The 27-year-old achieved his season-best score in the tournament.
Commonwealth Games 2022 silver medallist triple jumper Abdulla Aboobacker Narangolintevida clinched the gold medal clocking a season-best score of 16.31m in the Mikio Oda Memorial Athletics meet in Hiroshima, Japan. The 27-year-old Keralite clocked his season-best score twice in the fifth and sixth attempts and notched up a good performance in the maiden foreign meet of the season.
Abdulla crossed the 16m mark five times in seven attempts overall in the Mikio Oda Memorial. Earlier this year, he claimed the third spot in two domestic meets by clocking 15.93m and 15.77m (Indian Open Jumps and Indian Grand Prix). The Keralite, after below-average performances in the domestic meet this year, has shown good improvement by constantly crossing the 16m mark in Japan.
Last year, he also won the silver medal at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022 with a result of 17.02m, just 0.1m behind the gold medal mark. Compatriot Eldhose Paul clinched the gold medal at CWG 2022 by clocking 17.03m.
The 2022 season was one of the most successful ones for the Keralite. He crossed the 17m mark thrice and recorded his personal best mark of 17.19m in the Indian Grand Prix held in Bhubaneshwar. The 27-year-old also qualified for the World Athletic Championships 2022, but put in a below-average performance (best score-16.45m).
The qualification mark for World Athletics Championships 2023 stands at 17.20m. Abdulla needs to get back to his original form ahead of the all-important Senior Federation Cup and the National Inter-States Meet, to secure automatic qualification for the Worlds.
Among the other Indian Triple Jumpers, Praveen Chitravel came close to qualifying for the World Championships as he notched up a personal best score of 17.17m in the Indian Open Jumps and won the silver medal in the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships recently.
Meanwhile, Eldhose Paul will soon be in action alongside Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Neeraj Chopra in the Doha Diamond League, starting May 5, 2023.
source: http://www.khelnow.com / Khel Now / Home> Athletics / by M Sudharshan / April 30th, 2023
Syed Abdul Rahim and Ajay Devgn in the poster of Maidaan
In an era of Indians recognizing their unsung heroes and reviving their memories, a biopic on Syed Abdul Rahim, India’s most successful football coach, is all set to be released on June 23.
The teaser of the film Maidaan featuring Ajay Devgn as the legendary coach of the Indian national football team was released by Zee Films recently. It has already crossed 35 million views of YouTube in five days.
Under Syed Abdul Rahim’s guidance, the Indian team was rated as one of the most powerful teams in the sport, and the period – 1952-1962 turned out to be the golden period of Indian football.
The teaser opens with the resounding music of A R Rahman and the powerful image of the Indians playing Yugoslavia (a country now spilt into Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia) in heavy rain.
It seems the bare-footed Indians lost the match against Yugoslavia as Rahim (Ajay Devgn) is shown in tears in the teaser. The film is produced by Bonny Kapoor.
According to reports, from his early days, this Hyderabad-born Rahim spotted talented boys on the football fields of Hyderabad and trained them to cobble up an Indian team.
With him as the coach of the national team, India finished fourth in the Melbourne Olympics and won the gold medal in the Asian Games of 1962 beating Japan and Korea.
Although Rahim is credited for ushering in the Golden Era of Indian football, he passed away unsung. He was never conferred with any award and many say he was too focused on coaching and never mingled with leaders or influencers to get noticed by them.
Maidaan’s teaser is a 90-second clip that tells the story of a fight against the odds by Rahim and his Indian team. The trailer opens with monochrome shots from the 1952 Summer Olympics held in Helsinki (Finland). India fared badly on that occasion and lost 10-1 to Yugoslavia in the preliminary round.
The resounding defeat did not discourage Rahim; instead, it brought out his fighting spirit.
He studied the training methods used by the European teams. Rahim studied their training and tactics and then modified the same to suit Indian conditions. He realized that Indian players had less physical stamina and there was no point copying the European methodology.
