easing past the likes of Nyenshen FC, Millat FC, Sports Odisha and Classic Football Academy. However, the defence is a bit of a concern for Mohammed Rizwan’s side as they’ve kept only two clean sheets and conceded 14 goals.

They survived a late scare by Ambelim on Friday as their comfortable 6-2 lead was slashed to 6-5 in a matter of minutes, however, the Uttarakhand side held on for the win ultimately.

Golazo FC topped Group D against Casa Barwani SC, Delhi FC and JCT Football Academy, registering the highest goal difference of any side in the competition group stage at +24.

They are coached by the highly experienced Joshuah Vaz, who made history last year by becoming the first-ever Indian national futsal team coach, partaking in the AFC Futsal Asian Cup Qualifiers.

With the two finalists being the free-scorers of the tournament so far, it is no surprise that the Golden Boot race is also led by their protagonists. PC Lalruatsanga of Corbett FC currently leads the chart with 15 goals, while Golazo FC’s Stephen Satarkar is close behind at 13. The final will not only be the opportunity to help their club become champions, but also hunt the individual prize.

However, there’s no doubt that with these two teams on the pitch, goals can come from anybody’s boots. The likes of Pratik Swami, Malsawmtluanga Pautu, Lalbiakzuala and Aaron Dcosta for Corbett FC, and Clinton Rosario D’Souza, Lalsangkima, Sachin Patil and Jayesh Sutar for Golazo FC have chipped in with goals at crucial moments throughout the tournament so far, and will eye for more in the all-important final.

–IANS

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New Delhi, July 6 (IANS) Rahul Dravid, the outgoing India men’s head coach, said he will miss the connections forged with veterans Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the national set-up. Dravid had said before the start of India’s T20 World Cup campaign that it would be his last tournament as the head coach.

The former Indian skipper got to sign off from his two-and-a-half-year coaching stint on a high as India won the T20 World Cup for the second time with a thrilling seven-run win over South Africa at the Kensington Oval on June 29.

“Someone like Virat (Kohli). Just a couple of series with him as a captain and just a couple of Test matches, but I was getting to know him as well, just to see how he goes about his business and the professionalism that he continues to display, his desire to improve and get better. It’s been fascinating for me to watch.”

“I have really enjoyed working with Rohit (Sharma). He is someone whom I knew as a young boy and I just to grow him as a person and grow as a leader in Indian cricket and what someone like him wanted to contribute to the team over the last 10-12 years, both as a player and now as a leader. It’s been a real tribute to him and the effort and time that he has put in.”

“I have really enjoyed seeing his commitment and care to the team just to try and get the environment right where everyone feels safe, enjoys themselves while it’s a very competitive and professional environment. It’s something I’ll miss, as well as some of his connections and with Rohit,” said Dravid in a video posted on bcci.tv.

Dravid also delved into why results are secondary to him in his coaching career. “As a coach at the end of the day my job is to help the captain deliver his vision, his philosophy of how he wants the team to play. I don’t really like talking more about results. Yes results are important. I am in a business that runs on results.”

“I think results are the factor of many things. When you are constantly rotating players and the kind of number of players you will have to play in spite of that the kind of results we got in these past months have given me more satisfaction,” he added.

Dravid further opened up on his coaching philosophy and why he is a firm believer in coaching being more about creating a safe environment instead of running after results. “I like to believe that coaching is not just about coaching cricket. This is about building connections with the people and creating right environment that allows for success.”

“I feel that I am a part of the team whose responsibility is to create the right professional, safe, secure environment that really doesn’t have fear of failure as such but its challenging enough to push people. That is always been my endeavour to try and create that atmosphere.”

“I am someone who likes continuity in life. I don’t like chopping and changing too many things because I think that creates a lot of instability and doesn’t create a very good environment. The vision of course is to win a cricket game. You try to win as much as you can. But I always look back to the fact that what is it that leads to the winning?”

“How do you win more games? What is the process required to win more games? For me the vision was to get that process right. Ticking all those boxes. How do you challenge the players enough? How do you practice enough, how do you well prepare tactically and technically?”

“Are we supporting the players in the right way? These are the things I wanted to tick before going on to the winning. Hopefully, if we would do most of these things, winning will take care of itself,” he concluded.

–IANS

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Mumbai, July 6 (IANS) Star Indian wrestler Sakshi Malik said winning Olympic medal not only transforms the lives of athletes, but also of their families and villages

India will be sending a contingent of close to 120 sportspersons to the Olympics, including an Athletics team led by the defending champion in the men’s javelin Neeraj Chopra, a 21-member shooting team and a 16- member men’s hockey squad.

Malik speaking at the panel discussion ‘An Olympic Dream: Sport in India,’ hosted by the JSW Group, Asia Society India Centre, and the Consulate General of France in Mumbai, three of India’s most prominent athletes shared their inspiring journeys and reflections on the transformative power of Olympic dreams.

Sakshi Malik, an Olympic bronze medallist in wrestling narrated her story of triumph and the ripple effects of her success. “An Olympic dream is not just an athlete’s dream; it’s the dream of an entire family,” said Malik emphasizing how her victory had brought about profound changes not only in her life but also in her community.

After her historic medal win, the Chhotu Ram Stadium in Rohtak, where she trained, was transformed from having a tin roof to becoming an air-conditioned hall. A stadium named after her was even built in her village.

Malik spoke passionately about the surge in popularity of wrestling among girls in Haryana. “Everywhere you go, there’s a stadium every ten minutes, and you’ll find girls training in each one. The old mindset that girls couldn’t wrestle has changed dramatically.”

For the first time, five girls are going to the Olympics for wrestling while only one boy is going. Girls, who were once suppressed, are now boldly stepping forward and excelling in wrestling,” she added.

Dipa Karmakar, India’s pioneering gymnast, reflected on the bittersweet experience of finishing fourth at the Rio Olympics. “As an athlete, the fourth place can be the worst place to be in. Not just for me, any athlete who finishes in fourth place can never sleep,” she shared.

Despite the heartbreak, Karmakar emphasized the importance of resilience and learning from setbacks. Her journey has spurred a cultural shift in Tripura, where gymnastics is now embraced with renewed enthusiasm. The 2016 Olympics led to significant infrastructure improvements, including the installation of crucial equipment like foam pits, which were previously unavailable.

Karmakar also highlighted the critical need for funding and support at the grassroots level. “Until we are successful, we don’t get anything as athletes. Gymnastics was such a sport where people didn’t know much about it, and girls were underestimated,” she said.

If this was done earlier, our Olympic medal count would have been in double digits. But I believe it’s going to happen in the upcoming Paris Olympics,” Karmakar predicted, expressing hope and encouragement for the future.

Priya Mohan, a rising star in athletics, shared her perspective on the journey of an athlete and the importance of perseverance. “I believe that every athlete has their own timeline for success. Most athletes peak around 24 or 25 years old,” she stated, drawing inspiration from competitors like Alison Phillips.

Mohan underscored the influence of Neeraj Chopra’s gold medal win, which she witnessed while training for the World Junior Championship. “That Olympic gold, along with India’s record haul of three medals, transformed our mindset. It showed us that achieving such success is possible for us too,” she said.

Parth Jindal, founder of JSW sports further elaborated about Neeraj Chopra, “Neeraj Chopra’s story is a remarkable testament to talent identification and resilience. We discovered Neeraj in 2015 through our sports excellence program, and in 2016, he shattered the World Junior Championship record and won a gold medal in Poland with an 86.48-meter throw. Had he achieved that throw at the Rio Olympics, he would have secured a bronze medal. His journey only became more compelling from there.

–IANS

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