Category Archives: Sports

Indian Girls Win Historic First-Ever Medal in Womens Hockey Junior World Cup . August 2013 .

The first Womens hockey team from India to win a Bronze medal in the Junior Womens World Cup history in Monchengladbach, Germany on Sunday – August 04th, 2013.

It was a thrilling match where the score remained tied 1-1 at full time after 70 minutes of play, leading to a penalty shootout. In a battle of nerves the Indian girls held their own, to beat a fancied England 3-2 in a shoot-out-victory on penalties to claim the bronze medal in the ‘Junior Womens’ World Cup’. The winning goal was scored by 17 year-old Navneet Kaur. 18-year old Rani was later named as ‘Player of the Tournament’.

This was the best finish by the Indian eves team in the event, having finished outside the top-eight in their earlier 3 attempts.

At the World level, across all age groups this was the maiden succes for the Indian Women’s Hockey team . The Indian eves best before was a 4th place finish at the 1974 World Cup and the 1980 Olympics.

Hockey India (HI) Secretary General Narinder Batra announced a cash reward of Rupees one lakh for each player of the team and Rupees fifty thousand for the support staff. The Chief Coach Neil Hawgood will also receive a cash reward of Rupees one lakh.

First Indian Cueist to win Gold at Snooker ‘ The World Games 2013 ‘ . July 2013 .

Aditya Mehta , Asian Snooker Champion and top ranked Indian became the first Indian cueist to become ‘The World Games 2013’ Champion in the Snooker Event on Tuesday – July 30th, 2013 in the quadrennial 5-day tournament held  in Cali, Columbia.

Aditya was in top form as he toppled the pre-tournament favourite Liang Wenbo of China in the final with a thumping 3-0 win to clinch the Gold medal.

This is India’a first World Games Gold medal since the legendary shuttler Prakash Padukhone’s Bronze in the inaugral edition of the ‘World Games’ in 1981 and only the second for India in the history of the World Games.

Aditya Mehta, celebrated Mumbai cueist, born Maharashtra – October 31, 1985 (age 27) is a Indian Professional Snooker player currently ranked 74th in the world. He won Silver and Bronze medals at the 2010 Asian Games.

The ‘World Games’ is an international multi-sport event for sports or disciplines not contested in the Olympic Games. International World Games Association (IWGA) – www.theworldgames.org, founded 1981.

[MRR]

India’s First Female Judoka Olympian Athlete . July 2002 .

Lourembam Brojeshori Devi, aged 19 was the first and only female judoka in the Indian Olympic contingent who participated in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games in the Judo event ‘ Women’s Half-lightweight ‘.

Brojeshori Devi at 19 was a National champion . She  participated in 20 international and 16 national judo championships. Took part in the 2002 Busan Asian Games, the Commonwealth Games 2002 (Manchester) and in 2006 (Melbourne). This judoka won 2 Gold medals in SAF Games in 2006 and 2010. She won a Silver medal at the Vietnam International Judo tournament at Ho Chi Min city. Also represented India in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing (China).

Brojeshori Devi was coached by Deven Moirangthem from Imphal (Manipur)for the period 1995-1988.

L. Brojeshori Devi born January 01st,1981 hails from Imphal, Manipur. She is the 3rd child amongst 5 children born to Lourembam Manglem and Taruni L. of Khagempalli, Huidrom Leikai. She was married to Th Rojen of Tabungkhok Mayai Leikai.

Brojeshori joined the CRPF in 1999 and worked as ‘Inspector’ of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). She was undergoing training in July 2013 at the CRPF Training Centre in Coimbatore on a Departmental training programme to become ‘Assistant Commandant’ when she became unwell.

She expired prematurely at 10.45pm, July 21st,2013 – aged 32,  at G.K. Hospital, Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu where she was rushed for health related treatment. Lourembam Brojeshori Devi’s last rites were carried out by her husband Rojen Singh in Tabukhok Mayailekai near Imphal.

First differently-abled Indian Athlete to win Gold at IPC Athletics World Championship, France . July 2013 .

Devendra Jhajhaira scripted history and became the first differently-abled Indian to win Gold as he bagged the first position in the Javelin event at the 6th IPC Athletics World Championship held at the Rhone Stadium in Venissieux near Lyons, France on Monday – July 22nd, 2013.

Jhajhaira also created the record of the event in France by hurling the Javelin to 57.04m in the F-46 category meant for one-armed athletes. He led the 11-athlete field from the very beginning.

India was represented by a 10-member contingent in this July 19-28 Championship. The Paralympics Committee of India (PCI) President, Sultan Ahmed congratulated Devendra Jhajhaira and the PCI announced an award of 5 lakhs.

The 2013 6th edition IPC Athletics World Championship featured over a 1000 athletes from 100 countries and is the biggest gathering of internationally disabled athletes since the 2012 London Olympics.

Devendra Jhajhaira, 32 year old, who lost his left hand in an accident is the son of a farmer Ram Singh hailing from the desert terrain Churu district of Rajasthan, the gateway to the Thar desert. He is a class IV employee of the Indian Railways and is thankful to the Railyways who allowed him to practice and train throughout the year.

It was in 1997, that Jhajhaira was spotted by his coach Ripudaman Singh Aulak, a Dronacharya Awardee in Javelin. He shifted to the nearby town of Kasab for better training facilities. Soon he was training at the National Institute of Sports (NIS), Patiala (Punjab).

Devendra Jhajhaira is the (1) 2nd gold medallist at the Paralympics after Murlikant Petkar (2) At Athens (Greece) he created a new world recored of 62.15m throw (3) He won a Gold medal at the 8th FESPIC Games in Korea.

