Mirabai won’t be fully fit for Asian Games: Coach
NEWDELHI:World champion Mirabai Chanu’s participation at the Asian Games appears doubtful with India chief coach Vijay Sharma recommending that she must pull out of Jakarta event to be fit for the Olympic qualifiers, later this year.
The reigning CWG champion is struggling with an unidentified lower-back problem since May and is yet to begin fullfledged weight training.
“I have submitted a report to the federation. Now they have to take a decision. I am of the opinion that in such less time it’s not good to take heavy load. The Olympic qualifiers event is approaching and that is more important than the Asian Games,” Sharma said. When pain subsided last week, Mirabai travelled to Mumbai to resume training and start mobility exercises. Vijay said the pain returned on Sunday and he doesn’t want to risk aggravating the injury.
LAKSHYA OUT
HOCHIMINHCITY: Asian junior champion Lakshya Sen on Monday pulled out of the Vietnam Open badminton after failing to recover from shin splint injuries. “Lakshya has pulled out as he still has pain from the shin splint injuries. He is getting it in both legs so after coming back from Asian Junior, he was feeling pain during the practice,” Lakshya’s mentor Vimal Kumar said. In Lakshya’s absence, Ajay Jayaram will carry India’s hopes.
GHOSH’S COMEBACK
NEW DELHI: His life thrown haywire by a rape allegation, leading Indian table tennis player Soumyajit Ghosh has married his accuser four months after his career nose-dived owing to the crisis. Four months on, he has not even felt the racket in his hand, is heavier by more than 10 kgs. “Everyone thought about the girl. That she was young. I was young too. If she was a minor, I was 22 when we started dating. I am still young. Hope my court case is over soon and I get back to training,” he said.
SWASTIKA WINS BRONZE
MUMBAI: Young Swastika Ghosh annexed a medal in the 2018 Hang Seng Hong Kong Junior and Cadet Open, claiming the bronze in the Junior Girls’ Doubles table tennis along with Singapore’s Jingyi Zhou.
INDIA BAJA IN AUGUST
NEW DELHI: Extreme motorsport event India Baja will be held from August 17-19 in the sand dunes of Jaisalmer. The race will comprise over 400 km of gruelling Special Stages and 150 km of Transport Stages, covering some of the toughest off-road terrains in India. The top Indian contender will get a direct gratis entry into the 2020 Dakar Rally.