Mary Kom beat Lynsey Holdaway from Wales 9-2 in the quarter-final to set up a clash with Alice Appari of the Philippines, whom she had beaten in their only face off six years ago.
The mother-of-two from Manipur took a narrow 2-1 lead in the opening round and built on it in the next two rounds to be 6-2 ahead by the third round. In the final round, Mary Kom launched an all-out attack to seal the issue in her favour.
"It was not all that tough for me. I had never faced her before but didn't have to slog too much. So far so good," the 27-year-old said after the bout.
"Despite the increased competition, I think I can still dominate my category. I am not bragging but it hasn't been very tough for me despite the fact that I have already played three rounds. My body is also feeling great," she said.
Talking about her next-round opponent, Mary Kom, who was conferred the Khel Ratna award last year, said, "I know this girl. I beat her in 2004 and hopefully even this time I would win. I will try my best. I have my fingers crossed for a fifth consecutive gold."
Dubbed 'Magnificent Mary' by the International Boxing Association, the Indian has the unique feat of having won a medal in each of the previous World Championships. She was silver-medallist in the inaugural edition and has not settled for anything less then a gold after that.
Among other Indians, Kavita too advanced to the semifinals by beating Adriana Hosu of Romania 9-6. She will face Kateryna Kuzhel of the Ukraine in the last-four stage on Friday.
But there was disappointment as well, with Laxmi Padiya (81kg) losing 4-18 to Kazakh Marina Volnova on Wednesday night.
The current edition of the World Championship features 72 countries. The increased competition has hit 2006 overall champions India rather hard with just two medals assured this time.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Mary Kom Continues to Shine at World Championships
Suranjoy Aims For CWG Gold And Much More
By Gaurav Kanthwal
And was it providence that has made this 24-year-old a sailor by profession?
For Mayengbam Suranjoy Singh, it has to be both: coincidence because in a state where a sizeable population of youngsters still go astray to illiteracy, unemployment or insurgency; and providence, because in a landlocked place like Manipur, very few get to see the crests and troughs of life he has seen in the last six years.
From the height of being a bronze medallist in the 2004 Junior World Championships to the obscurity of a failed athlete in hiding and then again to the acme of being AIBA's Best Boxer of the year 2009, the Navy man has seen it all.
"It was a watershed year in my career. Of the six times I took the ring in an international competition, four times I returned with gold and once a bronze. The most memorable, of course, was the gold in Asian Boxing Championships for India after a gap of 15 years," the 2009 national champion fondly recalled.
What Suranjoy can never ever forget are those excruciating four years (2004 to 2008) when he got stuck in doldrums. The albatross of stagnation hung around his neck and frustration kept hovering around his being. No matter how hard he would try, there seemed no way out.
Niggling injuries, being dropped and at times bad luck - his miseries seemed unending.
But, the gritty sailor kept on charting unknown waters because he knew boxing, as is sailing, is a lonely sport and you cannot afford to lose hope.
Hope came as AIBA changed the format to three rounds of three minutes each and this time Suranjoy found the wind behind his sails. "The change in format turned the tide for me. It suited my aggressive style. I worked on my stamina and strength and remained positive even if I was losing initially. Luckily, by the end of 2008, results started pouring in."
The inherent advantage of being a southpaw and amazing reflexes lend an edge to his attacking and counterattacking game. "Off late, he has worked hard to pack power in his punches and that has made him even better," said Services coach C Kuttapa.
"He is focused and has a good chance of pulling it off in the CWG, if he fights to his potential. He won a gold in Commonwealth Championships in March this year and the competition is going to be more or less the same in Delhi. Still, he has to be cautious against new boxers in the fray," chief national coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu said.
Delhi Games may just be a stop over before Suranjoy moves on to the next and bigger destination in China ( Asian Games). But, Suranjoy's big ambition is to make a mark at the London Olympics two years from now.
X-factor
Don't go by the rankings - Suranjoy has been riding the crest for the past one year and winning medals with consistency. He even got a standing ovation after the final in a competition in Cuba this year for his aggressive skills and was awarded the 'Best Fighter' award. The form he is in, a standout show in Delhi Games is on the cards although he will have to keep a watch on Welsh opponent Daniel Chapman whom he defeated in the Commonwealth Championships semifinals this year.
Trivia
Belonging to Uchiwa village of Imphal district in Manipur, the flyweight boxer is popularly known as 'Chota Tyson' among his mates, after the legendary heavyweight. He has got the same looks, aggro and attitude inside the ring. Sporting tattoos on both shoulders - boxing gloves on his left and a fire-spewing dragon on the right - he says, "Sometimes, I just can't resist going all out after an opponent."
He took up the sport emulating his elder brother M Suranjit Singh, also a former international boxer.
M Suranjoy Singh World rank 13 (in 51kg)
Record:
2010:
- Commonwealth Boxing Championships, New Delhi Gold
- Training-cum-competition in Cuba Silver and 'Best Fighter' award
2009:
- Chemistry Cup Halle/Saale, Germany Bronze
- European GP in Usti Nad Labem, Czech Republic Gold
- Asian Boxing Championships in Zhuhai, China Gold
- The President's Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan Gold
- National Championship Winner in flyweight category
2008:
- Chemistry Cup Bronze
- World Military Championship Silver
2004:
- Junior World Championships Bronze.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Mary Kom Opens With Win in World Championship
Dubbed 'Magnificent Mary' by the International Boxing Association (AIBA), Mary Kom was slightly cautious to start with before gaining in confidence to lead 2-0 after the opening round.
The mother-of-two from Manipur built on the lead making it 6-0 in the second round. Mar Kom added four more points to her kitty in the next two rounds to round off a dominating performance.
Her next opponent in the pre-quarterfinals tomorrow would be Jenny Smith of Australia.
However, there was disappointment for India in the 54kg category when Priyanka lost 6-10 to Asian Champion Zhang Qin of China.
