Category Archives: Sports

Indian hockey star SV Sunil plays through pain against Pakistan

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports

Sunil lined up against Pakistan despite being informed of the loss of a family member minutes before the encounter.

SV Sunil has had to endure another personal loss
SV Sunil has had to endure another personal loss

What’s the story?

India created history by recording their biggest-ever win against Pakistan (7-1) at the ongoing Hockey World League semifinals. However, just hours before the match, SV Sunil, the star forward who was named the Asian Hockey Player of the Year earlier in 2017, was told that his brother-in-law Ganesh Acharya had passed away.

This was the second time Sunil was given such news. In April, during the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, his father had passed away and the 28-year-old had to battle his emotions to represent his country.

Speaking after the win over Pakistan on Sunday to Times of India, Sunil said, “God is testing me many ways. Last time my father, this time my brother-in-law. I don’t know what to say. After the tournament, I will be back to my hometown.”

In case you didn’t know…

India’s biggest margin of victory against Pakistan had earlier been 7-4 – a scoreline they managed in the 2003 Champions Trophy as well as the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Since 2010, India have won 13 out of 28 encounters against their bitter rivals on the hockey field, with seven matches ending in draws.

The heart of the matter

The man from Kodagu was born in a poor family and lost his mother at the age of four. As a kid, he used to play hockey with the help of bamboo sticks. Sunil made his debut for India in 2007 during their successful run at the Asia Cup in Chennai and was a key member of the Indian team that won silver at the 2016 FIH Champions Trophy in London. He was also a part of the Indian team that won the gold medal at the 2014 Asian Games and bronze at the 2015 World League Final.

After his father passed away, he went on to play for India in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup and helped the team finish 3rd in the tournament.

In the 7-1 win over Pakistan, Sunil had a great outing, facilitating the attack to set up Talwinder Singh’s goal in the first quarter. His solid performance came after heartbreaking news of his brother’s death following a long battle with illness

He previously had scored the opening goal and had delivered another amazing performance in India’s 3-0 win over Canada on Saturday.

What’s next?

Sunil who recently won his 200th international cap will be one of the favourites to be named in the Indian side that will take part in the Hockey World League Final in Bhubhaneshwar, scheduled to begin in December. He has faced adversity throughout his life and will hope to continue delivering fine performances for the country and make his family proud.

Authors take

Playing through such adversity shows the character and the heart of an individual and SV Sunil proved that by delivering an outstanding performance against arch-rivals Pakistan in an important match. On a day that saw the ICC Champions Trophy Final overshadow the hockey match, Sunil and the India Men’s Hockey team provided Indians with an achievement to be proud of.

source: http://www.sportskeeda.com / SportsKeeda.com / Home> News> Hockey / by Tushar Varma / June 20th, 2017

Ashwini for KAA top post

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports

Current head Parameshwara not to contest

Ashwini Nachappa
Ashwini Nachappa

Former India international Ashwini Nachappa will contest for the post of president and secretary of the Karnataka Athletics Association (KAA) in the elections to be held here on July 1.

Dr G Parameshwara, the current president, who had put his name for the top post again, withdrew on Thursday, the last day to file the nominations. Parameshwara, president of KAA since 2004, was not eligible to contest as he had already completed 12 years in the post.

The KAA in 2015 had amended its constitution, in line with the Sports Code, and according to the changed rule, a president could hold office for a maximum period of 12 years with or without a break.

Also contesting for the president’s post against Ashwini, who currently heads the Bangalore Urban District Athletics Association (BUDAA), will be HT Mahadev, secretary, Hassan District Athletics Association.

For the secretary’s post, Rajavelu, from the Shimoga District Athletics Association, will be Ashwini’s opponent. Sources said that the incumbent KAA secretary, Chandrashekar Rai, eligible for another term, had not filed his nomination for the post.

The KAA used to have a three-year term for its office-bearers but as per the amended constitution of the body, they will have a four-year term from now on.

The secretary and treasurer may serve a maximum of two successive terms of four years each. After which, they need to serve a cooling off period of four years before they can seek fresh election to either post.

As per the Sports Code, the office-bearers will cease to hold the post on attaining 70 years of age.

The elections will be at the Annual General Body Meeting (AGM) on July 1.
The KAA had come under fire from the district units for not holding the AGM and elections on time last month. After the notification for election was issued on June 8, the list of eligible candidates was published on June 19. The scrutiny of the candidates will be done on Saturday and the last date for withdrawal of names is next Monday.

