Tag: Commonwealth Games

Mandeep Jangra signs up with Pro Box Promotions, to make his debut on May 1 in Florida | Boxing News – Times of India

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NEW DELHI: Glasgow Commonwealth Games silver-medallist Mandeep Jangra has signed up with Florida-based Pro Box Promotions and will be making his debut on May 1 against a yet-to-be-decided opponent in Tampa, Florida.
The 27-year-old, who is also a silver medallist from the 2013 Asian Championships, was supposed to fight on March 19 in a super welterweight (69kg) bout but that has been put off for now as he will continue to train for his debut in May.
“I am delighted to have signed with Pro Box Promotions and Garry Jonas. Garry has guided world champions such as Juan Carlos Payano and Argenis Mendez, so I am very excited to follow in their path and become a world champion for the people of India,” Jangra said in a release.
“I grew up watching Mike Tyson, and Garry was a long-term business partner of Mike Tyson, so it is a dream to work with someone who did great things with one of my heroes Mike Tyson.
“I am looking forward to fighting on May 1 in Tampa, Florida, in what will be a top-quality night of entertainment. I am all about bringing entertainment to all of the sporting worlds.”
The South Asian Games gold-medallist was last seen in action in the Indian Boxing League’s 2019 edition.
“I was due to fight this week in Tampa, however, my promoter thought it was better for me to continue to train hard and box on a bigger show that will be available to viewers in India. So the team decided that was the best decision right now,” Jangra said.
“I am already getting into the best shape of my career with my coaches Marc Farrait and Asa Beard and I believe this is the team that has the correct global experience that can turn me into star-like Amir Khan.”
Jangra, who was mentored by 2010 CWG gold-medallist Akhil Kumar early in his career, has been troubled by injuries. He had underwent a surgery for a left hand injury in 2016, a setback that came while his career was on the upswing.

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I want to go past 8.40m mark now, says long jumper Sreeshankar after qualifying for Tokyo Olympics | More sports News – Times of India

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KOCHI: After he bettered his own long jump national record to earn an Olympic berth on Tuesday, Sreeshankar Murali is chuffed but grounded. He knows there is still plenty of work to be done before boarding the flight to Tokyo. On the way back to his hometown Palakkad from Patiala after registering a new national record mark of 8.26 metres, the 21-year-old athlete opened up about his journey.
“I had wanted to ensure qualification in the Indian GP last month but I was not in any rhythm at that time. But now I feel really happy to have set a new record and qualified,” said Sreeshankar who went past his previous mark of 8.20m and the Olympic qualifying standard of 8.22m with his fifth and final jump in Patiala the other day.
“My rhythm was very good yesterday and there was a good flow. I could use my power to the optimum effect. There really wasn’t any doubt about whether I could qualify or not,” said Sreeshankar who is trained by his father Murali, a former triple jumper and silver medallist at the South Asian Games.
“All the credit for my achievements goes to my father. He identified my speed and explosiveness at a very young age and groomed me as an athlete. The only advice he has given me is to be straightforward in anything that I do. He is very strict in his training routines and taught me that there are no shortcuts to success,” said Sreeshankar whose mother KS Bijimol is a former 800m runner.
Sreeshankar wants to breach the 8.40m mark going forward. “It is obviously a dream come true for me to take part in the Olympics. But I know I have a lot of areas to improve. My next target is to achieve the 8.40 mark. There are some technical aspects that I have to work on for that. I have to get better in my run-up and rhythm,” said Sreeshankar, a BSC mathematics student at Palakkad Victoria College, who had the option of joining MBBS but decided against it to further his ambitions in athletics.
Sreeshankar and his father moved their entire training home during the lockdown. “I shifted my equipment to my valiachan’s (father’s brother) house and set up a gym facility. My cousins and all helped me in my training as I worked towards building up my core strength and speed. Once the lockdown restrictions were lifted, I got to use the facilities at Palakkad medical college ground,” said Sreeshankar who has had to endure some difficult times during his yet nascent athletics career.
In 2018, he suffered a ruptured appendicitis and had to undergo surgery. He lost weight and it hampered his performances despite landing his first international medal, a bronze in the Junior Asian Championships in June 2018. “It took nearly five months for me to regain full fitness and form after the operation. I could not take part in the Commonwealth Games and could finish only sixth in the Asian Games that followed,” he said.
However, he set his previous national record mark of 8.20m in the National Open Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar in September 2018. “I was looking forward to 2019 but at the beginning of the year, I suffered a heel injury. I recovered in one month but once again it took me time to rediscover my form,” said Sreeshankar who is a basketball junkie.
“My favourite is Kobe Bryant. His death was a big loss for the sporting world. His work-ethic and mindset are my guiding forces. I have watched his videos and the way he recovers from injuries and setbacks has inspired me a lot,” he added.

