Bengaluru, Nov 17 (SocialNews.XYZ) Former Prime Minister and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) national president H.D. Deve Gowda on Friday suspended JD-S' former Karnataka unit president C.M. Ibrahim from the party.

Citing Ibrahim's involvement in anti-party activities, the JD-S in a statement said "the decision was made in the interests of the party, due to his violations of discipline and the party constitution".

The party said Ibrahim has been "entirely inactive" during his tenure as the Karnataka unit president of the JD-S, failing to organise any programme to strengthen the party. "He had not undertaken a membership drive and blatantly violated the party's decision regarding the alliance with the BJP. The national president was granted full authority to decide on the alliance with the BJP for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections," the order maintained.

Despite Ibrahim's presence in the meetings conducted to decide on the alliance, he issued contradictory statements which were deemed damaging to the party.

"On November 7, Ibrahim claimed to continue as the state unit president even after the executive committee was dissolved. He further urged leaders in favour of the BJP alliance to resign from the party," the JD-S statement read.

Source: IANS

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Mumbai, Nov 9 (SocialNews.XYZ) In a scathing attack, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Thursday alleged that whenever the ruling BJP at the Centre faces electoral defeat, the Central Bureau of Investigation, Enforcement Directorate and Election Commission of India step in to "help" it out.

Calling the CBI, ED and ECI as "parrots" of the Centre, Raut contended that they seem to become active in states going to polls where BJP confronts a debacle, or wherever the Opposition parties are in power.

"We have experienced it even in Maharashtra...The Opposition parties are being systematically targetted by the central probe agencies... The ECI took a decision in the case of the Shiv Sena (split) under pressure from the Central government," Raut said, speaking with mediapersons.

He added that though the Shiv Sena was founded by the late Balasaheb Thackeray and now led by his son and ex-CM Uddhav Thackeray, after a couple of dozen MLAs switched sides in June 2022, the entire party was handed over to the breakaway group (led by CM Eknath Shinde).

"This proves the intent and the character of the ECI... A similar move is now underway with the Nationalist Congress Party founded by Sharad Pawar, with a splinter group led by Ajit Pawar breaking away (July 2023). What justice can we expect from such an ECI," asked Raut sharply.

Attacking the state government, the Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief Spokesperson claimed that a virtual "gang-war" had erupted in the Maharashtra cabinet yesterday over the issues of reservation for Marathas with contradictory statements emanating from different ministers of the ruling alliance and over whom the CM has "no control" at all.

Ruling Shiv Sena Minister Shambhuraj Desai hit back at Raut, saying the word "gang-war" was laughable, and though the cabinet meeting went off very amicably, "deliberate misinformation is being spread around".

"Raut's informers are feeding him wrong information... someday, he will be in serious trouble because of this," warned Desai, adding that all the ministers came out in an atmosphere of camaraderie after the cabinet meeting.

Source: IANS

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Mumbai, Nov 4 (SocialNews.XYZ) Filmmaker Karan Johar, who will be joining the judges panel on the grand finale of 'India’s Got Talent' season 10, reminisced about his 25 years of showbiz journey and paid tribute to his late father and producer Yash Johar, adding that all that he has achieved, it's all because of his goodwill and blessings.

This weekend, the talent-based reality show will end on a high with an epic grand finale titled ‘Hunar Ka Vishwa Cup’. 

Bringing alive a visual spectacle like never before, the top six finalists – Abujmarh Mallakhamb Academy, Mahila Band, Golden Girls, Zero Degree, Raaga Fusion, and The ART will be putting their best foot forward one last time on this stage to win the coveted trophy. 

Adding a ‘dharm-atic’ twist to the grand finale will be Karan Johar, who will be joining the judges’ panel along with Kirron Kher, Shilpa Shetty Kundra and Badshah. The top six finalists will celebrate KJo, who has entertained everybody with his cinema, consisting of magical moments and loveable characters for the last 25 years. 

Touched by their heartfelt tribute, an emotional KJo said: “You know, sometimes, it truly feels like when moments like these come, I'm having an out-of-body experience. It doesn't feel like me, like this isn't my work.”

The ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’ director said: “I don't know how I've spent 25 years. I always feel that when my father entered the industry, he received so much love and respect, and he made many films. But the success I thought he should have received at that time, he didn't get.”

“When my first film was released, for the first time, I felt like the entire industry had come together and prayed that this film should work for the sake of my father. Even today, it’s been 19 years since he left us, but I feel whatever has happened to me, whatever I've found, whatever I've achieved, it's all because of his goodwill and his blessings. I always say, when you lose a parent, you gain a God. I feel that he is my God,” he said. 

“Whenever I am going through tough times, I feel that he gives me strength. I'm very blessed to have his memory, and I'm very blessed to have my mother, who is still such a strong presence in my life. She has played such a big role in raising my children. I'm just very emotional right now,” shared Karan.

“Like Kirron Ji said, sometimes it doesn't feel like so much time has passed. Time seems to have flown by without us realising it. More importantly, you need to treat success like failure, or failure like success, quite lightly. Only when you do that, can your achievements truly rise. The way you all showed me these beautiful performances, I felt good. It's moments like these that make you feel all that work is worth it,” he said. 

Expressing his emotions further, KJo said: “I have judged many shows, and coming here today means more than just showing up. There are so many feelings attached to this show. The prestige and beauty of this show is because of Kirron Ji.”

“When I was one of the judges in the previous seasons with Kirron Ji, I felt it was a training ground for me in reality show judging. Kirron Ji taught us so much, not just with her big heart but also with her wonderful personality. Her way of lifting her saree's pallu whenever there are any stunts, her every gesture - it makes my heart swell with emotion.”

Karan further shared: “Whenever I sit with my mother, who happens to be a huge fan of the show, she always notices what saree Kirron Ji is wearing, and gets excited about the details. It drives me crazy when she demands the exact jewellery that Kirron Ji’s wearing in the episode, while I think about why Kirron Ji wears such beautiful jewellery.”

“There's something about this show that touches the heart of India, and it happens every season. I'm proud of the show, and I'm proud to be back, I feel like I'm coming back home,” he added.

Last season’s finalists, Rishabh Chaturvedi and Ishita Vishwakarma, will also grace the stage to cheer the finalists. 

The grand finale of 'India's Got Talent' will air on Saturday and Sunday on Sony.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, Nov 3 (SocialNews.XYZ) Moving ahead in its probe against the Tamil Nadu Popular Front of India (PFI) case, NIA filed a supplementary chargesheet against the three accused before a court in Chennai.

Accused Abdul Razzak, Mohamed Yusuf and Kyzer are charged for organising weapon training camps for PFI cadres. 

The case pertains to the unlawful activities of PFI and the activities of the leaders, members and cadres of the organisation, an unlawful association that has been actively espousing and disseminating extremist ideology throughout Tamil Nadu. 

A NIA spokesperson said that their operations are conducted through their state headquarters located in Purasawakkam, Chennai, as well as through various district offices across Tamil Nadu, facilitated by their network of frontal organisations. 

"Further, they have been promoting hatred and ill will between members of different religious groups and carrying out activities prejudicial to the maintenance of communal harmony," the official said.  

"During investigations, searches were conducted at the residences of accused persons Razzak, Yusuf, Kyzer A, and they were arrested and produced before the NIA Special Court Chennai on May 9 this year," the official said 

"Investigations revealed that the suspects have been actively promoting the extremist ideology of the Popular Front of India (PFI) by organising weapons training camps for PFI cadres," the official said. 

The official said that "cadres were recruited for identifying and categorising targets who are against PFI’s ideologies to attack, assault, maim and murder."

"Evidence has been collected to establish that these accused persons had conspired and recruited new cadres in a self-styled PFI Army that was raised to overthrow the government of India through violent means," the official said.

The NIA had earlier filed a chargesheet against 10 accused persons on March 17 this year.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, Oct 25 (SocialNews.XYZ) Director Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s film ‘12th Fail’, marking its spirit of ultimate determination, has released its latest track ‘Restart’ sung by the rapper Raftaar. The song is a hardened motivational track which inspires you to restart and rewrite your story until it is what you want it to be.

The music is a very boisterous and dramatic mix, cleverly infusing rock riffs with gangsta rap and electronic. Anthemic, power driven, ‘Restart’ is the ultimate motivational rap rock song which is heavily driven by groove, rhythm and a very ‘natural’ feel.

The lyrics may be pure motivation but they are nothing without the background music and Raftaar’s passionate edge driven delivery which is also mixed with occasional bits of singing.

The video features various clips from the film while intercutting with the song’s production and its studio rendition. The music video is very bleak and shows a very realistic depiction of just how intense UPSC preparations can be, as well as the depression of failure which drives a person into the ground.

‘Restart’ is precisely based on the saying ‘Get back up on that horse’. Sounds very cliche but that is what the theme is, and the intense and raw delivery drives home that statement.

The production in comparison to the film’s previous track ‘Bolo Na’ is a lot more raw. While ‘Bolo Na’ had a very open sound design, ‘Restart’ does the opposite featuring a much more closed off sound design giving much constriction to the instruments.

However, this raw sound goes hand in hand with its theme and music and as such makes it a very good creative choice. A raw sound design means a less polished sound, high levels of polishing add greater glamour to the track while raw and subdued sound design adds greater authenticity.

‘12th Fail’ is based on a true story that draws from the struggles of the millions of students who attempt the UPSC entrance exam. But at the same time, it dives into something more than just the exam preparations.

The movie apart from the preparation struggles also explores the many personal problems that aspiring students face in both their houses as well as in their personal relationships during exam studies. This causes a lot of emotional problems for the students who more often than not end up quitting, or enter massive depression.

