Jhajjar, September 18
The success of wrestler Bajrang Singh Punia has brought joy to his family, friends and the residents of the village Khuddan, from where India’s latest World Championship medal-winner comes.

Bajrang won a bronze medal in the 60kg weight category on Tuesday evening at the World Championship being held in Budapest.

The villagers on Wednesday celebrated the achievement of their ‘son’ by distributing sweets and dancing to the beat of drums as the news of Bajrang’s achievement reached this tiny hamlet located on the Jhajjar-Rewari road, about 40 km away from here.

Belonging to an agricultural family, Bajrang’s father Ranbir Singh Punia was delighted with the achievement of his son, which he said was the fruit of extreme hard work going back several years.

“It is a matter of immense pleasure — not only for the residents of Khuddan village and Jhajjar district but also for the entire state — that Bajrang has won the bronze medal in a global event,” said Ranbir Singh. “All villagers are enthused over his success and are planning to accord him a grand welcome on coming back to the village from Hungary.”

He said that their family and Bajrang’s friends were quite confident about his medal prospects in the championship, for the 20-year-old had has been toiling hard with great dedication for years. Bajrang himself had high hopes of winning a medal as his preparation for the tournament was quite good.

“After his marvellous performance, we are expecting a gold medal from him in the next Olympic Games in 2016,” said Ranbir Singh. “The government is motivating the young and promising sportspersons in the state… So we are very confident that Bajrang would prove himself by winning a medal in the Olympic Games as well.”

Ranbir Singh said that Bajrang had struggled hard since his childhood to become a skilful and accomplished wrestler.

Bajrang’s sister Ruchika said her brother had proved that middle-class village youth did not lag behind anyone and that they also possess the ability to bring laurels to the country.

“Bajrang participated in a lot of wrestling matches in the village, zone, district, state and national level before representing the country in this international event,” said Ruchika. “Before leaving for Hungary, he had promised to me that he would bring back a medal… I am delighted that my brother succeeded in keeping his word.”

Ruchika too hopes that her brother would win a gold medal in the Rio Olympic Games three years later.

Bajrang’s bronze, after Amit Kumar’s silver, makes it the most successful World Wrestling Championship for India.

Bajrang has been known as a promising young wrestler over the last few years. He won a silver medal in the junior category at the Asian Championship in 2012. A bigger success came earlier this year when he won a bronze in the Asian Championships in April.

In Hungary, Bajrang was a replacement for London Olympics bronze-medallist Yogeshwar Dutt, who is nursing a knee injury. 

Mohali, September 18
Otago Volts and Hyderabad Sunrisers have stromed into the group stage of the Champions League at the expense of Kandurata Maroons and Faisalabad Wolves. While Volts sealed the berth with a six-wicket win over Kandurata Maroons, Hyderabad Sunrisers thrashed the Wolves by seven wickets to grab the second spot, at the PCA stadium on Wednesday.

In the first match of the day, Maroons looked set to cross 170-mark but settled for 154/9. In reply, Otago Volts cruised to victory with 12 balls to spare.

If Brendon McCullum was their hero on Tuesday, Wednesday’s honours went to Ryan ten Doeschate (64). The man from The Netherlands hit more sixes than boundaries, and breached the Sri Lankan dyke that looked anything but impregnable. Maroons relied too much on spin, and that proved to be their undoing. Doeschate zeroed in on Kaushal Lokuarachchi in the 10th over, hitting him over long-on twice and then sweep-swatting him over midwicket for three consecutive sixes.

The writing was clear on the wall as the Essex batsman clinched the issue in the 17th over. Offie Shehan Jayasuriya was scooped for a boundary and then slogged for a six, leaving just nine runs off 18 balls. JDS Neesham (32*;19b 3x4 1x6) along with Nathan Leslie McCullum completed the formalities.

Ten Doeschate’s power-packed innings made him the standout performer of the day f or Volts. For Maroons, Upul Tharanga (76) played a lone hand. 

