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Against all odds, a labourer’s daughter dreams of winning an Olympic medal

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3 years ago

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Coming from a small village in Uttar Pradesh and setting a record in long jump for Delhi, the story of Shivani Soam has drama, emotion and the determination to overcome all odds, including the barriers erected by the male chauvinistic society.

Hailing from a village in Moradabad district, choosing sports was not easy for Shivani. From getting flak for wearing shorts to practicing with boys, life wasn’t easy for Shivani in her village.

But her dedication and determination to do something in sports saw Shivani go ahead despite the taunts. The society, which used to berate her and her family, is today lauding her achievements. The mind-set of the people has changed after Shivani won silver in the 30th North Zone Junior Athletics championship, organised by the Haryana Athletics Association at Rohtak in October 2018.

“All this was not easy for me. My parents used to work in Delhi as daily-wage labourers. At the time of the first Covid-19 wave, the financial situation went from bad to worse for us. We had to return to our village from Delhi. There, when I used to go for practice in the morning, I was the target of taunts. Still, I continued my training,” Shivani told IANS.

Taunts were not the only problem Shivani faced. During the lockdown, when her parents had no work, a situation arose when she even though of leaving the sport. However, she continued her passion against all odds.

Shivani concedes that the pandemic period in 2020 was like an ‘earthquake’ situation in her life.

“The lockdown affected us badly. We had to return to our village… we faced a different problem here. There are many problems for girls, but I did not give up and continued my practice. After a few months, when things became normal, we came back to Delhi, where Deepika ma’am (a sports management company head) contacted me. Since then I have not faced any problem. Now I am focusing on my game,” said the 20-year-old, who wants to breach the Asian Games qualifying mark.

Shivani won gold in the Delhi State Athletic Championship in August, 2019, with a record jump of 5.31 metre. The record is still in Shivani’s name. She says that she is putting in a lot of effort to breach the Asian Games qualifying mark of 6.45 metre.

“I made this record (Delhi State) in 2019. Since then, my performance has improved a lot, now I can easily cross 6.50 in training. It is not difficult for me to qualify for the Asian Games.”

Shivani has a dream of winning an Olympic medal. While the athlete is aware that the task is not easy, she is confident that one day she will be good to compete at the international level.

“For a player, the biggest dream is an Olympic medal. I have a dream of winning a medal at the Olympics. But before that, there will be an attempt to win a medal at the Asian Games. My jump is good now, and with a little improvement, I will qualify for the Asian Games. After that I will plan for the future,” Shivani told IANS.

Shivani thanked the sports management company ENGN and its head Deepika Das Pereira, and said that they have helped her a lot by paying for training.

“Shivani is a very talented girl. ENGN focuses exclusively on female athletes and helps them realise their potential and reach their goals. In its endeavour to encourage all women to make health and fitness a part of their life, it has also launched a product line of high quality performance wear at affordable prices. Part of the revenue is cycled back towards supporting the needs of their talent,” Pereira, head of talent and sports, ENGN, said.

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Ex-Mumbai captain Milind Rege passes away; players wear black armbands in Ranji Trophy match

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4 days ago

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February 19, 2025

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New Delhi, Feb 19: Former Mumbai captain Milind Rege passed away on Wednesday in Mumbai due to cardiac arrest. He was 76. He is survived by his wife Raj and two sons.

The Mumbai Cricket Association took to X to share the condolence message: “Deeply saddened by the passing of Mr. Milind Rege. A stalwart of Mumbai cricket, he served with dedication as Captain, Chairman of the Senior Selection Committee, Managing Committee Member, and Advisor. His legacy will forever be remembered. Heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones.”

The stalwart of Mumbai cricket, Rege was part of five consecutive Ranji Trophy title-winning seasons. An off-spinning all-rounder claimed 126 wickets in 52 first-class matches between 1966-67 and 1977-78. He also amassed 1532 runs, averaging 23.56 in those games.

Following his playing career, Rege remained closely involved with the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), holding various roles including selector and chief selector at different times. In 2020, he was appointed as an advisor to the MCA.

“Deeply saddened by the passing of Milind Rege Sir. A true stalwart of Mumbai cricket, his invaluable contributions as a player, selector, and mentor shaped generations of cricketers. His unwavering support and guidance will always be remembered, and his legacy will continue to inspire. He always stood by me, and I will forever be grateful. Heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones. May his soul rest in peace,” said MCA chief Ajinkya Naik.

