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Hindustan Times
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Aldrin, Shaili struggles weigh on India's long jump
New Delhi: Murali Sreeshankar's 8.13m winning effort at Sunday's World Athletics Continental Tour meet in Bhubaneswar continues his steady comeback after a year out due to injury, but Indian long jump otherwise seemed to have tapered off. Murali Sreeshankar won with a 8.13m effort at Sunday's World Athletics Continental Tour meet in Bhubaneswar. (IIS) Sreeshankar's final jump that ensured victory, although still 14 cm shy of automatic qualification for next month's World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, was among the positives from India staging a meet of this stature. The men's javelin competition taking place around the same time at the Kalinga Stadium on a hot and humid evening saw a bunch of Indian throwers perform at a promising level, perhaps a reflection of the Neeraj Chopra effect. It didn't seem the case in long jump. While Sreeshankar was straining to win the event from 21-year-old Shahnavaz Khan – his 8.04m was the best till the 26-year-old bettered it in his final attempt – young national record holder Jeswin Aldrin had hobbled off without a jump, citing a left ankle niggle. At 23, Aldrin, whose national mark of 8.42m was set in 2023, should be touching his prime. However, the Reliance trainee has been grappling with a series of injuries instead. His best this season is 7.83m, at the federation championships in Kochi in April. It wasn't very promising in women's long jump either. Shaili Singh, the Anju Bobby George academy product who is trained by her husband Bobby George, only managed a modest 6.28m. The 21-year-old former junior world silver medallist has a best of 6.76m and touched 6.64m at the April federation championships, but she also said an ankle problem in her take-off leg hampered her. When Sreeshankar was ruled out of the 2024 Paris Olympics with injury, Aldrin was expected to provide a good impression of Indian long jump's progress. But he was eliminated after a best of 7.61m in qualification. The last time Aldrin hit 8 metres was in August 2023. He has also struggled with his left knee that he injured during the Budapest World Championships that year. In 16 competitions since, his best is 7.99m. James Hillier, athletics director at Reliance High Performance Centre, said: 'Jeswin is a tremendous talent but unfortunately he is struggling a little with his body. He'll be back stronger next season.' Last year, only one Indian, Aditya Kumar Singh of Uttar Pradesh, crossed 8m. Shaili's stagnation is surprising. Seen as the one likely to surpass Anju's national mark of 6.83m – it was set in 2004 – since her success as a junior, she finished fifth in the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games (6.48m). In Bhubaneswar, Shaili managed only two legal jumps, though her 6.28m was good to win from a depleted field. Ancy Sojan, the Hangzhou silver medallist, pulled out citing a muscle strain in her take-off leg. Since May 2023, Shaili has crossed 6.60m only twice and her chance of qualifying for Tokyo looks dim. The entry standard is 6.86m while Shaili's Road to Tokyo ranking is 61 where only the top 36 qualify. Shaili said: 'I am not too disappointed with the result considering that I was competing with a niggle in the take-off ankle. I'll end my season at the Inter State in Chennai (August 20-24) and take time off for rest and recovery.' Perhaps Aldrin and Shaili will benefit from proper recovery and rehabilitation. Shahnavaz though holds some promise. Sreeshankar's younger training partner at SAI Thiruvananthapuram had a second best effort of 7.88m. 'He is a great kid and an amazing talent to watch out for,' Sreeshankar said. 'Even if I had lost to Shahnavaz, I would have been alright because he is a very good talent.' Bihar's 24-year-old Sunny Kumar is also seen as having potential. He disappointed on Sunday – he was 10th with a best of 7.25m – although Kumar jumped a personal best of 7.90m at the Indian Open in Bengaluru in June. Sreeshankar, Shahnavaz and Kumar are all expected to take part in the Chennai Inter State meet.
