Category Archives: Sports

Krishiv, Abhay, Vaibhav, Aditya bag chess titles

Sports

Kanpur:

Krishiv, Abhay, Vaibhav and Aditya won their respective age group titles in rapid chess championship at Billabong High School here on Saturday.

The championship was organized in five rounds under Swiss system. Dinesh Sharma, international master, former Asian junior runners-up and U-25 national champion was present.

The star attraction was 3 years old Shryansh Sharma who collected two points in four rounds, organizing secretary Alok Gupta said.

School principal Priti Agarwal gave away prizes.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City News> Kanpur / TNN / October 23rd, 2016

From Kaif to Danish Mujtaba, a legacy of sportspersons from Sangam city

Sports, World Opinion

Allahabad :

Sangam city is famous not only for its brilliant academicians and towering political personalities, but also because of its sportspersons who have made it big on the national and international stage in various disciplines. Cricketers, gymnasts, hockey players or shuttlers, Allahabad lads have always made their presence felt whenever they have got an opportunity.

Heading the list is Mohammad Kaif who made it to the national squad and soon found a place in the record books with his match-winning knock at NatWest trophy in 2002 where he scored an unbeaten 87 in partnership with another cricket hero, Yuvraj Singh, to clinch the trophy for India at Lord’s cricket ground.

Kaif was the most successful captain of UP in the Ranji Trophy, as under his leadership the home team won their maiden Ranji Trophy title, beating Bengal in a thriller played at Lucknow in 2006. Kaif has played 13 Tests, 125 one-day internationals and 177 first class matches. However, donning a new role Kaif will now lead his new state, Chattisgarh, which will make its debut in Ranji Trophy in the 2016-17 domestic season.

Another cherished moment for Allahabad was when five of its cricketers including Ashish Winston Zaidi, Obaid Kamal, Jyoti Yadav, Mohd Saif and Mohd Kaif represented UP in the 1998 Ranji Trophy final against Karnataka.

The history of gymnastics in Allahabad dates back to 1989 when the National Sports Academy (NSA), headed by its chief patron Dr UK Mishra, made a beginning in the sport with a handful of boys. His efforts bore fruits when the 2010 Commonwealth Games made gymnast Ashish Kumar an instant star, as he created history and became the first Indian to win medals in gymnastics for the country.

In badminton, the city has produced number of outstanding players like Suresh Goel, Damayanti Tambe, TN Seth, Abhinn Shyam Gupta, Sushant Saxena and few others. Goel was the men’s national singles champion on five occasions from 1962 to 1970 and he also won national titles in men’s doubles and mixed doubles.

The story of local sporting heroes’ march to glory would be incomplete without the mention of Danish Mujtaba who became the captain of Indian team at the young age of 23 and produced some memorable performances at international level. He was the only player from the city who participated in the Rio Olympics, 2016.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Allahabad / TNN / August 29th, 2016

Indian teen from LA gives self-defence training to Bareilly girl dropouts

Education, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Nri's / Pio's, Sports

Bareilly:

When an assailant grasped the hand of Taravati (who uses only her first name), the young girl twisted his arm and pushed him away, and then kicked him. Taravati, a class XII student, received appreciation from other girls and even from the assailant for her defensive skills.

Taravati is one of the 50 girls of Dhaneli village under Meerganj tehsil of Bareilly district who were briefly forced to discontinue studies due to continuous harassment by a group of youths on the way to school. They resumed studies only after police increased security in the area.

However, when Pooja Nagpal, 18, a Los Angeles resident and second-degree black belt in taekwondo, read the TOI report on the incident, she decided to visit Dhaneli to give the girls some handy self-defence tips.

“After I read the TOI report, I felt bad for the girls. I decided to visit this village to make them confident so they can take on the assailants on their own in future,” the teenager said. Nagpal has been learning different forms of martial arts since she was 12 and has been running her own organisation: For a Change — Defence.

“The Nirbhaya gangrape case really touched me and I decided to train girls in India during my summer vacation. I have conducted workshops for girls in remote areas of Himachal Pradesh and orphanages in Delhi and Chandigarh. I was teaching at a school for the visually impaired in Chandigarh when I read about the these school girls and came here,” she said.