Rahim adapted the European ways to suit the Indians and it worked wonders. It must have taken Rahim’s meticulous planning and precision in training the Indians that helped the team perform great in the next Olympic Games in 1956 when India defeated Australia
On 1st December 1956, India stunned the world with the team’s excellent performance and defeating host Australia 4-2. Ace striker Neville D’Souza scored a hat trick and Krishnaswamy scored one goal.
This match is an abiding memory of the glorious era of Indian football.
Today, Indian football fans are disappointed to see Australia plays in the final phase of the FIFA World Cup while India has dropped to the bottom. Indian team employs expensive foreign coaches and support staff but the results are not commensurate with the efforts and expenses.
Sources said the filmmakers had consulted the Football legend’s son S.S. Hakim who died in 2021. Hakim was an Air Force officer who had played in the Olympics and was a highly qualified coach and referee too.
In the film, Ajay Devgn speaks the Hyderabadi (Deccani) version of Urdu. After many delays due to the pandemic and other reasons, the film is scheduled for a theatrical release on 23rd June 2023.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Story / by ATV, posted by Aasha Khosa / April 15th, 2023
Nauman Akram and his welfare group have chosen hospitals and passenger terminals to extend help by offering food, water and juices as a moral responsibility to those fasting.
Iftar food bag given to fasting relatives of a patient at a hospital in Raipur. (Photo | Express)
Raipur :
During the ongoing sacred month of Ramadan, when Muslims engage in observing fast, a former well-known hockey player devotes his time with his small team of youths to reach out to those who keep fast staying in hospitals while enduring challenging or difficult situations and provide them with Sehri (before sunrise meal) and Iftar (after sunset food) daily.
Nauman Akram’s Raipur-based welfare group believes that a large segment of the Muslim population may not be blessed with enough food and provision since they usually have little except to work hard to make ends meet during Ramadan.
Akram, also a former national hockey umpire, has chosen hospitals and passenger terminals to extend help by offering food, water and juices as a moral responsibility to the fasting people who are away from their homes and essentially need the support that brings them some solace during the pious month.
“We visit big hospitals like Raipur AIIMS, Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar hospitals among others to distribute small food bags among the patients and their fasting families. We also interact with Muslim travellers. The food packets are prepared by us daily. The distressed relatives of patients or the travellers in buses or elsewhere are already in demanding situations. So, any small support raises their morale and brings them some comfort”, he said.
Akram also solicits assistance from various Muslim groups through social media to lend a helping hand for his noble task. “Sehri particularly remains much in demand as finding the food post-midnight is really a major problem for the fasting people in hospitals or any passenger. So we prepare and distribute it by 3 am”, he added.
The menu of Sehri usually comprised chapatis, egg curry or bhurji, biryani and fruits. Similarly, iftar food contains dates, fruits, samosa, baked items and juices among others. Religious scholars have appreciated the service citing that the month of Ramadan is also about compassion for others, caring for the needy and sharing with empathy.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Ejaz Kaiser / Express News Service / April 11th, 2023
Mohd. Lukman Ali, a first year student of Master of Social Work (MSW), Jamia Millia Islamia has won the gold medal in National Ju-Jitsu Championship 2023.
This championship was organized by Indian Ju-Jitsu Association in Madhya Pradesh recently.
On this occasion, Lukman said, “My dream is to win medals for India at the international level in Olympics, World Championships, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.
Most recently, Lukman represented India in the seventh edition of Asian Championship 2023 held in Thailand in the month of February and secured the sixth rank.
JMI Vice Chancellor Prof. Najma Akhtar (Padma Shri) congratulated Luqman for these achievements and wished him success in his future endeavours.
Prior to his Master of Social Work (MSW), Lukman also studied BA (Hons) Hindi from Jamia.
source: http://www.jmi.ac.in / Jamia Millia Islamia / Home> Public Relations Office, JMI / April 06th, 2023
Former national discus throw champion Tayabun Nisha traced her childhood friend Julekha to return a gold ring the latter had lost in school back in 1967.