A story of resilience and perseverance, ‘12th Fail’ is directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and stars Vikrant Massey, Perry Chabra, Sam Mohan, Palak Lalwani, Medha Shankar, Sanjay Bishnoi, Harish Khanna, and Priyanshu Chatterjee in pivotal roles.

The movie is set to release worldwide on October 27 in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, Oct 23 (SocialNews.XYZ) About 89 per cent of Indian CEOs are likely to reward employees who try to come to the office, with raises, promotions, and favourable assignments, a new report said on Monday.

Globally, about 87 per cent of CEOs consider implementing the same, according to the global consulting firm KPMG.

The report which surveyed more than 1,300 CEOs of the world’s largest businesses, including 125 CEOs from India, said geopolitics and broader political uncertainty are now the greatest risks to business growth.

The report revealed that geopolitics and political uncertainty have become the leading perceived risk this year for senior executives -- concerns that didn’t even make the top three of the five risks in 2022.

“CEOs in India are facing challenges and obstacles to growth on multiple fronts -- from geopolitical uncertainty and politicisation to increased stakeholder expectations in the ESG space and the adoption of generative AI," said Yezdi Nagporewalla, Chief Executive Officer, KPMG in India.

The level of confidence of Indian CEOs in their own company’s growth prospects has remained mostly unchanged from the past year (71 per cent in 2023 compared to 72 per cent in 2022).

Moreover, the report showed that CEOs in India are prioritising investments in generative AI as a key competitive advantage for the future, with 66 per cent of CEOs considering it as a top investment priority for their organisation.

Around 58 per cent said that ethical challenges are a significant obstacle to adopting generative AI within their organisations, while 56 per cent of CEOs cited implementation cost as a major barrier.

Despite these concerns, a higher number of CEOs (61 per cent) feel confident in their organisation's preparedness for potential cyber-attacks, the report mentioned.

Source: IANS

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Bhubaneswar, Oct 17 (SocialNews.XYZ) Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday felicitated Odisha's javelin star Kishore Kumar Jena with a cash award of Rs 1.5 crore for his stellar performance in the recently concluded Asian Games 2023 at Hangzhou, China.

Kishore has bagged a silver medal in javelin throw bringing laurels to the state and nation and sealed his berth in the upcoming Paris Olympics 2024.

The Odisha javelin star attained a personal best of 87.54m to secure the silver medal. 

Chief Minister Patnaik also congratulated Kishore on the Olympic qualification and assured all support.

"Patnaik reiterated that Kishore Kumar Jena was a source of pride for the state of Odisha and went onto commend him for the landmark achievement," an official release issued by the Chief Minister's Office said.

Patnaik also expressed his confidence that Kishore would bring more laurels to the state and wished him the best of luck for the Paris Olympics.

According to the Chief Minister's Office press statement, "Kishore thanked the Chief Minister for recognising his effort and achievement and expressed his gratitude to the Odisha government for leading by example and supporting sportspersons that helps them stay focused on their game."

The javelin star, who hails from Puri, has had an immensely successful year. 

In the build-up to the Asian Games, he impressed with a fifth place finish at the World Athletics' Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

Chief Minister Patnaik later announced a cash award of Rs 50 lakh for Kishore's performance at the World Athletics' Championships.

He has consistently beaten his personal best throughout the season and will be eager to replicate this trend at the upcoming Paris Olympics 2024.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, Oct 17 (SocialNews.XYZ) On behalf of the Ministry of Defence (MoD), Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced cash prizes to the Armed Forces personnel, who bagged 16 individual medals (three Gold, six Silver and seven Bronze) and eight team medals (two Gold, three Silver and three Bronze) at the 19th Asian Games at Hangzhou, China.

The MoD said that Gold medal winners will be given Rs 25 lakh, Silver medal winners will get Rs 15 lakh and Bronze medal winners will be awarded Rs 10 lakh. A contingent of 88 soldiers, including three sportswomen, participated in 18 disciplines at the Asian Games, which were held from September 23 to October 8, 2023.

The Union Defence Minister on October 17 felicitated medal winners, participants and support staff from the Armed Forces, who took part in the recently concluded 19th Asian Games at Hangzhou, China. 

In his address, Rajnath Singh lauded the efforts of the players, including those who gave their best, but could not win the medals. 

He reminded them of the 'Flying Sikh' Milkha Singh, who missed a medal in the 400-metre race during the 1960 Olympics in Rome by a whisker, but became a guiding star of Indian athletics. 

Milkha Singh is an inspiration for all even today, the Union Defence Minister said.

Singh exuded confidence that these medals and performance will inspire the country's youth to come forward in sports. 

"You are not just representing a medal, but are also representing a narrative of excellence of Indian society. You are a great medium to provide inspiration to the youth," he told the players.

Rajnath Singh also added that the performance of the players reflected the image of a rapidly growing and powerful 'New India'. 

"Many studies show that the progress in sports of any nation is more or less proportional to the economic prosperity of that country. In this context, as India is becoming an economically strong nation, our medals are also increasing in every field," he said.

He added, "Be it the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund, India's development journey is being discussed everywhere. Recently, American financial company JP Morgan Chase released the 'Government Bond Index -- Emerging Markets' which guides investors. It has included India for the first time. It is the result of our growing economic strength. Now, there is an ambition to become the best; a vision to create the best and action to take the country to greater heights. The world is today recognising India's growth story."

Rajnath Singh asserted that the government is making relentless efforts to develop sports culture in India. 

"On one hand, we have worked to increase awareness about sports among the youth through 'Fit India' and 'Khelo India' campaigns; on the other, through the Target Olympic Podium Scheme, we are committed to increasing India's medal count in the Olympics. Today, our country is taking steps to host the Olympic Games in 2036. I am confident that with the support of the government, our athletes will take India to the top of the medals' tally through their hard work, dedication and passion," he said.

Source: IANS

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Bhubaneswar, Oct 17 (SocialNews.XYZ) Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik felicitated Odisha’s Javelin star, Kishore Kumar Jena with a cash award of Rs. 1.5 cr for his stellar performance in the recently-concluded Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

Jena bagged a silver medal behind Olympic Games and World Champion Neeraj Chopra, bringing laurels to the state and nation and sealing his berth in the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics Games, thus creating a historic moment. Jena achieved a personal best of 87.54m to secure the silver medal. 

CM Patnaik reiterated that Kishore Kumar Jena is a source of pride for the state of Odisha and went on to commend him for the landmark achievement. He further expressed his confidence that Jena would bring more laurels to the state and wished him the best of luck for the Paris Olympics. 

Jena thanked the Chief Minister for recognising his efforts and achievements and expressed his gratitude to the Odisha Government for leading by example and supporting sportspersons, which helps them stay focussed on their game.

The javelin thrower who hails from Puri, has had an immensely successful year. In the build-up to the Asian Games, he impressed with a fifth-place finish at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, for which he was recognised with a cash award of Rs. 50 lakh by Chief Minister Patnaik. 

He has consistently beaten his personal best throughout the season and will be eager to continue this trend at the upcoming Paris Olympics 2024.

–IANS

hs/bsk

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, Oct 17 (SocialNews.XYZ) The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) on Tuesday felicitated members of the Indian shooting squad that claimed the second-highest number of medals for India in the 19th Asian Games that ended in Hangzhou last week.

The 33-member squad came back from Hangzhou, China, with a historic best-ever haul of 22 medals, including seven gold from the continental multi-sport extravaganza. 

The squad, including coaches and support staff, were felicitated at a simple ceremony at the Finals Hall of the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range (DKSSR) in the national capital, the NRAI informed in a release on Tuesday.

On the occasion, mementoes were handed over to members of the shooting squad by various senior officials. 

Addressing the gathering, Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo, Senior Vice President, NRAI, said, ”It is really a moment of great pride for the NRAI when our shooters deliver such results and get such recognition. I am sure this is a stepping stone however and that greater achievements await our talented shooters. I just want to reiterate one thing to all our dear shooters which is to stay focussed on your shooting".

Both the Indian senior and junior squads are undergoing a national camp at the DKSSR, ahead of the Asian Shooting Championship (ASC), scheduled in Changwon, Korea, between October 22 and November 2, 2023. The Asian Shooting Championships provides Indian shooters opportunities to win more quota places for next year's Olympic Games in Paris.

The first group for Changwon leaves on Wednesday (October 18). The senior squad has 36 shooters along with 17 coaches and support staff who will accompany them at various stages. The junior squad has 38 members and 24 coaches and support staff.

The ASC will give out 24 Paris Olympic quotas across 12 Olympic shooting events and the Indian senior squad will be looking to beat its tally of 15 quota places in the previous Tokyo Olympics. The squad has already secured seven quota places in earlier international shooting competitions.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, Oct 10 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Indian Men's and Women's Hockey Teams returned to India from Hangzhou after a successful campaign at the 19th Asian Games 2022 and were greeted with rapturous applause from the hockey fans present at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on late Monday night.

The Indian Men's Hockey Team won the Gold Medal, and the Indian Women's Hockey Team claimed the Bronze medal in Hangzhou. The enthusiastic hockey fans in the national capital gathered at the airport to welcome their heroes who made the country proud with their splendid performance in the biggest tournament of the year.

The emotional hockey fans surrounded the hockey stars as the Hockey India officials presented the teams with sweets and garlands among other tokens of appreciation. The fans also played music and danced at the airport to celebrate the occasion and showcase their support for the teams. 

"This journey has been amazing, We went to Hangzhou with the mindset of being Asia's best team and we wanted to play accordingly. We kept improving match-by-match which built our confidence, and we came back with the result we desired," said Indian Men's Hockey Team Captain Harmanpreet Singh.