Her father, college teacher Pawan Nagpal, “When she said she wanted to visit Bareilly, my friends told me the place is not safe. I was reluctant to come here but she had made up her mind. It was a proud moment to train these girls.”

On Friday, Pooja trained 50 girls from Dhaneli and another 150 from neighbouring villages at Dunka Inter College, nearly 40 km from Bareilly. “The girls were initially shy and kept on saying that they will not be able to punch hard. However, after a few rounds, they opened up and quickly learned a few defensive techniques. I wish I had more time to teach them but my college starts this month,” said Pooja, who will now study electrical engineering and computer science at University of California, Berkeley.

Devwati (who uses only her first name), a class XII said, “The workshop was very informative. If anybody tries to harass me, I now know how to teach him a lesson.”

Nikita Soman, from class XI, said that she will keep practising the techniques and teach other girls in her neighbourhood.

Principal of the school, Vinod Kumar said, “We will make sure the girls continue to practice these defensive skills in their games period.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Bareilly / by Priyangi Agarwal / TNN / August 12th, 2016

Cancer survivor team bags ten medals in Russia

Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All, Sports, World Opinion

Allahabad:

A contingent of seven young Indian students who fought and beat cancer has bagged several medals in Russia in the World Children Winners Games held in Moscow between June 30 and July 2. All these participants are under 14 years of age and won 10 medals in indoor and outdoor games that were also attended by players from 14 other countries.

Yash Chandra, a 13-year-old Allahabad boy, won a silver medal in chess and a bronze medal in football. The Indian contingent won three gold, four silver and 3 bronze medals in total.

He and the other six members of the team who hail from UP, Mumbai and Hyderabad regularly visit the Tata Memorial Cancer Center for follow up check-ups. The event encourages young cancer survivors from all over the world. It is organised by the Gift of Life Foundation founded by two Russian actresses Chulpan Khamatova and Dina Korzun.

Yash was first diagnosed with cancer in his left kidney at a young age of three in 2003. He has not only survived the dreaded disease but has also become an inspiration for many who lose the fighting spirit in the life.

“I enjoyed the trip. I am so happy that I could bring medals for my country. What if these are not Olympic medals? For me and others in my team, these are nothing less than Olympics medals.” said Yash. Adding to his experience, the brave kid said, “I was very impressed by the way Russians have preserved their heritage buildings. They are so systematic.”

Manoj Kumar Srivastava, Yash’s father, said, “Events like these not only boost the morale of young cancer survivors but also spread awareness about this dreaded disease. If cancer is detected on time, these kids can also lead a normal life like my son.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Allahabad / Rajeev Mani / July 08th, 2016

Meerut shooter wins silver in 8th Int’l junior shotgun cup

Records, All, Sports, World Opinion

Meerut :

Thirteen-year-old Shapath Bharadwaj has brought laurels to the city by winning a silver medal in the 8 th International Junior Shotgun Cup held at Orimattila in Finland from May 23 to 29.

The youngest participant in the competition, Shapath, scored the highest 128 points among his teammates and ensured a silver medal to India in the double trap event held at Orimatilla on May 25. It was the second international match of the budding shooter in which he succeeded to play in the semifinals after scoring the highest 128 among his teammates.

Earlier, in the first week of May, he participated in the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) Junior World Cup held at Suhl in Germany and impressed his coach and well-wishers by obtaining a score of 125 in his first international competition. He was the youngest participant in the World Cup and Junior Shotgun Cup.

Earlier, he was selected in the National Team of Double Trap by giving an outstanding performance in selection trials in which he scored 120 and 135. The trials were held at Dr Karni Singh Shooting Ranges, New Delhi, wherein he ensured his place in the national team to represent India in international competitions at the age of 14.

An elated Bharadwaj told TOI, “I’m happy for what I’ve achieved for the country but there is still a long way to go.”

Shapath attributed his success to his coach Yogender Pal Singh, who himself is a double trap player of international repute, and all those who supported him throughout his preparations and at the time of need.

“This was all because of my coach and still I have to work hard to bring laurels for my country and people,” said Shapath.