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Three Indian shuttlers test positive for COVID-19 ahead of All England Championship | Badminton News – Times of India

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NEW DELHI: Three Indian shuttlers have tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the All England Championship while a few are awaiting confirmation on their inconclusive samples as India’s campaign has been thrown into chaos before the start of the tournament, starting Wednesday.
A member of the support staff has also tested positive, leaving the players without much practice.
“We have three players and one member from the support staff who have tested positive. I find it completely absurd how this can happen, since we have been isolated in Zurich since the Swiss Open started two weeks ago,” India’s Danish foreign coach Mathais Boe was quoted as saying by sport.tv2.dk.
“We have been tested 5 times in 14 days and all tests have been negative. We have only gotten along with each other, so how can they suddenly test positive?”
The names of the players who have tested positive could not be confirmed.
India’s badminton couple Saina Nehwal and Parupalli Kashyap has also been left confused less than 24 hours before the start of the Super 1000 tournament after the latter’s tests for COVID-19 came “inconclusive”.
Saina too is waiting for her results for her COVID-19 tests.
“What kind of testing is this? 31 hours later still inconclusive and a re-test again god knows when … matches start tomorrow!,” Commonwealth Games gold medallist Parupalli wrote in a tweet, tagging the world governing body (BWF).

The London Olympics bronze medallist Saina complained she couldn’t practice for the tournament.
“Ok I have to do this now ! Matches are starting tomorrow at the All England and still no reports of the Covid test done 30hrs before . No practice , no gym .. for 2 days now,” she tweeted.

The 2015 runners-up at All England, Saina had to go through a similar experience in Thailand in January when she had returned positive in a third COVID-19 test but was cleared to compete later after further investigation.



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Sindhu and Co. chase elusive title at All England Championships | Badminton News – Times of India

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BIRMINGHAM: World champion PV Sindhu will look to shrug off her demoralising Swiss Open final defeat and take advantage of a depleted field when she spearheads India’s challenge at the prestigious All England Open Badminton Championships, beginning here on Wednesday.
Sindhu looked a pale shadow of herself in her defeat against Carolina Marin, going down without much fight as she struggled to contain errors.
Carolina, the three-time world champion from Spain, though has pulled out of the prestigious tournament due to an injury, taking some shine off from the event.
Also missing in action will be the Chinese, Koreans and Chinese Taipei shuttlers, who decided not to compete in the Super 1000 event as it is not part of the Tokyo Olympic qualification period.
It affects the quality of the competition but also provides the 19-member Indian contingent an opportunity to go deep in the draw and recapture the trophy which has been won by just two Indians so far — the legendary Prakash Padukone (1980) and P Gopichand (2001).
While former world number one Saina Nehwal had a runner-up finish in 2015, Sindhu’s best finish was a semifinal in 2018 but none of the other Indian shuttlers have been able to go deep in the tournament till now.
Olympic silver medallist Sindhu will again be one of the top contenders but Saina is nowhere near her best with just two quarterfinal finishes to show in the last two years.
Among other Indians, former number one Kidambi Srikanth and young men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, currently ranked 10 in the world, had a good run in Swiss Open and will look to put their best foot forward.
Fifth seed Sindhu will kick off her campaign with a clash against Malaysia’s Soniia Cheah and is likely to face Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi in the quarterfinals, provided she wins her initial rounds.
London Olympics bronze medallist Saina has drawn in-form seventh seed Mia Blichfeldt of Denmark in her first round and might meet Scotland’s Kristy Gilmour next.
In men’s singles, Srikanth will open against Tommy Sugiarto of Indonesia, while world championships bronze medallist B Sai Praneeth will take on France’s Toma Junior Popov and is likely to clash next with second seed Viktor Axelsen, who has won the two Super 1000 titles in Thailand, and the Swiss Open.
Commonwealth Games gold medallist Parupalli Kashyap will open against world number one Japanese Kento Momota, who is returning to international circuit after a horrific car accident last year that saw him undergo an eye surgery.
He was also laid low after contracting COVID-19.
Among others in fray, former top-10 player HS Prannoy will meet Malaysia’s Daren Liew, to whom he had lost at the Toyota Thailand Open in January.
Sameer Verma will be up against Ygor Coelho of Brazil in opening round and may face third seed Anders Antonsen of Denmark next. Young Lakshya Sen will meet Thailand’s Kantaphon Wangcharoen.
In men’s doubles, Satwik and Chirag will open against Eloi Adam and Julien Maio of France, while mixed doubles pair of Satwik and Ashwini Ponnappa will square off against Japanese combo of Yuki Kaneko and Misaki Matsutomo.
Young men’s pairing of MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila will face Malaysian pair of Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi.
In women’s doubles, Commonwealth Games bronze medallists Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy will take on Benyapa Aimsaard and Nuntakarn Aimsaard of Thailand.
Poorvisha Ram and Meghana J will fight it out against Danish pair of Alexandra Boje and Mette Poulsen and Ashwini Bhat and Shikha Gautam will meet England’s Chloe Birch and Lauren Smith.
In the mixed doubles, Pranav Chopra and N Sikki Reddy will look to go one up against Max Flynn and Jessica Pugh of England, while Dhruv Kapila and Meghana J will face Praveen Jordan and Melati Oktavianti of Indonesia.

