Playing in his fourth and probably last Olympics, veteran India hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh has learnt a valuable lesson from the T20 World Cup 2024-winning cricket team -- 'never give up and celebrate' early and this is something which will be embedded in his mind in the Paris Olympics. The Indian cricket team rose from the ashes in the final of the T20 World Cup, snatching a seven-run victory over South Africa from the jaws of defeat to end an 11-year ICC title drought. India's last major ICC title was the Champions Trophy in 2013 under Mahendra Singh Dhoni's leadership. "I did watch the final. The biggest learning from this World Cup is that don't celebrate before the last ball. South Africa was almost winning till the 15th over but the Indian team did not give up hope and snatched the win from the jaws of defeat," Sreejesh, who has 328 India caps, told PTI Bhasha. "That's what not only us (hockey team) but every Olympic-bound athlete can learn from our cricket team is that never give up, just wait and fight till the last moment, you will achieve it. I will remember this in the Olympics," he said. Also Read: Want to change colour of the medal: Sreejesh Regarded as the 'The Wall of Indian hockey', Sreejesh still remembers that one advice he got from "The Wall of Indian cricket', Rahul Dravid. "I met Dravid bhai long back. He told us about the importance of patience and waiting for your moment. That's what I did. I did not become one of the best goalkeepers in the world overnight. I waited for my opportunities. I have also learnt to remain humble from him," he said. Sreejesh started playing hockey to get grace marks in the board exams but went on to win an Olympic medal -- bronze in Tokyo -- and also became the only goalkeeper from the country to feature in four Olympics. "It's a great honour, a proud moment but comes with a lot of responsibilities. You need to guide the youngsters, you need to keep the team together and help to achieve the common goal of winning a medal at the Olympics," said the former FIH player of the year. "It's a dream journey. I just started playing this game for grace marks in board exams. I never thought that I would play hockey, wear an Indian jersey and participate in the Olympics. I just knew the legendary Dhanraj Pillay, who played 4 Olympics, 4 World Cups, Champions Trophy, Asian Games and today I am the first goalkeeper going to play my fourth Olympics. It's hard to believe." Sreejesh was the hero of India's win over Germany in the bronze medal play-off match in Tokyo and he is very well aware of the expectations from him at Paris Olympics. "Expectations come with achievements and we don't have to take it negatively. I believe that it will give us the boost to perform even better in Paris. I want to tell the youngsters in the team that expectations and criticism will be there but on the field you are the boss. Stick to your basics, execute your plans and enjoy the game," he said. He also acts as a mentor for the youngsters of the team and loves to throw challenges to get the best out of them. "Mentoring is very important as you are the one who played this game, failed, succeeded and when you tell these things to the kids, they understand. I always challenge forwards, make fun of them if they don't score. They accept this and try to do better," he said. "The Olympics are too much pressure. It's like a pressure cooker. You are closely followed by the media, there will be social media, coaches, people give you many ideas and these things distract you. I just tell them to play as a team without hearing these noises." India are placed in a tough Pool B in the Olympics along side Argentina, Australia, Belgium, New Zealand and Ireland. "Argentina have good 3D skills, the Australians are very strong and Belgium have very experienced forward line but I feel that on that particular day, it's all about using your experience and knowledge against them," he said. "For me visualization is the key. You play hockey for 365 days and in the Olympics we are also going to play the same but the ground, the audience and the atmosphere put you under pressure. Those who can play their best hockey under that pressure can win." (With agency inputs)
08 July,2024 05:39 PM IST | Bengaluru | mid-day online correspondentIndian hockey’s stellar ’keeper across the last decade-and-a-half, PR Sreejesh, is both nervous and proud as he heads into a record fourth Olympic Games at Paris (July 26 to August 11). Having played three Olympics, three Commonwealth Games and three World Cups, and with 328 international caps in the bag, there is clearly no shortage of experience for the hardworking goalkeeper. “It’s a great feeling to be going to my fourth Olympics. When I started, I never thought I would come this far. At London 2012 [his first Olympics] I was like a child. It was tough and the results also didn’t go well, but after that, at Rio [2016], we improved and then at Tokyo [2020] we bagged a historic medal. So, it’s been a great journey. I’m as excited about this [Olympics] as I was during my debut,” Sreejesh, 36, told mid-day from the national camp in Bangalore. Also Read: City’s hockey lovers in for a triple treat this summer The wily custodian made his India debut at the 2010 World Cup in New Delhi and has been a part of many special achievements, including the gold medal feat at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, bronze at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, the joint victory at the 2018 Asian Champions Trophy, gold at the 2019 FIH Men's Series Finals and silver at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games among many other successes. At Tokyo, he was one of the pillars of then skipper Manpreet Singh’s team. He is now keen to pass on his expertise to this team that has a good blend of youth and experience. “It’s up to the senior players like myself, Manpreet [Singh] and Harman [skipper Harmanpreet Singh] to lead by example and help the younger players in the side. This team has a lot of potential and we have been working hard under coach [Craig] Fulton. The aim it to come back with a medal of a different colour than the one we won last time, but at the end of the day, a podium finish will also be a good achievement,” concluded Sreejesh, a Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna awardee and only the second sportsperson from India to win the World Games Athlete of the Year (2021) award besides back-to-back FIH Goalkeeper of the Year awards (2021 and 2022). Last year, he stood tall in India’s Gold medal-winning campaign at the Asian Games that sealed the team’s berth for Paris 2024.
