After Manu Bhaker, India find new prospect in teenage top gun Suruchi Phogat
Phogat (241.9) edged out Paris Olympics 25m pistol silver medallist Camille Jedrzejewski (241.7) of France in a nail-biting finish of the 10m air pistol event to maintain her unbeaten streak this season. China's Yao Qianxun won bronze with 221.7.
'I am happy but not surprised by my win. I think this is what we train for, to win gold medals,' Phogat said in the Times of India.
When asked if there was any pressure on her after the first two successful editions of the World Cup, she added: 'Fortunately, I don't take pressure of winning medals at all. I have people around me who try to keep me away from the pressure.
'All I do is train and focus on each shot as that will help me improve. I don't think about the results.'
Phogat was trailing Jedrzejewski by 0.5 going into the final two shots and the Indian surged ahead with a tremendous 10.5, which proved decisive in the end.
She won back-to-back World Cup golds in Buenos Aires and Lima, edging out compatriot Bhaker in the final in Peru.
Phogat was also part of India's 10 metre air pistol mixed team, who won the bronze in Buenos Aires and the gold in Lima. She now possesses an enviable record of making the podium in every World Cup event she has taken part in.
'This third successive gold medal is the toughest of all as it was a high-and-low final for me and taught me a lot of things,' Phogat told the Indian Express.
'Things did not work my way midway in the final. I guess my hands were a bit tired... I had to make some adjustments, and I'm glad to win this title.'
India's chief pistol coach Samaresh Jung said Phogat would emerge mentally stronger from such an intense final.
'Shooters have to go through every phase, and it should have taught her a lot of things,' he told the same newspaper.
'It's great. Good for Suruchi, and good for her confidence. Finals could have been better, but then things like this happen.
'In the second series, she had only one bad shot and stayed consistent with the other four, showing similar composure during the elimination shot.' REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Gauff splits with coach Daly ahead of U.S. Open
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: Aug 14, 2025; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Coco Gauff (USA) awaits the serve from Lucia Bronzetti (ITA) during the Cincinnati Open at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images/ File Photo Two-times Grand Slam champion Coco Gauff has parted ways with coach Matthew Daly just days before the start of the U.S. Open, ESPN reported on Wednesday. World number three Gauff will continue to work with longtime coach Jean-Christophe Faurel and has also brought biomechanics specialist Gavin MacMillan. She was seen training on Wednesday at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center in New York with both Faurel and MacMillan, who previously worked with world number one Aryna Sabalenka, helping her with her serve and forehand. Gauff's own serve has been under scrutiny. She committed 42 double faults in just three matches at the Canadian Open earlier this month, part of a season-long pattern that has seen her rack up a tour-leading 320. Under Daly and Faurel, Gauff enjoyed some of the best results of her career, including winning the WTA 1000 China Open, the WTA Finals, and this year's French Open. However, her recent form has dipped, with just four singles wins since Roland Garros and a first-round exit at Wimbledon. The U.S. Open main draw begins Sunday, with 2023 champion Gauff set to appear in a Thursday night exhibition at Arthur Ashe Stadium. REUTERS
Straits Times
9 hours ago
- Straits Times
Women's Rugby World Cup to offer players ‘mental health support'
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox TWICKENHAM – Women's Rugby World Cup chiefs have promised to offer players 'mental health support' after saying that female athletes are '30 per cent more likely' to suffer social media abuse than their male counterparts. While the likes of tournament hosts England are a professional side who have become used to increasing scrutiny, several of the other 15 competing teams are semi-professional or amateur outfits for whom the World Cup will provide a whole new level of exposure. 'Supporting athletes, having an athlete-centred approach, I think, is fundamental to everything that the competition is doing and that we are doing at World Rugby,' said Sally Horrox, the global governing body's head of women's rugby. 'So our performance teams have been working very closely on programmes with the unions to make sure that there is mental health support, for example, for those athletes who are away from home. 'Some of them have families, some of them have other jobs. The game in many parts of the world is still an amateur to semi-professional game, so they will be experiencing something very, very different. 'So we take our responsibilities very seriously.' Tournament organisers said on Aug 19 they expected the Sept 27 final at Twickenham to feature a sell-out crowd of over 80,000 – a record for any women's rugby match. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore 18 persons nabbed and 82 vapes seized in HSA ops in Raffles Place and Haji Lane Singapore 3 Sengkang Green Primary pupils suspended for bullying schoolmate, with 1 of them caned: MOE Singapore Woman trapped between train doors: Judge rules SBS Transit '100% responsible' Singapore Religion growing in importance for Singaporeans: IPS study Life Record number of arts patrons in 2024, but overall donation dips to $45.74m Life 'Loss that's irreplaceable': Local film-makers mourn closure of Singapore indie cinema The Projector Singapore Nearly 2 years' jail, caning for man caught with at least 100 sexually explicit videos of children Singapore Grab users in Singapore shocked by fares of over $1,000 due to display glitch More than 375,000 tickets have been sold across all 32 matches at this World Cup, with a huge global television audience anticipated as well. 