 "Seeing the gathering of fans here further gives us the motivation to now focus on the preparations for the 2024 Paris Olympics. We have time, we will work on the areas where we need to improve upon and we will do our best to convert the Olympic Bronze to Gold," he added.

The family members of hockey players were also among the gathering at the airport. The hockey players too enjoyed the warm atmosphere and expressed their delight in witnessing the rising appreciation of the sport once again in the country.

The Indian Men's Hockey Team ended the 9-year wait for the Asian Games Gold medal. Led by Captain Harmanpreet Singh, India claimed the Gold medal defeating Japan 5-1 in the Final, and confirmed their spot for the 2024 Tokyo Olympics. This was India's fourth Gold medal in Men's Field Hockey at the Asian Games. India had previously won the Gold medal in 1966, 1998, and 2014.

India remained unbeaten throughout the tournament, starting their campaign with a 16-0 win over Uzbekistan, and following it up with a 16-1 win over Singapore.

India defeated Japan 4-2 in the Pool stage and then defeated Pakistan 10-2 to claim their biggest-ever win by the goal margin against their neighboring rivals. 

India followed it up with a 12-0 win over Bangladesh to confirm a spot in the Semi-Finals, where they defeated Korea 5-3 to reach the Final. India defeated Japan 5-1 to win the Gold medal.

Meanwhile, the Indian Women's Hockey Team, too, earned a Bronze medal and a podium finish in Hangzhou, claiming their 7th medal in the Asian Continental tournament. Delighted by the presence of fans on arrival, the Indian Women's Hockey Team expressed their gratitude and said that the team is further motivated to continue to do better in the coming year.

"It is always a moment of pride for parents when they see us return home with medals in major competitions. It is great to see all the support here and I thank the fans as they motivate us to continue to do even better. I also feel happy for young players as they are witnessing this moment for the first time in their careers and it will be a memorable experience for them," Savita said.

"Though our target was to win Asian Games Gold, we are happy with our performance in Hangzhou. We are eager to earn a spot at the 2024 Paris Olympics as our target is to get a podium finish in Paris. We will begin training for the Qualifiers soon, and work on certain areas where we could have done better. It is great to see the continuing support of women's hockey in the country and we want to continue to make the nation proud," Savita signed off.

India displayed their dominance in the Group Stage, going unbeaten with a spectacular 13-0 win against Singapore, and following it up with a convincing 6-0 win over Malaysia. A hard-fought 1-1 draw against Korea showcased their resilience, and they sealed their position atop Pool A with a resounding 13-0 win over Hong Kong China. However, India went down 0-4 to China to miss out on the Final but defeated Japan 2-1 in the Bronze medal match to earn a podium finish.

Indian Women's Hockey Team will now compete in the FIH Olympics Qualifiers to earn qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Source: IANS

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Hangzhou, Oct 8 (SocialNews.XYZ) When the former president of the International Football Federation (FIFA) visited India a few years back, he called the country a "sleeping giant" ready to wake up and roar.

Though Blatter said this in the context of the Indian football team, the country's performance in the 19th Asian Games that ended here on Sunday has proved that the "Sleeping giant" is definitely stirring and getting to wake up and roar.

If not the sleeping giant, the Tiger did roar in many of the immaculately prepared stadiums in Hangzhou.

And what a roar it was!

India produced its greatest-ever performance at the Asian Games, winning a hitherto unbelievable 107 medals -- 28 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze medals. The country finished fourth behind China with 383 medals (261 gold, 111 silver, 71 bronze), Japan (188) and the Republic of Korea (186).

This was India's highest-ever medal count in Asian Games history surpassing by a wide margin the previous best of 70 at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia. India had won 57 medals in 2014 in Incheon and 65 in 2010 at Guangzhou.

Athletics produced the most medals for India with 29, including six gold, 14 silver and nine bronze with shooting second with 22 medals. India's medals came from 22 sports and included new ones like cricket, roller skating and cricket which made its debut in the Asian Games in T20 format and the Indians won gold in both the men's and women's sections -, the men triumphing in the basis of their ranking as the final was washed out by rain.

India's spectacular success was made possible by a generation of Indian sportspersons who are not afraid to express themselves, are ready to stand up for themselves and are not afraid of their opponents' reputations.

It is this spirit, inculcated and nurtured through specialised training in the country and abroad with the government pouring in crores of monies, that resulted in India stunning everyone with their performance in many sports.

In Hangzhou, Indian sportspersons broke new ground in sports like shooting, archery, badminton, equestrian, rowing, wushu and above all athletics, the epitome of sports competitions that urge everyone to go faster, higher and stronger.

There were great performances in shooting with Sift Kaur Samra setting a World Record on her way to a gold medal in the Women's 50m Rifle 3-positions, the powerful smashes of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty, the determination HS Prannoy, who took the badminton court despite a debilitating back injury and won a historic bronze medal in men's singles since 1982, the stunning endurance of Avinash Sable, the who gave a masterclass in 3000m steeplechase, running in front from start to finish. 

The Indian sportsperson's fighting spirit was reflected in the exuberance and enthusiasm of youngsters like Anahat Singh (squash), Aditi Gopichand Swami and Ojas Pravin Deotale, the determination, hard work and perseverance of Dipika Pallikal Karthik, who came back from childbirth to win, along with her partner Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu, the first-ever mixed doubles gold medal in squash and the longevity of Seema Punia, who claimed a bronze medal in the women's discus throw.

India's lone global star athlete, javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra was as dazzling as ever as he made his first throw twice because the officials 'forgot' to measure his throw, to go on and win the gold medal with his season's best performance of 88.88 metres. But what captured the hearts of countless Indian fans was the stunning performance of Odisha's Kishore Kumar Jena, who came up with a stunning throw of 87.54, his personal best, to win the silver medal, presenting a spectacle of Indian athletes taking the top two positions on the podium.

Avinash Sable set a new Asian Games record in the 3000m steeplechase and then came back to win a silver in the men's 5000m, Tajinderpal Singh gave his fans the heart-attack moment as he produced his best throw on the last attempt to win gold medal in men's shot put while the men's 4x400m relay team continued from where it had left in the World Championship in Budapest with another brilliant performance.

While athletes showed their strength, the sharpshooting skills of Esha Singh, Palak Gulia, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Rudrankksh Patil, Anant Jeet Singh Naruka and Kynan, the pinpoint accuracy of the archers Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Ojas Deotale and the men's recurve team of Atanu Das, Dhiraj Bommadevara, Mrinal Chouhan left many mesmarised.

There were some disappointing performances in wrestling, especially Olympic bronze medallist Bajrang Punia, weightlifting in which another Tokyo Olympic medallist Mirabai Chanu was in the fray and boxing in which Lovlina Borgohain managed to win a silver medal while two-time reining world champion Nikhar Zareen could manage only a bronze medal, However, the boxers claimed four Olympic quota places.

The men's hockey team also reclaimed the gold medal and bagged the Olympic quota while in tennis, Rohan Bopanna bid adieu with a gold medal in mixed doubles though he was excited to also win the men's doubles crown with Yuki Bhambri,

Squash great Saurav Chosal was left heartbroken as the 37-year-old could not win a long-cherished gold medal in men's singles through he played a stellar role in helping India win the team gold with a come-from-behind victory over archrivals Pakistan with youngster Abhay Singh showing tremendous fighting spirit to win the third match.

Indians broke new ground in dressage, winning a historic maiden gold in the team competition, and reclaimed both the gold medals in kabaddi, though the men's team had to sit in an on-court protest to get the match officials to implement the rule properly while Jyothi Yerraji had to thwart attempts by some Chinese officials in getting her disqualified for a false start made by a local runner, to win a historic maiden medal -- a silver -- in women's 100m hurdles.

There were many such groundbreaking performances, none better than the brilliant shuttlers, who first made history by winning a silver medal in men's team competition, beating South Korea for the first time in the Asian Games and Pronnay winning the bronze medal in the men's singles.

But the icing on the cake was the gold medal won by the gold medal won by the men's doubles pair of SAtwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty as badminton competitions at the Asian Games are very toughest of all competitions because of the strength and depth of the sport in the continent,

Their performance and those of many other youngsters give us hope that Hangzhou will not be a flash in the pan. 

The sleeping giant which has woken up will soon stand up and start running. It will also continue to roar majestically.

Source: IANS

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Hangzhou, Oct 8 (SocialNews.XYZ) Introduce the first digital turf in Games history, which is the fusion of technology and ecology, and the grafting of technology and art, Hangzhou bid adieu to the 19th Asian Games with another sensational display of light, sound and music that left a mesmerising affect on the packed Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium.

Embedded with LED lights, the turf is capable of outlining changeable images of a sea of stars, the turf is supposed to represent an interaction between “People and Landscape” showcasing the vibrancy of Hangzhou’s natural scenery, and the shared bonds and closely connected nature of Asia.

As hundreds of the athletes walked into the stadium, the Indian contingent was led by the men's hockey team's goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, who along with Manpreet Singh became the only two Indian players to win two gold medals in hockey in the Asian Games.

If the opening ceremony was centred on water in its various forms, the closing ceremony focussed on people and showcased the exciting and touching moments of athletes throughout the Games while also representing thousands of volunteers and millions of citizens of Hangzhou and nearby areas as well as every person that made this Games possible.

The closing ceremony also highlighted the spirit of Sports Without Borders, the harmony between culture and sports and the intertwining relations between thought and feelings with the hope that it will inspire millions of youth across the Asian continent to take to sports and continue the movement in future.