Tayabun Nisha (left) and Julekha
Guwahati :
When these two friends met after five decades, one paid off a debt never asked for and acted like the champion that she is.
Former national discus throw champion Tayabun Nisha felt heavy at the burden of an almost weightless finger ring of her friend Julekha, lost way back in 1967 at their Dhai Ali Girls’ High School in Assam’s Sivasagar.
More than 55 years later, Tayabun traced Julekha and arranged a reunion to reclaim those golden years that far outweigh the little ring. She gave her friend an envelope containing Rs 12,000 – the value of the ring.
“We were possibly students of class 7 or 8. Julekha was from an affluent family and she would come to school wearing gold jewellery. One day, she lost her finger ring in the class,” Tayabun, the first Assamese woman athlete to represent India in several international events, said recalling the incident.
“I used to go to school early to play games in the field. Those days, we had to clean our classroom. So, while cleaning it the next morning, I found the ring Julekha lost. However, I didn’t return it for the fear that I might be accused of stealing it and took it home. In due course, my father died and we faced a lot of financial difficulties. Perhaps, it was then that the ring was sold off by my family,” Tayabun said.
As time rolled by, the two friends lost contacts with each other and Tayabun landed a job in the railways in the sports quota but she was mentally disturbed all along.
“I used to think that since I cannot return that very ring to her, I will give her its value when I meet her. I thought I can expiate that way,” Tayabun, who has retired from service, said.
“But I had no idea about her whereabouts. So, I sought the help of my sister. After talking to a whole lot of people, she learnt where Julekha lives. Once I got her number, I called her up to say I would visit her. When I met her (on Tuesday), I told her everything. She initially refused to accept the value that I gave for the ring,” Tayabun said.
She said she would not have got the peace of mind if she had failed to locate Julekha and pay off the debt.
The softspoken Julekha was equally overjoyed to meet Tayabun after decades. “I feel happy that she came. I almost forgot her but she remembered me,” Julekha said.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Prasanta Mazumdar / Express News Service / March 24th, 2023
“I dedicated my second life to specially-abled people; especially helping the wheel-chair bound cricketers make their careers. Nowadays they are the talk of the town; they are scoring runs and playing well,” Ghazal Khan, CEO of Divyang Cricket Control Board of India (DCCBI), says.
Ghazal Khan, 28, from Agra, Uttar Pradesh, is the youngest woman in the world to be involved in the promotion of wheelchair cricket. She is also the Vice Chairperson of the International Council of Wheelchair Cricket and the Secretary of International Affairs of the International Cricket Council for the Physically Challenged.
Ghazal Khan narrated an incident from her childhood that changed the course of her life,
At the age of 21, Ghazal had a close shave with death. “On 22 December 2015 when I was preparing for the examination of the second semester of the MBA my blood pressure suddenly fell. I was riding a scooter when it happened. I fainted and fell off it. I opened my eyes after 9 days in the ICU of a hospital in Agra.”
Ghazal Khan with the winning team after a tournament
Ghazal spent 20 days in the ICU. He was told that she was in critical condition and on a ventilator for 2 days. Doctors had declared her almost dead and given her only a 2% chance of survival.
“I was reborn on December 24 that year on my birthday. I had been in a coma for 9 days. My face was sewn up to close the injuries. I lost the beauty of my face. When I looked in the mirror, I couldn’t recognize myself.”
After this experience, Ghazal wondered why she survived even after doctors had given her a 2 percent chance.
“I asked myself, why did He (Allah) save me..? During this period, I received several calls from disabled cricketers from my father’s association.”
Ghazal Khan with her father Haroon Rashid (right) and another official
Ghazal’s father Haroon Rashid was a famous pacer of the Indian team. He too met with a mishap and had to give up cricket on doctors’ advice.
He founded the Divyang Cricket Control Board of India (DCCBI) to enable cricketers facing disabilities to pursue their interests. He is the general secretary of the Board and Ghazal the CEO.
Ghazal says, “I volunteered to help them during the first Asia Cup in 2015. It also helped me develop a good relationship with disabled cricketers.