Unhappy members

It was learnt that some of the members who had thrown in their names for the elections were not happy with some of the contestents.

As per the tradition, the clubs across the states will not be allowed to vote and only the 28 district associations will participate in the elections. Udupi, due to the in-fighting in its faction, has been disqualified from voting.

Apart from president and secretary, the elections will be held for the posts of senior vice-president, four vice-presidents, senior joint secretary, joint secretary (3 posts) and treasurer.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Sports / DH News Service / Bengaluru – June 23rd, 2017

This trainer is not just another fish in the corporate sea

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Sports

Bengaluru :

“Solitude is imperative in today’s mad world,” notes Alexis Greenwood. That is this 35-year-old’s excuse for packing his fishing rods and running away from Bengaluru on weekends. “My favourite fishing spot is the Cauvery river stretch in Coorg. The quiet wilderness takes you away from the chaos,” he says. Greenwood, who is a learning and development manager at First Advantage, has even made a business of this childhood hobby . With three like-minded partnerfriends, he set up fishing-travel company Nature’s Beat four years ago.

Juggling careers is not new to him. Even as a business management student at the city's Wigan & Leigh College, he would do a night shift at a mortgage bank.
Juggling careers is not new to him. Even as a business management student at the city’s Wigan & Leigh College, he would do a night shift at a mortgage bank.

Fishing is the instrument to unwind when he feels tired of imparting communication skills as a behavioural trainer during the course of the week.

Greenwood takes a mixed bag of three to four software professionals to licensed angling sites at Shivasamudram, Coorg. He even conducts groups for salt-water fishing on the coastline. He teaches them the basics and handling equipment with different types of baits at about Rs 5,000 per head. Most species of fish they catch are released back into the water. The invasive species, however, are given away to the locals.

Ask Greenwood who he learnt the art of angling from, and he gets nostalgic. “I must have been seven-years-old. My mother taught me to fish using a bamboo stick with a hook. We often went on camping trips to the Cauvery river stretch flowing through Galibore (near Mekedatu),” says Greenwood, a Mangaluru-born who was educated in Ooty.

Juggling careers is not new to him. Even as a business management student at the city’s Wigan & Leigh College, he would do a night shift at a mortgage bank. “I didn’t like asking for pocket money from my mother. I loved buying high-tech music gadgets and gear. I decided to fund it myself and took up the job for Rs 10,000 per month,” recalls Greenwood.

He believes that pursuing two careers is important, if only to break the monotony. “My job as a trainer is a means to my end.Fishing is the end to my means. In the age of instant results and click-and-buy online, fishing teaches one to sit and wait. More often, we don’t even get what we want. It teaches me patience,” says Greenwood. Evidently, there is no room for feeling a burnout here.

He has no plans of scaling up his business model, but his five-year-old daughter is apparently hooked to the sport.

source: http://www.economictimes.indiatimes.com / The Economic Times / ET Home> News> Politics and Nation / by Smita Balram, ET Bureau / May 17th, 2017

I am playing my best tennis, I have matured now: Bopanna

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Records, All, Sports, World Opinion
Rohan Bopanna and Gabriela Dabrowski (AFP Photo)
Rohan Bopanna and Gabriela Dabrowski (AFP Photo)

New Delhi :

Rohan Bopanna says he is playing the “best tennis” of his career after he achieved a personal goal of winning a Grand Slam title. The Indian asserted that he has matured as a player who knows how to negotiate pressure situations.

“There is a huge difference what I used to be as a player. I have played close played close matches over the years. I was not so nervous today as compared to 2010 (US Open final). Over the years it has helped me to adapt (quickly) to surfaces. Last two years I have been enjoying a lot playing on clay,” Bopanna said.

“I have started to control the points better. I am playing my best tennis. I have matured over the years. I know how to handle those situations better. I have lost close matches, the Wimbledon semis, played the Masters series consistently. There were no nerves and that was a big difference,” he said.

Bopanna won his first ever Major title with Gabriela Dabrowski, who became the first Canadian woman to win a Grand Slam trophy.

The last time the Coorgy came close to a Major title was in 2010 when he played the US Open final but had lost to Bryan brothers with Aisam-ul-haq Qureshi.

Bopanna and his partner today saved two match points in the Match tie-breaker.

It took Bopanna 14 years to realise his dream of winning a Grand Slam trophy after turning a Pro and he said it will take some time to realise what he has done.

