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Hello Jammu News at 6:42:00 PM 0


Jakarta, Oct 12 (PTI) A couple of gold medals from chess and another one from a shuttler ensured India continued its impressive performance at the Asian Para Games where Paralympic medallist Deepa Malik bagged her second bronze Friday.

K Jennitha Anto clinched the gold in women's individual rapid P1 chess event after beating Manurung Roslinda of Indonesia 1-0 in the final round, while Kishan Gangolli got the better of Majid Bagheri in the men's individual rapid VI - B2/B3 event to claim the top spot.

Rapid P1 event is for physically impaired athletes while rapid VI - B2/B3 event features partially blind competitors. 

In para-badminton, Parul Parmar notched up a 21-9 21-5 victory over Wandee Kamtam of Thailand to win the gold medal in the women's singles SL3 event.

Athletes in this class have impairment in one or both lower limbs and poor walking/running balance but they play in standing positions.

"I work as a coach in the Gujarat's Sports Authority of India. My target is Paralympics. I will play in the World Championships next," Parmar said after winning the gold. 

"So, I want support from my office and I need sponsors. When we go to play international tournaments we don't have sponsors and we have to fund ourselves. I request the government to help us," she added.

In swimming, Swapnil Patil clinched a silver in the men's 100m backstroke in the S10 category. The S10 classification covers physical impairment. Patil earlier won a bronze in the men's 400m freestyle.

India also won a bronze medal in the men's C4 Individual Pursuit 4000m cycling event with Gurlal Singh claiming the third position. This event is for athletes with a below the knee amputation and a prosthesis on one leg. 

Earlier in the day, Rio Paralympics silver-medallist Deepa Malik bagged her second medal at the ongoing competition when she clinched the bronze in the women's F51/52/53s discus throw. 

Deepa produced her best effort in her fourth attempt, a 9.67 metre throw to claim the third spot.

Elnaz Darabian of Iran took home the gold and set a new Asian record with her best throw of 10.71m. Fatema Nedham of Bahrain won the silver with an effort of 9.87m.

The other Indian in fray, Ekta Bhyan, who won the gold in the women's club throw event, finished last in a four-strong field with a best attempt of 6.52m.

In F51/52/53 category, athletes have full power and movements in their arms, but none in their abdominal muscles and typically no sitting balance. They compete in seated positions.

Deepa had earlier won a bronze in women's F 53/54 javelin throw event.

In the women's discus throw F11 category, Nidhi Mishra claimed a bronze covering a personal distance of 21.82m. The F11 classification covers visual impairment.

India now have 59 medals in the Games, which conclude on Saturday. Eleven of these are gold, 18 silver and 30 bronze.

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Hello Jammu News at 2:10:00 PM 0

Jakarta, Oct 8: Javelin thrower Sandeep Chaudhary clinched India's first gold medal at the ongoing Asian Para Games, finishing on top in the men's F42-44/61-64 category here on Monday.

Sandeep claimed the top honours with a best throw of 60.01m, which he managed in his third attempt.

The silver medal went to Sri Lanka's Chaminda Sampath Hetti, who cleared 59.32m in his best effort, while Iran's Omidi Ali settled for the bronze with 58.97m.

Chaudhary's disability falls in the F42-44/61-64 category, which relates to limb deficiency, leg length difference, impaired muscle power or impaired range of movement. The athletes in this category compete without prosthesis.

On Sunday, India won two silver and three bronze medals at the Games.

In the 49kg men's powerlifting event, Farman Basha claimed the silver and Paramjeet Kumar won the bronze.

Swimmer Devanshi Satijawon then picked up a silver in women's 100 metre butterfly in S-10 category and Suyash Jadhav clinched the bronze in the men's 200 metre individual medley in SM-7 category. (PTI)
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Hello Jammu News at 2:08:00 PM 0

Jakarta, Oct 2: A shallow 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck off the southern coast of Indonesia's Sumba island on Tuesday morning, the US Geological Survey said.

