1. PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth Enter Quarterfinals in Rio
Kidambi Srikanth became the second male shuttler in India’s Olympic history after Parupalli Kashyap to reach the men’s singles quarterfinals when he overcame a higher ranked Jan O Jorgensen from Denmark in straight games in Rio on Tuesday.
The 21-19 21-19 win for Srikanth, ranked 11th in the world, lifted the sagging spirits of India on the 10th day of competitions.
India’s campaign in women’s singles badminton has been kept alive by PV Sindhu’s resounding show of domination against Tai Tzu-ying of Chinese Taipei in the round of 16.
Playing late on Monday night, the Indian shuttler didn’t let up much throughout the match against the world number 8 as she closed out the game with a 21-13, 21-15 scoreline.
2. Lalita Babar Fails to Bag a Medal in 3000m Steeplechase, Boxer Vikas Crashes Out in Q/F
Lalita Babar’s Rio campaign ended after she finished 10th in the 3000m steeplechase final. Lalita finished the race in 9:22.74 seconds, 22 seconds behind the gold medal winner Ruth Jebet of Bahrain.
Former Asian Games gold-medallist Vikas Krishan (75kg) took a pounding from second seed Bektemir Melikuziev in the quarterfinals to bow out of the Rio Olympics, ending India’s boxing challenge without a medal for the first time in eight years.
With Shiva Thapa (56kg) and Manoj Kumar (64kg) already out of contention, Vikas’ loss on Monday drew the curtains on the Indian boxing challenge at the Games.
Take a look at India’s performance on day ten of the Rio Olympics here.
3. Rahane Rises to Career-Best Number Eight Spot in ICC Test Rankings
An impressive performance in the third Test against West Indies lifted the Indian middle order mainstay Ajinkya Rahane to his career-best eighth spot in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test rankings on Monday.
Rahane, who went into the Test at joint 11th spot with Pakistani veteran Younus Khan, scored 35 and 78 not out to guide India to a 237-run win over the hosts at St Lucia. With the win, India also took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the four-match series.
Read more here.
4. Wlodarczyk Shatters World Record for Hammer Gold
Anita Wlodarczyk underlined her absolute dominance of the women’s hammer by throwing a world record 82.29 metres to win the Olympic gold by more than five and a half metres on Monday, according to Reuters.
The only woman to have thrown the hammer further than 80 metres, the 31-year-old world champion had already broken the Olympic record with a second throw of 80.40 when she entered the ring for the third time.
Wlodarczyk screamed in delight before the projectile even landed, knowing she had done enough to better the mark of 81.08 she set in Cetniewo in Poland earlier this month.
Zhang Wenxiu of China threw 76.75 to add a silver medal to the bronze she won in London four years ago. Sophie Hitchon was third with a British record 74.54 as she claimed a first ever medal for her country in the event.
5. Indian Marathon Coach Detained in Rio, Later Released
Indian athletics contingent’s middle and long distance coach Nikolai Snesarev was “detained” for half a day and later released by the police after a lady doctor at the Games Village of the Rio Olympics made a complaint of misbehaviour at the polyclinic.
Belarusian Snesarev, who trains the likes of Lalita Babar, Sudha Singh and OP Jaisha, was kept at a local police station on Sunday and was later let off after the intervention of the Indian Embassy in Brazil.
Read more here.
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