“I had fantastic past two weeks. It’s still sinking in. Maybe when I will be in flight tomorrow, it will sink in.”

Asked if this win erases all regrets over getting close to Grand Slam title twice but not winning and also not winning an Olympic medal in Rio, where he and Sania Mirza were a set away from the bronze.

“There was never ever any regret. Past is past, it can’t be changed. The only way to look is look forward and present,” he said.

Bopanna said he made adjustments to his game and altered his style to get success on clay, the most demanding surface of all.

“I have been working hard, doing the right things. On clay, I changed the way I play. I was serving and staying back and not just doing serve and volley.

Practicing with Pablo Cuevas also helped me get better,” the 37-year-old said.

Recalling the crunch moments of the match when they were down by two match points, he said, “I kept telling my partner that we have to keep it in play and she came up with unbelievable return off Robert.

“It’s a big bog moment for us, more than special. It was a personal goal for me to win a Grand Slam. It’s proud moment more than relief.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> Sports News> Tennis News / PTI / June 08th, 2017

Robin Uthappa ends 15-year association with Karnataka

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports
Robin Uthappa (TOI photo)
Robin Uthappa (TOI photo)

New Delhi :

Robin Uthappa has ended his 15-year association with Karnataka cricket after the state body KSCA granted him a NOC to play elsewhere.

KSCA secretary Sudhakar Rao said the two parties could not reach an agreement and therefore there was no option but to let him go.

“It is sad but we wish him all the best. He played for Karnataka from U-14 to the highest level. He served the state in the best possible way. He wanted to go and we couldn’t say no to him,” Rao told PTI.
Rao informed that NOC was given to Uthappa last week.

The 31-year-old veteran of 130 First Class games could not be reached as he is currently in the United States. Uthappa has also played 46 ODIs for India besides 13 T20 Internationals.

When asked whether efforts were made to make Uthappa stay, Rao said: “We know we are losing out an experienced guy. We had two-three meetings with Robin and I was a part of them. He was pretty keen to leave so we sent him the NOC last week. He said that he has offers from more than two state teams.”

Which team he would play for is still not confirmed but it has been widely reported that he is set to play for Kerala.

Uthappa was dropped from Karnataka squad for the latest Ranji Trophy season after being ignored for a league game against Maharashtra in Mohali.

He did not have a great season by his standards, scoring 328 runs in seven games. The previous two seasons were prolific for the aggressive batsman who amassed 759 runs and 912 runs.

He had made his first-class debut back in 2002-03.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> Sports / PTI / June 20th, 2017

Need to have a system in place to get singles champions, says Rohan Bopanna

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Records, All, Sports

French Open return champion Rohan Bopanna, who won the mixed doubles title with Canadian partner Gabriela Dabrowski, said on Thursday that to create champions in singles, the country needs to build a system in place at the grassroot level.

Bengaluru : French Open Mixed Doubles Winner Rohan Bopanna poses with a cake at a felicitation ceremony at Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA) in Bengaluru on Saturday. PTI Photo by Shailendra Bhojak (PTI6_10_2017_000123B)
Bengaluru : French Open Mixed Doubles Winner Rohan Bopanna poses with a cake at a felicitation ceremony at Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA) in Bengaluru on Saturday. PTI Photo by Shailendra Bhojak (PTI6_10_2017_000123B)

French Open return champion Rohan Bopanna, who won the mixed doubles title with Canadian partner Gabriela Dabrowski, said on Thursday that to create champions in singles, the country needs to build a system in place at the grassroot level.

In an interview to PTI, Bopanna said that players need support from junior level to create champions. He said, “Never give up on your dreams. That is something which stands out (in this win).” “To get singles champions we need to have a system in place at the grassroots level. We have a very limited support from the Federation (AITA), or Corporates. We need that system to compete with European standards. We still have a long way to go,” he said.

“It’s not about complaining. We should look at it in a positive way. Everyone from outside plays a part, whether it is Federation, parents, coaches. These guys need support from junior level and that is when you create champions.”

This is Bopanna’s first Grand Slam in 14 years. Bopanna gave credit to his team behind his success. “Age is only a number. You can’t set a timeline (for achievements). As long as you believe in yourself and keep working hard, nothing can stop you. I worked towards my goal, every single day and I am feeling grateful that my team also put in efforts. Although tennis is an individual sport, everyone has contributed in it,” he said.

The 37-year-old, who has an academy in Bangalore, said, “I am also bringing a couple of coaches to my academy in Bangalore from outside. They will be here for a year and help these kids. I tell the players if they go outside, go for a year not for a month or so.