08 July,2024 01:41 PM IST | Mumbai | Ashwin FerroReigning national billiards champion Dhruv Sitwala defeated compatriot Pankaj Advani 5-2 in the 100-up best-of-nine-frame final to clinch his third Asian title, at the SABSF Academy, Riyadh on Friday. The Mumbai cueist said the feeling of defeating a legend, who has 27 world titles to his name, is surely memorable. Interestingly, at the billiards Nationals last December, he defeated Advani in the semi-finals 5-3. “Pankaj and I are best friends. We share rooms on tours, travel together, go out for dinner during trips. We even travelled together from Riyadh to Mumbai and then Pankaj took a flight for Bangalore. But defeating him is memorable considering he is a legend of the game. It is a great feeling when you defeat the best in any sport. I had even defeated Pankaj in the 2015 Asian Billiards,” Sitwala, 51, told www.mid-day.com after landing in Mumbai from Riyadh on Saturday. Also Read: CCI Billiards Classic: 305 break for Advani Meanwhile, Sitwala indicated that though there is no shortage of competitive spirit when they face each other, there is no bitterness to their clashes. “It’s not vindictive and with vengeance, as he is more like a brother and a family friend. Also, both families know each other and my mother is very fond of Pankaj. Having said that, the win means a lot to me personally as such moments don’t come very often. I have been training rigorously for more than a year not just for this tournament but generally building up my own game. I always feel that if you sweat more in training, you will bleed less in war. So, I am satisfied that my hard work has paid off,” remarked Sitwala, who won Asian Billiards titles in 2015 and 2016.
08 July,2024 12:03 PM IST | Mumbai | SUNDARII IYERIga Swiatek admitted she was running on empty at Wimbledon as the exhausted world number one suffered a shock third round defeat against Yulia Putintseva on Saturday. The top seed’s 21-match winning streak came to a stunning end on Court One as Russian-born Kazakh Putintseva battled to a 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory. The Polish star once again flopped at Wimbledon, where she has never gone beyond the quarter-final. “For sure, I felt like my energy level went down little bit in the second set. I couldn’t really get back up,” she said. “My tank of really pushing myself to the limits became suddenly empty. I was kind of surprised. But I know what I did wrong after Roland Garros. I didn’t really rest properly. I’m not going to make this mistake again. “After such a tough clay court season, I really must have my recovery,” Swiatek added. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
08 July,2024 08:00 AM IST | London | AFPDefending champion Carlos Alcaraz survived a worrying mid-match slump to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals on Sunday, while injured American Madison Keys quit her last-16 clash in floods of tears after being one game from victory. World No. 3 Alcaraz defeated French 16th seed Ugo Humbert 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 to make the last-eight of a Grand Slam for the ninth time in just 14 appearances. However, it was another uncomfortable afternoon for Alcaraz, who had needed five sets to see off Frances Tiafoe in the third round. His erratic performance on Sunday saw him drop serve five times and commit an uncharacteristic 33 unforced errors. Ugo Humbert tackles Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon yesterday The 21-year-old, bidding to become just the sixth man to win the French Open and Wimbledon back-to-back, eased through the first set under the Centre Court roof before crucially saving four break points in the fifth game of the second. Humbert stormed back, breaking the champion three times in the third set as Alcaraz went spectacularly off the boil. Alcaraz was twice unable to hold onto breaks in the fourth set and had to fend off three break points in the eighth game to stay level at 4-4. Left-hander Humbert then lost his bearings to hand over a service break in the 11th game and Alcaraz took full advantage to quickly seal the tie. “I will be there, fighting until the last ball,” said Alcaraz, who is chasing a fourth Grand Slam title. Alcaraz will take on either American 12th seed Tommy Paul or 36-year-old compatriot Roberto Bautista Agut, a semi-finalist in 2019. Over on Court One, US 12th seed Madison Keys was just one game away from a third quarter-final at Wimbledon when she was forced to quit against Italy’s Jasmine Paolini. After dropping the first set to the seventh seeded Italian, Keys hit back to level the match at 3-6, 7-6 (8-6). The 2017 US Open runner-up then raced into a 5-2 lead in the decider when she suffered a left leg injury in the eighth game. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