The acting President of the Olympic Council of Asia, Randhir Singh, declared the 19th Asian Games closed. He thanked all stakeholders and people of Hangzhou for organising the best Asian Games of recent times in Hangzhou and invited the youth of the continent to assemble in three years in 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya in Japan for the 20th Asian Games.

The organising committee of the Hangzhou Asian Games, in the presence of Randhi Singh, then handed over the flag of the first Asian Games in New Delhi in 1951 and the flag of OCA to the Mayor of Aichi-Nagoya.

The organising committee of the next Asian Games in Japan then presented its vision of the 20th edition of the Continental extravaganza through popular motifs from the culture and music of Japan and Aichi-Nagoya.

Popular Kabuki actor Kankuro Nakamura performed on a virtual bridge, rendered in the style of an ukiyo-e woodblock print, the ancient art that his ancestors took from Aichi-Nagoya to Tokyo. 

With Nagoya Castle'sHonmaru Palace, which served as a central location for political functions during the Samurai era, as the backdrop, Kankuro and his son Kantaro performed in roles of "shishi" lion and cub at the virtual palace with digital technology used in producing a splendid display of Aichi-Nagoya's vaunted craftsmanship and culture.

The message was clear to all those present in the stadium that the organisers of the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya will definitely try to organise the Asian Games in as spectacular fashion as Hangzhou has done, if not better.

Farewell to Hangzhou and Hello to Aichi-Nagoya.

Source: IANS

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Hangzhou, Oct 8 (SocialNews.XYZ) As the Indian women's hockey team returns home from the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou with a bronze medal in its kitty, penalty corner conversion has once again emerged as its Achilles heel.

The team not only failed to convert a large number of Penalty corners it earned, but it also conceded quite a few goals via PCs. 

In six matches it has played in the Asian Games, India earned 69 penalty corners and could manage to convert 16 of them, for a success rate of 23.18 percent. 

In all, India scored 35 goals in six matches it played in Hangzhou --17 field goals, 16 via PCs and two PS. In comparison, eventual gold medallists China earned 77 PCs and converted 20 of them for a marginally better success rate of around 26 per cent.

For India, the problem was exacerbated in the semifinal against hosts China when it earned six PCs but could not convert any. In the bronze medal match against Japan, India earned 11 penalty corners bout score off only one. 

The India women's team's chief coach Janneke Schopman admitted penalty corner conversion was a concern but said the Indians' success was not far off international standard in women's hockey.

"Often we missed the penalty corners but we discussed those things a lot. That's what I was really unhappy with in the China game. Because we can miss-trap but we have a plan for that. We weren't executing that plan in the China game. But I think Deepika (IND) is a promising drag-flicker.

"She has only recently started to drag flick for our team and I think she will develop a really good drag flick. Deep Grace EKKA has taken ownership of taking the penalty corners," Schopman said after the team's campaign on Saturday.

"If you look at women's hockey, there are very few teams that get a percentage of 30 per cent or higher. What I'm aiming to get is 20-25 per cent," she said.

The Dutch coach said defending penalty corners is becoming a lot more dangerous now.

"Teams defend in a way that is dangerous for them. I've said that in the past too. We have defenders just sitting on the stroke spot, wanting to get hit. And now umpires are calling that out.

"They're too far from the ball. So, it should be a stroke or it should be another penalty corner. And I'm talking to the umpire managers and saying, 'We think it's dangerous"

"That's what some countries are doing. I don't because I'm not going to ask my players to be put in danger," she said. 

"You saw it today. Japan just broke the goal. They don't care if it hits their foot or their body and that's their good right. But it's really hard to score.

"Luckily for women, we don't hit as hard as men. Otherwise, I think there would be serious injuries," she added.

While PCs were one area, several other parts of the game need to be ironed out.

However, the coach does not have a lot of time as India will be participating in the Asian Champions Trophy late this month.

The Indian women's hockey team had turned up at the 19th Asian Games with high hopes of winning the gold medal and claiming a berth in next year's Olympic Games in Paris.

However, the players' dreams were not realised and they had to return home with a bronze medal -- a downgrade on the silver they won in the 2018 edition in Indonesia. 

With the Olympic Qualifiers up front, the challenge for the Indian players and coaching staff is to iron out the creases and prepare for the qualifiers. That would be a good challenge for the Indian women's team.

Source: IANS

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Hangzhou, Oct 8 (SocialNews.XYZ) With a clean sweep of gold medals in all five sections, India on Saturday signaled a change of guard in compound archery at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, ending the Republic of Korea's dominance of the discipline at the Asian Games.

On Saturday, India's Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Ojas Pravin Deotable bagged gold medals in the women's and men's individual competitions. A couple of days ago, India had also cruised to gold medals in the Men's and Women's Team competitions.

On Thursday, the women's team defeated Chinese Taipei 159-158 in the final while the men's team overcame Korea in the final.

On Saturday, Deotale overcame his senior teammate Abhishek Verma in the Compound Men's Individual final while Jyothi Surekha Vennam defeated South Korea's So Chaewon in the final to win the Women's Individual gold medal.

Besides the five gold medals, India also claimed a silver and a bronze medal in compound archery as Abhishek Verma once again finished second after losing the 2018 final. Aditi Gopichand Swami took bronze in the Women's Individual.

The country, however, failed to medal in the individual section of the recurve section with Atanu Das and Dhiraj Bommadevara falling to quarterfinal defeats in shoot-offs making slow starts and scoring low scores -- Bommadevara shooting two zero scores in the quarterfinal looked a criminal wastage of his talent. the players redeemed themselves a bit when the men's team won the silver while the women's team bagged a bronze.

However, it was the compound archers who really put Indian archery on a pedestal at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou.

Their success also signalled the end of Republic of Korea's domination in Compound archery, which had made its Asian Games debut only in 2014, and had won the Women's Team competition in both the previous editions.

Agreed that Compound archery is not part of the Olympics programme for Paris 2024, it is very likely to be part of the programme in the next edition to be held in Los Angeles in 2028.

India's domination of the Asian Games compound archery section did not come as a surprise to many as India had bagged both the men's and women's titles at the World Championships held in Berlin a few months back. 

India's domination of compound archery does not come as a surprise to the team's foreign coach Sergio Paagni of Italy.

"We already knew (we would win). We have won all this season, we were the team to beat. Even if it is the first gold medal for India in the Asian Games, we won all season. We took more than 60 per cent of the total medals from the World Cup and the World Championships," he said after the Mixed Team competition.

The Indian archery teams' High-Performance Director, Sanjeeva Kumar SINGH said the success as the culmination of a development programme started in 2004.

"This is the first time we have won five gold medals from a project which we started in September 2004. This is the first time in the history of the Asian Games that we have won all five gold medals in compound archery.

"We won at the World Cup and then we have won at the Asian Games. This is a golden year, but the government has played a very big role in this.

"The Indian government has spent 24 crore rupees (USD $2.9million) in the last one year, whether it is foreign training, international exposure, domestic competitions, sports development, infrastructure development.

"Then National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has joined us and is giving us Rs 150 crore for five years," he added.

He said that India has an abundant talent pool, which is the reason behind the success.

"All this was made possible because of a multi-pronged approach that we started back in 2021 and we have changed the selection process.

"This was according to the World Cup, from which the best athletes were selected and there was an exit for non-performers," he said. 

"Continuous international exposure on the domestic circuit has resulted in a lot of good results. The juniors got a chance to play, the third, fourth, fifth teams got a chance. This created a competition, a talent pipeline. 

"And because of the Khelo India Games scheme, about 150 archers got to play continuously, our numbers increased and we reached the top," Sanjeeva Singh added.

Now one just hopes that the Archery Association of India (AAI) is able to replicate the same scheme for recurve section.

That would really be the real revolution.

Source: IANS

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Hangzhou, Oct 8 (SocialNews.XYZ) Responding to speculations on the possibility of Hangzhou hosting future Olympic Games, an official with Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee (HAGOC) on Sunday said that the primary consideration now is how to make Asiad venues accessible to the public.

"Various international sports organizations have given us high marks, believing that our current facilities meet the requirements for hosting large-scale international events, including the Olympics," Executive Secretary General of HAGOC was quoted Xinhua news agency.

Hangzhou has been lauded for excellent facilities and overall organization for the Asiad, which is being discussed as a potential candidate for hosting the Olympic Games.

"Our primary consideration is how to make more venues accessible to the public. As for whether we will host the Olympics or not, we have not yet thought about it," Chen said on the last day of the Asian Games.

Wei Jizhong, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) Honorary Life Vice President, expressed that as the world enters the era of the digital economy, the success of the Hangzhou Asian Games "has provided the OCA with an opportunity to establish basic criteria for upcoming Asian Games."

"I would rate the Hangzhou Asian Games 99 out of 100 points. Why 99? There is always room for improvement," said Wei.

OCA Acting Director General Vinod Kumar Tiwari was full of praise for the Hangzhou Games.

"Technically, we have had one of the best Asian Games ever. The standard of the Games has been very, very high. We are very happy it," he said.

Source: IANS

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Hangzhou, Oct 7 (SocialNews.XYZ) With the men's doubles pair of Satsiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty smashing their way to a historic first-ever gold medal in badminton and with two medals each in archery and kabaddi, India bagged 12 medals including six gold to end its campaign in the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou with their highest-ever haul of 107 medals.

India finished the Asian Games with a bang, claiming a final-day haul of 12 medals, which took its tally to 107 ----- 28 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze medals -- a total that causes disbelief for all those who still remember that the country had left with just one gold medal from Kabaddi when China hosted their first Asian Games in 1990

This is India's best-ever performance in the Asian Games the total medal count of 107 exceeding the previous highest haul of 70 medals by a wide margin.