Brief Scores: Kandurata Maroons 154 for 9 (Tharanga 76, Butler 3-21); Otago Volts 157 for 4 (ten Doeschate 64, Lokuhettige 3-20) 

In the second match of the day, Sunrisers Hyderabad showed the exit door to the team from Pakistan. It was just a matter of time for the Wolves to bow out from the tournament after they put up a modest 127/5 on the board. Hyderabad leggie Amit Mishra was to blame as he applied the choke by giving just 13 runs in his four overs, bagging one wicket. Once again, Mishab-ul-Haq (56) top-scored for his team but the end result remained same. Shikhar Dhawan (59) and Parthiv Patel (23) led the chase and Sunrisers had no problem whatsoever in overhauling the total. For Faisalabad team, left-armer Imran Khalid bagged two wickets.

Brief Scores: Faisalabad Wolves: (127/5 in 20 overs) Misbah-ul-Haq 56, Ammar Mahmood 31, Ali Waqas 16, Amit Mishra 1/13; (Sunrisers Hyderabad):131/3 in 17.3 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 59, Parthiv Patel 23, JP Duminy 20, Imran Khalid 2/14)

Chandigarh, September 19
It was a wonderful surprise for the city's golfers as local lad Akshay Sharma shot an excellent five-under 67 to grab a two-stroke lead with a total of eight-under 136 at the halfway stage of the PGTI Players Championship at the Chandigarh Golf Course today.

Akshay, who carded a three-under 69 yesterday, started the day with a birdie on the par-four fifth but dropped a stroke on the long par-five seventh. However, he made no mistakes after that and birdied the ninth, 11th, 13th, 14th and 17th holes to come in with a 67.

“I hit my irons brilliantly and four of my approach shots landed within four feet of the hole today,” said Akshay who finished fifth on the PGTI Feeder Tour event last week. “I am high on confidence after my good finish on the Feeder Tour last week and I am familiar with the greens as this is my home course.” His best finish on the main tour is a tie for the 18th place, which he achieved when the tour was last in Chandigarh earlier this year.

Overnight leader Rahil Gangjee carded a consistent one-under 71 today to remain in contention and occupy sole second place with a total of six-under 136.

Gangjee's round consisted of a three-putt bogey on the fifth and another on the ninth, but birdies on the first, 13th and 15th holes put him back on course. “I was lacking momentum today and did not get the yardages right, as a result of which I missed a number of fairways. And I am still trying to adapt to the speed of the greens,” said Rahil.

Meanwhile, Chiragh Kumar, who carded a 71 yesterday, shot a three-under 69 today and tied local professional Sujjan Singh, who also carded identical rounds of 71 followed by a 69 today, for the third place with a total of four-under 140. Also in third place with this total was Arshdeep Tiwana.

The highlight of Chiragh's round was a hole-in-one on the par-three 11th, where he hit a five-iron that landed ten feet short and glided into the hole.

Sujjan also thrilled the crowds following him with back-to-back birdies on the 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th holes. “I am happy with my finish today and it will give me confidence over the next two days,” said Sujjan, one of the most hard-working professionals on tour.

Two other local professionals, Harendra Gupta and Abhijit Singh Chadha, were tied sixth at three-under 141 alongside S Chinkkarangappa and Om Prakash Chouhan. Jyoti Randhawa had a dismal two-over 74 today and dropped to 10th place alongside his friend Digvijay Singh, Vinod Kumar, Ranjit Singh, Abhinav Lohan, Md Zamal Hossain Mollah and Rudresh Sharma.

“I missed a number of fairways today and my round lacked focus and commitment. I will need to putt a lot better over the next two days,” said Jyoti. The cut was applied at four-over 148 and 57 professionals and one amateur made it to the final two rounds.

London, September 18
A 23-year-old Dutch cyclist has pedalled his way to a world record, hitting more than 133.78kph as he sped through a US desert, to become the planet's fastest cyclist.

Sebastiaan Bowier reached a rip-roaring 133.78 kph in the high-tech recumbent bike developed by students from Delft University of Technology and VU University Amsterdam.

This set a new world record, making him the world's fastest cyclist travelling 0.6 kph faster than the previous record holder, Canadian Sam Wittingham.

“We knew that both the technical and human aspects were right today: it is highly gratifying that the potential for success ultimately became reality, even though we faced a pretty strong strong headwind,” team leader Wouter Lion said in a statement.