At the end of the first round, Priyanka trailed 2-4 and never really recovered from the deficit to bow out of the tournament in the opening round itself.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Boxing Goes Hand in Glove With Mary Kom
By Sanjoy Majumder
New Delhi, Sep 9 : A diminutive woman, no more than five feet tall, feints and sways away from a punch.
Then, dancing around the boxing ring, her left hook slams into her much larger opponent, making her rival wince in pain.
A gong sounds, the referee strides forward and lifts her arm and the crowd explodes. This is the woman India calls "Magnificent Mary" - MC Mary Kom - mother of two young twins and four-time world boxing champion.
She's preparing for the women's world boxing championships in Barbados, where she is hoping to win a fifth title, but her long-term goal is the London Olympics in 2012.
"When I was small, I was very interested in fighting - karate, kung fu and boxing. I used to always watch action movies, all the Jackie Chan movies," she says breaking into peals of laughter.
Her halting English and infectious smile only adds to her charm and in a country where her sport is not that well-known, she's become quite a star.
But to get a true picture of her status, you need to travel all the way to India's north-east and her home state of Manipur, right beside the border with Burma.
She grew up in the countryside amidst lush green paddy fields with mountains swelling in the distance.
Her parents still work in the fields, as she once did.
The fields where Mary Kom once worked
It was a tough upbringing in a state hit by a violent insurgency. Even our presence brought soldiers out from the neighbouring army base.
Inside the family home, one she visits only occasionally, the neighbours have dropped in as well as Mary Kom boils water to make some tea.
"She never told us she'd taken up boxing," her father Tonpa tells me.
"We only found out when we read in the papers of her success in a local competition. In fact, I didn't really want to encourage her to become a sportsperson because I thought it would cost a lot of money, more than we could afford."
Crowd-puller
Mary's success has made quite a difference to her parents' economic circumstances. "She supports the family now," Tonpa says.
But it's not just her family that's proud of her.
During a visit to her primary school, the Loktak Christian Mission School, she's immediately mobbed by the students who crowd around her clamouring for her autograph.
The school's run by the local church and its modest grounds are where she first made her mark as an extraordinary athlete.
"She used to run up and down the dirt track outside the school because we didn't have a proper running track," says one of her teachers, Surchandra Singh.
"She used to be so fast, like the wind," he says grinning.
Autograph hunter at Loktak Christian Mission School
Now she's an inspiration not just in her village but the entire state.
At a crumbling indoor stadium in Imphal, the Manipuri capital, 60 boys and girls trade punches under the watchful eye of their coach, Ibomcha Singh, who looks like a cross between a Zen master and Mike Tyson.
This is also where Mary Kom first began boxing 10 years ago and under the same coach.
He laughs as he recalls how she came up to him one afternoon and asked to join his training sessions.
"I said 'no' - you are a girl and besides you are so small and thin. Then she started crying. After giving it some thought, I took her in."
Honour boards line the stadium walls and one name leaps out: MC Mary Kom, World Champion.
This modest training ground has now become India's boxing nursery and many hope to follow in her footsteps.
A ripple runs through the group as Mary Kom walks in clad in a t-shirt, sweat pants and trainers.
A warm-up session begins followed by an intense sparring session with the coach.
"Gold at London 2012, that's what I want," she says afterwards, breathing heavily as she wipes the sweat of her face.
"After that I can retire," she says, breaking once again into that infectious laugh.
Despite her good humour, the pressure on her is intense. After all she carries the hopes not just of her Manipuri community but a country of one billion people.
via BBC News
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Lifting The Weight of a Scandal
Monika Devi has shrugged off a two-year doping ban to emerge as India’s best lifter ahead of the Commonwealth Games
By Rudraneil Sengupta
She looks content and happy, which is no mean feat for a woman who, just two years ago, could not stop crying. Her blossoming career as India’s best weightlifter had almost come to an abrupt and scandalous halt just as she was ready for the big stage.
Everything was going well for Monika Devi before the 2008 Beijing Olympics—she had finished 11th in the 2007 Weightlifting World Championship, ensuring her qualification for the Olympics, and in the 2008 Asian Championship she was the only medalist for India.
“I was the only athlete to qualify for weightlifting at the 2008 Olympics,” she says. “I was completely confident. A month before Beijing, I saw the international qualifying results on the Net, and I was up there with the best.”
Then a series of curious incidents followed. The evening before her flight to Beijing, the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF) told her over the phone that her journey had been postponed, and they wanted her to come to the federation office in the morning for a felicitation. “I was puzzled by this sudden change in plans,” she says, “but I had no idea what was in store for me.”
She sensed something was wrong the moment she got to the federation office on the morning of 5 August 2008, because there was a large crowd of reporters outside the building.
“When they saw me, they began screaming—‘Tell us about the doping incident! What happened, Monika?’ I was in complete shock. I had no idea how to react,” she says.
What really happened was this—the Sports Authority of India (SAI) sent results of an out-of-competition test to the IWF, declaring that Monika Devi had tested positive for a banned substance. The IWF criticized the report, saying that it had no details about the sample tested or the banned substance that was found, but it had no option but to cancel her trip to Beijing. She broke down in front of TV cameras, protesting her innocence. Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh rushed to Delhi and asked the Prime Minister’s office to intervene. A few days later, on 9 August, the Indian Olympic Association cleared her name citing irregularities in the report, but conceded that it was too late to send her to the Olympics.
Harbhajan Singh, president of the IWF at the time, confirmed that the weightlifter had gone through 30 tests in 18 months before the Olympics, and that they were all clean.
“That’s what made this result really surprising,” says Singh, “Even though we have faced a lot of doping problems, we were really confident that Devi was clean.”
Monika Devi, meanwhile, quietly left for her home in the village of Nachou in Manipur.
“I slept for days. I was numb with depression,” she says. “My father let me be for a few days, but then started forcing me to get out in the morning and work out.”
For a whole year, she could not put her mind to training, and felt she had lost all focus.