'We're ready to break records in attendances, viewership and engagement,' tournament director Sarah Massey said during the launch event at Twickenham. 'This is going to be the biggest global celebration of women's rugby that we have ever seen.' But with that opportunity come attendant risks and World Rugby, in April, announced a collaboration with the Signify Group to use the data organisation's 'Threat Matrix' that monitors social media platforms to detect and report abusive posts and comments. 'No one deserves that type of abuse in this environment,' added Horrox. 'And sadly, female athletes, are 30 per cent more likely to experience this type of abuse than men.' World Cup favourites England open the tournament against the United States in the northeast city of Sunderland on Aug 22, with the Americans boasting a breakout social media star in Ilona Maher, who has amassed over eight million followers. Meanwhile in men's rugby, world champions South Africa will play Japan at Wembley on Nov 1 – the first time they have met in England since the Japanese recorded one of the greatest upsets in Rugby World Cup history in 2015. Japan, then as now coached by Eddie Jones, overcame the Springboks 34-32 in an absolute thriller of a match in Brighton. South Africa have gone on to beat the 'Brave Blossoms' twice since then, both times in Japan, as well as being crowned world champions in 2019 and 2023 giving them a record four victories in the sport's quadrennial showpiece. AFP
International Business Times
10 hours ago
- International Business Times
Imane Khelif Reveals Dramatic New Feminine Makeover a Year After Winning Olympic Gold but Boxer Yet to Return to Ring
Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif has debuted a new look after opening up on a "difficult" phase in her career. Khelif was among two fighters caught in the middle of a gender eligibility controversy during the Paris 2024 Olympics last year. The Algerian boxer was cleared to compete in the Olympics, although the International Boxing Association had previously disqualified both her and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting from the 2023 World Championships. The sport's former governing body alleged that Khelif and Lin did not pass gender eligibility tests, leading to their disqualification. However, both boxers went on to win gold medals in the women's boxing events at Paris 2024, drawing severe backlash. A Complete Makeover Imane Khelif in her new feminine makeover Instagram After the Games, the new governing body, World Boxing, announced that athletes will be subject to mandatory sex screening in order to compete in its events. Khelif skipped her planned comeback competition in the weeks after the announcement. In June, details of a 2023 medical test alleging the boxer was "biologically male" were leaked, sparking demands for her Olympic gold medal to be revoked. Imane Khelif with Algerian podcast host Nassima Djaffar Bey Instagram The test claimed that "chromosome analysis reveals male karyotype" — an XY chromosome pair, according to a report cited by 3 Wire Sports. On Tuesday, Khelif unveiled her new makeover while appearing alongside TV host and podcaster Nassima Djaffar Bey. Djaffar Bey posted a photo on Instagram with Khelif, who was seen wearing makeup and styled hair, captioning it: "Always a pleasure." Just last week, Khelif acknowledged going through a "difficult phase" in a cryptic Instagram message shared on the first anniversary of her Olympic gold win. Imane Khelif X "It was an unforgettable moment a moment where my tears mixed with the awe of pride, a moment where my country's flag soared high, and I held my head up with the strength of a boxer and the heart of a human," Khelif wrote. "Today, on the anniversary of that triumph, I'm going through a difficult phase filled with challenges, silence, and waiting... "But despite everything, the spirit that fought for gold still beats within me. I still believe that every fall is a prelude to a stronger rise, and that every delay carries within it a test of faith and willpower. "True strength lies not only in victory, but in perseverance against all odds. "I am Imane Khelif a champion yesterday, resilient today, and determined to return tomorrow. Thank you to everyone who still believes in me... And to myself, thank you for never giving up." No Signs of Return Khelif has not stepped back into the ring since winning Olympic gold, having skipped a planned return at the Eindhoven Box Cup shortly after mandatory sex testing was introduced. Under World Boxing's new rules, all athletes over 18 must take a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) genetic test to verify their sex at birth and confirm eligibility to compete. Imane Khelif X Amid the controversy last summer, Khelif's father produced what was said to be a birth certificate during the Olympics, listing the boxer as female. As pressure mounted for Khelif to be stripped of her Olympic title, International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry confirmed in June that the result would not be overturned. Imane Khelif posing with her Olympic 2024 gold medal X Her statement came after the newly elected IOC president announced the formation of a working group dedicated to protecting women's sport. "There was overwhelming support that we should protect the female category," Coventry said. "We understand that there will be differences depending on the sports. But it was fully agreed that, as the IOC, we should place emphasis on protection of the female category."
