Latest news with #Contender
Scottish Sun
09-05-2025
- Science
- Scottish Sun
‘Biggest shark EVER tagged by researchers' – 14ft & 1,600lb great white dubbed ‘The Contender' – spotted prowling off US
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE biggest shark ever tagged by researchers has been spotted prowling up the US east coast. Known as 'The Contender', the massive white shark is currently skulking around the North Carolina coast. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Stock image of a Great White Shark, Carcharodon carcharias, South Africa, Dyer Island Credit: Getty 3 Scientists track its progress through a tag that "pings" every time the shark's fin breaks the water's surface Credit: Getty 3 The behemoth was previously seen following the Gulf Stream south near Florida. Weighing 1,600 pounds, the beast was first tagged on January 17 this year about 45 miles off the Florida-Georgia border. It was the largest ever shark tagged by research group OCEARCH in the area. Contender, an adult white shark, measures 13 feet and nine inches. From its starting point, Contender stuck to familiar surrounding for the first few weeks of its journey, clinging to the area around the Florida coast. Scientists track its progress through a tag that "pings" every time the shark's fin breaks the water's surface. OCEARCH said the fin needs to be above water for around 90 seconds for the location to be fully accurate. Its website says: "The SPOT tag deployed on Contender will provide valuable real-time data for approximately five years, helping us track his movements and understand his migration patterns." Despite Contender's voyage trending south from January through to March, the latest pings have show the beast much further north. The shark didn't emerge for a ping between March 12 and April 8, during which time it had made its way nearer to coastal North Carolina. Contender has travelled more than 1,400 miles over the past 109 days. Since emerging near North Carolina, the shark has been prowling up and down the state's coastal waters. But beachgoers need not panic, as Contender has kept well clear of the shore so far. The most recent ping on May 5 had the shark heading southwards in the vague direction of Onslow Bay. OCEARCH's website describes Contender as "the ultimate ocean warrior" and a "mature male" specimen. It also says his nickname comes in honour of Contender Boats - an old partner of the research group. Sharks will tend to head north and further out to sea during the spring and summer months, according to biologists. A good supply of seals off the northeast US and Canada, makes it a popular destination for sharks.
The Irish Sun
09-05-2025
- Science
- The Irish Sun
‘Biggest shark EVER tagged by researchers' – 14ft & 1,600lb great white dubbed ‘The Contender' – spotted prowling off US
THE biggest shark ever tagged by researchers has been spotted prowling up the US east coast. Known as 'The Contender', the massive white shark is currently skulking around the North Carolina coast. 3 Stock image of a Great White Shark, Carcharodon carcharias, South Africa, Dyer Island Credit: Getty 3 Scientists track its progress through a tag that "pings" every time the shark's fin breaks the water's surface Credit: Getty 3 The behemoth was previously seen following the Gulf Stream south near Florida. Weighing 1,600 pounds, the beast was first tagged on January 17 this year about 45 miles off the Florida-Georgia border. It was the largest ever shark tagged by research group OCEARCH in the area. Contender, an adult white shark, measures 13 feet and nine inches. From its starting point, Contender stuck to familiar surrounding for the first few weeks of its journey, clinging to the area around the Florida coast. Scientists track its progress through a tag that "pings" every time the shark's fin breaks the water's surface. OCEARCH said the fin needs to be above water for around 90 seconds for the location to be fully accurate. Its website says: "The SPOT tag deployed on Contender will provide valuable real-time data for approximately five years, helping us track his movements and understand his migration patterns." Most read in The US Sun Despite Contender's voyage trending south from January through to March, the latest pings have show the beast much further north. The shark didn't emerge for a ping between March 12 and April 8, during which time it had made its way nearer to coastal North Carolina. Contender has travelled more than 1,400 miles over the past 109 days. Since emerging near North Carolina, the shark has been prowling up and down the state's coastal waters. But beachgoers need not panic, as Contender has kept well clear of the shore so far. The most recent ping on May 5 had the shark heading southwards in the vague direction of Onslow Bay. OCEARCH's website describes Contender as "the ultimate ocean warrior" and a "mature male" specimen. It also says his nickname comes in honour of Contender Boats - an old partner of the research group. Read more on the Irish Sun Sharks will tend to head north and further out to sea during the spring and summer months, according to biologists. A good supply of seals off the northeast US and
The Sun
09-05-2025
- Science
- The Sun
‘Biggest shark EVER tagged by researchers' – 14ft & 1,600lb great white dubbed ‘The Contender' – spotted prowling off US