“I’d train for a month, then leave it completely for another month, and reluctantly go back to it for another month,” she says. “It was a terrible time for me, because I thought that I’ll never get out of this rut.”
Her family kept pushing her to keep her in training, and to take her mind off the incident.
“People advised me to emigrate to Australia,” she says. “They said that the training facilities are better there, you’ll become a world beater.”
Monika Devi was almost ready to pack her bags.
But she finally managed to get back into a proper training rhythm in early 2009, and made a conscious decision to rid her mind of all thoughts and conversations of the scandal. “I just felt happy as my strength and focus started coming back to me,” she says.
This is not the end of the doping story though. A special anti-doping disciplinary panel set up to inquire into the doping charges against her got her B-sample results from a Tokyo laboratory in March 2009. It returned positive as well, showing traces of an anabolic steroid that boosts testosterone. Despite this setback, India’s national weightlifting coach Harnam Singh still thinks Monika Devi is innocent.
“Athletes need to use legal strength-building supplements to compete in the top flight,” he says, “but you need to have a really good doctor or nutritionist monitoring exactly what supplements an athlete is taking, but we didn’t have the best advisers then, and we still don’t have it. It’s very easy for an athlete to take a supplement laced with steroids and not know about it.”
The IWF banned her for the mandatory period of two years (given to first-time offenders), but was lenient in starting the ban period from June 2008, the date her positive sample was first tested. This meant that her ban ended in June, giving her a chance to get back into competition for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
This is something she does not want to talk about. It’s a closed chapter, she says. The Commonwealth Games, she hopes, will put an end to the whole doping saga. She can’t wait for them to begin, to step into the arena and compete again.
“I won silver in the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne,” she says, “but this time I have the strength to go for gold. My form is peaking again now, and I’m happy with the amount of power I’m generating.”
Her results at the trials for the Commonwealth Games, held last month, back her statement—she came out far ahead of her rivals with a combined lift of 229kg (102kg in snatch, and 127kg in clean and jerk). She hopes she can do better at the Games, because it will be a gift for her father who, in 1996, took a 14-year-old Monika to the SAI training centre in Imphal, introducing her to what would become a lifelong passion.
rudraneil.s@livemint.com
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Poised For a New Beginning
Women hockey players and new coaching staff try to bury the scandalous past, focus on upcoming challenges
By Rudraneil Sengupta
The brand new astroturf at the National Institute of Sports (NIS) in Patiala gleams even under a dull lead-grey sky. The thwack of hockey sticks hitting the hard white ball rings through the air insistently. It’s a welcome sound for the Indian women’s hockey squad, a break from the equally insistent noise generated by scandals, controversies and organizational chaos that saw the players retreat into a media blank-out.
The first blow came on 19 July, when Th. Ranjitha Devi, a player from Manipur, accused Maharaj Kishan Kaushik, then chief coach of the women’s team, of sexual harassment. The allegations were made in a letter to Hockey India, the sport’s governing body at the time, and had the signatures of 31 players. A video showing the then team videographer M. Basavaraj with prostitutes during a foreign tour was leaked as well.
Sticking on: (clockwise from top) The Indian women’s hockey team is preparing for the World Cup and Commonwealth Games at a camp in Patiala; coach in charge Somesh; and captain Surinder Kaur. Photos: Pradeep Gaur/Mint
As the scandal exploded, the women’s team quietly left for Busan, South Korea, for the Asia Cup. Kaushik resigned. Despite the circumstances, the team won bronze at the Asia Cup, beating World No. 3 China, 10 places above the Indian team—and it’s this kind of professionalism that the team hopes will stay with them as they prepare for the biggest prize of all, the Hockey World Cup, which begins on 29 August.
“Look, our girls are smart enough to know that they need to forget these incidents,” says Mamata Kharab, the former captain who missed a place in the squad owing to a knee injury. “It’s been a difficult time for us, but the World Cup is ahead of us, so is the Commonwealth Games—we’ve got two new coaches and we’re doing our best to cooperate with each other.”
Add to the sex scandal a good dollop of political chaos: The Union sports ministry tried to dismantle Hockey India (HI), saying it’s a private body and thus can’t represent a national sport, while the International Hockey Federation maintains HI is the only body it recognizes. You have all the makings of a tragedy here.
These issues still weigh heavily as the women prepare for the World Cup in an 11-day, hastily arranged camp at NIS—the body language is weary, their conversations measured and evasive. But preparations are now going ahead full steam. The days in Patiala always start early—at 6 in the morning the women’s hockey team is already out, running around the sprawling, 268-acre campus. Coach in charge Sandeep Somesh, in his white India jersey and baseball cap, has a quick chat with the women before they begin their 2-hour session of skilled training and set pieces. There is usually another 3-hour session in the evening, where they play practice matches.
Somesh, a former men’s international player, was part of the coaching staff under Kaushik. Two former captains of the women’s team, Pritam Siwach and Sandeep Kaur, were called up at the last minute to join Somesh on the staff for the World Cup and the Commonwealth Games.
“I got a call on Friday evening (6 August) asking me to join the team in Patiala on Monday,” says Siwach. “I was surprised, though somewhere in the back of my mind I knew I might be called up because they were looking for women on the staff after the scandal.”
Siwach adds their focus is mainly motivation, since the camp is too short to really make much of a difference in training and strategy.
“I had a few meetings with my team to try and put all the controversies behind us,” Somesh says. “I tried to hammer in the fact that we must be as professional as possible. Hopefully they have responded to these talks, but only the results can tell you that.”
Kaushik, who worked with the Indian women’s team for over 15 years, revolutionized it, taking the team from being no-hopers to international medallists. “He (Kaushik) led the way, there’s no doubt about that,” says Somesh. “We are fine-tuning systems put in place by him, he is the boss who put the women’s team where it is now.”
Under Kaushik, the team won gold at the 2003 Afro-Asian Games and 2004 Asia Cup, and silver at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, among others—an unprecedented run of success.
