Former captain and coach of the national team MP Ganesh on Thursday took charge as the High Performance Director and CEO of the National Hockey Academy to be based at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium.
“Hockey Olympian MP Ganesh takes over as the High Performance Director & CEO of National Hockey Academy in New Delhi,” Hockey India confirmed the news on its official twitter handle.
Till now Ganesh was serving as the CEO of Karnataka State Cricket Association.
The National Hockey Academy in New Delhi is a joint venture of the Sports Authority of India and the sports ministry aimed at identifying junior hockey talent and facilitating their holistic development.
The National Hockey Academy, which took two years to be set up, will be a residential project for 40 boys and an equal number of girls below the age of 18.
About 70 players from each category have been shortlisted by Hockey India selectors from the sub-junior Nationals held recently. After a few weeks of trials, the numbers will be brought down to 40. There will be three coaches each for the boys and girls.
The 70-year-old Ganesh hails from the famous hockey belt of Kodagu, earlier known as Coorg, district of Karnataka.
An Arjuna awardee, Ganesh played for India at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, finishing third. He was one of the coaches of the Indian team that won a gold medal at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow.
He represented India in the Asian Games twice, first in 1970 in Bangkok and then in 1974 in Tehran. Both the times India returned home with a silver medal. He was also a part of the Indian team that won bronze at the first World Cup at Barcelona in 1971 and captained the team that won silver at the next World Cup in Amsterdam.
An Arjuna awardee, Ganesh played for India at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, finishing third. He was one of the coaches of the Indian team that won a gold medal at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow.
He represented India in the Asian Games twice, first in 1970 in Bangkok and then in 1974 in Tehran. Both the times India returned home with a silver medal. He was also a part of the Indian team that won bronze at the first World Cup at Barcelona in 1971 and captained the team that won silver at the next World Cup in Amsterdam.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> Sports> Hockey / PTI / June 01st, 2017
Ashwini Ponnappa said that although they are looking forward to the next tournament, their focus will be on winning a medal at the Commonwealth Games next year, which will remain as one of the important targets.
Ashwini Ponnappa won medals at the Commonwealth Games in 2010 and 2014. (Source: File photo)
Ashwini Ponnappa, who led India to the knockout stages of the Sudirman Cup last week, said that her target remains the Commonwealth Games, scheduled to take place next year.
In an interview to PTI, Ponnappa said that she was confident that their side would do well as soon as they found out the draw. “Ever since we came to know about the draw, I was confident we were good enough to beat them. Most of the players in the opposition team had top 5 players and when I knew I will have to play two matches, I had the belief that we could do well,” she said.
“Me and Satwik (Satwiksairaj Rankireddy) were training together just a few weeks ahead of the event as we had sent our entry for the Australian Open. So when we got a chance to play at the Sudirman Cup, we were excited as it was our first tournament together.”
The 27-year-old asserted that it was her coaches who decided her partners in various competitions and that she is looking forward to a new one. “Coaches have been the ones who have been deciding my partners after the Olympics and it is about trusting them. Me and Sumeeth had a good partnership. We are both similar players, we have played women’s doubles and men’s doubles respectively and now we are venturing into mixed doubles,” Ashwini said.
“So I am looking forward to the new partnership. Interestingly, I will be playing with Sumeeth at Indonesia and Satwik at Australia, so let’s see how it goes. After playing at the Sudirman Cup, I feel we can achieve much better results together,” she added.
Ponnappa said that winning a medal at the Commonwealth Games will be an important target. She said, “We are looking forward to the next tournament, doing better than what we have done. If we can reach a final of super series this year, that will be good and definitely winning a medal at the Commonwealth Games will be one of the important targets.”
The shuttler also said that she is enjoying the extra responsibility as a senior member.
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Sports> Badminton / by Express Web Desk / June 01st, 2017
Ashwini Ponnappa needs no introduction. With an extra spring in her step and an extra sting in her smashes, Ashwini had been a stand-out shuttler right through her teens and continued to make waves on the Indian circuit, winning everything that came along her way and never shying away from a challenge. From being a child prodigy who won National Championships consistently to winning a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games, Ashwini has walked down a long road…..and continues to do so unflinchingly….