Kuwait Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Kuwait Times
Lone Indian Alpine skier needs regular doses of motivation
NEW DELHI: Posters bearing the words 'Don't stop when you are tired. Stop when you are done', 'It always seems impossible until it's done' and 'Hard work beats talent' adorn Arif Khan's modest room in the southern Indian town of Vijayanagar. The 35-year-old Alpine skier needs these regular doses of motivation for he has very little else to lean on six months out from his second appearance in the slalom at the Winter Olympics. Since not enough states participate, winter sports bodies in India do not enjoy the National Sports Federation (NSF) status that would entitle them to regular government funding. Khan launched a crowdfunding appeal to finance his preparations for Milano-Cortina but has so far raised less than 4 percent of his target of seven million Indian rupees ($80,158). 'It's not going so well at the moment,' Khan told Reuters in a Zoom interview from the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS), a high-performance center run by the Mumbai-based JSW multinational conglomerate. 'I'm not asking for a huge sum. Providing this amount to an athlete representing a great country on the world stage - it's doable. 'I would have been on the snow right now instead of continuing my physical preparations here, if I had the funds.' The IIS has agreed to take care of the core needs of the lone Indian to qualify to compete at the 2026 Winter Games, but it is not enough. The Indian Olympic Association did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment on whether it plans to help finance Khan's preparation. The icy indifference from officialdom is not new to Khan, who nearly quit the sport after running out of money in his bid to qualify for the 2018 Olympics. 'I thought enough is enough. There's no proper system or help from the corporate. I could not handle it anymore and I almost quit,' he recalled. 'But as a sportsperson, you do not want to quit easily. For five months I did not train, but the skill was there and the desire never died.' Festering insurgency Khan, who hails from mountainous Indian Kashmir, qualified for the 2022 Winter Olympics where he came 45th in giant slalom and failed to finish in slalom. That he came this far is remarkable given he grew up amid a festering insurgency in his homeland and could ski only because his father owned an equipment hire shop in the popular ski resort in Gulmarg. 'My childhood memories are of gunfights and the sound of grenades and bombs going off,' Khan recalled. 'The situation improved after 2005 and tourists started visiting Kashmir again. My father started to earn a bit more and could put some of it into my training.' Kashmir was on the boil again in April when 26 tourists were shot dead by militants, triggering four days of clashes between nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan before a ceasefire was agreed on May 10. There was a sense of deja vu for Khan, who had just returned home after competing in an event in the United Arab Emirates. 'Once home, I realized there was no way I could train,' Khan said. 'I usually do high-altitude training but the areas I usually visit for trekking, trail running and mountain biking - everything was shut.' Not that it could deter the hardy skier, who postponed his wedding to realize his dream of competing at the Beijing Olympics in 2022. 'I delayed it by one and a half years because I needed that money to fund my travel. My wife Sabiena was fine with it. Her only worry was what if I ran away,' Khan said, his face creasing with a rare smile. 'She's been a great support. She watches all my videos and starts worrying whenever I do the extreme speed events or ski downhill at high speed. 'She's like 'be careful, be careful, do not crash'. We do crash and get injured and that's what she's most concerned about.' — Reuters
The Star
6 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Olympics-Out in the cold, lone Indian qualifier crowdfunds Milano-Cortina dream
FILE PHOTO: 2022 Beijing Olympics - Alpine Skiing - Men's Slalom Run 1 - National Alpine Skiing Centre, Yanqing district, Beijing, China - February 16, 2022. Arif Mohd Khan of India in action. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann/ File Photo NEW DELHI (Reuters) -Posters bearing the words "Don't stop when you are tired. Stop when you are done", "It always seems impossible until it's done" and "Hard work beats talent" adorn Arif Khan's modest room in the southern Indian town of Vijayanagar. The 35-year-old Alpine skier needs these regular doses of motivation for he has very little else to lean on six months out from his second appearance in the slalom at the Winter Olympics. Since not enough states participate, winter sports bodies in India do not enjoy the National Sports Federation (NSF) status that would entitle them to regular government funding. Khan launched a crowdfunding appeal to finance his preparations for Milano-Cortina but has so far raised less than 4% of his target of seven million Indian rupees ($80,158). "It's not going so well at the moment," Khan told Reuters in a Zoom interview from the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS), a high-performance centre run by the Mumbai-based JSW multinational conglomerate. "I'm not asking for a huge sum. Providing this amount to an athlete representing a great country on the world stage - it's doable. "I would have been on the snow right now instead of continuing my physical preparations here, if I had the funds." The IIS has agreed to take care of the core needs