Kharab feels this momentum can be maintained. “He was a fantastic coach, and I’ve won many medals under him as captain,” she says, “but the work was put in by the girls, and the systems are in place—the set pieces, the game strategies—and I believe we can do well with that.”
The team’s captain, Surinder Kaur, believes that even for the World Cup, where the team is ranked 13, the preparations are on track. “Though the camp has been short, we’ve been preparing through the year,” she says. “We went to tour New Zealand, which is in our pool at the World Cup, and then we played Australia, which is also in our pool, at the four-nations tournament in Germany. So we are heading in the right direction.”
Kaur, though, feels that the real focus will be on the Commonwealth Games in Delhi. “We will be playing at home, in front of home crowds— any which way we are going for gold at the Commonwealth Games,” she says.
It’s a dream the rest of her battle-weary squad shares.
rudraneil.s@livemint.com
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Lalrindika Ralte Among Most Promising Youngsters in Indian sports
1. Avyay Gujral ( Football)
Avyay Gujral, this young lad has made all Indians proud, as he is one of those talented players who have been selected by Tata Tea Arsenal talent hunt, Coca Cola talent hunt and Belgian club Anderlecht to be a part of their football club. He has displayed his extraordinary feats, in Brazil as a part of the Coca Cola India U17 team. He even qualified for the Nike Talent Hunt, but as he is too young he could not earn a seat in the academy. Adding a feather to his cap he has also been a trainee at the Toronto FC. A student of Shri Ram School of New Delhi, he stands 6’2, depicting, an idol for younger generation and motivating them to get into the sport of football.
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2. Budhia Singh ( Marathon Runner)
Born in 2002, Budhia is World’s youngest Marathon runner. Budhia has finished races, upto 60 kilometers in roughly 6 hours 30 minutes. His running ability has led him, celebrity status and has made him endorse a number of commercials. These commercials and Budhia’s fame have allegedly lead to significant financial gains. There have been a number of controversies regarding these gains and has led to accusations of exploitation against his coach due to which an official inquiry by Indian child welfare officials was launched on 4 January, 2006. The same year in May, Budhia completed 65 kilometers (40 miles) run from Chapandie temple to Bhubaneshwar in seven hours, two minutes. This feat was registered in Limca Book of Records.
3. Shiva Thapa (boxing)
The 18-year old pugilist from Assam and a great fan of Mike Tyson, Shiva’s ring performance clearly sets a picture which describes him more than his age. Shiva has won ten boxing gold and three bronze medals from 14 National and International tournaments in which he had participated. He made a memorable entry into the World Boxing scenario in 2008 at the HyderAliyeve Cup at Azarbaizan in Russia when he won the gold. He has recently won a silver medal at the World Youth Boxing championship.
4. Sai praneet (Badminton).
Praneeth himself is a quiet performer but when on court his racquet does say for him. This 17- year ace has a tally of medals to his kitty. He has won Doubles bronze medal at the Youth Commonwealth Games at Pune in 2008, Team bronze medal at the Junior World Championship. He even reached the Semi-finals of Junior Dutch Open. No doubt he has great achievements and is an extraordinary player in Indian sports.
5. PV Sindhu (Badminton).
PV Sindhu is just 15 but has already created ripples in badminton circles. Daughter of former International volleyball player and 1986 Asian Games bronze medalist PV Ramana, Sindhu won a bronze medal in the Junior Asian Championship held at Colombo. She followed it with a runner up finish at the Iran Fajr International Tournament where she defeated much higher ranked players. She also reached the quarterfinals of the Junior World Championship which was held in Malaysia. She is the youngest member of the squad to reach the quarterfinals of the Uber Cup in 2010.
6. Rakesh Manpat (Shooting)
Rakesh Manpat is a young Indian rifle shooter with plenty of potential. He came first in the 10m Air Rifle at the selection trials, Pune, May 2009. He came 2nd at the 10m Air Rifle (Junior) at the 52nd National Shooting championship, Kerala 2009. He has been excelling in junior events and has been selected as a part of the core group of Indian shooters for the Commonwealth Games, 2010. Finished 5th in the 50th ISSF World Championships, Munich in 3 Position Junior Mens Event with 1160/1200 and established a New Jr.National Record on 5th August 2010. Qualified For Final round on 7th position With 592/600 points and in the Final round Finsihed 2nd(Silver Medal) with a Final round of all bully’s eye totaling 104.2 on 12th May 2010.
Manpat was attracted to the sport when he would watch his brother, also a professional shooter, practice in the Bangalore Shooting Range.
7. Lalrindika Ralte (Football)
Born on 7th September, 1992, Ralte’s presence, in the AFC U-19 Championship, formerly known as AFC Youth Championship, which is an annual football competition organized by the sport’s Asian governing body, Asian Football Confederation (AFC) states that the team heads to progress as Ralte is one of the top Midfielders of the team. A player of Churchill Brothers Ralte’s goals have lead India, win several matches at Junior level.
8. Rishika Sunkara (Tennis)Coached by Aditya Sachdeva, Rishika has been able to get her foundation strong due to her immense dedication towards the game. She entered the semifinals in the girls singles, of Asian Junior Tennis Championship after defeating the top seed Eri Hozumi of Japan. The 16-year old, drew everyone’s attention by reaching the quarterfinals of the $10,000 ITF women’s Tennis Tournament in Delhi, as a qualifier. The giant-killer, Rishika, moves smoothly on court and has the confidence to swing into her strokes gracefully. She is one of the few players, who is able to transfer her body weight, however light, into her smooth strokes.