Records have come and gone for Ashwini as fast as her smash. The fastest smash in Women’s badminton history recorded so far at 260 km/hr belongs to Ashwini. Also, became the first Indian along with Jwala Gutta to win a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in 2010 but nothing stops Ashwini Ponnappa from moving to the next court, her next challenge. From being the child prodigy who gave it all in her sport, she sometimes dons the mentorship role in guiding upcoming young prodigies. One of them happens to be 16-year old Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, who Ashwini Ponnappa played mixed doubles with.
In the recently concluded Sudirman Cup in Gold Coast, Australia, the mixed doubles team of Ashwini Ponnappa and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy put up a fantastic show against Indonesia before eventually losing to 10-time World Champion, China. Sportswallah caught up with Ashwini Ponnappa after a tough fight against China and how does she find them mentor role.
Tarun Raman: Hi Ashwini. Firstly, commiserations for the loss against 10-time champions, China at the Sudirman Cup. After winning the first set emphatically, must have been difficult to come out on the losing side?
Ashwini Ponnappa – It was disappointing, but I am glad we gave them a good fight. Players at that level know how to bounce back after losing a set. They don’t give you a chance, you have to take it.
TR: To be frank, nobody gave India a chance against China who are the top seeds and 10-time champions. How would you rate yours and Satwik’s performance?
Ashwini – I would rate out performance quite good, especially considering the fact that this was a first tournament partnering each other.I am happy with the way we played and I know we are capable of playing and performing even better.
TR: Anything strategy you would have wanted to employ differently against the world No. 2 pair of Lu Kai and Huang Yaqiong?
Ashwini – Strategy-wise I think we did have a good plan.But towards the end, it’s about holding your nerves and hanging in there.Which I sure we will get with more match practice and experience.
TR: On a slightly different note, when did you realise you had to pick hockey over Badminton, given that your father was a national hockey player?
Ashwini – I never really had to choose. Though my dad was a hockey player I was not put into hockey.It was badminton from the beginning.
TR: You were one-half of India’s most successful women’s doubles badminton team. How difficult was it, ending a successful partnership with Jwala Gutta?
Ashwini – It’s always tough to end a partnership, never easy. But the nice part is that wonderful memories and performances together and a lot of positives to take forward. I’ve learnt a lot and I’m thankful to Jwala for that.
TR: There has been a steady rise of talented female athletes in Badminton. What do you think is the reason for that?
Ashwini – Not too sure really. Probably cause a lot of us are fighters and want to prove ourselves at the biggest stage.
TR: Apart from dogs and music, any hobby of Ashwini the world doesn’t know about?
Ashwini – Not really. Music and books are my go to the source to unwind and relax.I love dogs and being around them always makes me happy.
TR: What next for Ashwini Ponnappa after this tournament?
Ashwini – Next up is the Indonesian Open in two weeks time, followed by the Australian Open.
source: http://www.sportswall.com / Sportswallah / Home / by Tarun Raman / May 29th, 2017
Rishi Bopanna shone with the ball for Friends Union Cricket Club as they notched a comfortable seven-wicket victory over The Bangalore Cricketers in the KSCA Group I, Division I league tournament for the Sir Mirza Ismail Shield here.
In what turned out to be a low-scoring affair, Bangalore Cricketers posted 175 all out in their first hit. Akarsh MA top scored, while Adarsh (7/73) and Rishi (2/14) were destructive with the ball.
Bangalore’s bowlers though gave their side a slim 20-run first innings lead after Koushik V (4/44), Kempraj V Gowda (3/53) and Naveen Patil (2/22) put the brakes on Friends Union. Kunal Kapoor stood out for the batting side with a knock of 50.
The turning point of the match was the second innings, where Bangalore crumbled to 66 all out in 52.2 overs thanks to Rishi’s six for 17, leaving their opponents with a target of 87. Kunal led the chase with 41 not out as Friends Union overhauled the target in just 13 overs to bag five points.
Brief scores:
The Bangalore Cricketers: 175 all out in 73 overs (Akarsh MA 67; Adarsh HS 7-73, Rishi Bopanna SA 2-14) and 66 all out in 52.2 overs (Nitish PD 2-10, Rishi Bopanna SA 6-17) lt to Friends Union CC (1): 155 all out in 61.1 overs (Kunal Kapoor 50; Koushik V 4-44, Kempraj V Gowda 3-53) and 89/3 in 13 overs (Kunal Kapoor 41 n.o.; Koushik V 2-24).
Friends Union CC (1): 5 points; The Bangalore Cricketers: -1 point.
