National
Building his own shooting range during lockdown, meditation helped Singhraj claim bronze
With the country in an extended nationwide lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, para shooter Singhraj was losing sleep as his preparations for Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games were getting disrupted.
With no shooting range nearby, Singhraj and national shooting coach Subhash Rana decided to build one from scratch so that Singhraj could continue his training for the Paralympics.
That decision to invest Rs 10 lakh to prepare a 10m range and a 50m one in association with coach Rana paid a rich dividend as Singhraj on Tuesday claimed a bronze medal in the P1 Men’s 10m Air Pistol SH1 at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo.
“Initially, my family was not very happy that I was going to invest so much in building my own range. But I was adamant and insisted and they relented. I believe that decision proved right today as I won a bronze medal,” said Singhraj, who took up shooting only in 2017 and participated in his first international event the next year itself.
“I am very happy about winning the bronze medal. Though like everyone I would have loved it to be gold,” said Singhraj during an online interaction organized by the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI).
Singhraj had qualified in sixth place in the 10m air pistol and was worried about a few things during the break between the qualifying round and final.
“My coach told me to meditate for some time and I did just that during the break. I was always told not to worry about the shot that has already been fired but to think about the next one and I did just that. Yes, my performance in the qualifying round was not as I expected but we decided to take some points from it and made a fresh start in the final,” said Singhraj.
The 39-year-old from Faridabad in Haryana had taken up shooting by chance at the age of 35 while accompanying his nephew to the range. As he was smiling while the coach was explaining something to his wards, the coach asked Singhraj to try it if he thought shooting was so easy.
“I took five shots and hit four Xs and one 10 and the coach was really impressed. He advised me to continue with shooting and I also liked it and continued,” said Singaraja.
That decision proved correct as he achieved success instantly, winning medals at the national and international levels. The bronze medal at the Paralympic Games has just taken the bar higher for Singhraj.
National
PV Sindhu Exits In Pre-Quarters Of Japan Masters, India’s Campaign Ends
India’s campaign came to a premature end as double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu crashed out in the pre-quarterfinals of the Kumamoto Masters Japan Super 500 badminton tournament here on Thursday.
World no. 20 Sindhu was the lone Indian in contention after the exits of Lakshya Sen and women’s doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand.
Sindhu squandered a game lead to lose 21-17 16-21 17-21 against Canada’s Michelle Li, ranked 23rd in the world, in a women’s singles match that lasted one hour and 15 minutes.
It was neck and neck between the two shuttlers in the first game before Sindhu took a marginal 11-8 lead and from there on kept her nose just ahead to take early advantage.
Trailing, Li came out attacking in the second game and raced to a 8-3 lead before Sindhu clawed back as the scoreline read 16-16 at one time.
But Li then upped her game and pocketed five straight points to draw parity in the contest.
The decider witnessed a close battle between the two shuttlers till 17 points when Li forced the pace, pocketing four straight points to wrap up the match. The Canadian was also helped by Sindhu’s unforced errors.
Li will play Siouth Korea’s Yu Jin Sim in the quarterfinals.
National
Suryakumar Yadav Watches India Beat Afghanistan In 3rd T20I From Hospital Bed After Groin Surgery In Germany
India batter Suryakumar Yadav may not be a part of the recent T20I series winning squad against Afghanistan but he made sure to catch up on all the matches even from his hospital bed in Germany.
Surya underwent a successful groin surgery on Wednesday after which he watched India win the 3rd T20I in Bengaluru.
The No.1-ranked T20I batter went under the knife for a sports hernia, a condition for which KL Rahul was also operated upon, co-incidentally in Germany last year.”Surgery done. I want to thank everyone for their concerns and well wishes for my health, and I am happy to tell you all that I will be back very soon,” Surya said in a post on his social media accounts after the surgery.The 33-year-old batsman has been inactive since suffering a left ankle injury while fielding in the third T20I against South Africa at Johannesburg last month, shortly after achieving a century in 56 balls.
Subsequently, he was seen walking with a moonboot, indicating the severity of the injury. Numerous reports have also suggested that Suryakumar underwent surgery on the injured ankle.
Following this, he underwent rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru before traveling to Germany for a groin operation.
It remains uncertain whether Suryakumar will recover in time for the start of IPL 2024, scheduled to commence possibly from the third week of March.In the IPL, Suryakumar has been a key player for the five-time champions Mumbai Indians. His availability will be crucial for the Indian team as they prepare for the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup, scheduled from June 1 to 29 in the USA and the West Indies.
National
IPL 2024 Auction: Mitchell Starc Becomes Most Expensive Player In History, Bought By KKR For ₹24.75 Crore
Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc broke the all-time record for the most expensive player in the history of the Indian Premier League after he was bought for a whopping ₹24.75 Crore by Kolkata Knight Riders at the auction in Dubai.
Starc broke the record for the highest bid in IPL auction history just minutes after his Australia captain Pat Cummins was sold for ₹20.50 crore to Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The left-arm pacer drew the maximum eyeballs when his name came up in the auction. The 33-year-old has not played in the IPL since 2015 after making his debut for Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2014.
KKR justify Starc’s price tag
“The entire salary cap for franchises when IPL started in 2008 was ₹20 crore. Things have changed.
“But our view is, when the auction is over all the 10 teams are going to walk out of the auction having spent ₹100 crores. And each team decides to slice it differently.”So what you have paid to somebody, up or down, is a matter of perspective. Ultimately we are all spending the same amount of money,” KKR CEO Venky Mysore justified the amount paid for Starc.
Notable Acquisitions in the IPL 2024 Auction
In addition to the significant acquisition of Pat Cummins, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) secured the services of Travis Head, the hero of the World Cup final, for a substantial sum of Rs 6.80 crore.
Harshal Patel, previously with Royal Challengers Bangalore, emerged as a sought-after player, fetching a lucrative deal from Punjab Kings, who invested Rs 11.75 crore in the out-of-favor Indian pacer.
Daryl Mitchell, following his impressive performance in the ODI World Cup, enjoyed a substantial payday as Chennai Super Kings splurged Rs 14 crore to secure the services of the New Zealand batter.
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