9. Mohit Mayur Jayaprakash (Tennis)
Mohit Mayur Jayaprakash, is an uncanny tennis ace of Indian sports. Mohit reached the finals of Junior Tennis Tournament in the doubles category pairing with Rishabdev Raman. He even reached the finals of the same event in singles category. He competed in Wimbledon Junior Qualifiers this year. He is one of the most promising Junior Tennis players for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
10. Satnam Singh (Basketball)Satnam Singh, is one of the eight sub Junior players who have been selected by the coaches from the IMG Basketball Academy to join the academy in Bradenton in Florida, USA as full time scholars. Among 50 most talented sub-junior players Satnam got selected due to his enormous talent the right attitude and his hunger to succeed. This seven foot giant from Punjab was amongst the three Indian youngsters who attended the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders, which was a programme to motivate young Asian players, held at Singapore.
via sportskeeda
Meet Blair O’ Neal: The Sexy Queen of Golf
That does’nt end here. She also rocks with club music and when it comes to Catwalk sporting, perhaps she’s the one taking away all the attention. In January 2004, Blair became the Captainof the Golf team and a graduate with a degree in communications.
In 2008, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED hailed Blair as “One of the Hottest 50 Athletes of All-Time”. Blair also made it to the final 4, when the voting for “World’s Hottest Athlete” was going on. 
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Northeast Players Head Delhi’s Soccer Graph Northwards
By Jonathan Selvaraj
One of the stars of their performance was Tuishim Mashangva who top scored for the state with five goals.
Along with Tuishim, two others- Golmei and David Ngaite are from the Northeast. Originally from Manipur, Tuishim, Golmei and David are symbolic of the emergence of players from the Northeast in the capital’s football circuit.
While the aforementioned names are all part of the senior squad, there are many of their fellow states persons even in the secondary leagues. Robert Haokip, is a 17 year old Manipur native who plays for the Hans Club in Delhi’s B division.
Robert says “the reason I came to Delhi was to play soccer. In my state, it was impossible to get into a good club side. I played for a club, but it was always difficult to get much playing time. The truth is that in Delhi there is far less competition.
If you are reasonably good it’s much easier to get into a club.” Just 6 months into his Delhi sojourn, Robert took part in selection trials for the Delhi U-19 team and was picked to be a part of that team. “In Manipur, there is no way I could have made it to the state side so easily.”
But lack of competition isn’t the only reason for players from the Northeast to come to Delhi. NK Bhatia, Secretary of the Delhi Soccer Association says “we also get a lot of players, who are students or are working.
Where they come from, educational and work opportunities are less. When they are here, they try to continue with the sport simultaneously.” Its not an empty claim — Robert originally came to the capital to study.
Bhatia also sees the influx of players as a sign that things are looking up for football in Delhi. “We have finished 5th in the Santosh trophy - its no minor achievement.
The fact that so many people are playing in our league- not just from Northeast, but also from, Haryana, Goa Punjab and even from foreign countires means Delhi is creating a good name.”
Bhatia cites the recent Santosh Trophy success of Bengal which had several outside players as an example “ Delhi is not the only team with players from outside.
Even Bengal takes out of state players. Robin Singh is from Delhi, while Denson Devadas is from Kerala. If we are getting good players from other states, it will only help to boost competition amongst our own players.”
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Delhi Banks on Mashangava For a Place in Semis Against Mizoram
By Siddhartha Sharma
The two matches that Delhi drew with West Bengal and Tamil Nadu in the quarter-final phase have cost them heavy because their semi-finals birth is quite dicey now.
With Delhi set to play the last match of the quarter-final league phase against Mizoram, only a high score win against them can help them now to cruise through.
What it means for Delhi is that their lead striker Tuishim Mashangava has an added responsibility on his shoulders to convert the team’s half chances into match-winning results.
Unlike the last match, Delhi cannot afford to let loose their scoring chances this time. Having a goal count of five under his belt in this Trophy, Mashangava is ready to take on the challenge of spearheading the attack against Mizoram.
In a case of past coming to his fore again, it is interesting to note that Mashangava made it to the capital from Manipur, only last year, and now will be playing to save grace for his adopted state. Mashangava feels that his past experience of playing with some of the Mizo players, with whom he had played for local clubs, can prove crucial for his team to frame a good strategy.
“I used to play for Naroca club in Manipur and many players from Mizoram used to come and play the leagues there. So I know how their team thinking shapes up and we have worked hard to rub shoulders against them,” said Mashangava while talking to Sportline from Kolkata.
While the striker appreciates the Mizo defence, he thinks it can become a big deterrent to their chances of free scoring. Although Delhi’s attack has fired in the last couple of matches but he feels that speed will play an important role in penetrating their defence.
“Mizoram defence has always been good although they have conceded heavily in the last two matches against Bengal and Tamil Nadu. They play small passes which makes them look formidable. We cannot take them lightly as it is a do or die match for us,” he added.
Coach Ranjeet Thapa too has no doubts about his striker’s abilities. He said Mashangava has been playing to his expectations and has often scored goals for the team in crucial moments.
Thapa feels that if the youngster improves on his endurance and physical strength, he could be a player to watch out for in future. “He is a talented footballer with a lot of skills.
His control over the ball is good and we are hopeful he will score for us in the Mizoram tie,” added Thapa.
Team effort
Meanwhile, expressing his thoughts on the responsibility to score goals, Mashangava humbly added that football being a team sport is not a single player’s initiative, everybody needs to contribute their part.
He feels it was sheer teamwork which has lead to a decent performance so far in the Santosh Trophy. “I am not allowing any added pressure on myself when
I get ready to face Mizoram on Wednesday but I am confident that we will win this match,” said Mashangava.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Saina Nehwal: India's Badminton Star and 'New Woman'
As India's badminton world number two Saina Nehwal is awarded the country's highest sporting honour, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, BBC Sport writer Suresh Menon says the young star is a symbol of the new Indian woman.
When Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar started breaking records or shooter Abhinav Bindra won India's first individual gold at the Olympics, no-one asked them about their Bollywood ambitions. 
Saina Nehwal is eyeing August's world badminton championship in Paris
It is an absurd question to ask a serious athlete.
Yet it seems the obvious one to ask India's sportswomen. It was asked of the tennis star Sania Mirza. And, after her third successive Grand Prix title, of badminton player Saina Nehwal, the number two-ranked player in the world.