It came on the sheer dint of years of sweat and toil of a contingent of 963 including athletes, coaches, support staff and administrators.

While Rankireddy and Shetty uncorked wild celebrations, throwing their racquets, armbands and -- in the case of Shetty his sweat-soaked shirt -- they danced with gay abandon after beating an experienced South Korean pair in straight sets to win their first gold, the men's kabaddi team resorted to an unprecedented on-court protest over an official error, holding up play for an hour.

The officials ruled in favour of the Indians after a review, which resulted in the Iranian teams having an on-court sit-in protest. The matter was finally resolved with the Indians getting the points and the Iranians left unhappy over the loss of points as India regained the gold medal after being relegated to fourth position in the 2018 edition in Indonesia.

India, in a sense, presented both the good and bad sides of sports, leaving a bad aftertaste for true sports lovers.

But the good was more prominent on Saturday as India finished fourth in the medals tally, with an unprecedented overall medal haul of 107 -- 28 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze, which though a far cry to China's massive total of 382 medals -- 200 gold, 111 silver and 71 bronze. Japan finished second with 186 medals -- 51 gold, 66 silver and 69 bronze -- while the Republic of Korea took third place with 190 medals of which 42 were gold, 59 silver and 89 bronze.

The Compound archers presented the good side of the sport as Jyothi Surekha Vennam, in her third Asian Games, and Ojas Pravin Deotable, in his maiden appearance, won gold medals in women's and men's individual events respectively in a discipline that is not the Olympic Games programme.

The women's kabaddi team also restored their dignity by winning the gold medal after being dethroned in the previous edition in Indonesia in 2018. However, the 26-25 victory over first-time finalists Chinese Taipei was too close for comfort for fans in the sports that India gave to the world. 

The men's cricket team won the sixth gold medal for India -- the biggest gold haul on a single day -- based on a ludicrous rule that declared the winner based on the World rankings of the National team in a rain-abandoned match.

Wrestler Deepak Punia grabbed one of the four silver medals and archer Abhishek Verma had to console himself with his second successive silver medal after losing to Deotale in the final played in cold and rainy conditions.

The wizards from the land of Chathurangam, claimed two silver medals in chess, with the men's team of D Gukesh, R OPraggnanandha E Arjun, Vidit Santosh Gujarathi and Pentala Harikrishna, finishing second behind Iran while Uzbekistan took bronze.

The women's team took silver behind hosts China with Kazakhstan claiming the bronze medal.

On Saturday, the women's hockey team restored some pride by winning the bronze medal match beating defending Champions Japan 2-1 in the third-place match. But what would rankle them most is that the team failed to secure a berth in next year's Paris Olympics. China grabbed the opportunity to qualify for the Paris Olympics by beating the Republic of Korea in the final.

Archer Aditi Gopichand Swami won the bronze medal. At 17, she represents the future, which looks rosy going by the standard set at Hangzhou.

But the question that would plague the discerning fans of Indian sports is -- how many of these will go ahead and succeed at the Paris Olympic Games next year?

Source: IANS

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Hangzhou, Oct 7 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Indian men's and women's teams won silver medals in their respective sections to restore some pride for a nation that is challenging the world order, as chess returned to the Asian Games after a gap of 12 years.

The Indian men's team comprising Dommaraju Gukesh, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Ergaisi and Vidit Santosh Gujrathi -- all of whom reached the quarterfinals of the recent World Cup 2023 in Baku, along with seasoned Pentala Harikrishna, finished second behind Iran in the four-board, nine-round competition of classical chess played on Swiss League format.

Iran finished with 16 Match Points from seven wins, two draws from nine matches while India ended with 15 MP from six wins and three draws. Both Iran and India remained undefeated in the event. 

On Saturday, Iran blanked the Republic of Korea 4-0 while India defeated Phillippines 3.5-0.5 -- Praggnanandhaa, a Grandmaster with a rating of 2727, losing the half-point after being held to a draw by an International Master rated 2434.

Uzbekistan took third place with 14 Match Points after blanking Thailand 4-0 in the ninth and final round.

In the women's section, China, who were already assured of gold, finished with 17 points while India ended second with 15. Kazakhstan took the bronze medal with 13 points.

On Saturday, China blanked the United Arab Emirates 4-0 while India handed the Republic of Korea a similar verdict. Kazakhstan defeated Uzbekistan 3-1.

This ended the Indian campaign in chess with two silver medals after India failed to any medal in the individual rounds held in rapid play.

India had bagged two gold medals when chess made its Asian Games debut in 2006 with Koneru Humpy winning the women's individual and the mixed team events. In 2010 in Guangzhou, India managed only two bronze medals.

Source: IANS

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Hangzhou, Oct 7 (SocialNews.XYZ) They come from different backgrounds but on Saturday, Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Ojas Pravin Deotale were perched atop the same pedestal as India's most successful athletes at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou -- each having won three gold medals in compound archery.

Jyothi is from Hyderabad in Telangana, born to a former kabaddi player, who now is a veterinary doctor in Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh and a housewife. 

Ojas is from Nagpur in Maharashtra, born in a middle-class family with his father in the property business and his mother working as principal of a school. 

They do have a lot of similarities too -- both are compound archers, and both won the Team, Individual and Mixed Team gold medals in the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou. 

The 27-year-old Jyothi, is one of the most decorated compound archers in the country, having won the gold medal (team) in the Berlin World Cup this year, silver in team and individual in the World Archery Championships since 2017, in all winning around 30 medals at the international stage. 

In Hangzhou, Joythi won gold medals in the Compound Women's Team competition in which India beat Chinese Taipei in the final, gold in Compound Women's Individual by beating Republic of Korea's So Chaewon and the Compound Mixed Team gold along with Ojas Deotale by beating a Republic of Korea pair.

Besides winning the Compound Mixed Team gold with Jyothi, the 21-year-old Deotale won the Compound Men's Team title as India beat the Republic of Korea and the Compound Men's Individual gold by beating his senior teammate Abhishek Verma in the final.

Their rise in Indian archery too has been different -- Jyothi came into prominence as a child prodigy getting named in Limca Book of Records when she was four years old for crossing the Krishna river three times -- distance of 5ks -- in three hours and 2o minutes and six seconds. At the age of 13, she won an Olympic gold medal in the Mexican Grand Prix.

A troublemaker as a child, Deotable would make bows and arrows from brooms at home, forcing his mother to hide them from him. But he took archery seriously at the age of 13 in 2015 after his parents admitted him to an academy in Nagpur. A few years later, he joined A-ZEE Sports Academy under the NIS Coach Mohammad Zeeshan Rafique and stayed with his coach for a year as his parents couldn't afford to pay for his training. His academy also gave him equipment free of cost.

Just like Jyothi, Deotale is very dedicated to archery and during the nationwide lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, he stayed alone at his mother's school so that he could continue his training. In the next lockdown in 2021, Deotale initially stayed at his old academy but later moved to the school as it was more conducive. He has recently moved to Satara to coach under Pravin Sawant.

It is that training and dedication that paid off when Deotale won the gold medal at the World Championships in Berlin earlier this year. He also won the Compound Men's Team gold at the Paris World Cup and Mixed Team gold medals in the World Cups in Shanghai and Antalya earlier this year.

Teammates in various events, both Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Ojas Pravin Deotale are hoping that Compound archery makes it to the Olympics, where it is proposed to be added to the programme for 2028 in Los Angeles.

They would definitely like to replicate their Asian Games success at the Olympics. That would be another similarity between two archers coming from different backgrounds.

Source: IANS

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Hangzhou, Oct 7 (SocialNews.XYZ) Former World Junior Champion and 2019 World Championship in senior category, Deepak Punia salvaged some pride for Indian wrestling at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou by winning a silver medal in the Men's Freestyle 86Kg wrestling here on Saturday.

Punia, who missed a bronze medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, fought superbly to reach the gold medal match but bowed down to Iran's Hassan Yazdanicharati, the Rio Olympic Games gold medallist who claimed a silver in Tokyo in 2021 and a three-time World Champion in the 86kg. 

The Iranian defended the gold he had won in the 2018 Games in Indonesia by beating Punia Victory by technical superiority - without any point scored by the opponent, 3 minutes 31 seconds into the six-minute bout.

Punia was totally overpowered by the Iranian wrestler who won eight technical points in the first period of the bout and then added two more points as Punia was cautioned and shown a yellow card for not making enough effort in the bout.

Among the other wrestlers in action on Saturday, Yash lost in the quarterfinals in men's freestyle 74kg, Sumit lost to a Kazakhstan grappler in the first round of men's freestyle 125kg while Vicky lost to Kazakhstan's Alisher Yergali in men's freestyle 97kg bout. 

Punia had started his campaign with some dominant wins in the preliminary rounds. He defeated Uzbekistan's Javrail Shapiev, winning a close bout 4-3 VPO1 (victory by points with points scored by the opponent).

India team coach Sujeet Maan was happy with Puni's performance saying the wrestler had some injuries last year.

“His performance was better than before. Not disappointed. He has put in a good performance and I’d say I am satisfied with it. His target is the Paris Olympics,” said Maan.

He agreed that Punia had exceeded his expectations.

"At the last Olympics (Tokyo) he lost in the last few seconds (and the chance to claim) the bronze medal. Last year he had some injuries. This is only his second tournament (this year). He has put in a good performance,” said the coach.

Overall, it was a disappointing campaign by the Indian wrestlers as they failed to win a gold medal, finishing with one silver and five bronze medals, one of them in Greco-Roman. Olympic bronze medallist Bajrang Punia lost the bronze medal match in men's 63kg freestyle.

