All posts tagged: 2024 Olympics

Shooter Arjun Babuta cried at Karni Singh Shooting Range when he returned to practice after heartbreak at Paris Olympics | Sport-others News

Shooter Arjun Babuta cried at Karni Singh Shooting Range when he returned to practice after heartbreak at Paris Olympics | Sport-others News

Published by Webster

On the first of October this year, the dim lights of the rifle range at the Karni Singh Shooting range lit up. A lone figure walked towards his lane, took out his rifle and made some adjustments to his weapon. It had been close to two months since he had touched that rifle. That extended period of distance was needed for Arjun Babuta after he finished in the dreaded fourth position at the Olympics. Eight shots was all Arjun Babuta could muster in his return to a shooting range after missing out on a medal by the barest of margins at the Chateauroux Shooting Range. The few hits fuelling the memory of how things went down for him in one of best debut campaigns of an Indian Olympic shooter – best by the standards of most but not him. It was around the eighth shot where the tears started to flow and the futility of a traumatic training session made him stop and walk away. “I never imagined that this 4th (place) thing would happen, …

Hardik Singh at Idea Exchange: ‘We cover up each other’s mistakes, don’t point fingers … that’s the new Indian style’ | Sport-others News

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Vice captain Hardik Singh on Indian hockey’s revival, the unique team-building exercises in the build-up to the Olympics, how playing more frequently with Pakistan could help both nations and the importance of having all-weather fans. The session was moderated by Deputy Associate Editor Mihir Vasavda Mihir Vasavda: You have an Olympic rings tattoo on your arm but the top part of the centre ring is incomplete. Why is it so? My wish is to win a gold medal at the LA Olympics in 2028 so I can complete that tattoo. I will have a complete set of rings only after a gold medal. This was the idea from the beginning. I want my Olympic tattoo to be slightly different than normal, so I did this. Mihir Vasavda: In the days leading up to the Olympics, you were in the Swiss Alps, away from the game and everything else. Very few Indian athletes have approached an Olympics like that. It was a crazy idea to go there. I don’t think I would take my team there …

Paris 2024 lessons for badminton officials: Look beyond organising tournaments | Badminton News

Published by Webster

The Badminton Association of India (BAI) didn’t have much to do in matters of who represented the country at the Olympics. The Indian squad of seven – PV Sindhu, HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty, Ashwini Ponappa and Tanisha Crasto – made it to the Paris Games because of the world rankings they had earned. BAI would wish there were 3 women in singles in the Top 16 bracket and they would have to hold trials to pick the most-likely ones to medal. But India has no such riches to boast about. And it is the lack of this happy headache that should worry those running the sport in the country. The BAI has been lucky that the two coaching centres they support – in Hyderabad and Bangalore – have been rolling out champions. Pullela Gopichand ensured that Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu reached the Olympic podium and now the Vimal Kumar-Prakash Padukone combination brought Lakshya Sen into the semis at Paris. But are just two academies enough to cater to the gushing …

Shubhankar, Gaganjeet inch closer to Paris Olympics debut

Published by Webster

Top Indian golfers Shubhankar Sharma and Gaganjeet Bhullar are set to make their Olympic debut in Paris 2024. Shubhankar and Gaganjeet are ranked 47 and 52, respectively, on the Olympic Golf Rankings (OGR) as of April 29 and are expected to be among the 60 professionals teeing off on August 1 at the Le Golf National. Both golfers are supported by the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) of the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports. Talking about his preparation, Shubhankar said, “I am happy with myself and where I stand today. It’s work in the right direction. More than the challenges now, it’s just about getting that week right. I am very positive.” The financial assistance extended to Shubhankar under TOPS will cover the cost of competing in nine DP World Tour events apart from two Major championships – the United States Open and British Open – besides coach fees, engaging physiotherapist and dietician services, airfare, board and lodging and out-of-pocket allowance. Shubhankar has immense respect for Gaganjeet Bhullar, his senior on the professional circuit. …

Anshu Malik: From eating sushi and honing wrestling skills in Japan to winning Paris Olympic quota | Sport-others News

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It’s been some time since it happened, but Dharamveer Malik still has a tinge of disbelief as he narrates the story. The farmer from Nidani, Haryana, and his wrestler daughter Anshu are at the house of a Japanese wrestling prodigy, Akari Fujinami. The two-time world champion and reigning Asian Games gold medallist is feeding Anshu and Dharamveer a bowl of ramen, accompanied by some sushi. “Hum ne bhi use roti khilai (we also made her eat roti),” Dharamveer says. This culinary exchange might not have been on Anshu’s to-do list when she decided to travel to Japan earlier this year for a training stint. But the dinner table conversations with the latest in Japan’s long assembly line of world-class women wrestlers – in addition to many during training – left a lasting impression on Anshu’s mind. ”Not just her, but all Japanese wrestlers and coaches we met there were so open, so polite in sharing tips and ideas that Anshu returned as a better wrestler,” Dharamveer tells The Indian Express from Bishkek. On Saturday, she …

