The turn of the Olympic cycle has ushered in a new generation of riders plotting to overthrow track queen Anna Meares, but the seasoned Australian is confident of being in top gear to defend her sprint title at the Rio de Janeiro Games.
Ecstatic after winning the Canada Open women's doubles title with Jwala Gutta, Indian shuttler Ashwini Ponnappa has said consistency has been the key to their success and this victory is a big boost ahead of the prestigious World Championship in August.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday
PV Sindhu's gallant effort to become India's first ever World Champion ended in a heart-wrenching defeat against Nozomi Okuhara in an epic final, in Glasgow, on Sunday.
Saina, who had won a silver medal two years ago at Jakarta, gave everything in a battle of attrition but Okuhara's never-say-die attitude helped her to outmanoeuvre the Indian in an energy-sapping sem-ifinal clash at the Emirates Arena.
A high-intensity training for last three weeks has boosted his confidence and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Parupalli Kashyap says he is looking to maintain the rhythm as he sets out to achieve his dream of winning an Asian Games medal in Incheon.
Pakistan Hockey Federation secretary Rana Mujahid is "frustrated" that the national sport is struggling to lure sponsors due to lack of international success in recent years and felt the scene was much better in India.
India's Manika Batra and Mouma Das lost 3-0 to Tianwei Feng and Mengyu Yu of Singapore in the women's sinlges final.
H S Prannoy scored his second successive victory over three-time Olympic silver medallist Lee Chong Wei, while Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth also registered contrasting wins to advance to the quarter-finals of the Denmark Open Super Series Premier, in Odense, on Thursday.
India's legendary sprinter Milkha Singh said on Wednesday that doping is like cancer and the government needs to take some strict measures to curb this menace.
'People taunted me, saying 'You are a woman, why are you wrestling?'
Terry Walsh quit as coach of India's men's hockey team on Tuesday after his demands were not met by Hockey India and the Sports Authority of India. The 60-year-old Australian, who guided India to the men's hockey gold at the Incheon Asian Games, however, said he could return if his demands are met.
Olympic bronze-medallist Saina Nehwal stood just one win away from clinching her maiden China Open title after she stormed into the finals of the USD 700,000 Super Series Premier tournament in Fuzhou.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Sunday
The 22-year-old, who has won a bronze at the 2013 and 2014 editions, disposed off Sun Yu 21-14, 21-9 in 39 minutes at the Emirates Arena.
PV Sindhu survived a scare against Hong Kong's Cheung Ngan Yi before prevailing 19-21, 23-21, 21-17 in a thrilling singles match that lasted an hour and 27 minutes.
India's best medal hope, five-time World boxing champion M C Mary Kom lived up to expectations as she beat Zhaina Shekerbekova of Kazakhstan to win the gold medal in the flyweight category (48-51kgs) at the Asian Games, in Incheon, on Wednesday.
Touching feet is the traditional Indian way of showing respect to someone but, as his numerous opponents would vouch, if it's on the wrestling mat and the outstretched arms belong to Yogeshwar Dutt, it normally means danger.
Glasgow World Championship bronze medallist Saina got the better of two-time World champion Marin 22-20, 21-18 and in the process avenged her second round defeat to the Spanish ace at the Japan Open.
Thirty-two countries, ranging from Finland and Sweden to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Macedonia and Kazakhstan, have declared interest in hosting matches at Euro 2020 which will be staged across the continent.
Dipika Pallikal and Joshana Chinappa both the glamorous Chennai girls are let their racquets speak.
There is never a dearth of drama in European football and here is proof...
England manager Roy Hodgson appeared to play down the old rivalry between Scotland and England when he said Tuesday's friendly was just another game, despite the intense atmosphere likely at Celtic Park.
"Those who have met Emerson Begolly in person might describe him as a shy young man. But online, the 24-year-old was the complete opposite -- he forcefully incited jihadi violence against Americans and Jews."
Commonwealth Games gold medallist Parupalli Kashyap speaks to Harish Kotian/Rediff.com about his recent triumph over world No. 1 Chen Long of China and why he wants the Indian Badminton League to be revived.
P V Sindhu cemented her position as a dominant force on the world stage with an Olympic silver medal while Saina Nehwal continued to battle with injuries in a year, which saw Indian badminton take giant strides at the global platform. It turned out to be a watershed year for Sindhu, who reached the upper echelons of world badminton with a silver medal at Rio Games -- an achievement also for her mentor and chief coach Pullela Gopichand, who became the only Indian coach to produce two Olympic medallists. On the other hand, for the first part of the year, it was Saina's battle with injuries which dominated the headlines even though she was considered to be the best bet for India at Rio. The Indian ace fought against time to recover from an Achilles tendons and went on to win the Australian Super Series.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Wednesday
The Wrestling Federation of India issued show cause notice to four wrestlers, including the Phogat sisters - Babita Kumari and Geeta - and handed them temporary suspension for indiscipline.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to ask Britain to take strong action against Sikh groups trying to revive the demand for a separate Khalistan and their attempts to radicalise Sikh youth besides giving them training on how to make bombs.
Since making her debut at the 2013 world championships, the 19-year-old American has become an unstoppable force. Last year she became the first woman to win a "three-peat" of all-around golds at the worlds.
India's in-form shooter Jitu Rai gave the country its first gold medal in the 17th Asian Games, cutting through a tough field to finish on top in the 50m pistol event in Incheon on Saturday.
The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) Director General Navin Agarwal confirmed that they found two samples taken fromNarsingh Yadav positive for dope.
'It is important to keep new tricks in your bag to win at the biggest event of world sports.'
London Olympics bronze-medallist MC Mary Kom led the charge as six Indian boxers stormed into the final with comprehensive wins to remain in hunt for all the 10 medals on offer at the 12th South Asian Games, in Shillong, on Sunday.
The worried families of three missing British schoolgirls believed to have fled to Syria to join the Islamic State on Monday made a moving plea to them to come back home as Scotland Yard sent its officers to search for them in Turkey.
Bigger than ever, the European Championship kicks off in Paris on Friday with a four-week feast of football that promises to elevate the game above the corruption scandals and security fears that have overshadowed its build-up. All eyes will be on hosts France when they get the ball rolling against Romania in the Stade de France -- 210 days after suicide bombers at the same venue triggered a night of horror across the capital which killed 130 people.
>There's still hope and plenty to play for, says Rediff.com's Aruneel Sadadekar.
Commonwealth and Asian Games champion shooter Jitu Rai talks to Harish Kotian about his journey from a farmer in a remote village in Nepal to the Indian army to emerging one of world's best shooters.
By removing headgear, it has changed the way boxers and coaches prepare, it has changed tactics. Now you have to defend better, use good techniques to protect your head.
After the euphoria over winning the gold medal at the Asian Games, Indian hockey suffered a major jolt on Tuesday with the resignation of the team's chief coach, Terry Walsh.
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