In the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia, India won two gold and one bronze medal.

Source: IANS

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Hangzhou, Oct 7 (SocialNews.XYZ) While answering questions from the media after HS Prannoy had bagged a bronze medal in the men's singles, India's chief national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand said that his top doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty can go all the way to the final.

The Indian pair were yet to play the doubles semifinal against a strong Malaysian combination of Aaron Chia Teng Fong and Soh Wooi Yik, who were ranked fifth in the BWF Ranking while the Indians were placed ninth.

Also, Shetty and Rankireddy were not in the best of conditions going into the match -- while Shetty has still not recovered from viral fever he caught on his way here, the duo had very indifferent form this season including a first-round exit in the China Open and a quarterfinal defeat at the World Championship preceding the Asian Games.

So, Gopichand's prediction that "I think Chirag and Satwik could go all the way in men's doubles" was met with scepticism. 

But the ace men's double pair made history on Saturday as it claimed the first gold medal for India in the Asian Games badminton competition, beating the Republic of Korea's Choi Solgyu and Kim Wonho in straight games in the final, winning 21-18, 21-16 in a match that lasted three minutes short of an hour.

From 1962 to 2018, India had won only one silver and nine bronze medals in badminton at the Asian Games. In Hangzhou, they added a gold, silver and bronze medal each to the tally, making it the most successful Asian Games ever for India.

But when it all started two weeks back, not many had given much hope to the Indian men's doubles. At best, they were considered as bronze medal contenders.

"When we came here for the Hangzhou Asian Games, we were not playing that well. We lost in the first round of the China Open (September 2023) and we didn't play well in the World Championships (August 2023) either. We were at a low point. 

"We had to do a lot better, so I think it can't get any bigger than this. Winning the gold medal after winning silver in the team event was very important for us," said Shetty, the 26-year-old from Mumbai.

Shetty said things came together for them after their loss to South Korea in the semifinals of the men's team competition.

"We lost to another Korean pair (Kang Minhyuk and Seo Saungjae) in the semifinals and that's when I thought things started coming together for us, especially in the second game. After that I told Mathias (Boe, doubles coach for the India national badminton team) that I have got back my rhythm," said Shetty during a post-final press conference.

The next day, they defeated a top Chinese pair in the Men's Team final and went on to win the gold medal.

"I am very happy. It has been very challenging for us, these last two weeks," said Rankireddy, the 23-year-old from Andhra Pradesh. 

"We decided to work very hard, we trained even on Sundays. The only aim was to come here and give our best. To play to the best of our abilities, as hard as we do in training and let God decide to do what he wants to do," said SAtwik. 

They both thanked their coaches and support staff for the effort they put into helping them win the gold medal.

Shetty said the turning point in the match was their comeback from 15-18 down in the first game.

"I think Satwik pulled us level from 18-15 (in the first game), playing some good shots. At 18-18, I got a little more confident. And when we took the first one, I knew were in the game," he said.

Though the enormity of their triumph is yet to sink in, Rankireddy said that they just wanted to do their best in the match.

"Before the match, we did not think anything about this. We just wanted to have fun on the court. We did not sleep last night because of the excitement (over making the final). I was up till 5 a.m.," said Rankireddy. Shetty too said he did not sleep the entire night and just kept tossing and turning in the bed till 9 am.

Maybe that seems to have worked as the two Indians made history for Indian badminton, capping a historic Asian Games in Hangzhou.

The men's team made history by winning the silver medal, HS Prannoy won a bronze, the first medal in men's singles at the Asian Games since Syed Modi in 1982. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty just provided the gold icing on the cake for Indian badminton.

Source: IANS

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Hangzhou, Oct 7 (SocialNews.XYZ) In a highly intense thriller amid referee's goof-up, India clinched yet another gold at the Asian Games after defeating Iran 33-29 in the kabaddi men's final, here on Saturday.

Indian team was trailing by three points (6-9), before the halfway stage of the first half, however, India, after going down 9-12 at one point, came back strong to finish 17-14 at the end of the first half against Iran.

With just over a minute remaining, and scores tied 28-28, in the match, Pawan Sehrawat from the Indian team was forced to go in for a do-or-die raid.

During his raid, Pawan went out of bounds without making contact with any Iranian defender.

In response, Amirhossein Bastami and three other Iranian defenders rushed towards Pawan in an attempt to push him out.

This led to a moment of confusion, as it was unclear whether Pawan had been successfully tackled or not.

Initially, Iran was awarded a point for their efforts to stop Pawan.

However, the Indian contingent, including players and officials, began arguing with the on-court umpire and the TV officials.

After further review and perhaps another referral, the officials decided to award four points to India. It’s mentioned that the number of points could vary depending on the number of players who went out with Pawan.

The final decision seems to be based on both old and new rules. According to the old rule, India would get four (or possibly five) points, while the new rule would give one point to each team because one of the Iranian defenders (Bastami) went out of the line (self-out).

As per the new IKF (International Kabaddi Federation) rule, India was given three points and Iran received one point.

This decision led to protests from the Iranian team. 

However, in the end, it was India, that won the final 33-29 after a thrilling finale that was interrupted for a long time. 

Source: IANS

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Hangzhou, Oct 7 (SocialNews.XYZ) Indian Men's cricket team bagged a gold medal after rain abandoned the final match against Afghanistan at the Asian Games, here on Saturday.

Team India, by virtue of having a higher seeding, won the gold medal.

Earlier, the Harmanpreet Kaur-led Women’s team scripted history by winning the first cricket Gold in the Asian Games, and now Ruturaj Gaikawad's side brought double glory to home.

In the grand final, Afghanistan batted first after Ruturaj Gaikwad decided to field first.

The start was not convincing for them as they lost three wickets early in the innings. 

Zubaid Akbari was the first batter to get dismissed by Shivam Dube on 5. Then Arshdeep Singh dismissed Mohammad Shahzad on 4. 

Noor Ali Zadran, the number three batter got run out on 1.

Afghanistan got to a better position when Shahidullah Kamal and Afsar Zazai took charge. Zazai was a bit slow but they made a partnership together. Ravi Bishnoi got the better of him at 15. Karim Janat, the next man in was also dismissed cheaply by Shahbaz Ahmed for 1.

When Afghans were 52 for 5, Shahidullah Kamal was joined by the experienced Gulabdin Naib. The duo started taking the spinners on and Shahidullah reached 49 hitting 3 boundaries and 2 sixes. Naib also batted well for his 27 off 24 balls hitting a couple of sixes and a solitary boundary.

For India, Ravi Bishnoi was the star bowler bowling at an economy of 3 per over and taking a wicket. Arshdeep Singh, Shivam Dube, and Shahbaz Ahmed shared three wickets between them.

Afghanistan was on 112 for 5 after the 18.2 overs when the rain interruption happened. The drizzle got heavier and it was impossible for the groundsmen to make the ground prepared for the match to resume. 

The decision in the end went in India’s favour as they are a highly ranked team in the ICC Rankings as compared to Afghanistan.

Afghanistan, meanwhile, has to settle for silver.

Source: IANS

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Hangzhou, Oct 7 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Indian Women's Hockey Team on Saturday registered a brilliant 2-1 win over Japan to clinch the Bronze medal at the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022. This is India's fourth Bronze medal in Women's Field Hockey at the Asian Games. Deepika (5’) and Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam (50’) scored a goal each for the Indian team, while for Japan, Captain Yuri Nagai (30’) netted the lone goal.

For their impressive performance and the podium finish, Hockey India announced a prize of R 3 Lakh to each player of the Indian Women's Hockey Team and R 1.50 Lakh to each support staff. 

The match started with Japan prioritizing ball possession, whereas India immediately went on the offensive. This aggressive approach paid off as they earned a penalty stroke, expertly converted by Deepika (5’) thus granting her team an early advantage. India also managed to secure three penalty corners within the first 15 minutes, but unfortunately, they couldn't capitalize on them. As the first quarter concluded, India held a 1-0 lead. 

The second quarter witnessed Japan increasing the frequency of their attacks in order to find an equaliser, while India shifted their focus on keeping possession and counter-attacking to keep the pressure on Japan. While India’s strategy worked to some extent, it was Japan who somehow managed to bounce back in the game with their Captain Yuri Nagai (30’) scoring through the penalty corner in the very last second of the second quarter to put her team on level terms as the score was tied at 1-1 at the halftime break.  

During the second quarter, Japan intensified their offensive efforts in their quest for an equalizer. Meanwhile, India adjusted their approach by prioritizing ball retention and launching counterattacks to maintain pressure on Japan. India's strategy showed some effectiveness, but it was Japan's Captain, Yuri Nagai (30') who managed to stage a comeback for her team by scoring a crucial goal from a penalty corner in the very last second of the second quarter as both teams headed into halftime break with the score tied at 1-1. 

High on confidence after scoring the equaliser, Japan came out all guns blazing in the third quarter but the Indian team not only stood strong in defence to negate the attack but also kept checking Japan’s defence at regular intervals to put the pressure back on their opponents.

Fuelled by their confidence from equalizing, Japan unleashed a relentless offensive onslaught in the third quarter. However, the Indian team not only displayed formidable defensive prowess to thwart Japan's attacks but also consistently tested Japan's defense to put pressure back on their opponents. However, neither of the two teams was able to find the back of the net as the score remained tied at 1-1 at the end of the penultimate quarter. 

Desperate to take lead in the game, India began the fourth quarter on an attacking note and also won an early penalty corner but Vice Captain Deep Grace Ekka’s shot was saved by Japan’s goalkeeper Eika Nakamura. However, the Indian team continued to keep the pressure on Japan by attacking relentlessly and it paid off when India came up with a superb variation after winning a penalty corner and Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam (50’) smartly placed the ball inside the goal after receiving a pass from Deep Grace Ekka to give India a 2-1 lead. 