“I realized that I had lost the beauty of my face, but they lost their body parts and yet they are very happy and thankful to the almighty. So, why should I be ashamed of my ugly face?
“I realized that Allah has saved me for a reason; I decided to prepare for UPSC civil services examination and become an IFS officer.
“I was sure of cracking the examination on the first attempt. However, I day before my preliminary exam, I fought with my fiancé. Thereafter I became depressed and was diagnosed with severe clinical depression.
Ghazal Khan posing with officials and the winning team
“Suddenly I behaved like a child of 8-9 years’; had a loss of memory. Biologically, I was 23 but mentally I was 8 years old. I had lost all senses.
“One day while playing with the wheelchair cricketers before the IWPL tournament, a miracle happened. I felt normal. It was a pleasant shock for my family.”
Ghazal decided to work for the disabled cricketers. “This was the moment when I realized why Allah saved me. From that day till now I have given all my time and energy to Divyangjan’s cricket.
Ghazal is also Vice President of the International Council for Wheelchair Cricket (ICWC) and is secretary, International Affairs in the International Council for the Physically Challenged Cricket (ICPCC).
Almost four years ago she launched the Divyang Premier League DPL T-20.
Ghazal says she aims to elevate disabled cricketers to the status of others. Due to her efforts, on the lines of IPL, the Divyang Premier League IPL was played between 6 teams in 2021 at the Sharjah International Cricket Stadium in Dubai.
Ghazal Khan with players
She gives the credit for her success to her father.
Ghazal Khan said she is also influenced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She was impressed by Modi’s remarks in o address ‘Mann Ki Baat’ on December 27, 2015, which said that physically challenged people have a divine ability and for this, they should be called Divyangjan and not disabled.
Ghazal Khan recently received the Global Excellence Award from the Samarth Seva Sansthan of Rajasthan. Last year she received the Icons of Asia Award.
Ghazal Khan told Awaz-The Voice that she is also planning to work for women’s disability cricket, improving the commentary of the game and setting up a sports business industry.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Story / by Onika Maheshwari, New Delhi / March 29th, 2023
The Kabul-born packed a punch with his bat and was also a handy left-arm orthodox bowler and was instrumental in India defeating England 2-0 in the historic five-match Test series in 1961-62
Salim Durani Twitter/@RaviShastriOfc
Salim Durani, the debonair India cricketer of the 1960s with a movie-star looks, a puckish sense of humour, and a penchant for hitting monstrous sixes on demand, died on Sunday.
He was 88.
His death was confirmed by sources close to the family.
He had been living with his younger brother, Jahangir Durani, in Jamnagar, Gujarat.
Salim Durani Twitter/ @ThakurArunS
Durani had undergone a proximal femoral nail surgery after he broke his thigh bone in a fall in January this year.
The Kabul-born Durani, who packed a punch with his bat and was also a handy left-arm orthodox bowler, played 29 Tests and was instrumental in India defeating England 2-0 in the historic five-match Test series in 1961-62, picking up eight and 10 wickets in the team’s victories at Calcutta and Madras respectively.
Durani, known for his fine dressing style and swagger, scored just one century though he had seven fifties in the 50 innings he played for the country, scoring 1,202 runs.
A decade after the epic triumph against England, he played a key role in helping India to victory against the West Indies in Port of Spain, dismissing both Clive Lloyd and Sir Garfield Sobers.
The star cricketer also dabbled in Bollywood, starring opposite renowned actor Praveen Babi in the movie Charitra in 1973.
Durani made his Test debut against Australia at in the beginning of 1960 at Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium, and played his last international match — then only restricted to the traditional, five-day format — against England in February 1973. The venue was again the place where he had started his international career.
The stylish cricketer aggregated 8,545 runs at 33.37 in first-class cricket and hit 14 hundreds.
A joy to watch when in full flow, Durani had the ability to demolish any bowling attack on his day, though it was as a bowler he had first made his mark for the Indian team.