The two women from Hyderabad (although neither was born there) have to answer such questions in a country that has produced fewer than half a dozen world-class sportswomen.
Liberating
Mirza, 23, and Nehwal, 20, have to demonstrate to a sceptical India the liberating power of sport, its ability to reward hard work and its power to emancipate women.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote
End QuoteIndians find it difficult to understand female athletes' ambitions may not lie in getting married or dancing around trees singing meaningless songs ”
Already Mirza has gone from being a personality to becoming a brand. It is difficult to see her breaking into the world's top 10 now.
So the mantle has passed to Saina Nehwal, the one with fewer distractions and, importantly, the greater likelihood of becoming the number one in her sport.
Nehwal - whom Indian President Pratibha Patil will later this month present with the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, the country's highest sporting honour - has become a household name.
She is one of India's six brand ambassadors for the Commonwealth Games, which Delhi will host in October.
"I hope to win [August's] world championship in Paris," Nehwal says, her tone matter-of-fact, her vision unclouded by the possibility of emerging as the greatest Indian female athlete ever.
That position is currently occupied by PT Usha, the sprinter and hurdler who narrowly missed a medal at the Olympics but emerged as the continent's best.
Girl next door
Indians find it difficult to understand the female athlete, to work out that their greatest ambitions may not lie in getting married or dancing around trees singing meaningless songs.
They find such things as single-minded focus, ambition, physical training and personal sacrifices in the quest for sporting honours unbecoming of a woman.
"Indian sportswomen face a lot more challenges because of the nature of our society," says Prakash Padukone, who first put India on the world badminton map by winning the All England title in 1980.
In individual sport, the Indians who have made it big have only their parents to thank.
The Krishnans and Amritraj brothers in tennis, Padukone himself, world chess champion Vishwanathan Anand, Olympic gold shooter Bindra and a host of others made the grade thanks to the personal and financial sacrifices of their parents.
Nehwal, too, is in this tradition.
Her father, an entomologist, has refused promotions that might require leaving Hyderabad and thus endangering the training Saina receives under Pullela Gopichand, another All England winner.
Nehwal - and this is where she is different from some of the others - allows her coach the total freedom to shape her career.
Sacrifice
Nehwal, who first showed promise while winning the junior title at the Czech Open in 2003, has won three titles in a row, in Chennai, Singapore and Indonesia.
"Saina is exceptional," says Padukone, "she is technically sound, physically fit and mentally strong."
It is a range of attributes that has seldom come together in one Indian sportswoman.
After her run at the 1984 Olympics, it took Edwin Moses, the then top male hurdler in the world, to point out to Usha that the number of strides she took between hurdles was wrong.
Nehwal has the advantages of modern coaching methods, the intelligence to protect her ranking and the will to push herself to the top.
In a sporting system which increasingly decides the worth of a player by her market value, Nehwal is set to cross the 10m rupee ($2m; £1.4m) mark per endorsement, if brand gurus are to be believed.
If she is impressed by this, Nehwal shows no sign. She has sacrificed too many things over too many years to settle at a level lower than the one she set out to achieve.
"Why does everyone get excited about a girl who plays a sport only a few countries in the world are interested in? Tennis is so much bigger," Sania Mirza once said about the sportswoman she is often compared unfavourably with.
The answer is simple.
Indians might find it difficult to understand a focused sportswoman, but they can appreciate one.
Nehwal is the girl next door who is the embodiment of the cliche that when talent combines with hard work, the sky is the limit.
Her remarkable self-awareness makes her the symbol of the new Indian woman - independent and determined to make it on her own terms.
Just out of her teens, the badminton star is already lighting the path for women around the country - and not just sportswomen.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Mizoram Click as a Team, Finally
Mizoram football seems to have arrived on the national scene finally. The win against Kerala in the Santosh Trophy pre-quarterfinal match on Wednesday, which took them to the elite quarter-final stage for the first time, has set the tournament alight. Suddenly, Beingaichho Beokhokhei & Co, with their electrifying pace and short-passing game, are among the favourites to win the title.
Team manager Vanlal Ngheta is confident about going the distance. “The win against Kerala is a huge boost and now we are aiming big. The boys are young, very fit and agile. We are missing our top two stars S hylo Malswamtlunga and Lalram Luaha owing to injury.
But in Beokhokhei, skipper Zaidin Moya and Robert Lalthampuana we have quality. We are definitely a title contender,” Ngheta told The Indian Express.
This despite the lack of infrastructure in the state. “We don’t have a single proper football ground in the state. Boys practise on hard grounds. The local football set-up is also not something to speak of. Only six teams play in the first division league and there is not a single academy to groom the youngsters,” Ngheta said.
“The state government is interested in football. They support the game financially as private sponsorship doesn’t exist. The government is also planning to build a good stadium,” he said.
Notwithstanding the odds, there has been a steady flow of talents from Mizoram. Malswamtlunga, Luaha, Robert, Beokhokhei, PC Lalawmpuia — all have been representing the top clubs in the country. But unlike their next-door neighbour Manipur, they have so far failed to taste success as a team.
“Young talents are usually picked up by the spotters of the Tata Football Academy and SAIL Academy and are nurtured there. From there they burst into the big league. Sometimes there is help from the North-East Council as well,” Ngheta said.
Without a proper training facility back home, the Mizoram team arrived in Kolkata 15 days before the Santosh Trophy. They did some conditioning in Aizawl, and here they have been using the SAI facility.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Maradona No Longer The Coach of Argentina
Buenos Aires, Jul 28 : The Argentine Football Association said Tuesday that it would not renew Maradona’s contract, ending his erratic 21-month stint in charge of the national team that had mirrored his own long personal history of unpredictable behavior and defiance.
The AFA had offered him a four-year contract to continue through to the 2014 World Cup, but Maradona said he would only stay if his entire staff remained. 