Despite taking the lead, the Indian team continued to play offensive, and that earned them consecutive penalty corners, but they were unable to capitalise on them. In the meantime, Japan began counter-attacking in search of an equaliser, but the Indian team stood strong in defence to deny their opponents any chance of bouncing back as they went on to win the match 2-1. 

Congratulating the Indian team for their impressive win, Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey said, "On behalf of Hockey India, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the Indian Women's Hockey Team for their outstanding performance and winning the Bronze medal at the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022. Your dedication and hard work have made the nation proud, and this achievement is a testament to your unwavering commitment to the sport of hockey. Keep shining, and we look forward to more remarkable victories in the future." 

Hockey India secretary general Bhola Nath Singh added, "It gives me immense pleasure to congratulate the Indian Women's Hockey Team for their remarkable achievement in securing the Bronze medal at the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022. Your resilience and teamwork have been exceptional, and your success is a source of inspiration for aspiring hockey players across the country. We are proud of your achievement and look forward to even greater accomplishments in the days ahead. Well done!"

Source: IANS

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Hangzhou, Oct 7 (SocialNews.XYZ) The badminton courts at the Asian Games have witnessed many memorable moments but never this unique spectacle of two youngsters running amok, stunning a doubles pair from the Republic of Korea with their quick reflexes, precision shots and overwhelming powerplay.

The badminton annals at the Asian Games have also never witnessed an Indian pair win the gold medals. On Saturday, the doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty made history by winning India's first-ever gold medal in badminton at the Asian Games.

The crowd at the Binjuang Gymnasium in Hangzhou also had never witnessed two Indian guys dancing on court in celebration, seeing one of them, Shetty throw his sweat-drenched shirt, armband and even racquet into the crowd while his partner Rankireddy let it rip with a roar, telling the world that the Asian Games is now their domain.

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty on Saturday, also managed to do something no Indian men's doubles pair has ever done, win a gold medal in the Asian Games history when they defeated the Republic of Korea pair Choi Solgyu and Kim Wonho in straight games, 21-18, 21-16 to herald a new era for Indian badminton.

In the first game, the Indian pair trailed their more experienced Korean opponents, 3-6 and then at 4-7 as the Koreans as their more experienced Koreans made a superb start.

The Indian pair, which had defeated Malaysia's Aaron Chia Teng Fong and Soh Wooi Yik in straight games in the semifinal played till late in the evening on Friday, stormed back into the match as they matched the Koreans point for point, as they reduced the margin to 7-10 and then 10-12. As the Koreans tried to stitch points together and the Indians matched them.

"We did not sleep the whole night before the final. We had a late match and were so excited having made it to our first final that I kept tossing and turning around in bed till five in the morning," said Chirag Shetty. 

The impact was visible as the Indians did not make a good start. "We did not get off to a good start but fought back. IThey put up a good night, created a lot of pressure on us but we managed to stay calm," said Shetty, who was the more exuberant of the two Indian champions.

The Indians continued to reduce the margin and eventually won six points in a row from 16-18 to win the first game.

The Indians took an early lead and soon had a 7-3 advantage. They extended it to 10-6 and though the Korean pair brought it down to 10-12, Satwik and Chirag won four points in a row from 13-12 to make it 17-13 on Chirag Shetty's serve. The Koreans won two points off Choi's service but the writing was clear on the wall as they went on to win the second game 21-16 to clinch victory and a memorable gold medal.

This is India's best-ever result in Asian Games badminton as the men's team won the silver medal and H.S Prannoy won the bronze, India's first medal in men's singles since Syed Modi in 1982.

Source: IANS

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Hangzhou, Oct 7 (SocialNews.XYZ) Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty on Saturday, won the first gold medal for India in badminton at the Asian Games, here on Saturday.

The Indian pair also became the first Indian men's doubles pair to win a gold medal when they defeated the Republic of Korea pair Choi Solgyu and Kim Wonho in straight games, 21-18, 21-16 to herald a new era for Indian badminton.

Source: IANS

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Hangzhou Oct 7 (SocialNews.XYZ) As India reached the 100-medal mark in the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou on Saturday, squash player Anahat Singh and bridge stalwart Jaggy Shivdasani made a piece of history of their own.

Anahat at 15 years old, is the youngest Indian to win a medal in Hangzhou while Jaggy Shivdasani, at the ripe old age of 65 became the youngest Indian to win a medal in this edition of the Asian Games.

Anahat, who was born on Mar 13, 2008, was part of the Indian team that bagged a bronze medal in the women's team and mixed doubles events.

Shivdasani, who was born on February 16, 1958, won a silver medal as part of the Indian team that won the Men's team event in bridge.

"Just winning the medal, in general, was really, really good. To get a bronze, that's really good, a big deal at such an age. It does make me slightly happier, but it would have been better if we got gold or silver," said Anahat Singh after claiming the bronze medal in the mixed doubles partnering Abhay Singh.

This is Jaggy's second medal in the Asian Games. He was part of the team that won a bronze medal in 2018 in Indonesia when bridge made its debut at the Games.

Shivdasani said this was an improvement for India from 2018 and therefore they were not disappointed in losing the final.

"You can't be too disappointed. We got a bronze last time (at Jakarta-Palembang 2018), and at the start, if you'd told me we'd get a silver medal, I would have taken it and said ‘Let's not play," he said.

Interestingly, both squash and bridge are not part of the Olympic Games, both the international federations governing both these sports have made multiple attempts to get the status.

Shivdasani said bridge has been approved as an Olympic sport but is waiting for a slot. He said he didn't know whether he would be around if it did make it to the Olympics.

"Apparently, it has been approved as an Olympic sport, but there isn't a slot for it, apparently. I don't know if I'll still be around. But I hope it does become an Olympic sport. That would be great," he added.

Squash has come close to being included in the Olympic Games on a few occasions. Squash narrowly missed being instituted for the 2012 London Games and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. as golf and rugby sevens were picked.

At the 125th IOC Session in Buenos Aires, the IOC voted for wrestling instead of squash or baseball/softball.

Source: IANS

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Hangzhou, Oct 7 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Philippines defeated Jordan 70-60 in the final of the men's basketball tournament, while China thrashed Chinese Taipei 101-73 in the bronze medal match at the Hangzhou Asian Games.

It was the Philippines' fifth Asiad title, and their first since 1962. Justin Brownlee scored Gilas' team-high 20 points and Angelo Kouame and Scottie Thompson added 14 and 11 respectively, reports Xinhua.

On Jordan's boxscore, Rondae Jefferson scored a game-high 24 points and Fadi Mustafa added 13. Jordan's frontcourt duo John Bohannon and Ahmad Hekmat Al-Dwairi combined for only 12 points but grabbed 20 rebounds.

In the bronze medal game, Cui Yongxi took 20 points to lead China, and the host nation rallied to defeat Chinese Taipei 101-73. Zhao Rui scored 17 points for China, and Zhao Jiwei added 12 points and eight assists, while center Hu Jinqiu contributed 12 points and six rebounds.

Zhao Rui later apologized to fans for failing to defend their 2018 Asiad title at the post-game press conference, stating "It was regretful to have results that didn't meet expectations at both the FIBA World Cup and the Asian Games."

The third-place finish at the Asiad came after China's lowly 29th-place finish at the World Cup, which saw them fail to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games.

Trailing three points behind at halftime, Zhao said the team didn't give up and put on a new fighting spirit starting in the third quarter.

"We failed to keep the concentration over the full 40 or 48 minutes. This is the gap between us and top-tier teams in the world," Zhao explained. "We will be thinking about how to catch up with world-class teams when we come back to compete in the CBA."

With China's performance prompting heated debate online, Zhao responded that he would choose not to pay attention to external voices. "It's the coaches' call whether we played well or not," he said.

Chinese Taipei head coach Sang Mao-sen said at the post-game press conference that both teams had "performed very well" in the bronze medal match.

"Congrats to our players. They stepped on the court to face a lot of pressure after losing the semifinal," said China head coach Aleksandar Djordjevic, who called the team's second half "exceptional".

For Chinese Taipei, Lin Ting-chien scored a team-high 20 points, and Liu Cheng added 14, including four 3-pointers.

Sang congratulated China on victory and also praised his side's performance, adding that it was a pleasure to play on the final game day.

Source: IANS

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Hangzhou, Oct 7 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Indian women's kabaddi team survived a scare before reclaiming the gold medal in the Asian Games after a gap of five years, beating Chinese Taipei by one point in the final at the Xiaoshan Guali Sports Centre, here on Saturday.

In the final, the Indian women's team was run close by first-timers Chinese Taipei, who had stunned defending champions Iran in the semifinals, before emerging 26-25 winner at full time.

In the 2018 Games in Indonesia, India lost to Iran 24-27 in the final and had to settle for a silver medal. It was only the third time that women's kabaddi was being played in the Asian Games and the defeat suffered by two-time defending champions India was a huge embarrassment for the country's kabaddi officials.

What came as a humiliation for the Indian kabaddi establishment was the men's team failing to get onto the podium in an indigenous sport from the country, after losing to Pakistan in the bronze medal match.

In Hangzhou on Saturday, the Indian women's team at least restored some pride for the country by winning the gold medal.

But it was a close affair.

The Indians were leading 14-9 at the end of the first half after getting eight Chinese Taipei players out and bagging six bonus points. Chinese Taipei got six players out and claimed one bonus point as the Indians defended well.