The quake hit at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres around 40 kilometres off Sumba, an island of some 750,000 people.

Sumba lies some 1,600 kilometres to the south of Sulawesi island which was struck by a devastating quake and tsunami on Friday which killed more than 800 people. (AFP)
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Hello Jammu News at 3:11:00 PM 0

Jakarta, Sep 29: At least 48 people were killed by a quake-tsunami in an Indonesian city, the country's disaster agency said Saturday, announcing its first official death toll.


The agency added that another 356 people were injured in Palu on Sulawesi island where waves as high as 1.5 metres (five feet) slammed into the city of about 350,000 people. (AFP)
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Hello Jammu News at 2:59:00 PM 0

Jakarta, Sep 29: Thirty bodies are lying at one Indonesian hospital after a quake and tsunami struck Sulawesi island, smashing into a city of 350,000 people, a hospital official told a TV station.

"There are 30 dead at our hospital. And cases where we need to operate or need specialists to handle 12, head trauma nine," Komang Adi Sujendra told Metro TV. (AFP)
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Hello Jammu News at 7:08:00 PM 0

Jakarta, Aug 31: India clinched three medals in sailing with Varsha Gautham and Sweta Shervegar clinching silver in the 49er FX Women's event and Harshita Tomar claiming bronze in the Open Laser 4.7 at the 18th Asian Games here today.

Varun Thakkar Ashok and Chengappa Ganapathy Kelapanda won bronze with a total of 53 after race 15 in the 49er men's event.

The 20-year-old Varsha and 27-year-old Sweta combined to produce a total score of 40 after 15 races to finish second at the Indonesia National Sailing Centre here.

16-year-old Harshita totalled 62 after race 12 to finish third.

"It is a great feeling to win a medal for the country. I can't explain it. It has been a great learning experience for me," Harshita, a former swimmer, said after winning the medal.

Govind Bairagi finished fourth in the Open Laser 4.7, while Nethra Kumanan finished fifth place in Laser Radial Sailing event. (PTI)
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Hello Jammu News at 1:37:00 PM 0

Jakarta, Aug 31: Indian boxer Vikas Krishan (75kg) settled for a bronze medal in the Asian Games after he was declared medically unfit to fight his semifinal bout due to a cut on his left eyelid sustained earlier in the event.

The 26-year-old was to take on Kazakhstan's Amankul Abilkhan in his last-four clash this evening but has been forced out due to the injury, a source in the Indian contingent told.

He has, however, managed to script history by becoming the first Indian boxer to clinch three successive Asian Games medals.

Vikas won a lightweight 60kg category gold in Guangzhou 2010, before winning a middle-weight bronze in the 2014 edition in Incheon.

He sustained the cut during his pre-quarterfinal bout and the injury aggravated during his quarterfinal clash against China's Tuoheta Erbieke Tanglatihan.

The former world championships bronze-medallist overcame the bleeding to assure himself a medal but was declared medically unfit for the semifinals by the team doctors here. (PTI)
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Hello Jammu News at 4:40:00 PM 0

Jakarta, Aug 29: The Indian pair of A Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra progressed to the table tennis mixed doubles semifinals, beating North Korea 3-2 to be assured of a medal at the 18th Asian Games here today.

Sharath and Manika defeated Ji Song An and Hyo Sim Cha 4-11 12-10 6-11 11-6 11-8 in a thrilling contest that lasted 38 minutes here.

Earlier, the Indian men's team had won a bronze medal. (PTI)
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Hello Jammu News at 1:21:00 PM 0
Jakarta, Aug 28 :  India suffered two heart-breaking losses to South Korea in the the men's and women's compound archery finals to settle for a silver each at the Asian Games here today.

Both the finals were fiercely contested. While the women faltered in the final set, the men could easily blame their luck after the final went into a shoot-off with scores in the fourth set tied at 229-229.

Defending champions India and Korea shot 29 each in the shoot-off but the latter scraped via a measured win, which implies shots closest to the bull's eye (inner 10).