Cambridge CC: 114 all out in 41.2 overs (Ritesh Bhatkal 5-45, Prithviraj 3-28) and 165 all out in 43.1 overs (Anurag Bajpai 83; Ritesh Bhatkal 3-62, Prithviraj 3-51) lt to Social Cricketers: 338/7 decl in 66.2 overs (Rakshith S 154, Prithviraj 116) by an innings & 59 runs. Social Cricketers: 5; Cambridge CC: -1.
Vultures CC: 462/6 in 90 overs (Prateeksh R 123, Pavan Deshpande 200, Anirudh A Joshi 71; Prashanth S 3-142) drew Bangalore Occasionals: 305 all out in 65.5 overs (Jeswanth Acharya 53, Abhishek Reddy 86; Punith S 4-75). Vultures CC: 3; Bangalore Occasionals: 1.
Herons CC: 390 all out in 89.1 overs (Arjun Hoysala 65, Vishwanathan M 149, Rohith Gowda 64; Raunak Shah 2-44) drew Bangalore United Cricket Club (1): 258/6 in 90 overs (Shivam Mishra 110, Raunak Shah 79; Nithin Naidu 2-63). Herons CC: 3; Bangalore United CC (1): 1.
Mount Joy CC: 288/9 in 90 overs (Kiran AM 75, Sharan Gouda 47; Bhavesh Gulechha 5-55) and 29/1 in 6 overs drew Jawans CC: 318/8 in 90 overs (Shubhang Hegde 106, Dinesh Borawankar 67; Sharan Gouda 3-58, Rishabh Singh 2-34). Jawans CC: 3; Mount Joy CC: 1.
Swastic Union CC (1): 340 all out in 87.2 overs (Samarth R 107, Akshay Kodoth 60; Mitrakant Singh Yadav 5-139, Amit Verma 4-72) drew Swastic Union CC (2): 219 all out in 65.4 overs (Ankith Udupa 35, Amit Verma 52, Bhareth Narayan Prasad 80 n.o.; Saishiv Narayan L 7-44). Swastic Union CC (1): 3; Swastic Union CC (2): 1.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Sports / DH News Service / Bengaluru – May 16th, 2017
On Tuesday, Ashwini Ponnappa smiled all the way to securing for India one of its most memorable wins at the Sudirman Cup.Ashwini teamed up with Sikki Reddy to win the women’s doubles and with Satwiksairaj Rankireddy to clinch the mixed doubles against Indonesia. File
In her early years on the international circuit, a coach had once taken umbrage at Ashwini Ponnappa’s smiling countenance on court, and told her she lacked seriousness to compete. It had made the ace doubles player, with a Commonwealth Games gold and a World Championship bronze already, furious, that her naturally joyous ways on court could be miscontrued as lack of commitment to winning.
Not that she changed how she went about things — Why couldn’t one smile and still hit the hardest smash in women’s badminton, she wondered. On Tuesday, Ashwini Ponnappa smiled all the way to securing for India one of its most memorable wins at shuttle’s team championship — the Sudirman Cup.
Opening with a sensational mixed doubles win alongside Satwiksairaj Rankireddy against Indonesian mixed doubles Olympic champ Tontowi Ahmad (in a scratch pairing with junior world champ Gloria Widjaja), Ashwini bookended the famous 4-1 tie win against Sudirman giants Indonesia, sealing a straight sets women’s doubles win with Sikki Reddy against Della Haris-Rosyita Eka Putri Sari.
It’s badminton’s jolly luck that women’s singles player Tai Tzu Ying brings a refreshing, goofy persona to the court even while she works her deceptive magic on opponents with a disarming charm as she sits atop World No 1.
There’s little of the screwed-eyed intensity or scowling fist pumping in Ashwini Ponnappa, that’s so common to this predominantly Asian sport where players can appear as highly strung as their racquet tensions. She goes about the mighty difficult task of winning, while looking like she might actually be enjoying the game.
Not that her game is diminished when she affords herself a wry smile or two, after missing a shot, or even grins mid-rally as she brightens up gleefully in anticipation of a winner she’s setting up for her partner to finish. Against Tontowi-Gloria — a thrilling 66 minute joust against doubles mammoths Indonesia, a country with a proud tradition in the paired event — the 27-year-old Indian doubles ace had eclectic options in her serves, showed an improving low defense that’s so crucial to doubles, and a rhythmic game sense where the duo playing their first match ever at this big a stage, combined to win 20-22, 21-17, 19-21 in a shock upset.