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Vijender to take on Russian Artysh Lopsan in comeback fight on March 19 | Boxing News – Times of India

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NEW DELHI: India’s professional boxing star Vijender Singh will fight Russia’s Artysh Lopsan in his return to the ring after over a year disrupted by COVID-19 during which he relied on his amateur contemporary and former Commonwealth Games bronze-medallist Jai Bhagwan for training assistance.
Vijender and Losan will square off on March 19 in a super middle-weight (76kg) showdown on the rooftop deck of the Majestic Pride Casino Ship in Panaji, Goa. Lopsan’s name was revealed at a press conference here.
“It wasn’t the easiest year and initially it took a while for the body to respond. But the last two months have been fabulous for me. Jai Bhagwan (2010 CWG bronze-medallist) helped me with my training here in Gurgaon,” Vijender told PTI on how he geared up for his return.
“I was also in touch with (my manchester-based British trainer) Lee Beard for some online help,” he added.
The 26-year-old Losan has fought six pro bouts, claiming four victories, including two knockouts. His last contest was in December 2020 against compatriot Yusup Magomedbekov, which he won via Technical Knockout.
Vijender, on the other hand, is unbeaten throughout his professional career. His record of 12-0 includes eight knockouts. The 2008 Beijing Olympics bronze-medallist defeated Ghana’s former Commonwealth champion Charles Adamu in Dubai to claim his 12th successive win in November 2019.
“Lee couldn’t be here because of COVID restrictions but he has been supportive and has been there online whenever I have needed advice. Jai, you can say, is my coach right now,” Vijender said about his longtime friend with whom he competed in the 2010 CWG in Delhi.
Lee has been Vijender’s trainer ever since he took the professional plunge in 2015.
Jai is a serving police officer in Haryana and took leave to assist Vijender. He is a two-time Asian championship bronze-winner and has competed alongside Vijender in several international and national amateur events.
Vijender said the lockdown posed a few challenges with regards to finding sparring partners but in the last few months, he has got what he needed to be ready for the comeback. He is eyeing another knockout against the less experienced Russian.
“I didn’t face any trouble finding sparring partners to prepare myself. The facilities were also very accessible thanks to my promoters (IOS Boxing Promotions). So I am in a good shape and raring to go,” said the 35-year-old, who plans to compete in at least two more fights this year.
Lopsan, on the other hand, is aiming to end the Indian’s unbeaten run during which he picked up the WBO Asia Pacific and Oriental Super Middleweight titles.
“Vijender is a good fighter but I’m here to end his unbeaten streak. What better way to end his streak than knocking him down in front of his audience. I’ve trained hard for this fight and I’m rearing to go,” he said.
Also, seasoned Indian boxer Neeraj Goyat will take on Sandeep Kumar (Super Welterweight) during the same fight night.
“(It) will be the co-main event for the night followed by Vijender’s much-awaited return to the ring,” said IOS Boxing Promotions.
There will be six under-card fights as well.
“It is going to be a big fight in Goa. Vijender has the experience and unbeaten streak while Lopsan also has a good record under his belt. I’m expecting a really good fight between the two and fans will be able to witness something incredible,” said IOS Boxing Promotions’ Neerav Tomar.
Owing to social distancing guidelines, only 50 per cent of the general tickets and a limited 150 high-end tickets have been put on sale.

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