Churchill Bros bullish ahead of I-league opener
MARGAO: Two-time national league champions Churchill Brothers are ready to start afresh as they take on defending champions Minerva Punjab in their opening I-league encounter on Sunday.
The Goan giants have trained rigorously under the watchful eyes of their Romanian coach Petre Gigiu and are much better prepared for the upcoming challenges, feels team CEO Valanka Alemao.
The team has undergone a major revamp with the inclusion of five foreigners from Uganda, Gambia, Bosnia, Lebanon and Trinidad and Tobago along with talented local boys, mostly from the Dempo and Salgaocar.
“We are better prepared this time compared to last year with adequate time available for the selection of the players and the head coach. The boys have undergone rigorous fitness regimen and all are fit and looking forward for the tough journey ahead,” said Valanka on Thursday.
Romanian coach Gigiu is quite happy with the way his players performed in the training. It is a good squad with quality foreigners and are raring to go with the sole objective to regain the prestigious national title, which they have won twice in the past.
POOJA WINS BRONZE AT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
NEW DELHI : Pooja Dhanda joined the elite Indian company of women grapplers to lift the sagging morale of Indians at the World Championships when she defeated Grace Bullen of Norway 10-7 on Thursday.
Before Pooja, only three Indian women grapplers—alka Tomar in 2006, Geeta Phogat and Babita Phogat in 2012—had won a bronze each at this level.
Earlier, Pooja had emphatically beaten Alyona Kolesnil of Azerbaijan 8-4 to reach the bronze medal bout.
BEN JOHNSON TO ATTEND FEST IN ODISHA
BHUBANESWAR: Controversial former sprinter Ben Johnson will
headline the Ekmara Sports Literary Fest, which will also feature top international and national athletes such as Stephanie Rice, Jeff Thomson and Neeraj Chopra here on November2and3.
The event is a precursor to the Hockey World Cup being hosted here from November 28.
Johnson, the 1988 Seoul Olympics gold-medallist in 100m who lost his medal after failing a dope test, recently hit the headlines after it emerged that his lab report was tampered with at that time.