THE biggest shark ever tagged by researchers has been spotted prowling up the US east coast. Known as 'The Contender', the massive white shark is currently skulking around the North Carolina coast. 3 3 3 The behemoth was previously seen following the Gulf Stream south near Florida. Weighing 1,600 pounds, the beast was first tagged on January 17 this year about 45 miles off the Florida-Georgia border. It was the largest ever shark tagged by research group OCEARCH in the area. Contender, an adult white shark, measures 13 feet and nine inches. From its starting point, Contender stuck to familiar surrounding for the first few weeks of its journey, clinging to the area around the Florida coast. Scientists track its progress through a tag that "pings" every time the shark's fin breaks the water's surface. OCEARCH said the fin needs to be above water for around 90 seconds for the location to be fully accurate. Its website says: "The SPOT tag deployed on Contender will provide valuable real-time data for approximately five years, helping us track his movements and understand his migration patterns." Despite Contender's voyage trending south from January through to March, the latest pings have show the beast much further north. The shark didn't emerge for a ping between March 12 and April 8, during which time it had made its way nearer to coastal North Carolina. Contender has travelled more than 1,400 miles over the past 109 days. Since emerging near North Carolina, the shark has been prowling up and down the state's coastal waters. But beachgoers need not panic, as Contender has kept well clear of the shore so far. The most recent ping on May 5 had the shark heading southwards in the vague direction of Onslow Bay. OCEARCH's website describes Contender as "the ultimate ocean warrior" and a "mature male" specimen. It also says his nickname comes in honour of Contender Boats - an old partner of the research group. Sharks will tend to head north and further out to sea during the spring and summer months, according to biologists. A good supply of seals off the northeast US and Canada, makes it a popular destination for sharks.
Hindustan Times
04-05-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Happy with my current form, will continue to focus on my game and not the outcome: Diya Chitale outlines her next target
Diya Chitale has scripted history a couple of times, most recently at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Contender held in Tunis over April 22-27, where she and Manush Shah became only the second Indian pair to win the mixed doubles title. In October last year, the table tennis player was part of the team that won a historic bronze for India at the Asian Championships held in Kazakhstan. She also happens to be the youngest Indian female to have won a double crown in the National Championship in the U-18 and U-21 categories. The budding paddler exemplifies resilience. Months after a stress fracture in her foot shattered her Paris Olympics dreams, she bounced back and clinched her maiden senior women's singles title in January this year, overcoming a 0-2 deficit to beat Olympian Sreeja Akula in a nail-biting final. She partnered with Akula to secure the women's doubles title at the same championship. In an interview with Hindustan Times, she spoke about the factors that fuel her fire, the need to bounce back after heartbreaks and how government support and the Ultimate Table Tennis have helped her grow as an athlete: Yeah, I think it was one of our biggest wins as a pair. This was actually the first time that we reached the final of a WTT event (contender or star contender). We had earlier reached many, many semi finals. We had won a title in the feeder event before as well. But in a contender (match), we had never made it past the semis. So first of all, we were really thrilled to have reached the finals. Then of course, we had to play against a top Japanese pair in the finals. We had actually lost to them - 3-0 - last year. This time I think both of us were really well-prepared for the match. And I think throughout the partnership, our bonding was really very good. So we just tried to play every point with full aggression, tried to focus on our game and what we needed to play. As the match went on, we started getting the feeling that we could actually win against them. We continued to play aggressively, trying to attack first, which is actually our strength as a pair. We were really very, very glad that we could take the trophy home. Definitely the world championship that starts on May 17. We (Manush and I) will be playing mixed doubles there too. Then there is singles, women's doubles, mixed doubles, everything. So of course, that is one of our next targets - to at least make it to the quarterfinals in the World Championships. The world's top pairs will be playing there but I think we are in vert good shape. We won (the WTT Contender Title) in Tunisia, so we are looking forward to carrying the same form. A more long-term goal, towards the end of the year, would be to break into the top 10 or even top eight. We are at the 11th place now. And I think the ultimate goal for both of us as a pair is definitely to win a medal at the Olympics for India. Yeah, of course. Being part of the Paris Olympics team was a target, but that did not happen. Of course, there was a lot of disappointment. I think it's more important to move forward rather than dwell on what didn't happen. So I tried to rebuild from there on. I think the year so far has been really good for me. I won the National Championships at the beginning of the year. It was an important milestone for me and I was very happy to have made it. And of course, in the mixed doubles, we were playing really well for quite some time. Winning this title gives us a very big confidence boost and tells us that we are on the right path. After the Paris Olympics (didn't work out), I started working more on other things that I needed to do in training. I focused on playing my game rather than thinking about the results. When I'm on the table, I just try to play my game and have fun. I think that has really been working well for me, and I'm just going to carry that forward. I would say that times really are changing in India. Earlier, no one would actually take up sports as a career or a profession. They would play till a certain age ad then focus on academics. That's changing now. People are taking up sports as a career. So my advice to young athletes would be - if your goal is