“In a month it does not really help improve much. That’s why I am bringing these coaches, let’s hope the kids make good use of this opportunity, coming this month,” he said.

source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Sports> Tennis / by Express Web Desk / June 14th, 2017

AITA wants Arjuna for Rohan Bopanna

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports

Bopanna on Thursday won his maiden Grand Slam title by winning the mixed doubled trophy at the French Open with Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski.

Rohan Bopanna won his first ever Major title with Gabriela Dabrowski, who became the first Canadian woman to win a Grand Slam trophy.(Photo: AP)
Rohan Bopanna won his first ever Major title with Gabriela Dabrowski, who became the first Canadian woman to win a Grand Slam trophy.(Photo: AP)

New Delhi:

Acknowledging the Grand Slam feat of Rohan Bopanna, the All India Tennis Association (AITA) has decided to send his name to the government for this year’s Arjuna award.

Bopanna on Thursday won his maiden Grand Slam title by winning the mixed doubled trophy at the French Open with Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski.

“We will recommend Rohan’s name for Arjuna today. We have recommended his name several times in the past but the previous committees did not give him the award. Now he deserves this honour. He should be given the award this time,” AITA Secretary General Hironmoy Chatterjee said.

“We have also recommended the name of Rushmi Chakaravarthy for the Arjuna,” he added. When reminded that the deadline to send application has already expired, Chatterjee said, “We will still try to do it today. It can be done.”

In a release, the AITA said: “This is a well-deserved victory. We wish him more success in the years to come. His victory will be a morale booster for young tennis players.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Sports, Tennis / PTI / June 10th, 2017

‘Challenge was to find right partner’

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Records, All, Sports

Good times : CM awards Rs 10 lakh to Bopanna

honoured: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah (left) felicitates Rohan Bopanna in Bengaluru on Tuesday. dh photo
honoured: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah (left) felicitates Rohan Bopanna in Bengaluru on Tuesday. dh photo
t partner this season, especially in the men’s doubles. Fortunately, I have played alongside good partners so far and managed to win tournaments. I started with Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan to win the Chennai Open and then reached the semifinals with Martin Matkowski at the Dubai Open. In April, I won the Monte Carlo Masters with Pablo Cuevas. Now I am continuing with Cuevas. It’s ideal to have one fixed partner. I have managed to adapt well with different partners and that is the main reason behind my good run this season,” Bopanna told DH on Tuesday.

The state government felicitated Bopanna for his maiden Grand Slam here on Tuesday and announced a prize money of Rs 10 lakh.

“I thank the support and encouragement from the government. The response post my win at the French Open has been overwhelming. I received congratulatory calls from our Davis Cup captain Mahesh (Bhupathi), Sania (Mirza) and many other athletes of the country and I am humbled by their support,” he expressed. It’s been a year since he started the Rohan Bopanna Tennis Academy and the Indian ace has chalked out big plans for the coming years.

“We have around 65 players at the academy and we will be bringing two foreign coaches very soon. One of the coaches will be from Serbia and both of them will stay in Bengaluru to train the kids. This is just a start and we are hoping to build on this and offer training facilities of international standards,” he explained.

The Kodava is confident of repeating his French Open performance at the Wimbledon with Dabrowski. “She is an aggressive player and that works in the doubles format. We started off with the US Open and her style worked well in the Australian Open as well. Our camaraderie was good going into French Open,” he noted.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Sports / DH News Service / Bengaluru – June 14th, 2017

Life after Jwala: ‘Open-minded’ Ashwini Ponnappa reaping the benefits of experimentation

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports, World Opinion

The 27-year-old says she has left the decision making about her partners to the coach and that has helped her performance in doubles and mixed

Photo: Red Bull
Photo: Red Bull

2016 was a milestone year for Ashwini Ponnappa. But it wasn’t memorable.

After recovering from a bout of dengue, she went to the Rio Olympics with longtime doubles partner Jwala Gutta hoping to better their performance from London 2012. Unfortunately, they ended up losing all their matches in the group stage. It was the last time India’s most successful doubles pairing played together.

A partnership lasted for nearly seven years and saw them win a bronze medal at the 2011 World Championship, a gold and a silver medal in the 2010 and 2014 Commonwealth Games respectively.

Ponnappa, in her own words, is a fiercely loyal person who did not like changing partners. She had struggled to find her mojo when Gutta had taken a break after the 2012 London Olympics and played with Pradnya Gadre for a while.