of the lone Indian to qualify to compete at the 2026 Winter Games, but it is not enough. The Indian Olympic Association did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment on whether it plans to help finance Khan's preparation. The icy indifference from officialdom is not new to Khan, who nearly quit the sport after running out of money in his bid to qualify for the 2018 Olympics. "I thought enough is enough. There's no proper system or help from the corporate. I could not handle it anymore and I almost quit," he recalled. "But as a sportsperson, you do not want to quit easily. For five months I did not train, but the skill was there and the desire never died." FESTERING INSURGENCY Khan, who hails from mountainous Indian Kashmir, qualified for the 2022 Winter Olympics where he came 45th in giant slalom and failed to finish in slalom. That he came this far is remarkable given he grew up amid a festering insurgency in his homeland and could ski only because his father owned an equipment hire shop in the popular ski resort in Gulmarg. "My childhood memories are of gunfights and the sound of grenades and bombs going off," Khan recalled. "The situation improved after 2005 and tourists started visiting Kashmir again. My father started to earn a bit more and could put some of it into my training." Kashmir was on the boil again in April when 26 tourists were shot dead by militants, triggering four days of clashes between nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan before a ceasefire was agreed on May 10. There was a sense of deja vu for Khan, who had just returned home after competing in an event in the United Arab Emirates. "Once home, I realised there was no way I could train," Khan said. "I usually do high-altitude training but the areas I usually visit for trekking, trail running and mountain biking - everything was shut." Not that it could deter the hardy skier, who postponed his wedding to realise his dream of competing at the Beijing Olympics in 2022. "I delayed it by one and a half years because I needed that money to fund my travel. My wife Sabiena was fine with it. Her only worry was what if I ran away," Khan said, his face creasing with a rare smile. "She's been a great support. She watches all my videos and starts worrying whenever I do the extreme speed events or ski downhill at high speed. "She's like 'be careful, be careful, do not crash'. We do crash and get injured and that's what she's most concerned about." ($1 = 87.3275 Indian rupees) (Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; editing by Christian Radnedge)
Straits Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Out in the cold, lone Indian qualifier crowdfunds Milano-Cortina dream
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox NEW DELHI - Posters bearing the words "Don't stop when you are tired. Stop when you are done", "It always seems impossible until it's done" and "Hard work beats talent" adorn Arif Khan's modest room in the southern Indian town of Vijayanagar. The 35-year-old Alpine skier needs these regular doses of motivation for he has very little else to lean on six months out from his second appearance in the slalom at the Winter Olympics. Since not enough states participate, winter sports bodies in India do not enjoy the National Sports Federation (NSF) status that would entitle them to regular government funding. Khan launched a crowdfunding appeal to finance his preparations for Milano-Cortina but has so far raised less than 4% of his target of seven million Indian rupees ($80,158). "It's not going so well at the moment," Khan told Reuters in a Zoom interview from the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS), a high-performance centre run by the Mumbai-based JSW multinational conglomerate. "I'm not asking for a huge sum. Providing this amount to an athlete representing a great country on the world stage - it's doable. "I would have been on the snow right now instead of continuing my physical preparations here, if I had the funds." Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Recent rail disruptions disappointing and 'we can and will do better': Jeffrey Siow Singapore 'It's either my life or the dog's': NSF rescues lost dog which was hit by car in Bedok Singapore Migrant workers who saved driver from sinkhole get SCDF awards, mobile data and goodie bags Singapore 81 primary schools to hold ballot for Phase 2C of Primary 1 registration Singapore COE premiums rise in all categories except motorcycles; Cat B at $123,498, highest since Dec 2023 Singapore 19 drivers nabbed over illegal ride-hailing services in Singapore and across border with Malaysia World A 'Huawei moment' looms as US gears up to sell AI-in-a-box to South-east Asia Singapore Man recruited victim to open bank account, forced him to drink urine after account was frozen The IIS has agreed to take care of the core needs of the lone Indian to qualify to compete at the 2026 Winter Games, but it is not enough. The Indian Olympic Association did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment on whether it plans to help finance Khan's preparation. The icy indifference from officialdom is not new to Khan, who nearly quit the sport after running out of money in his bid to qualify for the 2018 Olympics. "I thought enough is enough. There's no proper system or help from the corporate. I could not handle it anymore and I almost quit," he recalled. "But as a sportsperson, you do not want to quit easily. For five months I did not train, but the skill was there and the desire never died." FESTERING INSURGENCY Khan, who hails from mountainous