AP Argentina's head coach Diego Maradona reacts prior to the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between Argentina and Germany in Cape Town, South Africa on July 3, 2010.
That was an unacceptable condition to AFA president Julio Grondona, who wanted to replace several assistants including Maradona’s close friend, Alejandro Mancuso.
The AFA executive committee sided with Grondona on Tuesday, ending Maradona’s tenure.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Sex scandals in sports scary, Shameful: Mary Kom
New Delhi, Jul 26 : The sex scandals that have rocked hockey and weightlifting are "scary and shameful", says Khel Ratna awardee woman boxer M C Mary Kom, who feels male coaches should be kept away from female athletes at all times other then training.Speaking to PTI, the 25-year-old four-time world champion said although she has never encountered sexual harassment in her sporting career, it remains an everyday reality for all the women in the country.
"Whatever has happened in hockey is shameful and scary. When I first read about it, I was shaken. This was unexpected and the thought which scares me most is that it might be happening in every sport including my own," the pin weight 46 kg boxer from Manipur said.
"It's just not sports, sexual harassment is a harsh everyday reality for any woman in India [ Images ]. Girls should be protected. Female athletes should be made to feel safe at camps and in training areas," she added.
Mary Kom said having women coaches at the helm can help but she has no issues with men either provided safeguards are in place to prevent harassment and exploitation.
"Ideally, women should be chief coaches when it comes to women's sports but I don't mind male coaches either as long as there is no problem," the mother of two said.
"I feel male coaches and female athletes should not mix beyond the training time. Male coaches should be lodged in separate hotels when they are with a women's team. At camps, they should be staying away from stadiums where women are lodged. This can surely help in preventing such disgraceful episodes," she suggested.
Mary Kom was among the boxers who in 2002 refused to train at a camp in Hisar after an intruder misbehaved with one of the campers and she said the incident highlights the threats a woman athlete faces.
"Safety comes first. Unless we feel secure, we can't be expected to give our 100 per cent. That was a scary incident and we put our foot down demanding security and we managed to get it," she recalled.
The diminutive boxer said federations should act quickly and fairly while dealing with incidents of sexual harassment as such episodes don't just scar the victim but her teammates as well.
"As a woman athlete, I felt ashamed when I first heard of the scandal in hockey and weightlifting. That's the impact such an episode has. It doesn't just kill the morale of the victim but also the other members of the team," she said.
"That is why, it is important that the Federations do their job and act promptly. They should ensure that the victim is not traumatised and justice is done quickly," she added.
National Youth Women's boxing off to a Fine Start
The tournament, which will run from July 21 to July 25, is being organised by Assam Boxing Association. A total of 114 women pugilists from 22 states are participating in this prestigious event.
After the completion of the preliminaries, Assam and Manipur with 11 points each are at the top closely followed by Punjab with 11 points.
Five boxers from Assam have qualified into the semifinals while six from Manipur and Punjab. Other States like Haryana, Kerala, MP etc have less than 3 boxers in the semifinal line-up.
The performances of a few boxers such as Minu Basumatary of Assam and Monika Soun of Punjab have been outstanding in this championship so far. They have got great future ahead and will certainly don the national colors in the coming time.
Indian Boxing Federation is especially indebted to Mittal Champions Trust for having come forward to sponsor cash prizes for the women boxers.
All winners in preliminaries will be given Rs 500 for every bout won while the winners in quarterfinals will be given Rs 1000. Winners of the semifinals will get Rs 2000 and winners of finals will get Rs 3000.
The women boxers have an excellent chance of bringing medals for the country at Asian Games and Olympic Games due to their continuous exceptional performances.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Indian Hockey Sex Scandal – Ranjitha Devi Gets Manipur CM’s Support
Indian Hockey Sex scandal MK KaushikNew Delhi, Jul 23 : The Hockey India committee is seriously looking into allegations of sexual harassment made by Ranjitha Devi against former Indian women’s hockey team coach M K Kaushik.
According to news sources, The committee will also talk to some of the players who have supported Ranjitha Devi. After resigning as national women’s hockey coach, MK Kaushik has filed his reply to the committee on 22nd July.
This issue has also taken political overtones as Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh is likely to meet the union sports minister M.S. Gill about this matter. Indian woman hockey player Ranjitha Devi is from Manipur, she got good support from Manipur CM.
Rajeev Mehta, chairman of the Hockey India Committee said “Ranjitha and her supporters have made a written submission, The committee will meet on Friday and go through it”.
The committee met both Kaushik and Ranjitha on Wednesday afternoon to record their versions.
Earlier, when MK Kaushik was contacted, he denied the allegations. He said “I don’t know who has written the letter. But whoever has written it, I want the ministry to find out and punish the perpetrator for slandering my name. That’s all I have to say about this.”
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Packed Off to Delhi For studies, Robert Excels in Football
By Jonathan Selvaraj
With 9 goals in 4 games Robert has single-handedly won games for Hans Club that mostly has players over the hill.
Growing up near Churachandpur, Robert would often skip school to become the striker for local side Bvenom in the district trophy.
“I got my first pair of boots only in class 9. My uncle bought them for me.”
Coming to Delhi seems to have worked wonders for the youngster.
Robert’s brother Sam, was a member of the Hans club and after a lot of pestering Sam put in a word with the coach Manoj for his cousin.
He immediately got a game with Hans and scored four goals in his first game and nine overall.
Coach Manoj raves about his finishing skills.
Robert though is modest about his achievement. “It’s far easier to play in Delhi than it was in Manipur.
Over there I could compete with players of my age, but the older players were so strong, they could break someones leg with a single kick. In Delhi the competition is much easier.”
Lucky break
He got another lucky break, when he came across a notice in a newspaper calling for tryouts for the Delhi state U-19 squad. Robert showed up, was given five minutes in a trial match and scored two goals.
Some time later, he was given another five minutes and scored two more. Selected for the Nationals which were held in June , he accompanied the team to the Salt Lake stadium, where he scored 5 goals in 3 matches including a hat-trick against Pondicherry.