Ashwini is known for her doubles partnership with Jwala Gutta and has metamorphosed into an equally deft player as her former senior partner, revelling in the responsibility of being the senior to Sikki Reddy and Satwiksairaj now. It was her reassured, relaxed stance on the court though — that rubbed off on teenaged Satwiksairaj, who too settled into the brutal pace of the rallies, making it look like two cool cats enjoying a breezy bout though.
“We didn’t think too much about opponent being Olympic champ or anything. We just wanted to play to our strategy. Neither of us took any pressure and we played freely. I enjoyed a lot in fact playing against the Olympic winner, and we were not afraid to play him,” he would say a couple of hours after his cross drive winner ended the Indonesian misery that had been building up for a while.
Rare sight
It was a rare sight in international badminton — an Indonesian bonafide champ reduced to nervousness, after the Indians peppered them with some hard hits but importantly refused to blink or be commanded in a rally throughout the encounter. Tontowi would botch his serves, miss his returns, smash into the net and fall under the heap of immense pressure that he seemed to have brought upon himself as the reputed player of the pairing.
It didn’t help that Ashwini was moving like a dream on the court, Satwiksairaj in lyrical tandem, working angles to breach defenses and thwack into empty spaces the Indians were creating galore. India’s foreign coaches Malaysian Tan and Indonesian Mulyo Handoyo, sat back and watched with admiration as the inexperienced Indian pairing went about their decimation, flying free as birds. There’s a little secret to Ashwini’s smashes — when she is truly relaxed on court (not tight, as the shuttle speak goes), her muscles tend to relax as well, and that invariably makes her smashes shoot faster than when she’s subdued and circumspect.
When she’s smiling, the rocketing smashes usually follow. It’s taken Ashwini Ponnappa almost 9 months to own that smile. She was felled by a nasty diagnosis of dengue before the Rio Olympics, which not only ruined her quadrennial but also creaked her bones like never before.
A Coorgi who prided herself in her fitness and strength, she would spend months after the Games staring at uncertainty — after her body remained weak as residual after-effects of Dengue lingered. “My body just wildly fell apart and I struggled to perform basic tasks. For an athlete you can imagine what that must feel like! For me, I doubted even that I would be able to even smash again. I had the will power, but the body just wouldn’t cooperate,” she says, recalling the physical anguish. It would be a long recovery, demanding patience and meticulousness that are hallmarks of her personality. She’d slowly regain strength, and three weeks ago when she was paired with Indian badminton’s most exciting doubles talent, there was renewed purpose. Against Denmark on Monday, India had bungled a tad.
“Today I just told Satwik we can beat them. We really wanted to win and played our heart out. We both hit hard, and we enjoyed ourselves I think,” she says. Ashwini Ponappa, chatty, talking lively eyes on court, serving up shuttles that whizzed. She kept smiling through the pressure points, and Olympic champ Tontowi Ahmad just didn’t know what hit him.
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Sports> Badminton / by Shivani Naik / Mumbai – May 25th, 2017
Ricky Ponting has picked Kolkata wicketkeeper Robin Uthappa over MS Dhoni in his team of the year, citing the former’s ability to score from the get-go as the reason for his choice. The former Aussie captain, unsurprisingly, opted to go for two Indian pacers in his best XI for this season’s IPL.
In a position that has been dominated by MS Dhoni for a few years now, Ricky Ponting decided to give Uthappa the nod ahead of his compatriot. While Dhoni finished with just 290 runs in the season compared to Uthappa’s 388, Ponting explained that the approach to the game had changed and it was important for the players to start making an impact from the very first ball their face.
“He’s (Uthappa) a guy whose strike-rate is incredible this year, 165 for the entire tournament. You need those guys in the middle-order to be able to score quickly right from the start. You don’t have that luxury anymore in the T20 game to be able to play yourself in and work the ball around. You have to go in and dominate right from the start and I think that’s what he’s been able to do really well,” Ponting told Cricket Australia.
For the opening slots Ponting decided to use two of his overseas’ players with David Warner and Hashim Amla making the cut. The Aussie opener was the easy choice for his compatriot considering he was the leading run scorer of the tournament with 641 runs at an astonishing average of 58.27 and a strike rate of 141.81. While Amla has not been seen as a traditional T20 player in the past, this season the South African shocked everyone by putting the numbers up on the board at an average of 60 and a strike rate of 145.83.
