Indian sports wrap, October 4: India remains on top of medal tally at ISSF Junior World Championship

SHOOTING

Indian trio wins gold in men’s 25m rapid-fire pistol at ISSF Junior World Championship

Raajwardan Paatil and Mukesh Nelavalli missed the individual medals in 25-metre rapid fire pistol, but won the team gold along with Harsimar Singh Rattha, in the World junior shooting championship in Lima, Peru.

Raajwardan and Mukesh did make the individual final, but finished fourth and fifth, even as the qualification topper Thomas Chinours (584) of France placed sixth.

The Indian trio had a total 1722 to comfortably finish ahead of France and Poland in the race for team gold.

India took its tally to 11 gold, one silver and four bronze at the top of the medals table. China was second with three gold and a silver.

USA and Italy followed with two gold medals each, apart from the silver and bronze medals.

The results:

Junior men: 25m rapid fire pistol: 1. Yao Jianan (Chn) 31 (582); 2. Yan Chesnel (Fra) 23 (577); 3. Tomasz Jedraszczy (Pol) 20 (575); 4. Raajwardan Paatil 17 (579); 5. Mukesh Nelavalli 10 (579); 13. Harsimar Singh Rattha 564.

Team: 1. India 1722; 2. France 1701 (41x); 3. Poland 1701 (36x).

– Kamesh Srinivasan

GOLF

Vizag Open: Angad continues to lead in third round

Angad Cheema of Chandigarh continued to dominate in the third round as the top contender for the title Vizag Open golf championship at the East Point Golf Club (EPGC) on Friday.

Angad (69-61-70), the overnight leader by four shots, had a rock-solid penultimate round barring a setback on the final hole as he posted a one-under 70 on Friday to head into round four with a three-shot advantage at a total of 13-under 200.

Patna-based Aman Raj (66-68-69) put together a two-under 69 to end day three in second position at 10-under 203.

Gurugram’s Kartik Sharma delivered the day’s best score of seven-under 64 to be placed tied third along with Noida’s Amardeep Malik (65) and Yashas Chandra (68) of Mysuru.

Angad Cheema, currently fourth on the TATA Steel PGTI Ranking with six top-10s in the season so far, was off to a decent start as he built on his lead with birdies on the first two Par-5 holes, the first and seventh, thanks to his excellent approach shots. Cheema, searching for his second PGTI title and looking to end an 11-year victory drought, then had a minor hiccup with a bogey on the 10th after a couple of errant shots.

The 34-year-old Angad thereafter rallied with two terrific iron shots to leave himself short birdie conversions on the 11th and 15th. Cheema enjoyed an impressive six-shot lead heading into the final hole.

However, a tough lie in the hazard on the 18th led to a double-bogey for Angad with his lead being reduced to three shots.

Cheema said, “I was playing well already, so today I just wanted to repeat what I did earlier in the week. I hit my irons and wedges well and that set up most of my birdies today. I struggled a bit with my tee shots today and that’s where I’ll look to improve in round four.

“The key in the final round will be to keep it in play on every hole and hit as many greens as possible because the whole golf course is challenging.”

Aman Raj continued in sole second place after making four birdies and a double-bogey on Friday that kept him in the hunt for his fifth title.

Kartik Sharma made an eagle, seven birdies and two bogeys in his round of 64, the day’s lowest score.

Last year’s champion N Thangaraja (66) of Sri Lanka was tied seventh at seven-under 206.

-Team Sportstar

Four Indian golfers spend second day waiting for weather to clear at Japan event

Indian quartet of Krishnav Chopraa, Vedant Sirohi, Kartik Singh and Rakshit Dahiya spent the whole of second day waiting for the weather to clear as Japan’s Rintaro Nakano took the lead before play suspended at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship on Friday.

Chopraa (68), Sirohi (69), Singh (71) and Dahiya (75), all of whom played in the morning slot on the first day, were waiting till they were told that would get to tee off only on Saturday.

Nakano took a late one-stroke lead at seven-under over China’s Wenyi Ding as the second round was suspended due to darkness on Friday evening at Taiheiyo Club Gotemba.