In addition to Sebastiaan's record-breaking speed, another cyclist in the Delft/Amsterdam team, Wil Baselmans secured third place in the world record ranking with a speed of 127.43 kph, just behind Bowier and Wittingham.

The speeds were achieved on a 200 metre stretch of road, with a run-up of 8 km across a totally straight route in the Nevada desert, US. “It was unbelievably exciting. We had six days in which to secure the world record, but encountered technical problems at the start. This created some headaches and a lot of overnight work. When you manage to break through the world record on the last evening after three days of bad weather, it just feels fantastic,” said Lion.

The Delft team opted for a recumbent bike called VeloX3 using a shell with extremely low air resistance. — PTI

New Delhi , September 18
The Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) today denied reports that chief selector Sandeep Patil has told veteran batsman Sachin Tendulkar to consider his future after playing his 200th Test during the two-match series against the West Indies in November.

"There is no truth in the report. We have spoken to both Tendulkar and Patil, no such conversation ever took place," senior Board official Rajeev Shukla told PTI. Speculation was rife that the series against the West Indies could be the swansong for Tendulkar, but Patil himself also denied discussing the future with the senior cricketer. "It's always a pleasure to meet Sachin, but I have not met him for the last 10 months. I have not called him, neither has he called me. We have not discussed anything, It's all non-sense," Patil said.

The report had stated that Patil met Tendulkar after the BCCI penciled in an unscheduled tour against the West Indies at home in November comprising a two-Test series and a three-game ODI rubber.

It also hinted that Patil had told Tendulkar that the selectors will decide the batsman's future after his 200th Test appearance. — PTI

Milan, September 18
Bayern Munich opened the defense of its Champions League title with a comfortable 3-0 win over CSKA Moscow on Tuesday, while Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat trick as Real Madrid thrashed Galatasaray 6-1.

David Alaba gave Bayern a perfect start in the fourth minute, with further goals from Mario Mandzukic and Arjen Robben ensuring a winning start. Bayern's Group D rivals Manchester City beat Viktoria Plzen by the same scoreline.

Ronaldo stole the limelight for Madrid, while two-time Italian champion Juventus came from behind to draw 1-1 at Copenhagen in the other Group B match.

Wayne Rooney proved he is back to his best following a summer of upheaval as he scored twice to help Manchester United to a 4-2 victory over Bayer Leverkusen and Shakhtar Donetsk won 2-0 at Real Sociedad. In Group C, Paris Saint-Germain crushed Olympiakos 4-1 and Benfica beat Anderlecht 2-0.

Bayern rarely looked troubled by the Russian league leader. Alaba gave the German champions an early lead with a free kick into the left side of the goal after being fouled on the edge of the penalty area.

Mandzukic, who had earlier hit the post, headed home Robben's in-swinging free kick to double Bayern's advantage in the 41st minute. Robben sealed the result in the 68th.

Manchester City matched Bayern thanks to second-half goals from Edin Dzeko, Yaya Toure and Sergio Aguero.

Real Madrid sent out a warning sign to its rivals with a resounding victory in Turkey.

All eyes were on Gareth Bale as he made his Champions League debut for Madrid in the second half. But it was Ronaldo who was the star of the show, scoring his second Champions League hat trick. — PTI

Results

Real Madrid bt Galatasaray 6-1

Manchester United bt Bayer Leverkusen 4-2

Bayern Munich bt CSKA Moscow 3-0

Manchester City bt Viktoria Plzen 3-0

Juventus dr Copenhagen 1-1

Shakhtar Donetsk bt Real Sociedad 2-0

Paris Saint-Germain bt Olympiakos 4-1

Benfica bt Anderlecht 2-0

Singapore, September 18
Sebastian Vettel will be confident of extending his healthy lead at the top of the Formula One drivers' standings in Singapore this week on a circuit that kick-started his imperious march to a third consecutive title a year ago.

In 2012, the German arrived in Southeast Asia 39 points adrift of championship leader Fernando Alonso but drove a perfect race to capture the first of four straight wins as he sped past the Spaniard in the second half of the season.