set, put your all into it. If you really want to achieve it, just go all out, have fun, enjoy what you're doing. There will always be difficult times and difficult phases, but you must bounce back, work hard and just keep believing in yourself. Your hard work will pay off in the end. I finished my graduation last year. And yeah, I think it is pretty difficult to manage sports and academics. Honestly, I was very, very lucky to have the support that I did when I was younger from my school Arya Vidya Mandir. That really helped throughout my time in school. For instance, if I was not available during an exam, they would let me retake it and offer me separate classes if I missed out on any classes. With their support, I was really able to focus on training and playing tournaments even during my school years. Of course, Chitkara University also supported me with my career, and that played a huge role in my success. Since I had to travel a lot, they let me do most things online. I never really had to go to college. That was a huge help. Thanks to them, I dedicated all my attention to table tennis. The government has devised many helpful schemes that are helping players hugely. Take the Khelo India initiative—it really helped me in my initial years by allowing me to participate in more tournaments and get the best facilities. Also, now I'm under the TOPS development scheme, which is also a huge help for all. SAI is also helping us a lot. Government backing has enabled us to give our best on the table without having to worry too much about other stuff. You received a letter of appreciation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year. That must have been special. How did it feel? Of course, when the Prime Minister sent such a letter, it was definitely a huge encouragement for all of us. Besides, he had meetings with all of us before we went for the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games. I think it's a great initiative from him that he frequently meets us. I think he's so invested in the sport and he really knows it in detail. When we see such government support, the fact that they are always there for us, it pushes us to do better for the country. Honestly, I feel there is always pressure, whether you're the highest or the lowest (paid). There is always going to be a bit of pressure in any match you play. I think it's about how you take that pressure and how you deal with it that counts. I was really happy to have performed so well last year. About being the player with the highest bid, I was happy all the teams wanted me despite there being so many top players. But I think I'm just going to go with the same flow as last year and just try and help my team to make as many points as possible. I love playing in team events, and the atmosphere and the platform that Ultimate Table Tennis has created is really great for all the young athletes and all the Indian players, I would say, because we get a chance to play with the top foreign players, to practice with them and spend time with them. So it's an amazing platform that they have created for us. The crowd is amazing. It's a great atmosphere. There's just one table. So I have a lot of fun playing in such tournaments. I'm really looking forward to it. Firstly, I have closely followed UTT - whether it was watching from the stands or from home. I always wanted to be a part of it. When I finally got that chance, I realized what an amazing atmosphere it was to play in. Last year was an amazing season for me. I was able to help the team reach the finals, and we won silver. When you're able to do that for your team, it gives you a confidence boost. UTT also teaches you how to handle pressure. Plus, the crowd is great, the cheering is great, and the opportunity to play against and practice with foreign players has really helped me grow.
New York Post
21-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
MMA fighter Ahmad Hassanzada arrested for child sex crimes days before UFC debut
A mixed martial arts fighter has been charged with child sex crimes just days before he was scheduled to make his UFC debut. Ahmad Hassanzada was scheduled to make his official debut in the Octagon this coming Saturday as the winner of Dana White's Contender series in September. However, the 28-year-old Team Alpha Male fighter from Sacramento turned himself in to authorities over the weekend, according to jail records obtained by the Sacramento Bee. Advertisement 3 Hassanzada was hit with the disturbing charges just days before he was set to make his UFC debut. Zuffa LLC 3 Ahmad Hassanzada previously won UFC President Dana White's contender series. Zuffa LLC He is facing two felony charges: lewd acts with a child under 14 and lewd acts with a child 14- or 15-years-old, where the defendant is 10 years older than the victim, the records show. Advertisement Sacramento police have not offered additional details about the case given its 'sensitive nature.' However, a department spokesperson confirmed to the Bee that the charges stem from a probe launched early last year. Hassanzada's bail was set at $400,000 and he is scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday, jail records show. Hassanzada is a 6-foot-1-inch lightweight and member of Team Alpha Male, an MMA squad fighting out of Urijah Faber's Ultimate Fitness gym in Sacramento, according to ABC 10. He was scheduled to fight 32-year-old Mitch Ramirez on April 26 in Kansas City, according to an Instagram post he made earlier this year. Advertisement 3 Ahmad Hassanzada during Dana White's Contender Series Season Eight, Week Six at UFC APEX on September 17, 2024 in Las Vegas. Zuffa LLC His debut is listed as April 26, 2025 on UFC's official website — but he does not appear on Saturday's fight card. Hassanzada had won UFC CEO Dana White's Contender series in the fall, which won him a contract with the MMA league. The Post has reached out to UFC for comment.