Nikhat Zareen’s road to Paris Olympics: Plenty of air miles, sparring with a major rival, missing out on Eid at home | Sport-others News

Published by Webster

“Right now, there aren’t many butterflies,” says Nikhat Zareen, mindful that before she steps inside the ring in Paris, she might have to indulge in a bout with the nerves when the Olympics come closer. She’s only heard of the anxieties and pressures that come as a package with the Olympics but never experienced the feeling before. This will be the two-time world champion boxer’s first jab at the Games. In just under 100 days, she’ll make her Olympics debut. A symbolic mark that is a reminder that the world’s biggest sporting festival is still some time away but at the same time, not too far either. By the time she reaches Paris from her training base in Patiala – via Sofia, Montenegro, Kastamonu, Bangkok, and Saarbrucken – Nikhat would have raked up the air miles and travelled close to 22,000 km. These are the places she’s visited in the last few months and will travel to in the next few weeks to test her limits, gain competition experience, and gather the slightest of intel …

At Paris Olympics, Indian athletes to get a taste of home: Dal, roti, aloo-gobi, chicken curry | Sport-others News

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The upcoming Paris Olympics could see Indian sportspersons landing some comfort food on their plates. In a first, in the dining halls of the Athletes Village will be specially curated steamed Basmati rice, dal, roti, aloo-gobi, gently-spiced Indian-style chicken curry and an assortment of South Asian broths. Shiva Keshavan, who was recently appointed India’s deputy chef de mission for the Olympics, said the menu was passed on to the Paris organisers of the Games during their recent meeting with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). He said the early recce meeting was held to ensure Indian athletes would feel at home, even in the crucible of high-pressure competition, far away from the country. “Many of our recommendations for a modified menu to include Indian dishes were accepted. Each one was cleared by a nutritionist,” said Keshavan, a former Winter Games luge athlete. Contingents from previous Games have often highlighted the need for an Indian menu, he added. “Food tends to be a big issue with our athletes. Of course, at the Olympics you can engage with …

With completely new support staff, and Prakash Padukone by her side, PV Sindhu regaining her attacking game ahead of Olympics | Badminton News

Published by Parlour News

PV Sindhu’s support staff (coach, trainer, physio, nutritionist, strategist) has been completely replaced in 2024 from her 2016 team, when she won her first Olympic medal. But Sindhu’s pivoting from Hyderabad to Bengaluru, from Pullela Gopichand to Prakash Padukone – via Park Tae Sang, Vidhi Chaudhary, Hafiz Hashim and Agus Santoso – is in pursuit of the same end goal – making her an aggressive, attacking player once again. At Bengaluru, the defensive delaying of kill shots till late in the rally is being scrubbed clean. The jump hop-smash has resurfaced and Sindhu’s lunging at the net with more assurance. Padukone has rejigged her drops – helping choose the right moment to play them to end a rally, with the smash as a set-up shot, not the kill. Back in the day, she didn’t need to bother with nuance on the smash and could hit through. Now she bides her time, but never gets defensive, dictating rallies. Sindhu’s third-game endurance is still pretty wretched. But she nicked a 21-19 middle game against Carolina Marin in …

Hockey: As Harmanpreet Singh crosses 200-cap milestone, his strike rate remains phenomenal but concerns over back-ups remain | Hockey News

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The words of Dutch head coach Jeroen Delmee before the India vs Netherlands FIH Pro League match in Bhubaneswar and Hardik Singh after it had one sentiment in common: Harmanpreet Singh is pretty good at what he does. Delmee said that for his side to keep India at bay, they needed to avoid conceding penalty corners. Hardik said he was always confident of his team making a big play if they could just get a penalty corner in time… which he did with two minutes left for Harmanpreet to fire a rocket to equalise at 2-2 against the world No.1 side. The Indian captain had a weekend to remember at the Kalinga Stadium as he marked his 200th senior appearance with a game-saving goal against the Dutch, after a brace against Spain. “It’s always a privilege to wear the Indian jersey and whenever I wear this, it feels like I’m wearing it first time,” he posted on social media later. ‘I’m a Harman fan’ Someone who has seen Harmanpreet develop from close quarters is Rupinder …

Story behind medals of Paris 2024: Athletes on the podium get to take home a piece of the Eiffel Tower | Sport-others News

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When one thinks of Paris, one thinks of the Eiffel Tower. In 2024, one thinks of the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games too. And athletes from around the world who will finish on the podium at Paris 2024 will get to take home a piece of the Eiffel Tower. On Thursday, the organisers announced that the medals to be handed out at the Summer Games will be set with hexagon-shaped tokens forged out of scrap metal from the iconic monument. The idea was to link the Games with the symbols of France, said Thierry Reboul, creative director of Paris 2024. “The absolute symbol of Paris and France is the Eiffel Tower,” Reboul told reporters. “It’s the opportunity for the athletes to bring back a piece of Paris with them.” The Olympic medals usually follow a theme. Last time around, the medals were moulded from metal extracted from recycled consumer electronics as part of the Tokyo 2020 Medal Project, which involved Japanese citizens donating electronic devices for the cause. For the Paris medals, the original iron …