Indian Kashmir, qualified for the 2022 Winter Olympics where he came 45th in giant slalom and failed to finish in slalom. That he came this far is remarkable given he grew up amid a festering insurgency in his homeland and could ski only because his father owned an equipment hire shop in the popular ski resort in Gulmarg. "My childhood memories are of gunfights and the sound of grenades and bombs going off," Khan recalled. "The situation improved after 2005 and tourists started visiting Kashmir again. My father started to earn a bit more and could put some of it into my training." Kashmir was on the boil again in April when 26 tourists were shot dead by militants, triggering four days of clashes between nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan before a ceasefire was agreed on May 10. There was a sense of deja vu for Khan, who had just returned home after competing in an event in the United Arab Emirates. "Once home, I realised there was no way I could train," Khan said. "I usually do high-altitude training but the areas I usually visit for trekking, trail running and mountain biking - everything was shut." Not that it could deter the hardy skier, who postponed his wedding to realise his dream of competing at the Beijing Olympics in 2022. "I delayed it by one and a half years because I needed that money to fund my travel. My wife Sabiena was fine with it. Her only worry was what if I ran away," Khan said, his face creasing with a rare smile. "She's been a great support. She watches all my videos and starts worrying whenever I do the extreme speed events or ski downhill at high speed. "She's like 'be careful, be careful, do not crash'. We do crash and get injured and that's what she's most concerned about." REUTERS
CNA
6 days ago
- Sport
- CNA
Out in the cold, lone Indian qualifier crowdfunds Milano-Cortina dream
NEW DELHI :Posters bearing the words "Don't stop when you are tired. Stop when you are done", "It always seems impossible until it's done" and "Hard work beats talent" adorn Arif Khan's modest room in the southern Indian town of Vijayanagar. The 35-year-old Alpine skier needs these regular doses of motivation for he has very little else to lean on six months out from his second appearance in the slalom at the Winter Olympics. Since not enough states participate, winter sports bodies in India do not enjoy the National Sports Federation (NSF) status that would entitle them to regular government funding. Khan launched a crowdfunding appeal to finance his preparations for Milano-Cortina but has so far raised less than 4 per cent of his target of seven million Indian rupees ($80,158). "It's not going so well at the moment," Khan told Reuters in a Zoom interview from the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS), a high-performance centre run by the Mumbai-based JSW multinational conglomerate. "I'm not asking for a huge sum. Providing this amount to an athlete representing a great country on the world stage - it's doable. "I would have been on the snow right now instead of continuing my physical preparations here, if I had the funds." The IIS has agreed to take care of the core needs of the lone Indian to qualify to compete at the 2026 Winter Games, but it is not enough. The Indian Olympic Association did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment on whether it plans to help finance Khan's preparation. The icy indifference from officialdom is not new to Khan, who nearly quit the sport after running out of money in his bid to qualify for the 2018 Olympics. "I thought enough is enough. There's no proper system or help from the corporate. I could not handle it anymore and I almost quit," he recalled. "But as a sportsperson, you do not want to quit easily. For five months I did not train, but the skill was there and the desire never died." FESTERING INSURGENCY Khan, who hails from mountainous Indian Kashmir, qualified for the 2022 Winter Olympics where he came 45th in giant slalom and failed to finish in slalom. That he came this far is remarkable given he grew up amid a festering insurgency in his homeland and could ski only because his father owned an equipment hire shop in the popular ski resort in Gulmarg. "My childhood memories are of gunfights and the sound of grenades and bombs going off," Khan recalled. "The situation improved after 2005 and tourists started visiting Kashmir again. My father started to earn a bit more and could put some of it into my training." Kashmir was on the boil again in April when 26 tourists were shot dead by militants, triggering four days of clashes between nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan before a ceasefire was agreed on May 10. There was a sense of deja vu for Khan, who had just returned home after competing in an event in the United Arab Emirates. "Once home, I realised there was no way I could train," Khan said. "I usually do high-altitude training but the areas I usually visit for trekking, trail running and mountain biking - everything was shut." Not that it could deter the hardy skier, who postponed his wedding to realise his dream of competing at the Beijing Olympics in 2022. "I delayed it by one and a half years because I needed that money to fund my travel. My wife Sabiena was fine with it. Her only worry was what if I ran away," Khan said, his face creasing with a rare smile. "She's been a great support. She watches all my videos and starts worrying whenever I do the extreme speed events or ski downhill at high speed. "She's like 'be careful, be careful, do not crash'. We do crash and get injured and that's what she's most concerned about."