But in the second half, the Indians got eight players out but managed only two bonus points while Chinese Taipei recorded 12 outs and just one bonus point.

Interestingly, Chinese Taipei claimed two points for getting their opponents all-our while the Indians did not have an all-out.

But in the end, what mattered was that the Indian team won the gold medal.

Source: IANS

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Hangzhou, Oct 7 (SocialNews.XYZ) India made history by crossing the 100-medal mark in overall medals for the first time in the history of the Asian Games in the 19th edition of the Continental multi-nations, multi-discipline sports extravaganza that was first proposed and first hosted by India in New Delhi in 1951.

India's 100th medal was a gold won by the women's kabaddi team that defeated Chinese Taipei 26-25 in the final in Hangzhou. 

India's 100 medals in Hangzhou include 25 gold, 35 silver and 40 bronze. Of these 100 medals, male participants have won 47 medals (12-17-18) while women have claimed 44 (9-18-19) while seven have come in mixed events.

India had 95 medals at the end of competitions on Friday night with the men's hockey team winning the gold medal by beating Japan in the final.

On Saturday, Aditi Gopichand Swamy added a bronze and then Jyothi Surekha Vennam won the gold in the Compound Women's Individual archery competition to take the count to 97.

Ojas Pravin Deotale and Abhishek Verma bagged gold and silver respectively in the Compound Men's Individual archery to take the count to 99. The women's kabaddi team then pushed it to the 100 mark.

This is India's highest-ever medal haul in the Asian Games, surpassing the 70 medals that the country won in the previous edition of the Games in Indonesia in 2018.

Source: IANS

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Hangzhou, Oct 7 (SocialNews.XYZ) Reigning World Champion Tejas Pravin Deotale of India added the Asian Games title to his kitty by beating compatriot Abhishek Verma in the final of the Compound Men's Individual archery competition in the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou on Saturday.

In the final on Saturday, Deotale defeated his experienced compatriot Verma 149-147 at the Fuyang Yinhu Sports Centre.

This was his third gold medal in this edition of the Asian Games, making him the joint most successful Indian sportsperson in this Asian Games. 

Deotale had earlier won gold medals in Compound Men's Team and Compound Mixed Team competitions.

Shooting with precision and determination, Deotale missed the 10-point circle only once in the centre of the target only once as he compiled a score of 140 out of a possible 150 in the final in which each archer shoots five rounds (called End in archery) with three arrows in each round. 

Deotale, the 21-year-old from Nagpur in Maharashtra who won the World Championship in Berlin earlier this year, shot his only score of nine in the final on in the second arrow of the fourth round.

In contrast, Verma shot a nine off the third arrow in the second round and then got an eight on the second arrow of the third, thus pushing him three points behind Deotale.

Though, he made up one point by winning the fourth round 30-29, it was not enough to overtake Deotale as he shot a perfect 30 in the fifth and final round.

Source: IANS

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Hangzhou, Oct 7 (SocialNews.XYZ) Jyothi Surekha Vennam defeated the Republic of Korea's So Chaewon in the final to bag a gold medal in the Compound Women's Individual archery event, becoming the most successful Indian participant at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou on Saturday.

Jyothi registered a commanding 149-145 victory in the gold medal match. 

This is her third gold medal in this edition of the Asian Games. 

She had earlier picked gold medals in Compound Women's Team and Compound Women's Mixed Team competitions in Hangzhou.

India's 17-year-old reigning World Champion Aditi Gopichand Swami claimed bronze medal in the event by beating Indonesian R.Z. Fadhly in the match to decide the third place. 

Aditi won the match 146-140 in difficult conditions.

The focus was on Jyothi as she came back from a point deficit to overcome. So she started with two scores of 10s and a nine while the Korean shot three 10s in the first round (called as Ebd in archery and comprises three arries shot by each archer).

But in the second end, the Korean shot an eight besides two 10s for a score of 28 while Jyothi scored 30 to take 59-58 lead. 

The Indian shot three perfect rounds of 30 in each of the three rounds while her Korean opponent could manage three 29s, thus securing the gold for India.

Source: IANS

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Hangzhou, Oct 6 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Indian men's hockey team reclaimed the gold in Asian Games after nine years as India bagged nine medals to inch closer to an unimaginable 100-medal for the first time in the history of the games.

On Friday, India bagged nine medals to move to 95 medals including 22 gold, 34 silver and 39 bronze medals to be firmly perched at the fourth spot.

On the penultimate day of competitions, India claimed one gold, two silver and bronze medals. The men's recurve archery team redeemed itself after disappointing outings in individual events to claim a silver while the women's team bounced back from a defeat to Korea to overcome Vietnam in windy and rainy conditions to win a bronze.

The second silver came in the card game of bridge in which the men's team lost to Hong Kong China in the final.

Top shuttler H.S Prannoy ignored debilitating back pain to take the court but lost to China's Li Shifeng in straight games to settle for bronze.

Women wrestlers Sonam Malik (65 kg) and Kiran (76 kg) won bronze medals as did male freestyle wrestler Aman (53kg). women's regu (Speak takraw) won the bronze medal to complete Friday's haul of nine medals, leaving the contingent on 95 medals and many more medals assured in Saturday with Indians featuring in a clutch of finals.

The men's cricket team led by Ruturaj Gaikwad will take on Afghanistan in the final while Indian Kabaddi teams will also figure in both the finals, the men taking on Iran, their nemesis of 2018, while the women's meet surprise package Chinese Taipei.

Abhishek Verma will take on compatriot Ojas Deotale in the Compound Men's Individual archery final, assuring the country of both medals. Another will come from the Compound Women's Individual final in which Jyothi Surekha Vennam will take on a Korean archer So Chae-won.

And to top it all, the Indian men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Ranjireddy and Chirag Shetty will take on the Korean pair of Choi Sol-gyu and Kim Wonho in the final. The Indian doubles pair sealed a historic maiden berth in the men's doubles final after beating top Malaysian pair of Aaron Chia Teng Fong and Soh Woi Yik in straight games on Friday.

It surely going to rain medals for India as the country of 1.3 billion people is not only going to cross the magical 100-medal mark.

It will definitely be an occasion worth remembering for a country that had managed only one gold medal when China first hosted the Asian Games in 1990 in Beijing.

Source: IANS

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Hangzhou, Oct 6 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Indian men's and women's chess teams maintained their chances of winning medals in Team competitions in chess at the Asian Games with both teams placed second at the end of the eighth and penultimate round, here on Friday.

In the eighth round played on Friday at the Hangzhou Qi-Yuan (Zhili) Chess Hall, the Indian men's team defeated the Republic of Korea 3.5-0.5 and the women's team blanked Hong Kong China 4-0.

Thus, the men's team trailing Iran by one Match Point -- 13 to 14 while the women's team was trailing China by two Match Points -- 13 to 15.

In the eighth round on Friday, the men's team defeated Korea 3.5-0.5 with Dommaraju Gukesh, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi winning their respective games while Pentala Harikrishna was held to a draw by Hongjin Ahn on the fourth board.

In other matches in this round, Iran defeated Phillippines 3-1, while Uzbekistan outwitted Kazakhstan 3.5-0.5 and China handed the same verdict to Kyrgyzstan. 

At the end of Round 8, Iran were leading with 14 Match Points, followed by India at 13, Uzbekistan at 12 and China on 11. If all teams win their respective matches on Saturday, they will finish in this order. In case, one of them loses, then a lot of permutations and combinations come into play.

In the women's section on Saturday, India defeated Hong Kong China 4-0 with Dronavalli Harika, R Vaishali, Vantika Agrawal and B. Savitha Shri won their respective games to register a big 4-0 win for India.

Among other contenders, China blanked Phillippines 4-0, Kazakhstan beat Korea 4-0 and Uzbekistan overcame Mongolia 2.5-1.5.

At the end of the eighth round, China are leading with 15 points followed by India (13), Kazakhstan 11 and Vietnam 10. In the 9th round, China take on UAE, India meet Korea, Kazakhstan take on Uzbekistan and Vietnam meet Mongolia. In case all teams in contention win their matches, China, India and Kazakhstan will claim the three medals in that order. 

Source: IANS

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Hangzhou, Oct 6 (SocialNews.XYZ) Goalkeeper of the Indian men's hockey team PR Sreejesh on Friday termed India's triumph in the Asian Games as "baby steps" towards the ultimate goal -- gold in the Paris Olympic Games next year.

India defeated Japan 5-1 in the final to reclaim Asian Games glory, winning their fourth title in the Continental multi-discipline sport and also bagging a berth in the Paris Olympic Games. 

With this, Sreejesh and his teammate Manpreet Singh became the only two players to win two gold medals in the Asian Games. Both were important members of the team that won the gold in the 2014 edition in Incheon, South Korea.

"We now know how to beat the big teams in tough conditions. This Asian Games win is a baby step. The players are getting the experience of knockout matches, to bounce back from tough situations, and to control their emotions and (absorb) pressure. Like, the win against South Korea taught us a lot," Sreejesh told the media after the final.

Sreejesh was also delighted that with this win, the Indian men's team has also booked their ticket to the Paris Olympic Games in 2024.

"It feels wonderful to earn our Paris Olympics ticket. We raised the level of our play when it mattered the most. We won a medal at the Olympics (bronze in Tokyo 2020) and recently we claimed the Asian Champions Trophy in Chennai," he added, saying the team has now learned how to win matches. 

The veteran goalkeeper said the next Olympic cycle had already started after the Tokyo Olympics, and this was a major step in that cycle.

"Our Olympics cycle has already started. We need to prepare well for the Paris Games by playing well in all major tournaments ahead," he said.

Source: IANS

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