Two archery medals were still more than welcome for India after the disappointment in recurve category.

It was a perfect start to the men's final from India as the team of Abhishek Verma, Rajat Chauhan and Aman Saini shot a maximum 60 to Korea's 56 in the opening set.

The shooting standards dropped in second set with India scoring 54, including an 8, to the opponents' 58, levelling the final at 114-114.

The third set went in India's favour 58-56, giving them a much need two point advantage going into the final set. There was a gold at stake and senior archer Verma constantly fired up his teammates.

Verma delivered when it mattered most, shooting couple of 10 pointers in the final set. But when the judges ruled two 9s to 10s, it was 229-229, pushing the final into a dramatic shoot-off.

India shot a 9, 10 and 10 and Korea shot a 10-9-10. The score was tied but Korea prevailed via a measured win after it had its 10s more closer to the bull's eye than India. That left defending champions in utter disbelief.

"You can't say much about finals like these. The wind direction also played a role. It is just bad luck for us today," said a dejected Verma. India were shooting second in the final.

Earlier today, the Indian women's compound team fell agonisingly short of beating defending champions South Korea, settling for a maiden silver at the Asian Games.

The trio of Muskar Kirar, Madhumita Kumari and Surekha Vennam matched the mighty South Koreans quite literally until the fourth final set in which the only 8 pointer of the match, shot by Madhumita proved costly. The Koreans won the final set 58-55 and final 231-228.

The gold medal match was neck and neck till the third set with both teams tied at 173-173.

India won the first set 59 to 57 and that included five ten pointers. South Koreas lifted their game in the second set, winning 58-56 to level the tie at 115-115.

The Koreans were taking the aim first, putting the Indians under constant pressure. The pressure got to the Indians in the end.

India had beaten Chinese Taipei in the semifinals and Indonesia in the last eight stage. India had won a bronze in the same event at Incheon four years ago.

"We have improved on our last time's performance so that is a big positive. The wind conditions were tricky but we were pretty consistent until the final set. We are really happy with our performance.The support from the central government has been great," 22-year-old Surekha, who was part of the bronze-winning team in the previous edition, told PTI.

Asked if the pressure of shooting second got to the team, she said: "We don't think like that." PTI 
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Hello Jammu News at 1:08:00 PM 0


Jakarta, Aug 27 :  Olympic medallist PV Sindhu yet again finished second-best in a major final but grabbed a historic individual silver medal at the Asian Games after losing the women's singles title clash to world number one Tai Tzu-Ying here today.

No Indian had ever reached the final of a singles event at the Asian Games before the 23-year-old from Hyderabad, who lost 13-21 16-21 to Chinese Taipei's Tai in just 34 minutes.

It is the first time that India has won two individual medals at the Asian Games with Saina Nehwal clinching a bronze earlier. Saina was also conquered by Tai in the semifinals.

It was Sindhu's third defeat in a big final this year, having lost the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games title clash to Saina Nehwal and the World Championship summit clash to Spain's Carolina Marin.

The Rio Olympic silver medallist had also lost the finals at India Open (to Beiwen Zhang) and Thailand Open (to Nozomi Okuhara) this year.

Having lost previous five encounters to Tai, world number three Sindhu needed to punch above her weight to tackle the Chinese Taipei ace.

Tai was in complete control from the beginning, taking the first five points of the match, with her trademark sharp returns.

Sindhu had no option but to attack. She returned harder to reduce the deficit to 4-6 but Tai consistently outsmarted Sindhu, using the deft drop shots very effectively.

The Taipei player was deceptive in her strokes and pulled away with a 17-10 lead.

She would change the angle and direction of the stroke very easily, making it difficult for Sindhu to anticipate and find appropriate returns. The first game was over in just 16 minutes.

To negate Tai's strong net game, Sindhu tried to push her back to the baseline in the second game. It got her points but she lost too many points due to unforced errors as some of the shots sailed over the lines.

The strategy could have been more effective if she had not missed drop shots after pinning Tai to baseline.

