Neeraj Chopra on Wednesday bid an emotional farewell to his German coach Klaus Bartonietz who ended his five-year partnership with the star Indian javelin thrower, citing family commitments.
“I write this without knowing where to begin. Coach, you are more than just a mentor to me. You have gone out of your way to make sure I was mentally and physically prepared for every competition,” Chopra wrote in X.
Margao
Goa beat Punjab 2-1 to climb to top-three in ISL standing
FC Goa registered a 2-1 victory over Punjab FC on Wednesday in the Indian Super League marking their second consecutive win to climb to top-three in standings. Having played their second match in five days, FC Goa maintained their excellent form after breaking Bengaluru FC’s unbeaten streak 3-0, gaining a significant boost in confidence. The win was thanks to the efforts of Iker Garrotxena, who scored one in the 49th minute and assisted in another scored by Armando Sadiku in the 22nd minute.
Metz
Rithvik-Cabral pair shocks top seeds at Moselle Open
India’s Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli and his partner Francisco Cabral knocked out top seeds Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin to storm into the men’s doubles semifinal of the Moselle Open, here on Wednesday. The unseeded Indo-Portuguese pair rattled up a 7-6 (1) 6-4 win over Mexico’s Gonzalez and Roger-Vasselin from France in the quarterfinals.
Riyadh
Sabalenka clinches the WTA year-end No. 1 ranking
Aryna Sabalenka clinched the year-end No. 1 spot in the women’s rankings for the first time when Iga Swiatek lost at the WTA Finals. Sabalenka, a 26-year-old from Belarus, was assured of finishing 2024 atop the WTA without swinging her racket on Tuesday, thanks to Swiatek’s 6-3, 6-4 setback against Coco Gauff at the season-ending tournament in Saudi Arabia.
Iksan City
Kiran George moves to 2nd round of Korea Masters
India’s Kiran George produced a gritty performance to eke out a three-game win and advanced to the second round of the Korea Masters here on Wednesday. The 24-year-old overcame a sluggish start to defeat Vietnam’s Kuan Lin Kuo 15-21, 21-12, 21-15 in a 57-minute opening round clash of BWF Super 300 tournament. George will take on third seed Chi Yu Jen in the second round.
Hyderabad
Ajit stars in U Mumba’s twin over Patna Pirates
Ajit Chavan was in prime form for the U Mumba as he led his team to a thrilling 42-40 victory over the Patna Pirates in a Pro Kabaddi League match. Ajit finished the game with an impressive 19 points in 18 raids, negating the 15 points from his counterpart Devank for the Patna Pirates.
