Sakshi wins bronze in youth boxing
BUDAPEST: Former junior world champion boxer Sakshi Choudhary (57kg) added the youth crown to her cabinet, claiming the gold with a dominating victory over Nikolina Cacic of Croatia at the Youth World Boxing Championship here on Friday.
Sakshi fetched a unanimous verdict over the Croat to clinch the gold medal. However, Asian champions Manisha (64kg) and silver-medallist Anamika (51kg) settled for silver medals.
INDIA U-23 WIN
NEW DELHI: India U-23 team wrapped up its exposure trip Down Under in style, registering a 4-0 victory over Rydalmere Lions FC, at the Valentine Sports Park in Sydney on Friday.
Farukh Choudhary (6’, 38’) bagged a first-half brace before super-sub Manvir Singh (74’, 77’) added two more.
GO-AHEAD FOR KHO KHO
NEW DELHI: The Sports Ministry on Friday approved the participation of a Kho Kho team from India in the first International Kho Kho Championships to be held in England from September 1 to 4. “Financial support for participation of the Kho Kho team in an international event has been approved for the first time in relaxation of extant guidelines of the Ministry, which lay down that sports disciplines like Kho Kho, which are categorised as ‘Others’, will not be eligible for financial support for participation in international sporting events,” Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said.
BOLT’S NEW INNINGS
GOSFORD: Sprint king Usain Bolt fulfilled a boyhood dream on Fri- day in making his much-anticipated football debut, exciting fans but tiring quickly in a 20-minute cameo for Australia’s Central Coast Mariners.
The Jamaican superstar has been handed a chance to train with the A-league side for an indefinite period in a bid to prove he has what it takes to earn a professional playing contract. “It’s a wonderful moment to play at a high level, in professional football,” Bolt said after the Mariners beat an amateur side 6-1.
SNEIJDER’S GOODBYE
THE HAGUE: Record-breaking Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder is set to play one last time for the national team next week, bringing an end to an illustrious career spanning 15 years and more than 130 appearances.
Netherlands national coach Ronald Koeman announced a 25-man squad Friday to face Peru in a friendly in Amsterdam next week, to be played in honour of Sneijder, a former Ajax, Real Madrid and Galatasaray midfielder.
SERRAN IN BENGALURU
BENGALURU: Bengaluru FC on Friday announced the signing of 34-year-old centre-back Albert Serran, ahead of their Indian Super League campaign.
“It is a great experience in my career. The pre-season in Spain was great and I had the chance to meet the staff and players,” Serran said in a statement.
VAR MAY WAIT
MONACO: UEFA are set to wait until next season before introducing Video Assistant Referees (VAR) in the Champions League, although they are still not ruling out having it in this season’s final, president Aleksander Ceferin said on Friday.