Initially, Sindhu was tied with Tai at 4-4 but as the game wore on, the Taipei shuttler continued to tighten her grip over the contest. An un-returnable smash put her ahead 15-10.

It was over soon with Tai earning a match point with Sindhu netting a shuttle at 15-19.

Sindhu saved the first match point with a smash winner on Tai's backhand. The Taipei ace sealed it with a drop shot winner.PTI
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Hello Jammu News at 12:14:00 PM 0


Jakarta, Aug 28 :  Indian women's compound team signed off with a silver medal after losing to South Korea in the finals at the 18th Asian Games here today.

The Indian team comprising Muskan Kirar, Madhumita Kumari and Jyothi Surekha Vennam, lost 228-231 to Korea in a contest that went down to the wire till the final set of arrows.

India were leading 59-57 after the first set before Korea won the second set 58-56.

The two teams were on even keel in the third set scoring 58 points each but India wilted under pressure losing 55-58 to end up second best.

Indian men's compound team will also face South Korea in the finals.PTI



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Hello Jammu News at 4:07:00 PM 0

Jakarta, Aug 27: Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu remained in the hunt for a historic Asian Games gold medal after a tense win but Saina Nehwal settled for a bronze following her 10th straight defeat against world number one Tai Tzu Ying, here today.

World number three Sindhu beat Akane Yamaguchi 21-17 15-21 21-10 for her second win over the Japanese at the Asian Games, having beaten her in the team championship as well.

The energy-sapping 65-minute match featured a 50-shot rally in the decider, which Sindhu won.

World number 10 and Olympic medallist Saina played with good intensity but lost 17-21 14-21 to a superior Tzu Ying, who stood out with her court coverage and retrieving in the 32-minute contest.

Coming into this match, Saina had lost last nine matches against Tzu Ying, including three in the 2018 season.

Sindhu will now fight it out with Tzu Ying to win India's first ever individual gold in badminton.

The Indian will have to punch above her weight as she has not managed to beat the Chinese Taipei shuttler in the last contests.

Syed Modi's bronze in men's singles at the 1982 Games in New Delhi was the only individual medal for India at the Asian Games.

Sindhu was sluggish at the start, making unforced errors but recovered quickly to be in control.

Yamaguchi played an attacking game but the tall Sindhu had strokes to counter her rival.

Sindhu dominated the rallies and created an 11-8 lead at first break. The Indian remained solid at the net, using a variety of stroke to force the Japanese world number 2 to make errors.

A long rally ensued at 20-17 but Yamaguchi sent a smash wide to put the Indian ahead.

In the second game too Sindhu remained the dominant player but unforced errors crept in and she lost the lead.

Yamaguchi pulled off a stunning point, leading at 14-12 after forcing an error from Sindhu, who kept retrieving the shuttler, using one smash after another.

Sindhu struggled to contain errors from there and lost the game by hitting a forehand wide.

The Indian reeled off four points in a row to shoot to 7-3 in the deciding game, before taking the break with a 11-7 lead. She also won a sensational 50-shot rally to pull away 16-8.

With such a big lead at hand, Sindhu finished the match in her favour with a superb smash.

Both Saina and Tzu Ying attacked each other's backhand but it was the Chinese Taipei player who scored more points. She raced to a 4-1 lead in the opening game.

Saina changed her strategy a bit by hitting more deep returns and then looked for drop shots. It worked for her and soon it was 8-8.

Tzu Ying though kept spraying smashes on Saina's backhand and took the first break with a narrow 11-10 lead.

The Chinese Taipei shuttler took four straight points to zoom to a 15-10 cushion, leaving Saina to play the catch up game.

Tactically sound and supremely fit Tzu Ying retrieved almost everything thrown at her.

At 19-16, Tzu Ying hit another smash on Saina's backhand to grab her first game point and converted it when the Indian sailed over the baseline.

In the second game also, Saina was again playing the catch up game. Tzu Ying never looked like losing control though Saina tried hard to breach her rival's defense.