India’s first Arjuna Award winner in cricket, Durani was a tall man and could get the ball to lift and turn on any surface with a bit of help.
A fascinating character, the cricketer shared a special relation with the crowd, who once expressed their ire after he was dropped from the team for a match in Kanpur, and carried banners and placards that read ‘No Durani, no test!’.
In domestic circuit, Durani represented Gujarat, Rajasthan and Saurashtra during a career that spanned two decades and a half.
Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.
source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph, Online / Home> Sports> Cricket / by PTI / April 02nd, 2023
Describing him as an institution, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday mourned the death of cricketing legend Salim Durani, who passed away at his house in Jamnagar, Gujarat, at the age of 88.
“Salim Durani Ji was a cricketing legend, an institution in himself. He made a key contribution to India’s rise in the world of cricket. On and off the field, he was known for his style. Pained by his demise. Condolences to his family and friends. May his soul rest in peace,” the PM tweeted.
“Salim Durani Ji had a very old and strong association with Gujarat. He played for Saurashtra and Gujarat for a few years. He also made Gujarat his home. I have had the opportunity to interact with him and was deeply impressed by his multifaceted persona. He will surely be missed,” he added.
Paying his last respects to the legend, Former cricketer VVS Laxman wrote: “India’s first Arjuna Award winning cricketer and a man who hit sixes on public demand, Salim Durani.” Former India all-rounder and head coach Ravi Shastri described him as one of the most colorful cricketers of India.
The Kabul-born cricketer was renowned for his slow left-arm orthodox and hitting skill as a batter.
Durani would be remembered for his outstanding performance in the series victory against England in 1961-62, when he picked up eight and 10 wickets in Kolkata and Chennai. He also played a key role in India’s victory against the West Indies in Port of Spain where he dismissed both Clive Lloyd and Sir Garfield Sobers. He had 75 wickets in total in his kitty. He scored just one century though he had seven fifties in the 29 tests he played, scoring 1,202 runs.
Known for his swag and fine dressing sense, the star cricketer also tried his luck in Bollywood, starring opposite Praveen Babi in 1973 film, Charitra.
source: http://www.odishabytes.com / Odisha Bytes / Home> Featured / by OB Bureau / April 02nd, 2023
National ESports Championship ’23 was organized by ESports Federation of India.
Bhatkal:
24-year-old Ibrahim Gulrez from Bhatkal has emerged as the National Champion in eFootball in the National Esports Championship (NESC) 2023 organized by the Esports Federation of India. He will now represent India at the global finals of the 15th World Esports Championships (WEC) which will take place in Iasi, Romania from August 24 – September 4, 2023.
Gulrez who participated in the eFootball competition at the event hails from the coastal town of Bhatkal in Karnataka and is the son of Dr. Haneef Shabab.
The eFootball championship had over 40 top participants from across the country including the previous champion, battling to secure their berths at the global finals in Romania.
Gulrez began his campaign from the loser bracket and displayed immense perseverance as well as high-quality gameplay to become the eFootball champion. He beat Pritesh Quinton Dsouza (bad_pritt) by winning the first round by 3-2 and the second round by 3-0 to seal his maiden qualification at the WEC, a press statement from the Esports Federation of Inda stated.
“The feeling is really amazing. I have been trying to achieve this feat for the last couple of years and to finally get there feels amazing. My victory involved a mixture of hard work and some luck. One can only feel that happiness after trying so hard to win the competition for the last couple of seasons,” said Ibrahim Gulrez.
The 15th World Esports Championship 2023 will have a whopping prize pool of $500,000 (INR 4.12 crore) and is set to be the largest edition of the tournament to date with at least 130 countries participating in eFootball, DOTA 2, Tekken7, Mobile Legends, PUBG: Mobile and CS:GO.
source: http://www.english.varthabharati.in / Vartha Bharati / Home> Karavali / by Vartha Bharati / March 29th, 2023
Three other female boxers from India add to women power. India has emerged as the topmost country in the championship. With four gold medals, India pushed the mighty China to second spot and powerhouse Russia had to be content with third place.