His stay in Kolkata though has motivated him to try for bigger things.
“I know its a long way off, but perhaps I could play for Mohun Bagan”
Of course the purpose of Robert’s Delhi stay was to study. While Robert has enrolled in the science course through the open schooling system, that has been the extent of his efforts and hasn’t opened a book since he came to the city.
He has his exams in three months time and reckons that’s long enough to prepare — so long as he decides not to play football.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Chak De in Sex for Indian Hockey
New Delhi, Jul 21 : Two big scandals have rocked Indian hockey with a support staff member having been accused of sexual misconduct while on a tour and women's team coach M K Kaushik having declined to travel for the Asia Cup after a player complained against him.
Shocking pictures have sunk the reputation of the women's national hockey team to a new low after an official of the Sports Authority of India, who was the videographer of the team during the tour of China and Canada, was clicked in compromising positions with call girls in China in March and April. Hockey India says it has sacked him with immediate effect.
But even as this drama was playing out, fingers were being pointed at chief coach MK Kaushik as well. An official complaint has been registered against him by a squad member, accusing him of asking for sexual favors. The player, who we will not name is not in the Indian team for next week's Asian champions trophy in Seoul, South Korea.
Hockey India secretary-general Narinder Batra said, "These are serious allegations and will be dealt with seriously. Certain members of the team might be going through fear psychosis but it's good this has come out in the open as we will now take corrective action and resolve the issue."
CNN-IBN has learnt that Kaushik, an Olympic gold medalist and one of the most successful and longest serving coaches in women's hockey has withdrawn himself from the team. He has informed Hockey India that he will return only when his name is cleared.
Hockey India has constituted a four-member committee including two former captains to get to the bottom of the matter. But once again the national game has been reduced to a national shame.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Spain Champs World Cup 2010
Andres Iniesta struck deep into the second half extra time to give Spain their maiden World Cup title with a 1-0 victory
Iniesta scored the winner in the 116th minute after both the sides were locked goal-less in the regulation 90 minutes in an ill-tempered grand finale which saw the ejection of Dutch defender John Heitinga in the 110th minute for his second booking and another 12 yellow cards being shown.
Spain, who had never gone beyond quarterfinals before this World Cup, today bagged world football's most coveted trophy after 13 appearances since 1934.
New world champions Spain, the eighth such team in history, now join Brazil (five titles), Italy (four), Germany (three), Argentina (two), Uruguay (two), France (one) and England (one).
Fittingly a new world champion was crowned at the first World Cup in Africa which was one of the most successful editions in FIFA history, though the summit clash was short of a classic besides the rough play of the players.
When captain Iker Casillas lifted the World Cup trophy from FIFA chief Sepp Blatter at the Soccer City Stadium, reigning European
On the other hand, the Netherlands failed to erase their agony of finishing losing finalists twice in 1974 and 1978 and remained world football's underachievers.
Spain also became the first European country to win the World Cup outside their continent, a feat which could not be achieved by Italy, Germany, England and France.
The 'La Roja', as Spain is known as, now join Brazil and Argentina who have World Cup triumphs outside their continental zone.
It has been fabulous two years for Spain who won the European Championships in 2008 -- their second after 1964 --and has now become world champions. They are the only second side to be the reigning European and world champions at the same time after France -- 1972 European Champions and 1974 World Cup winners.
The first half of the final match was largely a dull contest of midfield domination which no side could do prominently but the second session and the extra time dished out an exhibition of fast-paced and open football with both sides wasting chances galore.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Favourites Sail on Opening Day of India Boxing Nationals
Asian Youth silver medallist Devendro Singh sensationally out-classed his rival within the first three minutes of his bout while former Commonwealth champion Sunil Kumar toiled hard for his opening win in the 57th Senior Men's National Boxing Championships in New Delhi on Saturday.
Sunil came back from 0-3 down to pull off a 6-3 triumph over Bahadur Singh of Uttarakhand, who frustrated the Haryana boxer by keeping a tight guard for almost half the bout before being outwitted in the closing stages.
18-year-old Devendro, on the other hand, made a blink and you miss appearance as he outclassed Pondicherry's Mathan Kumar under three minutes.
The Manipuri teen, who idolises statemate and former world youth champion Thokchom Nanao Singh, led 3-0 before landing the decisive right hook that left his opponent dazed and the referee convinced that Devendro was just too good for his rival in the blue corner.
"I enjoy playing at the senior level and take inspiration from Nanao who is also my room-mate at the Army Sports Institute in Pune," said Devendro, who came into the event with his confidence sky high after winning a gold medal in the National Youth Championships in Chennai, last month.
Well aware that a medal here could help him get into the core group of boxers for the Commonwealth Games, Devendro said he was aiming to cause some upsets in a competitive category.
"I am confident of taking down the senior guys. I think I have the ability," he said.
It was smooth sailing for the other favourites as well on a day which featured just 12 bouts and that too only in the light fly weight 49 kg category.
Prominent among them was reigning Commonwealth champion Amandeep Singh of the Railways Sports Promotion Board, who hardly broke a sweat to clinch it 7-0 against Tripura's Manoj Kumar.
Former World Cadet champion Vipin Kumar, who had faded into oblivion after a fracture in his left hand, won 7-3 against Kripa Shakar of Madhya Pradesh. Vipin is representing the Uttar Pradesh state team.
"The fracture just ruined everything for me. This Championship would give me a chance to resurrect my career. I hope I can prove my worth," the boxer, who didn't just win a gold at the World Cadet Championship of 2007 but was also named the Best Boxer of the event, said.
Among others, Himachal Pradesh's Baljinder won 5-4 against Assam's Bikas in a hard-fought bout.
Services Sports Control Board's Sanjay Kolte, a former international medallist, out-classed Gujarat's Patra Pratap.
More than 250 boxers are competing in the event, where participation is compulsory except for those who are medically unfit.