Saina led for the first time in the match when Tzu Ying left a shuttle and it fell in at 12-12. A net chord also helped Saina take a point but Tzu Ying reclaimed lead on an unforced error from Saina.

Tzu Ying cruised to win from there with Saina sending a backhand wide. (PTI)
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Hello Jammu News at 1:56:00 PM 0

Jakarta, Aug 27: Top Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal had to be content with a bronze medal after suffering her 10th straight defeat to world number one Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei in the women's singles semifinals of the 18th Asian Games, here today.

World number 10 and Olympic medallist Saina played with good intensity but lost 17-21 14-21 to a superior Tzu Ying, who stood out with her court coverage and retrieving in the 36-minute match.

Coming into this match, Saina had lost her last nine matches against Tzu Ying, including three in the 2018 season.

Both Saina and PV Sindhu were assured of at least bronze medals after progressing to the semifinals.

Both Saina and Tzu Ying attacked each other's backhand but it was the Chinese Taipei player who scored more points. She raced to a 4-1 lead in the opening game.

Saina changed her strategy a bit by hitting more deep returns and then looked for drop shots. It worked for her and soon it was 8-8.

Tzu Ying though kept spraying smashes on Saina's backhand and took the first break with a narrow 11-10 lead.

The Chinese Taipei shuttler took four straight points to zoom to a 15-10 cushion, leaving Saina to play the catch up game.

Tactically sound and supremely fit Tzu Ying retrieved almost everything thrown at her.

At 19-16, Tzu Ying hit another smash on Saina's backhand to grab her first game point and converted it when the Indian sailed over the baseline.

In the second game also, Saina was again playing the catch up game. Tzu Ying never looked like losing control though Saina tried hard to breach her rival's defense.

Saina led for the first time in the match when Tzu Ying left a shuttle and it fell in at 12-12. A net chord also helped Saina take a point but Tzu Ying reclaimed lead on an unforced error from Saina.

Tzu Ying cruised to win from there with Saina sending a backhand wide. (PTI)
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Hello Jammu News at 6:44:00 PM 0

Jakarta, Aug 25: India might get to host the Diamond League of athletics as the glitzy showpiece, which features the top stars of the sport, needs to be taken to all major cities of the world, IAAF President Sebastian Coe said today.

Here for the ongoing Asian Games, Coe spoke to about the possibility of Diamond League coming to India.

"The concentration of Diamond League or world events has historically been in European countries. We want to maintain that strength, but we have to make sure that big cities are hosting our sport, cities like Delhi, Tokyo, Beijing in Asia," Coe said.

The Diamond League is a 14-leg series in which top athletes compete for prize money and points.

It was established in 2010 to replace the Golden League to take the sport beyond Europe and as IAAF's contract with the event sponsors draws to an end, discussions are being held to take it to new cities.

"We have one more year with the Diamond League contract. Those discussions are taking place at the moment but I want to see our world events being spread around the world. I want to see the sport in big populations, in big cities and this has to be the objective," the two-time Olympic champion said.

"Next year we have Asian athletics championship in Doha, then Olympic games in Tokyo and the world indoor championship in Nanjing in 2020. Asia is going to be the focus of the sport for next four or five years," he added.

Apart from Europe, Asian countries such as China, Qatar and Morocco are already hosting Diamond League events.

Coe, who won the 1500m gold medals at the 1980 and the 1984 Olympic Games, was impressed with the rise of Indian athletes such as Hima Das and Neeraj Chopra.

"She was very impressive. I was in the stadium. In know the impact that had in India. This is a good sign, athletics is beginning to grab the consciousness of the population. I remember the CWG in 2010, you had stadiums full every night."

The IAAF President said India is an important market for his organisaton.

"It is very encouraging, India is a very important country for the potential to grow our sport. You have a federation which is very ambitious to grow the sport," he said.

"I see India as very important for helping us globalise our sport and there is a huge sponsorship and broadcast market which is something we should be doing a lot more work in. That's the objective of the IAAF," he added.

