Author: G Rajaraman

Parul Chaudhary missed the targeted Olympic Games qualifying mark but improved her personal best by five seconds on Wednesday to surprise herself, more than anyone else, with a place in the women’s 3000m Steeplechase final in the World Athletics Championships in the National Athletic Centre in Budapest. She ran a smart race to finish fifth in her heats in 9:24.29, a time that makes her the second fastest woman Steeplechaser in India behind Lalita Babar. “I am not thinking of the National Record (9:19.76) but I have dreamt competing in the Olympic Games and want to get that qualifying mark…

The flamboyant Sha’Carri Richardson strode into countless hearts in just 10.65 seconds by winning the women’s 100m at the World Athletics Championships in the National Athletic Centre in Budapest on Monday night. That her victory came at the expense of the Jamaican sprint queens made her redemption more memorable after she spent much time in the wilderness. Beaten to third place after a sluggish start in the semifinals, she had to endure a nail-biting wait through the third semifinal to be assured of one of the three non-automatic places in the final. As luck would have it, the third semifinal…

There have been many wonderful images created at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest but though it has been two days, few of these have overshadowed the image of a distraught Avinash Sable searching for the right words, a logical explanation, and a balm to soothe his wounded soul. Or of India’s vaunted triple jump trio fading into the darkness of a Budapest night. The cruel beauty of sport may come across as a paradox, but it punishes bravado just as much as it rewards bravery. And this contrast, rather similar to the weather which has swung from a thunderstorm…

The race was won in a matter of 9.83 seconds, but the men’s 100m final in the World Athletics Championships in the National Athletic Centre in Budapest on Sunday evening brought along a veritable trove of lessons. Especially for those prepared to look at the race as not just another 100m final at another global competition. Noah Lyles (United States of America) showed that he was not making a vain boast when he said he would win the 100m gold in Budapest. Considered a 200m specialist, he overcame a none too quick start to be still accelerating after the others…

The trio of Indian men in the Triple Jump competition, Praveen Chithravel, Abdulla Aboobacker and Eldhose Paul, let themselves down as much as Avinash Sable did with what was self-admittedly over-confidence and an inability to think on his feet on the opening day of the World Athletics Championships at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest on Saturday. On a day that started with a thunderstorm and ended with a Championships Record for men’s Shot Putter Ryan Crouser (United States of America) and a World Record for the American Mixed 4x400m Relay squad and was punctuated by the fall of celebrated…

M Sreeshankar, the long jumper ranked sixth in the world, wrapped up his training session on the warm-up track at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest and engaged in an animated chat with another athlete. The track was abuzz with stars ahead of the World Athletics Championships, slated to start on Saturday, but this piece of action caught the eye. “I do not know him,” Sreeshankar told us moments later. “‘Bro, I am a big fan of yours. Can I click a photo with you?’ he asked. And I happily agreed to pose for a photo with him.” But it…

The Tricolor. It conjures so many beautiful emotions. Obviously, it is a living testimony of the freedom that we experience and enjoy, a reminder of the sacrifices made by so many to earn India its independence, and a proud statement of our national identity. And when it is waved in sporting arenas around the world, it has a whole different feel to it. There is so much we owe those who worked hard to make India an independent country. There is so much we owe the pioneers of sport who instilled a sense of nationalism among legions of fans with…

Dipa Karmakar continues to find herself in the eye of a storm. Hopefully, this will only be of the kind that is whipped up in a teacup, and will settle down with the possible intervention of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, as well as the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), to over-rule a Project Officer’s inclination to stick to the rulebook. Having just returned to competition after a 21-month ban for testing positive for a banned substance, Higenamine, in an out-of-competition test on October 11, 2021, she has been left confused if she would make it to the Asian…

It does not need much for the mind to travel back in time. Especially when it has to recall the magic of one of India’s greatest sporting achievements, Neeraj Chopra’s Olympic Games men’s javelin throw gold medal. It has been two years, but the freeze frames from Tokyo are etched in all our minds. On an assortment of screens, TV sets, laptops, mobile phones, we watched him stay calm and let his throwing be the best form of expression. Of course, we also watched him applaud Johannes Vetter, who has thrown the greatest distance among the contemporary competitors. And we…

A 14-year-old who made waves in the National Swimming Championships in Hyderabad last month and was chosen to represent India in the Asian Games, has tested positive for banned substance Nandrolone. The news of the school girl, now on provisional suspension with charges of Anti-Doping Rule Violation, has shocked the Aquatics community. National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) has not revealed her identity of the minor. It is being said that contaminated supplements would be the likely source of Nandrolone in her system. Depending on the evidence produced and arguments before the National Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel, the teenager could either get a…