SPORTS

New Delhi: India will host the Commonwealth shooting and archery championships in January 2022 and the medals from the two events will be counted for “ranking of competing nations” at the Birmingham Games, the CGF said on Monday.

However the medals will be added to the final tally one week after the conclusion of the Games.

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) announced the decision after its Executive Board meeting here from February 21 to 23.

The decision can be considered a big win for India after it threatened to boycott the 2022 Birmingham Games for dropping shooting from the roster.

New Delhi: Jitender Kumar sealed his place in the Indian team for the Olympic Qualifiers by reaching the 74kg final at the Asian Championships even as a sluggish Deepak Punia and overconfident Rahul Aware will fight for bronze after losing their respective semifinals, here on Sunday.

After winning his Qualification bout rather easily, Jitender just about managed to win his following bouts against Iran’s Mostafa Mohabbali Hosseinkhani (2-2) and Mongolia’s Sumiyabazar Zandanbud (2-1).

However, his performance was enough to convince the national federation that he should travel to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan for the Olympic Qualifiers and a re-trial in this category was not required.

New Delhi: For third time in succession, Vinesh Phogat couldn’t unlock the mystery called Mayu Mukaida. The Japanese, by all means, will be a leading contender at the Tokyo Olympics and a huge road bump for Indian’s aspirations. Perhaps the only consolation Vinesh can draw from her fight against Mukaida at the Asian Championships here on Friday is the reduced margin of defeat (2-6).

Mukaida will most certainly play on the mind of the Indian who carries the country’s medal hopes in Tokyo. When Vinesh lost 7-0 to Mukaida at the World Championships in September, she had desperately waited for the opportunity to face the Japanese one more time before Tokyo. That opportunity came at the Asian meet here and for the third straight time she was drawn to open her campaign in 53kg against her nemesis.

The most awaited bout of the day was off to a measured start. Vinesh and Mukaida preyed on each other’s legs. Vinesh made three attempts to attack Mukaida’s left leg but the Japanese was quick to wriggle out.

New Delhi: At the warm-up area, coaches, physios and a nutritionist stood beside Divya Kakran. There was a sense of urgency. She was writhing in pain even as physios worked on her overworked muscles, loosening the knots following her three bouts in over an hour’s time.

The 22-year-old now had to be ready for her last and the toughest bout, against the Japanese junior world champion Naruha Matsuyuki—the decisive contest that could fetch her a gold medal in the 68kg category. Kakran appeared anxious but also determined.

In the first three bouts, Kakran’s muscular frame saw her power past her opponents. She had won all her contests by ‘fall’. She clearly wanted to stay ahead in the race in the five-women round-robin format. She was quick with her leg attacks and whenever her opponents tried to wriggle out, her grip would only tighten.

New Delhi: Mayu Mukaida and Takuto Otoguro have caused enough heartache for Indian wrestling fans. The two Japanese have often stopped India’s top stars Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia on their tracks. In major international competitions, they have frustrated the two Indians who are country’s strongest contenders in wrestling for a Tokyo Olympics medal.

The Asian Wrestling Championships, starting in New Delhi on Tuesday, will be an opportunity for Punia and Phogat to test themselves against the Japanese in home conditions. Success will also help them get crucial rankings points that will determine seedings in Tokyo. Two other Indians to have qualified for Tokyo are Ravi Kumar Dahiya (57kg) and Deepak Punia (86kg), who will also look to assess their level.

In women’s 53 kg, world No. 3 Mukaida will be a strong favourite for gold in the absence of world champion Pak Yong-mi of North Korea and Pang Qianyu of China. Phogat, after winning the world ranking series in Rome last month, has replaced Mukaida as world No. 2 but she is yet to beat the Japanese.

New Delhi: Not many Greco-Roman wrestlers in India are introduced to the style as kids. Most of them make a switch from freestyle. Ashu, however, took up Greco-Roman straightaway and the virtues of his early start show in his grasp of its nuances. On the second day of the Asian Wrestling Championships here on Wednesday, the 19-year-old won bronze in 67kg to warm-up for the Tokyo Olympics qualifier next month.

India won two more bronze medals—Aditya Kundu (72kg) and Hardeep (97kg)—to take their Greco-Roman medals tally to one gold and four bronze, an improvement from the four medals (3 silver, 1 bronze) won at the previous championships in Xi’an, China.

“Our target was to win six medals. The bright side was that we finally won gold (Sunil Kumar, 87kg) after 27 years. This performance coming before the Olympic qualifiers next month will boost the confidence of the team,” chief coach Hargobind Singh said.

New Delhi: The situation cried out for decisive action. Down 1-8 in the semifinal against Kazakhastan’s Azamat Kustubayev, the 87kg Greco-Roman contest on the first day of the Asian Wrestling Championships was fast slipping out of Sunil Kumar’s grasp. Sunil, however, was not prepared to go down without a fight, and in the second period came out a different beast.

Kumar pulled over Kustubayev by the neck for a four-point throw on the edge of the mat. In the next move, he rolled over his opponent for another four points to tie scores and complete a sensational comeback. With the momentum on his side, Kumar went all out and the bout stopped with the score reading 12-8 in his favour.