Mixed relay event, with two men and two women athletes competing together as a team, will make its debut at the Asian Games in Jakarta. Coe said innovation was the need of the hour.

"We have had mixed relay in 2015 at the world youth championships, the world relay event in Bahamas was particularly successful. They will be in 2020 in Tokyo and we showcase one in Doha to globalise it before we take it to Tokyo.

"We have to be creative and innovative and do things differently. We will review the impact now and the next year. Obviously we can't have it in every event but it's a good sign. It has got a new dimension," he said.

The Dynamic New Athletics (DNA) style will make its debut the European Games next year. In the new format, mixed-gender teams will compete in a knockout format over five days, the action concluding in two hours.

Asked if the format can be tried at the Asian Games too, Coe said, "Every sport is looking to do things differently. It does not always mean, it will be successful, it does not always mean that you take it to mainstream."

Talking about dope-tainted Russia's inclusion in IAAF, Coe said it will still take some time.

"Good progress has been made but that's not quite enough. We are waiting for next report in November. There are elements of testing (WADA) and controlling some of the coaches. Some have been banned, generally good progress," he said. (PTI)
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Hello Jammu News at 1:17:00 PM 0

Jakarta, Aug 23: India's Virdhawal Khade kept himself in the medal hunt by qualifying for 50m butterfly final but crashed out of the men's freestyle 100m along with Anshul Kothari at the 18th Asian Games, here today.

Khade, who narrowly missed bronze in men's 50 metre freestyle on Tuesday, clocked 24.09 to top Heat 2 but was placed fifth overall.

Kothari also topped three-man Heat 1 with timing of 25.45 but that was 28th best from among 40 swimmers.

Top-eight qualify for the final.

Khade though had a disappointing result in 100m freestyle as he finished last in his heat and was placed 43rd overall. His timing was 59.11.

His compatriot Aaron Desouza was best in his heat with a timing of 51.50 but that placed him at 27th. (PTI)

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Hello Jammu News at 12:47:00 PM 0

Jakarta, Aug 22: Indian rowers Rohit Kumar and Bhagwan Singh topped the repechage round in the men's lightweight double sculls with a timing of 7:12.23 in the Asian Games here today.

They qualified for the main A-final, and will now take a shot at winning a medal.

Bhagwan Singh-Rohit Kumar finished top in Heat 1 repechages. (PTI)
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Hello Jammu News at 12:46:00 PM 0

Jakarta, Aug 21: India's Virdhawal Khade marginally bettered his long-standing national record to get closer to his second Asian Games medal as he qualified for the men's 50m freestyle final by clocking 22.43s which was third fastest time in the heats, here today.

Khade, who won a bronze at the Guangzhou Games in 2010, faced stiff competition from Japan's Shunichi Nakao (22.62) but emerged the fastest in the eight-man heat 5.

It was new national record in 50m freestyle as he bettered his own mark of 22.52, set in August 2009 at Asian Age group swimming championships in Japan.

Overall, Khade was third behind China's Hexin Yu (22.21) and Hong Kong's Kenneth King Him To (22.38).

Anshul Kothari could not qualify for the final as he finished 28th with a timing of 23.83. He was fastest in heat 1.

"I am keeping fingers crossed but I think medal is within each. I have prepared well in the last one and a half years. It's a sprint, so you never know what happens in final but I will give myself a chance. It's possible," Khade, 26, told PTI.

"The top two may be fitter than me but mentally I am stronger than them. I have experience and I will try to use it in the final."

Khade said he was pleased with his improvement after making a comeback to the pool.

"After 10 years, I am competing at such a big event. I was also at the CWG also but there, I could not perform to my potential. I had timed 23.11 there, so it is half a second fast. Hopefully, I will be able to cut down more and get a medal."

On bettering his own national mark and improving upon his timing from CWG, the 26-year-old said, "I have worked on strength and fitness since January with my coach in Bengaluru. I have improved since January in every competition. Regular competition has helped me."

