Category Archives: Sports

Kodagu Celebrates Arjun’s Selection as Hockey Captain

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports, , , , , , , , ,
Arjun Halappa, lad from Kodagu will lead the Indian Hockey team in the Sulthan Ajhlan Shah Cup hockey tourney to be held in Malaysia, next month.
Indian Hockey team captain Arjun HalappaIt is after several years that a Kodava will be leading the Indian Hockey and with this selection, Kodagu district has a reason to celebrate as hockey has been an inseparable part of Kodagu culture. 

Arjun is the son of B K Halappa and Pramila from Somwarpet. Arjun has been playing in the hockey team for the last 11 years.

With Arjun Halappa leading the team, he becomes the 6th Kodava to lead the India Hockey team, after M P Ganesh, B P Govind, M M Somaiah, B P Subramani and A B Subbaiah.

Basking over his son’s achievement, proud father B K Halappa speaking with the reporters said that he was sure that his son would get the opportunity to lead the Indian team one day or the other.

Mother Pramila, recalling Arjun’s childhood days, said that he used to take part in school-level hockey tournaments and had led the team at various levels. “I am sure he will excel as the captain of Indian Hockey team. It is a big responsibility but I have great confidence that he will do his duty with all dedication,” said Pramila.

Arjun’s wife Bhavana expressing her feeling said that Arjun has gained lot of experience after being in the team for 11 years and captaincy for him can be a platform to revive the glory of the national game.

However, the hockey fans who have always felt that Arjun should have been selected as the captain long back, still have a reason to rejoice because it is better late than never.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / DHNS / Somwarpet / Apr 07th, 2011

Hockey Alone Cannot Feed – S. Prema ( Karnataka State Women’s Hockey Captain )

Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Sports, , , , , , , , ,

BANGALORE:

National championships and awards count for nothing for the hapless S Prema. The Karnataka women’s hockey captain is another among hundreds in the sporting fraternity which pursue sports in all earnestness without just rewards.

Only that in her case, she has nowhere to turn to: neither does she have a job nor are her parents financially strong enough to take care of her needs.

Daughter of daily wage earners who work in a coffee plantation in Siddapura, Kodagu, Prema, 20, has seen hardship from close quarters. She has seen her parents do the odd jobs for a mere Rs 100 per day. She has seen the income increase marginally over the years but hardly substantially enough to turn their fortunes around.

Two less than square meals a day was the norm ever since she was born but was made possible only when Prema’s parents made a concerted effort throughout the day.

There were periods when her father was indisposed, especially during rainy days, forcing her mother to brave heavy rain and work through the day. But then their dream, as Prema says, was to see her shine as a hockey player.

“Ever since I took up the game when I was in eighth standard and joined the Kudige sports school, I was forced to depend on my parents to buy equipment or for travel and tournaments. They never said no to me. They would borrow money to ensure I got the best. It was heart-rending to see them struggle thereafter to pay back the money,” said Prema, who now trains at the State sports hostel in Mysore.

“In the past couple of years I stopped asking them money. We are being well taken care of by Sports Hostel,” said the full back, a final year BA student at Teresian college.

What has dismayed Prema is that the game hasn’t been as productive as she thought it would be. “I have played in the National championship before. We won the South Zone tournament this year in Tirupati and I am leading the side again in Bangalore. I only hope I get a job so that I can take care of my parents.”

Penpix

  • S Prema
  • Age 20
  • Hails from: Siddapura, Kodagu
  • Trains at: Sports Hostel, Mysore
  • Coaches: Devanand, Vijayakrishna
  • Parents: Daily wage earners

source: http://www.coorgnews.wordpress.com / Apr 06th, 2011

 

Tilak Shatters Course Record

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports, ,

The Indian elite athletes fared the best in the men’s half-marathon one-way dash from Bandra to CST with Coorg-based BC Tilak shattering the course record. Tilak, who plans to graduate to the full marathon next year, breasted the tape in an hour, four minutes and 45 seconds and was followed by Railways’  Soji  Mathew (1:05:04), his Army Sports Institute (ASI) teammate Kheta Ram (1:05:32) and Parsaram Bhol (1:05:32), all inside the old mark of 1:05:44 set by two-time winner Surender Singh in 2008.

The ASI trio of Bining Lyngkhoi, Angad Kumar and Ram Singh Yadav expectedly topped the full marathon in that order, but none of them, however, succeeded in finishing under the targeted 2:18:00 sec timing. “I paced myself with an African runners at the start but I couldn’t generate enough power till I reached the 25k mark,” said Lyngkhoi, who finished 20th overall (2:21.16).

Kumar (2:24:32) and Yadav (2:25:33) too were at a loss for words for their poor timings. “Maybe the timing pressure played on our minds,” said Kumar. Yadav, in fact, was not unhappy. “After the hamstring injury I had 12 days back, it feel good that I was able to finish this well,” he said.

Indian women full marathoners, aside from the controversial finish by two, saw the top four also finish in the top-20 overall, although none breached the three-hour barrier.

Maharashtra’s Jyoti Gawate, who was runner-up in the Indian category last year, pulled away to finish nearly three minutes ahead of second finishing reigning champion Shastri Devi. At 3:05.30, Gawate was a good 16th overall. Also impressive was pint-sized Anuja Bijagare who finished her first full marathon run of her professional career in fourth position behind the experienced M Sudha.

Ethiopians light up Mumbai morning

Sumil VS adds: It was to be their show of strength against their Kenyan brothers. And, nothing, it seemed, could have stopped the Ethiopians, not even the brief chaos created by the security dog of Trident Hotel in the initial minutes.

And their perseverance and strong teamwork paid off 2 hours 09 minutes and 54 seconds later as one of them, 24-year-old Girima Assefa, his hands reaching for the sky, broke the white tape at the finish line. To add to it their women made it a Super Sunday  as Koren Yal, Merima Mohammed and Elfenesh Alemu completed another year of Ethiopian domination in the full-marathon.

The athletes enjoyed running in the race that began amid chilling breeze at 7.40am on Sunday.

source: http://www. hindustantimes.com / by  Camilo   Fernandes  / Hindustan Times / Mumbai /Jan 16th, 2011

Joshna Chinappa upsets Pallikal to Win Chicago Open

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports, ,

India’s Joshna Chinappa scored an upset 3-2 victory over compatriot Dipika Pallikal to win the Metrosquash Windy City Open title in Chicago.

Fourth seeded Chinappa, ranked 35th in the world, won 11-4 6-11 12-10 2-11 11-6 against another Indian Pallikal, seeded second, in the $ 8,000 WISPA World tour event.

Both the Indians were neck on neck throughout the tie and matched each other in execution of shots and dead drops for winners.

But Chinappa was able to hold her nerve better and the third game which she won in deuce put pressure on her higher ranked opponent.

In the semifinals, Chennai girl Chinappa, ranked 24th in the world, had defeated top seed Ireland’s Aisling Blake 7-11 11-5 5-11 11-8 6-11 in 59 minutes.

Pallikal, who recently became the highest ranked Indian in the world, advanced to the summit clash after her opponent USA’s Latasha Khan retired in the fifth game.

Both were locked 2-2 (5-11 11-6 8-11 12-10) after the fourth game.

 

source: http://www.coorgnews.wordpress.com / Feb 17th, 2011