“He’s (Warner) just been in complete control of his game for a number of years now in the IPL. He thrives on extra responsibility and leadership. Davey’s led the side really well. I’ll actually name him captain as well on the back of what he’s done the last couple of seasons,” Ponting added.
“He (Amla) got a chance as a replacement player at the back-end of last season with the Kings XI, but this year played the best that I think anyone has ever seen him play, whether it be in an international T20 game or in the IPL. He’s the only man in the tournament to score two hundreds (in IPL10) and has got them pretty quickly.”
Following the openers are two Indian stars whose consistency was on show yet again. While Gautam Gambhir led his side to the second qualifier, Suresh Raina was let down by a weak bowling attack as they finished seventh on the table. The duo scored a combined 940 runs this year with Ponting reserving special praise for Gambhir for managing to put up the numbers in spite of changing his batting positions.
“I said before the finals started that I’m a bit surprised that he’s (Gambhir)batting in that number three position considering what he’s done at the top of the order for Kolkata for a long time. He’s ended up with nearly 500 runs … that’s a reasonable tournament. I’ve said for a long time that the number three position in T20 cricket is the hardest spot to bat because you’ll generally go in at the loss of a very early wicket and be expected to hit boundaries straight away,” Punter explained.
“He’s (Raina) just a class T20 player (and) a classy short-form player. He’s got a great one-day record for India as well. (While) he’s got the ability to really dominate spin-bowling. In that role in the middle-order is generally when most of the spinners are bowling, and he’s got the ability to really dominate there.”
The 3-time World Cup winning cricketer had no problem in naming Ben Stokes, who was named the MVP for the entire tournament, as one of his all-rounders due to the Englishman’s 12 wickets in 12 games and 316 runs with the bat which included a century. The second option, however, is a slightly dodgy one with Ponting showing confidence in Hardik Pandya over his brother Krunal Pandya. Pandya Sr. scored 243 runs while claiming 10 wickets while Hardik scored 250 runs and took 6 wickets.
“The MVP for the entire tournament (and) the guy that was most talked about before the tournament started was Ben Stokes. (He’s) on a huge deal with the Supergiants and has probably earned every cent of it to be fair. Twelve wickets in 12 games, made that big hundred as well. The thing about him is he does bring that real X-factor to their line-up and he’s someone you can rely on to bowl four overs. He can also make a hundred in the middle-order. I know they paid a lot of money for him but I’m sure they’re pretty happy that they did. Unfortunately for them he wasn’t around for the finals. When it comes down to what it came down to on that last ball of the game, not having your X-factor player there, they sadly missed him,” Ponting said.
“One guy I’m happy to name in the side is Hardik Pandya, the young allrounder from the Mumbai Indians. I’ve had a chance to work a lot with him the last couple of years. He had a dream-start two seasons ago, (but) found things a bit tougher last year. The thing that I liked was when it was his turn to step up and bowl a couple of overs, either with the new ball or towards the back-end of the innings, he was able to do it and do it well. He closed out a couple of games (with the ball) as well. He’s a pretty complete package now.”
Bhuvneshwar Kumar(26 wickets) and Jaydev Unadkat(24 wickets) make an interesting pair of specialist bowlers. While Bhuvneshwar has had the advantage of bowling in Hyderabad more often, considering it was a slightly bowler-friendly pitch, Unadkat impressed Ponting with his flexibility in varying conditions and particularly his variations.
While one was the leading wicket taker of the season of the season, the other was not far behind, having played a lower number of games.
“If you wind the clock back five or six years, this guy (Unadkat) was touted as the next Indian opening bowler in Test cricket, one-day cricket and T20 cricket. He’s got the ability to swing the ball around as we saw through this tournament and he’s got very good slower ball skills as well. He did a terrific job for his team in varying conditions with new ball and old ball, that’s the sort of flexibility you need in your team as far as your fast bowlers are concerned,” the Aussie said of Unadkat.
His bowling contingent consisted of two leggies, Imran Tahir and Rashid Khan. Ponting pointed out the difference in their economy rate, with Rashid being miserly in his runs while Tahir was slightly expensive, as the difference between the two players. However, both players showed their effectiveness with Rashid ending up with 17 wickets in 14 matches while Tahir claimed 18 in 12 games that he played.