The final will be held in the evening today.

Khade had taken a break from swimming for four years due to job commitment. He works as a Tehsildar for the Mahatrashtra Government. (PTI)
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Hello Jammu News at 2:40:00 PM 0

Jakarta, Aug 20: An inconsistent Saina Nehwal saved four match points before losing to Nozomi Okuhara after PV Sindhu's gritty win over world number one Japanese Akane Yamaguchi, as India crashed out of the Asian Games women's badminton team event today.

The Indian women's team, which won a historic bronze in the last edition in Incheon, lost the quarterfinal to the top-seeded and the most formidable team in the world.

It was always going to be a close affair between Sindhu and Yamaguchi but the Indian prevailed in the tight opening singles 21-18 21-19.

Sindhu, who took 41 minutes to put India ahead, had also beaten Yamaguchi at the recent World Championship on the way to the final.

N Sikki Reddy and Arathi Sunil struggled to contain unforced errors and lost tamely 15-21 6-21 to Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota, allowing the Japanese to make it 1-1.

In the crucial second women's singles, Saina made a dramatic comeback and saved four match points in the second game, but eventually lost 11-21 25-23 16-21 after battling for one hour and 11 minutes.

Saina initially struggled to contain her unforced errors while Okuhara was disciplined. The Indian hit almost everything either over the line or on to the net but still made a stunning comeback.

She, though, could not take advantage of the momentum and lost five points in a row from 16-16 in the decider to lose the match to Okuhara, who felt the heat towards the end but was helped by the Indian's inconsistency.

In the must-win fourth rubber, Sindhu and Ashwini Ponappa lost 13-21 12-21 to Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi, who were solid with their defense.

Okuhara stood out with her retrieving. There was just one point in the entire first game, which Saina dominated, and that too Okuhara prolonged with her amazing recovery and movement on the court.

Okuhara remained disciplined while Saina could not rein in the errors. The Indian was soon trailing 11-19. A smart winner from Okuhara sealed the opening game.

Okuhara stayed strong with her returns and court movement, racing to a 7-1 lead. Saina got her second point only when Okuhara committed a rare unforced error.

The Indian also struggled with her judgement in leaving the shuttles while Okuhara remained remarkably accurate.

From 7-15, Saina logged five straight points and turned the game on its head. She made it 20-20 from nowhere.

Saina buried a smash to the net to give Okuhara her fourth match point but saved it with another down the line smash. She had her first game point at 23-22 but hit long. She finally made it 1-1 when Okuhara failed to return a drop volley.

Egged on by her teammates, shouting 'jeetga bai jeeta India heetga', Saina yet again reduced the deficit to open up a two-point lead at first break.

With better control over her shots and agile movement, Saina kept troubling the Japanese. The two players were heading towards an exciting finish after being locked 16-16.

From there Saina lost five points in a row. At 16-17, she left the shuttle, thinking it was out, but it fell in.

Saina hit a smash out on the right side of Okuhara, looking for a winner, conceding a crucial three-point lead. Okuhara made sure there was no drama in the end and heaved a sigh of relief when Saina's backhand return met with the net. (PTI)
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Hello Jammu News at 5:22:00 PM 0

Jakarta, Aug 18: Rising star Bajrang Punia and confidence-personified Vinesh Phogat will lead the Indian charge on the wrestling mat even as double Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar has a point to prove when the freestyle competition at the Asian Games begins here tomorrow.

Rio Olympics bronze medallist Sakshi Malik will also gun for her first medal in the Asian Games after winning a bronze in the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games earlier this year.

Five of the six Indian men's freestyle wrestlers will be in action tomorrow with CWG gold medallist Bajrang opening his campaign in the 65kg category against Uzbekistan's Sirojiddin Khasanov.

The men's Greco Roman and women's competition will begin from Monday.

Bajrang is coming into the Asian Games after winning three consecutive gold medals -- CWG (Gold Coast), Tbilisi Grand Prix (Georgia) and Yasar Dogu International (Istanbul) -- and will be an outright favourite to claim the yellow metal.