A year on and the tables have been turned with the Red Bull driver boasting a 53-point advantage over his Ferrari rival and carrying plenty of momentum to a circuit where he will be seeking a hat-trick of victories.

The Marina Bay Street Circuit is very much a Red Bull track and while Alonso remains hopeful of gaining ground on his title rival, the reality is Vettel is likely to head to next month's Korean Grand Prix with an even bigger lead.

"It's a very long race... two hours, so the race just seems to go on forever," a cautious Vettel said earlier this week.

"The circuit itself is a killer because there are so many bumps, there's no room for mistakes. I think it's one of the toughest of the year to be honest, so to win is an amazing moment and you feel you deserve the champagne."

Alonso can, however, take heart from the fact that he too has won twice under the floodlights in Singapore and claimed two more podiums and a fourth place finish since the race was added to the Formula One calendar in 2008.

His Ferrari cannot match the Red Bull's speed in qualifying but has shown a tendency to perform far better in races, with Alonso often cutting a swathe through the field from a mediocre position on the starting grid to challenge for victories.

However, with just seven rounds of the 19-race season remaining, Alonso needs to add to his two wins this campaign or a third world title will again slip from his grasp and leave the 32-year-old second in the standings for a third time since 2010.

"It's a track I like, getting four podiums from five starts, so, I'm tackling the weekend in a positive frame of mind, with great confidence that I can do well again," Alonso said.

The only other winner in Singapore, Lewis Hamilton, has made a smooth transition from McLaren to Mercedes this season and he and team mate Nico Rosberg will be banking on an improved performance from their cars on Sunday. — Reuters

New Delhi, September 18
Indian men's hockey team is set to get a new foreign coach within two weeks time as the Hockey India (HI) has shortlisted four candidates.

HI secretary general Narinder Batra has confirmed that they have received six applications from across the globe to fill the foreign coach's post. "We have received six applications for the foreign coach's post. After going through all the applicants' CVs we have shortlisted four individuals," Batra said, rubbishing reports that HI has recommended its High Performance Director, Roelant Oltmans' name for the coach's position on permanent basis.

"In a day or two we will send the names to Sports Authority of India for their approval. The SAI will take a final decision on this issue after consulting us. We expect the new coach to be named within two weeks time," he said. — PTI

New Delhi, September 18
International Olympic Committee (IOC) member in India, Randhir Singh on Wednesday asked the officials of suspended Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to accept the IOC’s directive to bar charge-sheeted persons from contesting elections or face further action from the world body.

“My friends in IOA are misinformed. They don’t realise the gravity of the situation. They don’t realise that what IOC says, has to be accepted. You can’t go against the IOC but yes, you can negotiate with them, you can discuss with them on certain other matters. It’s time a clean set-up comes into place,” said Randhir.

The IOA had decided in its Special GBM last month that only those who were sentenced for two or more years would be barred from contesting polls.

The IOC stood firm on its stand during its Executive Board (EB) meeting in Buenos Aires earlier this month and asked IOA to accept all demands in full, including barring charge-framed persons from contesting IOA’s elections.

Randhir, who was IOA Secretary General before the Indian body was suspended by the IOC on December 4 last, said had he been in the eye of storm, he would have rescued himself from discharging duties. — PTI

BRIEFLY

BCCI's anti-doping measures get big boost
New Delhi: In its fight against drug use, the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) worked out a clear road-map with its Anti-Doping Educational Programme (ADEP) and sample collection for tests. BCCI's annual ADEP lectures, which educate players on the menace of doping, have become a hit with the state associations. BCCI is the only sports association in the country which has taken up the anti-doping mission with a clear vision, with the setting up of an Anti-Doping Unit (ADU) under the charge of hockey Olympian Dr Vece Paes. Experts feel that this initiative by the BCCI should be emulated by other sports federations.

India to meet Chinese Taipei in Davis Cup
New Delhi: India have been drawn to play against Chinese Taipei in the Asia/Oceania Zone Group I first round Davis Cup tie, to be played from January 31 to February 2. All India Tennis Association secretary Bharat Oza said here today that the venue of the match will be decided by the AITA Executive Committee later.