Both the Mumbai and Vidarbha teams in the ongoing Ranji Trophy semi-final in Nagpur observed a minute’s silence before the start of the third day’s play in Rege’s memory. The Mumbai players also wore black arm bands.

Former India cricketer and head coach Ravi Shastri also condoled the demise of his friend. “Really sad to hear about the demise of a dear friend Milind Rege. A true champion in his contribution to Mumbai and Tata’s cricket all-round. A Mentor Par Excellence. Heartfelt condolences to Raj and family. God bless his soul,” he shared on X.

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National

Air India Super League 2025: Travel High Titans Clinch Title In First-Ever Pan-India Cricket Tournament

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2 weeks ago

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February 10, 2025

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Travel High Titans won the first edition of Air India Super League 2025, Air India’s first-ever pan-India cricket tournament. The Air India Super League 2025 brought together over 500 participants from 48 leading travel partners spanning Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai strengthening its ties with the industry.

Designed as both a competitive sporting event and a dynamic networking platform, the Air India Super League 2025 aimed to foster camaraderie between Air India and its valued travel partners, including travel management companies and online travel agents.

During the tournament, teams from various cities competed in regional Round Robin matches, with winners advancing to the National Finale in New Delhi. Air India flew down qualifying teams to the capital for the grand finale, held on Sunday at Chanakyapuri in New Delhi. Team Travel High Titans won the first Air India Super League 2025 trophy by 62 runs, beating Tripjack Warriors in a thrilling final match.

The Round Robin Winner trophy was awarded to the top team from each of the four cities, while finalists competed for the ultimate championship title. Participants and winners were also recognized in multiple categories, including ‘Man of the Match’, ‘Best Fielder’, ‘Most Catches in Air India Super League 2025’, ‘Player of Air India Super League 2025’, among others.

“With the Air India Super League 2025, Air India aims to create engaging and memorable experiences for its travel partners while also offering them a platform for networking,” said an official from Air India.

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Gukesh, Manu, Harmanpreet, Praveen picked for Khel Ratna Award

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2 months ago

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January 2, 2025

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New Delhi, Jan 2: World Chess champion Gukesh D and Paris Olympics and Paralympics medallists – Manu Bhaker (shooting), Harmanpreet Singh (hockey) and Praveen Kumar (para-athlete) are to be conferred with Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award 2024 by President of India Droupadi Murmu at a specially organised function at Rashtrapati Bhavan on January 17, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports announced on Thursday.

Gukesh recently became the youngest-ever World Chess Champion after outclassing China’s Ding Liren in the title battle in Singapore.

Manu became the first Indian athlete to win twin medals in a single edition of the Games in Paris, following a double bronze in the 10 m air pistol and 10 m air pistol mixed team event.

On the other hand, Harmanpreet led India to their second successive bronze medal in men’s hockey while Praveen bagged gold in the high jump T64 in the Paralympics.

Apart from the Khel Ratna, the Sports Ministry also named a 32-athlete list for the Arjuna Awards for outstanding performance in Sports and Games 2024. The list includes Jyothi Yarraji, Annu Rani, Nitu, Saweety, Vantika Agrawal, Salima Tete, Abhishek, Sanjay, Jarmanpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Rakesh Kumar, Preeti Pal, Jeevanji Deepthi, Ajeet Singh, Sachin Sarjerao Khilari, Dharambir, Pranav Soorma, H Hokato Sema, Simran, Navdeep, Nitesh Kumar, Thulasimathi Murugesan, Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan, Manisha Ramadass, Kapil Parmar, Mona Agarwal, Rubina Francis, Swapnil Suresh Kusale, Sarabjot Singh, Abhay Singh, Sajan Prakash and Aman.

Former cyclist Sucha Singh and former para-swimmer Murlikant Rajaram Petkar were awarded Arjuna Awards (Lifetime) for outstanding performance in Sports and Games.

Subhash Rana (para-shooter), Deepali Deshpande (shooting) and Sandeep Sangwan (hockey) were named Dronacharya Award 2024 recipients.

S Muralidharan (badminton) and Armando Agnelo Colaco (football) were awarded the Dronacharya Award in the lifetime category.

Physical Education Foundation of India was given the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar while Chandigarh University (overall winner), Lovely Professional University (first runner-up) and Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar (second runner-up) were awarded Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy 2024.

The overall top-performing university in Khelo India University Games is given the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy.

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