Author: S Kannan

It has not been trial and error but a test of calibre and inner strength as Manu Bhaker and Esha Singh have made the cut for the Paris Olympics through four trials held in New Delhi and Bhopal. To come out tops, both Manu and Esha have handled the pressure superbly. This is a clear sign, plenty of preparation has gone in but the main job was to execute it. When Esha Singh was on song at the Asian Games in Hangzhou last year, she was fresh and excited for the trials. Yet, when it came to these Olympic trials,…

There is a difference between being in a dazed state, and actually getting knocked out. On Sunday, Serbian star Novak Djokovic lost to unsung Alejandro Tabilo in straight sets at the Italian Open in Rome, but the bigger story was how he had been “felled” by the water bottle which landed on his head three nights earlier. When Djokovic was signing autographs after his win over Corentin Moutet in Rome, there was a scare and then chaos. A fan’s water bottle landed on Djokovic’s head and the player fell to the ground. After receiving medical attention, he went back to…

Uncertainty and Rafael Nadal were alien to each other. That was till the time the Spaniard was the quintessential Alpha Male, strong as a bull and ready to gore opponents to death. Before anyone flags cruelty, that was Nadal to fans, someone who would outmuscle opponents with a brand of tennis which may not have been pleasing to the eye but was very effective. After all, the essence of the 37-year old’s approach to tennis was to decimate his opponents, even if it meant engaging the rival in up to 30 shots per rally. In the last few years, or…

Mother’s Day. Pray, is it just another day in the calendar, or does it have far greater significance? This is a question which deserves to be answered, for the very concept of Mother’s Day, historically, has existed since the Middle Ages. For the young generation, in India, perhaps, the need to emphasise and stress on the significance of Mother’s Day has gained immense significance. Yes, there is a societal change and the concept of living in a joint family has decreased manifold. This, perhaps, explains why Mother’s Day has caught on more in India, especially in the last 25 years…

In a bizarre incident, Novak Djokovic, winner of 24 Grand Slam titles, was hit by a water bottle while he was signing autographs after winning his match against France’s Corentin Moutet at the Italian Open on Friday night. Images and a video of the Serbian hitting the deck after being hit by a bottle which came from the stands have gone viral on social media. By all accounts, there was panic when the incident happened. At first, it was not clear whether someone had deliberately played a prank or it was an accident. The security apparatus had been pressed into…

The fall from grace of Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Bajrang Punia has taken a new turn as the grappler has been suspended by United World Wrestling (UWW). This comes as a direct result of the provisional suspension imposed on him by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) for his refusal to provide a urine sample after performing poorly in the trials on March 10 in Patiala. An update on the UWW’s internal dashboard on its website states that Bajrang Punia is suspended until December 31, 2024, due to NADA’s provisional suspension for an alleged Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV). After NADA placed…

India will hope to win 14 to 15 medals at the Kobe World Para Athletics Championships, said Devendra Jhajharia at a send-off function in New Delhi on Thursday. “This is an important year for Para athletes at the World Championship and Paris,” said Jhajharia. “I speak as an athlete at heart and now President of the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) . “I wish to thank all the sponsors on board with us, especially Shrachi group, Indian Oil and all others,” added the PCI President, a Khel Ratna and Padma awardee. Present on stage at the send-off were Rahul Todi…

Amidst the crescendo of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024), one individual who momentarily redirected attention in the domestic sports sphere was Neeraj Chopra. News of the javelin maestro’s long-awaited return to India, three years after his triumphant display at the Tokyo Olympics, spread like wildfire on Wednesday. For many, disbelief mingled with anticipation as Neeraj, renowned for his golden throw in Tokyo and subsequent dazzling performances, transitions from the screen to the live stage. Indeed, Neeraj Chopra, who clinched an emotionally charged gold medal after a fierce contest with the relatively unknown Kishore Kumar Jena at the 2023 Asian…

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 is approaching its business end, with the final at Chepauk in Chennai on May 26. During the last six weeks and more, there has been plenty of hate, vitriol and anger spewed on social media. Toxic in nature and combustible, if analysed from the prism of someone who works in a chemistry lab, fans have shown their ugly side. If there is one team which has stood the test of time, since the inception of the IPL in 2008, it has to be Chennai Super Kings. As the sea of yellow swamped even distant…

This is not exactly turning out to be a happy birthday for Carlos Alcaraz, considered the heir apparent to Rafael Nadal, who turns 21 today. For a young man who has been projected as the next big thing in the world of tennis, he has not just been flirting with injuries, they seem to have fallen in love with the Spaniard’s body. This is not to ridicule Alcaraz, but to put in perspective how the rigours of modern-day tennis can destroy players. They compete through a gruelling schedule – mostly on hard courts, a few weeks of clay and, of…