New Delhi: Indias Nikhat Zareen reacts after winning over Vietnams Nguyen Thi Tam in 50 kg finals at the 2023 IBA Womens Boxing World Championships, in New Delhi, Sunday, March 26, 2023. (PTI Photo/Gurinder Osan)
The women’s world boxing championship in New Delhi ended in a blaze of glory for India. Four times the Indian tricolour flew on the topmost mast and four times the Indian national anthem reverberated around the hall. Our four golden girls namely Nitu Ghanghas, Saweety Boora, Nikhat Zareen and Lovlina Borgohain made all Indians proud with their achievements inside the boxing ring.
India emerged as the topmost country in the championship. With four gold medals, India pushed the mighty China to second spot and powerhouse Russia had to be content with third place.
The outstanding display of our triumphant girls was analysed by Omkar Nath Yadav, who has been associated with boxing for four decades. Yadav was a national level boxer who served as a talent scout and coach. He was the first to spot the potential of Nikhat Zareen way back in the year 2009. “Nikhat was then a skinny 13-year-old girl. After I had watched her in a few bouts I realised that this girl is outstanding. Her footwork and punching speed were exceptionally good. I was then a talent scout and I decided to take a gamble on her. She was a very lively (chulbuli) girl and I felt that she would definitely do well,” said Yadav.
“I entered her name for the PYKA Games which were to be held in Anandpur Sahib in Punjab. My colleagues were skeptical of my decision and warned me that she is not yet fully developed in physique. She is a 13-year-old girl. How can she compete against 19-year-old rivals? She will be knocked out by the stronger girls from Haryana and Punjab. She may suffer grievous injuries. But I persisted because I felt that she had a rare spark and we should give her a chance to prove her merit inside the ring against tough opponents,” said the coach.
“Far from being knocked out, Nikhat put up such a wonderful fight that she fully justified my faith in her. Thereafter I persuaded experienced girls from Manipur to do sparring with Nikhat. That improved her technique and confidence. After that her career took off like a rocket. In 2010 she won the national championship. In 2011 she won the sub-junior world boxing championship in Antalya in Turkey. In 2014 she won a silver medal in the World Youth boxing championship and thereafter an impressive list of victories followed,” said Yadav.
When asked to analyze Nikhat’s game, the coach said: “Her greatest asset is her ferocious determination and her mental abilities. She never gives up. She is able to learn fast. A coach does not have to struggle with her. She picks up her instructions quickly and smoothly. Today she has made all of us in the boxing fraternity of Hyderabad and in India proud of her achievements,” stated Yadav.
“In this championship she was facing a very tough opponent–Nguyen Thi– Tam of Vietnam, who is the Asian champion. The Vietnamese girl was a hard punching fighter and Nikhat had to pull out an extra effort to win. But Nikhat has that ability. When the struggle is hard, she can bring out an extra effort from within herself,” said Yadav.
“Among the other boxers, Nitu Ghanghas was very good too. She is a product of Bhiwani in Haryana and has been coached by Jagdeesh Singh, the same man who coached Olympic medalist Vijender Singh and others. Nitu was very aggressive and knew how to dominate the fight against her opponent from Mongolia. From start to finish there was no doubt that Nitu would win. Saweety Bora faced a tough time and so did Lovlina Borgohain. But I am glad that they too won and enhanced our gold medal tally,” concluded Yadav.
India’s top celebrities and political leaders hailed the victory of our girls. Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal had a special word of praise for Hyderabad’s Nikhat. She tweeted: “Nikhat you are a world champion again. Congratulations for winning the gold medal.” Mahindra and Mahindra Company handed over a Mahindra Thar SUV vehicle to Nikhat. It was good to see that our women boxers got the recognition and rewards that they deserved. The victories of these girls will inspire many more youngsters to take up sport and achieve excellence at the world level.
source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> Featured News / by Abhijit Sen Gupta / March 28th, 2023
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