Following his spectacular performance in the 2004 Paralympics Games, Jhajhaira was conferred the ‘ Arjuna Award ‘ in 2005. He is also the first Paralympian* to be awarded the ‘Padma Shree’ in March 2012. (* Paralympian…. Paralympic sports person).

India’s First and Only Indian Male Athlete to win Individual Gold in the Commonwealth Games. 1958 .

Milkha Singh the legendary hero is Independent India’s first and only* male athlete to win an Individual gold medal in Athletics Track event at the ‘ 1958 Commonwealth Games ‘ (*as on July 2013) where he won the 400 yards at Cardiff by defeating the favourite Malcolm Fence.

A true champion, a real life hero, a graceful runner Milkha Singh was born in a country, and won medals against all odds in a country that had savoured independence for just 11 years, and where there was no support from any quarter, where facilities were few, contending for medals was then a romantic pursuit.

Milkha Singh a story of guts and glory. A former track and field sprinter was born in Muzaffargah district in Kot Addu tehsil, British India (currently Pakistan) on October 08th, 1935. A village about 10 Km from the city. He was orphaned during partition of India, when his parents, a brother and some sisters died tragically. At the age of 15 in 1947 he moved to Delhi where he lived with his sister Iswar Kaur. Amongst a string of adversities he faced, his temporary home for a month was a platform on Delhi’s railyway station.

In 1951 he joined the Indian Army and while stationed at the Electrical Mechanical Engineering Centre in Secuderabad was introduced to Athletics. The Brigade Meet in Secuderabad was Milkha’s first exposure to a competitive environment where he ran in front of 8,000-10,000 spectators.

Milkha Singh represented India in the 400m competition of the  1956 Melbourne Olympics. It was here that he got the opportunity of travelling by air for the first time in his life during the Melbourne Olympics. In 1958 he set the recrods for the 200m and 400m in the National Games of India held in Cuttack. He represented India in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome and came 4th. In the 4th Asiad – 1962 Asian Games held in Jakarta (Indonesia) he won the gold in the 400m and in the 400 x 4 relay as well.

Awarded ‘Padma Shri’ India’s 4th highest civilian award in recognition of his sporting achievements.

‘ Flying Sikh ‘ : in 1962 he got the epithet ‘Flying Sikh’ from (then Pakistan President )General Ayub Khan, after defeating Abdul Khaliq, Pakistan’s fastest runner. When he gave away the medals, he whispered to me in Punjabi ” you did’nt run today, you flew ‘. Since then the name crowned and stuck to him ‘ Milkha Singh – The Flying Sikh ‘.

In 1962 Milkha Singh became the Director of Sports in the Punjab Ministry of Education. He retired in 1991 as Director of Sports & Youth Programme , Punjab Government. Married to Nirmal Kaur, a former Captain of the Indian Women’s Volleyball team. They have 3 daughters and one son – Jeev Milkha Singh, Professional Golfer and India’s first Golfer to join the 1988 European Tour. In 1999, they also adopted the 7-year old son of Havildar Bikram Singh, who had died in the Battle of Tiger Hill. He currently lives in Chandigarh and the family run a Trust established in 2003- Milkha Singh Charitable Trust, Chandigarh to help the poor and needy sports persons and their families.

Donated his sporting treasures :

Milkha Singh who in total won 77 of his 80 races, has donated his medals to the nation. They were displayed at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. Subsequently they were moved later to a sports museum in Patiala.

Books: (1) Autobiography: The Race of My Life : an Autobiography by Milkha Singh and co-authored by his daughter Sonia Sanwalka – Published by Rupa Publcation.

(2) Film : ‘ Bhaag Milkha Bhaag ‘ (English: Run Milkha Run) a biographical film on Milkha Singh, released nationally in India and worldwide as well on Friday, July 13th, 2013. Produced and directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, script by Prasoon Joshi. Milkha Singh’s role played by actor Farhan Akhtar.

(3) website http://www.milkhasingh.co.in/biography.htm

First Kashmiri cricketer to be selected for the National India ‘A’ team cricket squad. July 2013 .

Parvez Ghulam Rasool Zargar (Parvez Rasool)scripted history and became the first cricketer from the state of J & K to be selected for the National India ‘A’ Team.

Parvez Rasool was named by the selectors on Friday, July 05th, 2013 for the 5 match ODI series, Zimbabwe tour beginning July 24th .

A technically accompolished cricketer he made his first-class debut for J & K in the 2008-09 season.  Parvez Rasool is a middle-order batsman who also bowls classical off-spin, and has been a trail blazer right through his career. Earlier on this year he was chosen to play the IPL for the Pune Warriors. He played for the ‘Board President’s XI’ and was a standout performer for J & K in the 2012-13 Ranji trophy, ending the season as its top scorer and highest wicket taker. Parvez has taken 46 wickets in 17 first class matches and scored 1003 runs at an impressive average of 30.57 runs.

Rasool said “without the guidance of former Indian Captain Bishen Singh Bedi, his dream would not have been possible”. He also thanked his childhood coaches Abdul Qayoom Bugoo and Rajesh Dhar for his success.

Parvez Rasool – This poster boy of Kashmir cricket, belonging to a second-generation cricket playing family, was born on February 13th, 1989. A son of a humble shop keeper, as a kid he often played cricket on the deserted streets of Bijbehara, a a small town in South Kashmir. Cricket runs in the family which hails from Anantnag district. His father Ghulam Rasool Zargar loves the game and played for the local club whilst his brother Asif represented J&K in domestic T20 championship.