Discussing Shapath’s feat, Yogender said, “Shapath’s showed promise from an early stage and considering his achievement, the boy will go a long way representing India in international events.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Meerut / Sandeep Rai / TNN / May 30th, 2016

Agra set to host first national crossbow championship from tomorrow

Records, All, Sports

Agra:

The first national “desi dhanush”, crossbow, championship will be held in the city from April 29 to 30. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav had inaugurated the logo for the Indian Crossbow Shooting Association in March and said the state government would extend all support to promote the sport. He had also given the sport the name of “desi dhanush”. As many 30 crossbow shooters from five states will participate in the event which will be held at the Prelude Public School grounds later this week.

The crossbow event is the brainchild of Agra-resident and national player Rajat Vij, who is also the president of the Indian Crossbow Shooting Association.

Vij told TOI, “After the inaugural of desi dhanush by the state government, we are going ahead with the first national championship in Agra. Sportspersons from West Bengal, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi, besides Uttar Pradesh will participate in the two-day event.”

While the inaugural session will be held on April 29, the main sporting competition will take place the following day between 8am and 11.30am.

Vij said the sport is not very popular and only a handful of people know about it. The chief minister’s presence at the inauguration of the logo on March 17, has helped bring the sport to mainstream audience. He added that depending on the success of the first event, it would be held on much larger scale in the near future.

On March 17, a 18-member delegations of crossbow athletes from Japan, US, Sweden and Portugal had given a live demonstration of the crossbow event before an audience that included the CM.

Interestingly, during his address, Yadav had exhorted people to promote crossbow or “desi dhanush more than the bicycle”, referring to his party’s election symbol.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Agra / by Aditya Dev / TNN / April 27th, 2016

​Bareilly man Rahul Johri becomes BCCI CEO

Leaders, Sports

Bareilly:

In welcome news for the city, one of its sons, Rahul Johri, has been appointed the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Son of former state minister and BJP leader Dinesh Johri, Rahul is an avid cricket lover and sportsman, earlier working as South Asia head for Discovery Channel.

An alumni of Sherwood College, Rahul Johri graduated from Bareilly College in 1989 and did his MBA from MJP Rohilkhand University in 1991. He started his career at a media house in Delhi from where he moved to Discovery.

“At Discovery I could produce and direct programmes which were informative and provided unique insights, such as interior views of the Rashtrapati Bhawan, Indian women’s expedition to Mount Everest, the lives of soldiers on Siachen Glacier and even the elections of 2014, where Discovery looked at the entire process behind election of an MP,” said Johri, talking to TOI on the phone.

At the moment, he said, he was trying to focus on his new assignment, under which he is expected to take over the reins of BCCI in the first week of June. “The work profile here is nearly the same, as in the capacity of CEO I will be in charge of logistics and administration of the world’s biggest and wealthiest cricketing body,” he added.

Johri made no bones about his love for cricket. “It has always remained my favourite game since childhood and I am glad to be associated with it in the later part of my life,” he said.

Friends and contemporaries remember playing cricket and other games with Johri in their youth. “I remember the days when my cousin Ashish and Rahul, both batchmates at Sherwood, used to play cricket and gilli-danda under the neem tree at Rahul’s house near Sod weigh bridge,” said Manoj Sharma, Bareilly resident and an old friend of the Johris. “It is good to hear he will be heading BCCI and looking after cricket in the whole country,” he added.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Bareilly / Mrigank Tiwari / April 21st, 2016

Jhansi youth completes gruelling triathlon in Putrajaya

Records, All, Sports, World Opinion

Jhansi:

A Jhansi youth completed the gruelling Ironman Triathlon held in Putrajaya, Malaysia. Last year, Bollywood actor Milind Soman had completed the same event in Zurich.

Rajat Pratap Singh, 26, participated along with 960 other contenders from all over the world with a physically demanding 21.1km running, 1.9km swimming in sea and 90km cycling — all in a back-to-back sequence in 80% humidity in the event held on April 3. He was one of the 400 finalists who completed the event in less than 8 hours, earning him the title of Ironman.

He is the only person from UP to have done it so far with a time of 7.07 hrs, almost a hour ahead of the stipulated time. Milind Soman had hit headlines last year for completing the same event in Switzerland at the age of 50. “Six months of hard practice and a strict diet control was what was required to achieve the feat in uncompromising weather conditions, with humidity ranging above 80% in Malaysia during the event,” Rajat told TOI.