“I’ve actually named two leg-spinners in the side, one that started the tournament really well (was) Rashid Khan. One thing you see with the spinners – and certainly the good spinners in T20 cricket – is even if they don’t take a lot of wickets, their economy-rate is always quite low,” Ponting said while explaining the selection of Rashid Khan.
“(Tahir’s) runs-per-over is slightly higher – 7.85 – which is a little on the high side for a top-class spinner in the IPL but … 12 games, 18 wickets (speaks for itself). You know when you bring these leg-spinners on through those middle-overs that they are going to create some opportunities for you and Imran Tahir has been around for a long, long time.”
Chendanda rode on a brace from Olympian Nikkin Thimmaiah to clinch their maiden title in Kodava family hockey tornament on Sunday. In the finals of Biddatanda Cup held at Gen K S Thimayya Stadium at Cheriyaparambu, Chendanda recorded a facile 4-1 win against Paradanda.
Chendanda took an early lead with team India forward Nikkin Thimmaiah sounding the board in the fifth minute. Nikkin doubled the lead with a fine field goal in the 10th minute. Paradanda pulled one back after Dheeraj Muthanna converted a penalty corner. But Chendanda produced a clinical performance and sealed the deal with a goal each from Chirag and Sonu Ponnamma.
Chendanda, who lost in the finals of the 2015 edition of the tournament (Kuppanda Cup) against Palanganda, played a percentage game from the word go and made sure to end the title drought in thye coveted tournament. The winners took home a cash prize of Rs 2.5 lakh and a trophy while Paradanda pocketed a cash prize of Rs 1.5 lkah and Runners-up trophy. As many as 306 teams had enrolled for the 21st edition of the tournament. Of which, 301 teams featured in the hockey festival of Kodavas held for over a month. Six other teams which had made it to last-eight round – Palanganda, Anjaparuvanda, Koothanda, Nellamakkada, Mandepanda and Karineravanda were given Rs 25,000 each.
Biddatanda family Pattedar Prof Biddatanda C Ponnappa presided over the presentation ceremony. Earlier in the day, the title clash was inaugurated by Lt Col B K Subramani. District-In-charge Minister M R Seetharam, Rajya Sabha member B K Hariprasad, MLCs Veena Acchaiah, Sunil Subramani, MLAs K G Bopaiah, Appacchu Ranjan, Deputy Commissioner Dr Vincent D’Souza and others were present.
Pandanda M Kuttappa handed over flag to Kulletira who will host the 2018 edition of Kodava family hockey tournament. English Band team of Mysuru and the students of Ninada enthralled the audience with a fine performance. The bike stunts by the Yuvaka Sangha of Bittangala was another attraction.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / Napoklu – DH News Service / May 15th, 2017
The world No 14 recently beat her compatriot and doubles partner Dipika Pallikal Karthik to become the first Indian to win the Asian Squash Championship.
IANS
“It was special.”
Joshna Chinappa is on a high. Last month, she beat her compatriot and doubles partner Dipika Pallikal 13-15, 12-10, 11-13, 11-4, 11-4 in Chennai to achieve a significant milestone: the first Indian to win the Asian Squash Championship.
It’s an achievement she has eyed for a long time. “It was something I have wanted to win in my career,” Chinappa told Scroll.in. “There is always added pressure playing at home.”
Taking the squash world by storm
It has been an enthralling past 12 months for the 30-year-old. Chinappa broke into the top-10 in July last year and reached the quarter-finals of the World Championship, becoming the second Indian to do so after Pallikal. She lost 6-11, 12-10, 7-11, 11-8, 3-11 to world No 3 Camille Serme of France in the quarter-final. “My run in the World Championship was fairly good and each match was harder than the first,” said Chinappa. “However, I am really grateful to be doing what I do.”
In November 2015, Chinappa beat the world No 2 Raneem el Welily. Currently ranked 14th in the world, her recent win has given her the desire to get better. However, she feels that to beat the top players in the world, a lot of work has to be done. “It is not easy just breaking into the top-five,” she said. “We [Indians] can definitely do it. But for that we need more support from the time we start our careers and continued support till we our done playing. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been that way, though it has improved over the past few months.”
A coach does help
For a major part of her career, Chinappa travelled to tournaments without a coach. However, with Achraf El Karagui now in her corner, Chinappa seems to have taken her a game a notch higher. “I have worked with some of the best coaches at different stages in my career who have all contributed to my game,” she said. “My dad [Anjan Chinappa] and Ritwik Bhattacharya have been the biggest influences. It’s great to have Achraf as part of our team. He is very committed towards helping us and he understands the game really well. He has been able to add more to my game in the past six months.”
