India were, on Friday, assured of three medals in squash competition of the 18th Asian Games with Saurav Ghosal, Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal Karthik advancing to the semifinals of their respective singles events in Jakarta.
Sindhu, seeded second, defeated local favourite Gregoria Mariska Tunjung 23-21, 21-7 in 37 minutes to make the last-eight stage of her season-opener, while eighth seed Srikanth recorded a clinical 21-14, 21-9 win over Japan's Asian Games bronze medallist Kenta Nishimoto.
Brazil shocked and other big upsets at World Cup qualifiers played on Tuesday
Top Indian sprinter Dutee Chand on Friday smashed her own national record in the women's 100m dash on the fourth and final day of the 58th National Inter State Senior Athletics Championships in Guwahati to establish herself as a gold medal contender in the upcoming Asian Games.
India's men's hockey team hammered lowly Indonesia 17-0 to open its title defence on a rousing note at the Asian Games, in Jakarta, on Monday.
At a time when his former teammate Sawaiyan Majhi has been appointed Indian recurve coach, the 33-year-old would look to bring his playing career back on track with a second medal from the Asian Games in Indonesia.
An injury to his preferred horse has jeopardised Fouaad Mirza's qualification chances for the Tokyo Games but the double Asian Games silver medallist is confident of making the cut for the Olympics in the equestrian event.
The eight players picked for the Asian Games have been training without a full-time coach and most of them don't train regularly with Kumari and Poncha, who has been a longtime national coach.
India registered a no-medal day for the first time in the tournament. Even though Rhythm topped qualification with her 595, teammates Esha Singh and Manu shot 582 and 578 respectively to finish at 13th and 27th positions.
India, currently ranked 132nd in the FIFA world rankings, have never played in the World Cup finals and kick off the latest phase of their attempt to qualify for the Asian Cup on Tuesday when they take on Myanmar in Yangon.
'This is another opportunity to do that, improve my medal and performance. I have got two team bronze in the Asian Games, and hopefully, I will improve my performance and maybe even get the gold'
Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will have to wait another year before chasing India's first Olympic track and field medal in Tokyo but the delay may turn out to be a blessing in disguise, the 22-year-old said. The Commonwealth and Asian Games champion, seen as one of India's best medal prospects at the Games, spent the whole of 2019 recovering from an elbow operation on his throwing arm.
Drag-flicker Rupinder Pal Singh and defender Birendra Lakra, who played starring roles in the Indian hockey team's historic bronze medal-winning Tokyo Olympics campaign, on Thursday announced their international retirements.
World No 1 Elavenil Valarivan was on Sunday included in a 15-member Indian shooting contingent for the Tokyo Olympics at the expense of quota winner Chinki Yadav, who had claimed a gold in the Delhi World Cup last month.
Indian boxer Pavitra (60kg) advanced to the quarter-finals of the Asian Games after out-classing Pakistan's Rukhsana Perveen in a bout that did not go beyond the opening round, in Jakarta, on Saturday.
'I could not believe that the prime minister knew me.'
India bagged two medals in Kurash, a form of wrestling indigenous to central Asia, with Pincky Balhara and Malaprabha Yallappa Jadhav winning silver and bronze respectively
India had lodged a protest, stating that a Bahraini runner had caused obstruction to Hima Das during the relay race in which India finished second.
The family of Indian swimmer Sajan Prakash kept news of a devastating flood in his home state of Kerala away from him so it did not affect his Asian Games performance, the 24-year-old told Reuters on Tuesday.
Rupinder Pal Singh (8th minute), Surender Kumar (15th), Mandeep Singh (44th) and Akashdeep Singh (60th) scored the goals for India.
The Indian men's hockey coach Harendra Singh is determined to seal India's 2020 Olympic berth in the upcoming Asian Games as he feels it will give the eight-time winners ample time to become realistic medal contenders in Tokyo.
Sushil Kumar, whose defeat in a tune-up event raised doubts about his form ahead of the Asian Games, on Friday, asserted that he is 'far from finished' and is not out there to prove anything.
Tainted Indian sports administrator Suresh Kalmadi has been made Life President of the Asian Athletics Association for his "work in the development of athletics in the continent" during his 13-year tenure as the head of organisation from 2000.
Manika Batra wants to break the top-30 barrier in the near future
Devendra Jhajharia and Sundar Singh Gurjar continued India's splendid showing in athletics at the Tokyo Paralympics by winning the silver and bronze medal respectively in the men's javelin throw F46 event in Tokyo on Monday.
Tejinder Pal Singh Toor remained strong in pursuit of his passion and all the sacrifices made, paid off, on Saturday with an Asian Games gold medal.
Sushil struggled at the Jakarta Asian Games leading to questions on whether he was good enough to go any further at 36.
Debutant boxer Amit Panghal (49kg) continued his sensational run to make the final with a hard-fought win but an injured Vikas Krishan (75kg) had to settle for bronze after being declared medically unfit for his semifinal at the 18th Asian Games, in Jakarta, on Friday.
Dutee Chand joined her illustrious compatriots such as P T Usha in the list of athletes who have won more than one medal at the Asian Games as she added a silver to her kitty after finishing second earlier in the women's 100m dash, in Jakarta, on Wednesday.
Gurjit Kaur struck twice as the Indian women's hockey team beat title holders South Korea 4-1 to register its third consecutive win and also book a place in the semi-finals of the Asian Games, in Jakarta, on Saturday.
Dipika Pallikal Karthik and Joshna Chinappa had to be content with bronze medals in women's singles after losing to their respective opponents in the semifinals of the 18th Asian Games, in Jakarta, on Saturday.
Arpinder Singh clinched India's first men's triple jump gold in 48 years with a jump of 16.77m in the Asian Games, in Jakarta, on Wednesday.
Aware that only a miracle will hand him a medal at the Olympics, India's lone participant in swimming, Gagan Ullalmath sees his London Games exposure as a platform to do well in the 2014 Asian Games.
Kim Ji Hyun was handed the responsibility to sharpen the skills of former World No. 2 PV Sindhu with the World Championships and Olympics in mind.
'At the Asian Games I had a dream, to stand on the podium and have the tri-colour hoisted.' 'I missed one thing in Jakarta -- the national anthem being played.' 'I hope to make it happen at the Olympics by winning gold.'
Asian Games silver medallist V Santosh Kumar (64kg) punched his way into the final while Lakhbir Singh (69kg) made his way to the last four at the 21st President's Cup International boxing tournament in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Just being able to compete again is bigger relief for Neeraj Chopra than booking an Olympic berth, and the star javelin thrower says his comeback after a lengthy injury lay-off has given him hope that the hard times are well and truly over. Chopra qualified for the Tokyo Olympics with a throw of 87.86m at the ACNE League meeting at Potchefstroom on Tuesday, after missing the entire 2019 season following a surgery on his elbow.
India's Dharun Ayyasamy clinched a silver in men's 400m hurdles in national record time as athletics continued to swell India's medal tally in the Asian Games, in Jakarta, on Monday.
China draws blank in Asiad badminton singles as rivals improve