Now, physically and mentally, she was facing a challenge. Fast forward to June 2017, physically and mentally, she is at a good space.

“Life has changed a lot,” says a relaxed Ponnappa, in an interaction with Scroll.in at the Red Bull office in Mumbai. Her words carry an air of unmistakable satisfaction – the tone of an athlete who has endured a tough time and managed to break out of it. There is no hint of exaggeration and she speaks uninterrupted for a good few minutes, articulating the ups and downs of the past few months.

Photo courtesy: Red Bull
Photo courtesy: Red Bull
s, “Now the coaches decide and if there is a need to switch partners, we switch. It’s about how we are playing together, how the partnership is developing and if there is scope to develop. Now I am open to a lot of things that in the past I was closed to. I am open to suggestions that have helped me grow even more than I have grown in the last couple of years.”

“I have accepted that if things don’t work out in a particular partnership, it’s time to change. I am open to a lot of things now, not really narrow-minded in my approach towards the game,” she adds.

While Ponnappa’s current doubles partner, N Sikki Reddy, has been a constant, she has played with three different mixed doubles partners – K Nandagopal, B Sumeeth Reddy and Satwiksairaj.

Her partnership with Sikki has been constantly improving. The pair started playing in November last year and began 2017, ranked 110th in the world. Halfway through the season, the duo had breached the top 30 and are currently ranked 28th. A title has proved elusive, but they came close at Syed Modi GPG with a runner-up performance. Ponnappa’s excitement about her new partnership is evident.

“From having a set combination with Jwala, where I understood exactly what my role was, to playing with Sikki where I was not exactly sure about where I move, what I need to do, [it was a bit difficult initially],” says Ponnappa. “Sikki is an excellent mover. I came to realise she is essentially a back-court player too, like me. And both of us being good at the back helps us rotate, we can move in, we can mix it up. That’s helped a lot. We are finding out areas which are our strong points. With every tournament we are getting more confident with the rotation. That’s been important for me, it tells me we are in the right direction.”

Ponnappa, over the years, had developed the reputation of being the quieter one with Gutta known to be more vocal. Even their on-court chemistry gave the impression that Gutta was the dominant half of the pair, and Ponnappa was, for want of a better word, a follower. Mention that to her and she chuckles and says ‘Jwala used to listen to me as well!’ with a sheepish smile. But now, Ponnappa is the senior-most doubles player in the country and that comes with the responsibility of being a mentor – a role she is enjoying. And without any senior-junior segregation.

“It’s just a lot of fun,” she says. “I just like figuring out things – like how to play an opponent, watch videos. That helps me guide my partners. It doesn’t mean I am the senior partner and I should be the only one making calls. If they tell me, ‘Ashwini, you could move to the net here’, I am all ears. There is no such thing as I am the senior partner and the other is a junior partner. Once we are on court, we are one unit. My experience does help a bit, I can help them relax and calm their nerves in certain situations.”

While women’s doubles was always Ponnappa’s focus, she has found a new-found vigour to succeed in mixed doubles. While she has played mixed doubles often, she admits, until now, she never gave it her complete attention. If it was 100% focus on women’s doubles and about half of that for mixed earlier, now both are equal in her eyes.

She says venturing into mixed doubles seriously has added new facets to her game. Her agility has increased, she moves with ease and is starting to hold her own at the net as well.

So how difficult was it for her to adopt to this new system?

“It wasn’t easy,” she says. “That three-month break [after Olympics] was important, because physically I was not fit at all. I had dengue just before Olympics and that shattered my body. Even when I started training again, my body was not responding. In my head I knew I had no injury but my body did not listen. I kept asking ‘Why am I struggling to play? Why am I struggling to smash?’”

What followed was introspection as Ponnappa spent time on regaining, and more-importantly, redefining her physical fitness along with opening her mind to learning new things about her game. After a tough period in Indian doubles badminton, Ponnappa is excited about finding out where this new phase is headed.

“With this sort of mindset, I am enjoying doubles, enjoying mixed doubles, enjoying playing with Sikki, enjoying the rotation, enjoying the communication, enjoying moving to the net. It’s just been a whole lot of fun. There is never an end to learning, never an end to growing, if you are really excited about the game.”

We welcome your comments at letters@scroll.in.

source: http://www.thefield.scroll.in / Scroll.in / Home> The Field> Badminton / by Vinayak Mohanarangan / June 14th, 2017