But has the move come a little too late? “It has been tough to play without a coach in my corner for the most part of my squash career,” she added. “Though, if my teammates are around we help each other. But it is something I got use too. However, it is always nice to have your team be there for your matches.”
Beating and also playing with Pallikal
Coming into the Asian Championship, Pallikal had a 3-0 win record against Chinappa. So, for Chinappa to beat Pallikal was an extraordinary feat. “Dipika and I are the only ones on tour from India in the women’s circuit, so it is natural to know each other well,” Chinappa said. “We know each other’s game inside out. We also train together most of the time. I enjoy playing doubles with her and we both love playing for India as a team. It works both ways.”
However, the duo will team up once again to defend their doubles gold at the Commonwealth Games next year and are also playing together for the Asian Games. “I look forward to playing with Dipika at the CWG and defending our gold medals,” said Chinappa.
The road ahead
Following her Asian Championship win, Chinappa is back to the grind and slogging it out as she prepares for the World Doubles Championship in Manchester in August. She is back to training and hopes to stay injury-free for the next two years at least. “I train six days a week, twice a day,” she said. “It is usually a combination of squash, weights and on-court fitness. I have an early start and my day usually ends around 7.30 pm after all the training. I have the world doubles in Manchester in the first week of August. I hope to be injury-free and healthy during the next season.” However, she did not reveal her ultimate goal in the sport. “There are certain things I would like to achieve in my career, but for now it is still a secret,” she said.
Growth of squash
Talking about the growth of squash in India, Chinappa, who idolises former athlete PT Usha, said that things are slowly but steadily changing for the better. “Squash has definitely grown a lot more in the past few years,” she said. “The Sports Authority of India, the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu, and the Squash Rackets Federation of India have been a lot more supportive in the past two years. There are so many juniors coming up. Of course we can improve the game further, so we can really reach the grassroot level and kids from smaller towns. We need to give them facilities and support their career financially if we want to see more results.”
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source: http://www.thefield.scroll.in / Scroll.in / Home> The Field / by Bibhash Chatterjee / May 17th, 2017
The manufacturers of Cycle pure agarbattis N R group are sponsoring a golf tournament, titled N R Golf open. The tournament will be held from June 4 at Mercara downs golf club of Madikeri.
More than 250 participants are expected to take part in more than 7 divisions. Executive Director of Cycle pure agarbattis Arjun Ranga will inaugurate the tournament on June 4. June 1 is the last date for the participants to enroll.
Registration is invited from the golfers of Mysuru, Bengaluru, Chikkamagaluru, Ooty, and Kodaikanal. (SH)
source: http://www.citytoday.news / City Today / Home> Mysore / by CT Bureau / May 17th, 2017
Specialist doubles shuttler Ashwini Ponnappa, who moved on from long-time playing partner Jwala Gutta last year to pair up with Sikki Reddy, suggested that her game was a lot more dynamic now.
“It’s good although it’s just been a few months,” said Ashwini, who reached the final of the Syed Modi international champion ship with the Hyderabadi early this year, after the pair finished runners-up in the Welsh Open late last year.
“It’s different because the two of us have similar games and like playing from the back. Neither of us like rushing to the net because we had partners who played well there. But with the realization that one of us had to take charge, we decided that if I move in, she moves back and vice versa,” the 27-year-old said on the sidelines of the 38th Petroleum Sports Promotion Board championship.
Ashwini, who also reached the mixed doubles final of the Lucknow event, said that partnering Sumeeth Reddy had sharpened her skills. “Playing mixed doubles was a confidence booster. I have been training for it in the past couple of months and I can see the difference it’s made to my net game. I have a better idea of where the shuttle is going to come from and where it has to be played. In the past, I never got into that area of thinking because Jwala was so good. It’s been a learning process combining with these players,” she said.
Ashwini said she was targeting improved performances in the Sudirman Cup (May 2128) and Super Series events in Indonesia (June 12-18) and Australia (June 20-25) before setting her sights on next year’s Commonwealth Games and world championships. She said the efforts of doubles coach Tan Kim Her – which included pushing her out of her comfort zone by switching her partners – had made her more determined.
“It’s important to have a doubles coach who knows his craft. I trust in him,” she said.
source: http://www.timeofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> Sports> Badminton / May 10th, 2017
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