In contrast, Sushil, India's only athlete with two individual Olympic medals, is entering the field after losing his first bout in four years -- in Tbilisi Grand Prix in Georgia last month -- but sounded confident ahead of the competition.

Indian coaches said the competition is as tough as Olympics since mostly Asian wrestlers dominate the mat at big sporting events.

"You have to make a decision about your move and attack in split second. It will be very tough. But our boys and girls have prepared well. They have trained hard in the last one year. No rest, no gap," India's men's freestyle national coach Jagmander Singh told.

"It's never easy at the Asian Games. It's of the same level as in Olympics. The Japanese girls mostly lift the World Championship title and they are all here," Singh added.

National Greco Roman coach Kuldeep Singh said Harpreet Singh (87kg) is India's best medal bet in Greco Roman style.

"Harpreet has got a good draw. He has worked really hard and showed immense improvement during training. He should get a medal this time," he said.

He also sounded confident about chances of Bajrang, who had won a silver in the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon.

"Japan and Iran have strong wrestlers but they are in the other half. Bajrang has defeated the Iranians before but he will not clash with them before semifinals. It will all depend on his defending skills in the later stages.

"Sushil has got a tough draw but he is a strong and smart wrestler. It will not be easy for him but he will manage," Kuldeep said.

Women's coach, also named Kuldeep Singh, said CWG gold medallist Vinesh Phogat, who will compete in the 50kg category, has got a good draw as the strong Japanese rival (Yuki Irie) is in the other half.

However, Chinese Sun Yanan, to whom Vinesh had lost in Rio Olympics and also suffered a terrible leg injury is in her half.

"Pinki should do something this time. She just has to beat the Mongolian girl (Sumiya Erdenechimeg) and she can win medal. Sakshi has to deal with just that Korean (Jong Sim Rim) initially since strong Mongolian and Japanese are in the other half."

In the last Asian Games, India had returned with five medals with Yogeshwar Dutt being the lone gold medallist.

"We will have a better medal tally this time," asserted men's freestyle coach Jagmander.

Indian Squad:

Men's Freestyle Team: Sandeep Tomar (57 kg), Bajrang Punia (65 kg), Sushil Kumar (74 kg), Pawan Kumar (86 kg), Mausam Khatri (97 kg) and Sumit Malik (125 kg).

Greco-Roman: Gyanender (59 kg), Manish (67 kg), Gurpreet Singh (77 kg), Harpreet Singh (87 kg), Hardeep Singh (97 kg) and Naveen (130 kg).

Women's Freestyle Team: Sakshi Malik (62 kg), Vinesh Phogat (50 kg), Pinki (53 kg), Pooja Dhanda (57 kg), Divya Kakran (68 kg) and Kiran (72 kg). (PTI)
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Hello Jammu News at 2:42:00 PM 0

Jakarta, Aug 13: The Indian men's handball team, whose participation at the Asian Games got mired into controversy before getting the clearance, began its campaign at the quadrennial event with a 28-38 defeat against Chinese Taipei at the Popki indoor stadium, today.

The Games are set to begin in the Indonesian capital with opening ceremony on August 18 but competitions in many events such as handball and football began today.

In the 13-team men's competition, India have been clubbed with Chinese Taipei and Iraq in Group D. There are four Groups.

In the women's draw, 10 teams will be vying for gold. India will compete with South Korea, Kazakhstan, China and North Korea in Group A.

The women's team will play its opening match tomorrow against Kazakhstan.

The men's handball team, ranked 12th, struggled to get into the Games as the Indian Olympic Association followed a policy of allowing only entry for teams, ranked 8th or higher in Asia.

The withdrawal from Australia, Uzbekistan, China, Oman and UAE effectively placed India seventh among the participating teams in Jakarta.

The Handball Federation used this logic for inclusion of their team and eventually got the green light from the IOA after intervention of the Allahabad High Court. (PTI)
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