The second round was delayed by six and a half hours due to fog and heavy rain.

“There is little we can do,” said Singh, who along with Chopraa, Sirohi and Dahiya came to the course and did practice on the putting green.

“There is little one can do about this. Weather stoppages and delays are part of golf,” said Chopraa with a laugh.

“We are all used to it.” They will all go out early in the morning on Saturday and hope to finish their second and some part of third round.

-PTI

Modest start for Diksha at Aramco Team Series Shenzhen

It was a disappointing start for India’s Diksha Dagar as she carded 3-over 76 to lie tied 73rd after the first round of the Aramco Team Series presented by PIF – Shenzhen here on Friday.

The two-time LET winner, Diksha, had three birdies against six bogeys, but her teammate Moa Folke (73) had a slightly better day and was tied 45th.

As a team, the duo of Dagar and Folke was placed tied 13th.

Celine Boutier was on top of the individual leaderboard while Team Marta Martin, led by Martin (71), was leading the team segment.

In the Individual competition, France’s Boutier had a great first day, firing a round of 66 (-7) to be top of the pile.

The Frenchwoman made a bogey on her first hole before rolling in a birdie at the third and she dropped another shot on the fifth.

-PTI

BASKETBALL

Amrutha’s three-point show breaks Thrissur’s heart

E.K. Amrutha, a mother of a three-year-old kid, came up with a sparkling three-point show as Alappuzha edged past Thrissur 59-57 and entered the women’s semifinal of the 68th Kerala State senior basketball championship at the Rajiv Gandhi indoor stadium on Friday.

The 28-year-old, one of the four KSEB stars who are playing as guests for Alappuzha, hoisted seven threes for a total of 27 points to break Thrissur’s heart.

Thrissur, down 4-14 at one stage in the first quarter, had made an impressive recovery before that. The side, packed with college girls from Irinjalakuda’s St. Joseph’s and Chalakudy’s Sacred Heart, was level at 25 at half-time and even led 43-41 after the third quarter. But Amrutha, who was nicely supported by Nimmy Mathew and Olivia Shaibu, produced two three-pointers at a crucial stage in the last quarter and then came up with a nice lay-up as Alappuzha pulled off a stunning win.

For Thrissur, Aleena Antony’s 25 points went in vain.

Meanwhile Ernakulam men and Thiruvananthapuram women, the defending champions, cruised into the semifinals.

Ernakulam men, despite losing three of their stars including Indian player Vaisakh with injuries, brushed aside Alappuzha 77-37 while Thiruvananthapuram women toyed with Pathanamthitta for a 67-20 verdict.

The results (quarterfinals):

Men: Ernakulam 77 (Muhammed Shiras 24, T.M. Rijas 14, Sayyan Mohammed 12) bt Alappuzha 37; Thrissur 64 (Jeo Lonappan 17, Shibin Shaji 15, Bewin K. Biju 14, Muhammed Irfan12) bt Pathanamthitta 48 (Athul Augustine 21, Subin Thomas 10); Thiruvananthapuram 52 (Jerome Prince 12) bt Palakkad 38 (Ajay Diji 15, Sudarshan 12).

Women: Thiruvananthapuram 67 (Aneesha Cleetus 20, Susan Florentina 16) bt Pathanamthitta 20 (S.S. Krishna Priya 11); Kottayam 79 (Akshaya Philip 23, Reena Ronald 18, Sree Lakshmi 11, Irin Elsa John 11) bt Kozhikode 43 (P. Devangana 13, Anaga Thulasidas 13); Alappuzha 59 (E.K. Amrutha 27, Nimmy Mathew 11, Olivia T. Shaibu 11) bt Thrissur 57 (Aleena Antony 25, P.K. Akla 10, Aleena Jaison 10); Palakkad 73 (Chippy Mathew 22, V.J. Jayalakshmi 18, Aiswarya Sabu 11) bt Ernakulum 54 (Rebecca Martin 19, Amanda Maria Rocha 11).

-Stan Rayan