Rajat said he could have improved the timing but for a ligament tear half way through the event. “Though doctors advised me to quit the race, I was determined to finish it. I had to do an ice message after every kilometer which spoilt my finish timing,” he added.

Son of a police officer of UP cadre posted in Jhansi, Rajat had left the city in an early stage for studies. He is a hardcore mountaineer who has opened an office in Pune to facilitate trekking enthusiasts.

After his graduation, he worked for a number of media houses but his passion was to “concur the heights”.

“During one of my business trips to Switzerland, I came in contact with some mountaineers who helped me change track in life. Till date I have climbed a number of peaks with the highest one being the 7,400 mts Mt Kabru in Nepal.Now I target Mt Everest or Mt Kanchenjunga if someone can sponsor me,” said Rajat.

His father Sharad Pratap said, “We never wanted our only son to go into adventure sports… we were against Rajat participating in the Ironmman contest, but after he qualified we gave a second thought.”

Rajat now aims to be a fitness icon for the youth. and to climb Mt Everest at the earliest

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Kanpur / by Arindam Ghosh / TNN / April 14th, 2016

City biker becomes first solo woman to cross Mana Pass

Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All, Sports, Travel

Agra :

She did not stop after scaling eight Himalayan mountain passes, all above 5,000 metre, last year.

Pallavi Fauzdar, 35, from Agra became the first woman solo biker in the Limca Book of Records to reach the tip of Mana pass in Uttarakhand, arguably the world’s highest motorable mountain pass.

Mana rises to a staggering altitude of 5,638 m (18,497 ft) above sea level, on the border between India and Tibet, and is reckoned as one of the most difficult biking trails.

“I received the acknowledgement and a certificate from Limca earlier this week”, said an elated Pallavi.

Mother of two kids, Pallavi is married to Parikshit Mishra, an Army officer, who has been extremely supportive of her passion for biking. “My family do have apprehensions whenever I set off for my expeditions alone but they also have confidence in my abilities,” she said.

Pallavi rides an Avenger and said she had been passionate about biking for several years and the travel bug had bitten her early. Packed with a pepper spray to ward off miscreants and a GPS device to ensure she is not lost, Pallavi set off for her Himalayan journey of seven days.

Describing the expedition as ‘arduous’ involving inclined boulder tracks, numerous water crossings, snow-covered roads and low oxygen levels, Pallavi said biking has always given her an adrenaline rush.

“As a child, I was passionate about motorcycling and I’m lucky to be married to Parikshit who has been always supportive of my endeavours”, she said, while adding that the toughest part of the long and tiring road trips was leaving her kids and family. She also attributes a ‘divine intervention’ in her success.

Pallavi is also the first female rider to reach Deo Tal Lake, located at 17,950 ft, one of the world’s highest.

When not biking, this adventure lover is also an accomplished fashion designer, a social worker and a Rekki practitioner.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Agra / Anju Jaswal / TNN / March 27th, 2016

4 French among recipients of Laxmibai award

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All, Sports, Travel, World Opinion

Lucknow :

Four women from France, who toured across India in an auto-rickshaw, will be among 45 to be presented the Rani Laxmibai Award by the Uttar Pradesh government on International Women’s Day on March 8.

There will also be two women from outside the state as recipients of the award to be given away by chief minister Akhilesh Yadav. Anhita Sriprasad is being awarded for having travelled across India from -Leh to Kanyakumari – on a bicycle. The chief minister contacted her on finding her profile on social media .

Nidhi Tewari is another woman of substance who is being felicitated for being solo driving from Delhi to London. Besides being the first woman to go on a 23,800-km trans-continental drive km from Delhi to London, driven a jeep in the Western Ghats, Uttrakhand, Himachal Pradesh in India and in the US, South Africa and Kenya.

The French girls to be awarded are Juliet Phinete, Julion Chopin, Charleto Hinero and Caroline who had been to Lucknow in their auto-rickshaw.

This is for the first time that this award is being given to women outside the country and from outside the state. Principal secretary, women and child welfare department, Renuka Kumar said that about half of the awardees would be women gram pradhans,.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Lucknow / TNN / February 28th, 2016