FOOTBALL
Tarun Kumar strikes winner in India’s triumph
Tarun Kumar scored the match-winner in India’s 4-3 victory over Denmark in the Gothia Special Olympics Trophy football tournament in Sweden.
The Indian team had earlier beaten Finland 3-0, Germany 6-0, Hong Kong 6-0 and Denmark 3-1 in the league phase. The team played Denmark once again in the final.
Tarun, a tenth standard student of Justice Tankha Memorial Rotary Institute for Special Children in Jabalpur, was groomed by his mother Sangeeta Thakur who took him for football training for the last four years despite limited means.
The school founded by Rajya Sabha MP, Vivek Krishna Tankha had supported Tarun wholeheartedly right from a young age, and even drafted national level coach Prabhat Rahi to train him.
– Kamesh Srinivasan
FC Goa signs young forward Alan Saji ahead of new season
FC Goa announced the addition of young forward Alan Saji from the Reliance Foundation Young Champs (RFYC) academy on a multi-year contract.
The 18-year-old Kerala lad has been a part of RFYC since the age of 12 and was part of the RFYC squad that competed in the Sanix Cup in Japan.
Manolo Marquez, FC Goa’s Head Coach expressed his enthusiasm about the new signing. “Alan Saji is an exceptional talent with a great future. He is fast, brave, very clever in the box, and has a very good aerial game.
“He has developed remarkably, and we will give him a great platform to hone his skills further. It is, of course, a step-by-step process, but he has the qualities to be an important player for not just the Club, but also for India in the years to come,” he noted.
– Team Sportstar
SQUASH
India boys and girls in World Junior squash team event quarters
India boys and girls advanced to the quarterfinals in the team event of the World Junior Squash Championships in Houston on Saturday. The boys will meet fourth seed South Korea and the girls will take on third-seeded Malaysia.
The boys beat Canada 2-0 in the pre-quarterfinals, while the girls finished second in Group D after losing to Hong Kong 1-2 in their final league match.
Shaurya Bawa, who won individual bronze, rallied to beat Youssef Sarhan in a five-gamer, while Arihant KS avenged his individual event loss to Ewan Harris with an impressive win.
India results:
Boys (pre-quarters):
India bt Canada 2-0 (Arihant KS bt Ewan Harris 15-13, 12-10, 8-11, 11-2; Shaurya Bawa bt Youssef Sarhan 12-14, 9-11, 11-7, 11-3, 11-1).
Girls (Group D):
India lost to Hong Kong 1-2 (Nirupama Dubey lost to Helen Tang 4-11, 10-12, 2-11; Anahat Singh bt Ena Kwong 11-8, 9-11, 11-5, 11-7; Shameena Riaz lost to Ka Huen Leung 4-11, 9-11, 10-12).
-Team Sportstar
HOCKEY
Odisha clinch men’s title, Jharkhand crowned women’s champion at hockey East Zone Championship
Hockey Jharkhand won the women’s title at the junior East Zone Championship in Kolkata on Sunday.
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Hockey Jharkhand won the women’s title at the junior East Zone Championship in Kolkata on Sunday.
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Hockey Association of Odisha and Hockey Jharkhand claimed the men’s and women’s titles respectively at the junior East Zone Championship in Kolkata on Sunday.
Hockey Jharkhand beat Hockey Bengal 4-3 in the shoot-out after the match ended 1-1 in the regulation time in the women’s category.
The Hockey Association of Odisha triumphed over Hockey Jharkhand by a 2-0 margin in the final of the men’s event.
– PTI
GOLF
Aditi lies T-12th, eyes first Top-10 of 2024
Indian golfer Aditi Ashok stayed in sight of her first Top-10 of 2024 as she shot a bogey free 3-under 68 in the third round of the Dana Open golf. to be T-12 here.
With rounds of 67-72 on the first two days, Aditi is now 8-under with one more round to go.
Her best results on LPGA this season have been T-17 at Amundi Evian Championships last week and also at the Meijer LPGA Classic. Aditi has had a modest season in 2024, but would like to see some better form ahead of the Olympics in two weeks.
Aditi had three birdies and no bogeys and the birdies came on the eighth, 13th and 15th holes.
Thailand’s Chanettee Wannasaen added a 5-under 66 to a career-low 36-hole score of 131 for another new career-low with a 54-hole score of 197.
– PTI
TENNIS
Harithashree Venkatesh wins four ITF titles in three weeks
Harithashree Venkatesh had a fruitful outing in Nairobi, Kenya, winning three singles titles and a doubles title, spread over three weeks.
The 15-year-old Harithashree dropped only one set, in the final against compatriot Janvi Asawa in the final of the first tournament.
Harithashree beat Bicene Benzaied of Tunisia to win the singles titles in the second and third tournaments.
Harithashree Venkatesh.
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Harithashree Venkatesh.
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
In her 15 singles matches in all in the three tournaments, Harithashree beat players from Spain, Serbia, Italy and Kenya apart from Tunisia and fellow players from India.
She will next compete in the National junior championship in Chennai, followed by the ITF junior tournaments in Chennai and Bhuvanagiri.
– Team Sportstar
The results:
J60 Nairobi, Kenya, July 15-20 (final): Harithashree Venktesh bt Bicene Benzaied (Tun) 6-4, 6-4.
J30 Nairobi, July 8-13 (final): Harithashree bt Bicene Benzaied (Tun) 6-3, 6-1.
Doubles (final): Harithashree & Janvi Asawa bt Ishi Maheshwari & Giulia Russo (Ita) 2-6, 7-6(3), [12-10].
J30 Nairobi, July 1-6 (final): Harithashree bt Janvi Asawa 2-6, 6-1, 6-3.