08 July,2024 08:00 AM IST | London | AFPIn his quest to win an eighth Wimbledon title, Novak Djokovic overcame Alexei Popyrin’s powerful serve and hitting on Centre Court, securing a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(3) third-round victory. The Serbian great now faces 15th seed Holger Rune in the fourth round. By reaching the fourth round for the 16th time, Djokovic has tied Jimmy Connors in second place on the Open Era list of most last-16 appearances at Wimbledon. Only record eight-time champion Roger Federer has more (18). After losing the opening set late on Saturday, Djokovic quickly levelled proceedings by taking the second set and then rode a break in the opening game to the third set. Although Popyrin rejuvenated his hopes of forcing a decider by holding from 5-5, 0-40 to a fourth-set tie-break, the Serb dominated from then on to secure a three-hour, five-minute win, ATP reports. The match included an amusing moment as Popyrin served at 1-4, 30-30 in the second set. A huge cheer went up around the All England Club, where many were simultaneously following the England men’s national football team in a Euro 2024 quarter-final penalty shootout against Switzerland. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
08 July,2024 08:00 AM IST | London | IANSRohan Bopanna and his Australian partner Matthew Ebden bowed out of the Wimbledon men’s doubles event after losing their second round match on Saturday. The duo lost to unseeded German pair of Hendrick Jebens and Constantin Frantzen in straight sets 6-3, 7-6 (4) in just over an hour of play. Bopanna and Ebden, who had won the Australian Open earlier this year, were behind early in the match after giving up a break in the first set. The break point proved crucial for the Germans as they went on to take the opening set. Also Read: MCA elections: Prasad Lad enters fray in MCA presidential race In the second set, Jebens and Frantzen came out triumphant in the tie-breaker despite resilience from Bopanna and Ebden as the score was tied at five games apiece when rain interrupted play. The Germans came out all guns blazing to seal the tie-breaker after the resumption and took a hefty 4-1 lead. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
08 July,2024 08:00 AM IST | London | IANSOlympics-bound Avinash Sable on Sunday broke his own 3000m steeplechase national record while finishing sixth at prestigious Diamond League meet, clocking 8 minute and 9.91 seconds here. He bettered his earlier national record of 8:11.20, which he had clocked in 2022, by around one and a half second. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
08 July,2024 07:59 AM IST | Paris | PTIThe talented Abhay Singh performed admirably to win double crown at the Asian Doubles Squash Championships here on Sunday. Asian Games team championship gold medallist Abhay won the men’s doubles crown along with Velavan Senthilkumar. The top-seeded pair made short work of Malaysian second seeds Ong Sai Hung and Syafiq Kamal 11-4, 11-5. Later, Abhay and the experienced Joshna Chinappa, the third seeds, put it past the second-seeded Hong Kong duo of Tong Tsz Wing and Tang Ming Hong 11-8, 10-11, 11-5 in the mixed doubles final. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
08 July,2024 07:58 AM IST | Johor (Malaysia) | PTIIndia’s campaign at the Canada Open Super 500 badminton tournament ended after Priyanshu Rajawat suffered a straight-game loss to France’s Alex Lanier in the men’s singles semi-final here. World No. 39 Rajawat went down 17-21 10-21 to Lanier, ranked 37th, in 45 minutes at the Markin MacPhail Centre. Rajawat, who had stunned Anders Antonsen of Denmark in the quarter-final, made a positive start, opening up a 3-0 early lead but Lanier was quick to establish a 7-4 lead. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
08 July,2024 07:58 AM IST | Calgary: | A CorrespondentLewis Hamilton held off Max Verstappen in the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on Sunday for a first victory since Saudi Arabia in December 2021. “I’ve been waiting for this,” shouted Briton Hamilton after crossing the line in his Mercedes to claim a ninth victory at Silverstone, breaking a tie with Michael Schumacher for most wins at one track. Lando Norris of McLaren was third. After his record-extending 104th Formula One victory, the 39-year-old Hamilton wept as he fell into the arms of his father as the home crowd roared. “Since 2021, every day fighting, training and putting my mind to the task, working as hard as I can,” Hamilton, who will be moving to Ferrari after this season, said at the finish line. “This is my last race for the team here, I love them so much, I’ll be forever grateful to everyone at Mercedes and to the incredible fans.” Also Read: Lewis Hamilton doesn’t need vindication over Ferrari switch Hamilton, who started second on the grid behind his teammate George Russell, recorded his 13th consecutive podium at his home track. Russell, the winner a week earlier in Austria, was forced out with a hydraulic problem. Hamilton overtook Russell on lap 18 but was passed by Norris two laps later. But a poorly executed McLaren pit stop allowed Hamilton to regain the lead with 12 laps remaining. Hamilton finished 1.465sec ahead of Verstappen who overtook Norris three laps from the finish as the race ended in sunshine after a brief shower during the race. Red Bull’s Verstappen increased his lead in the drivers’ standings over Norris by three points to 84 points despite failing to win for two consecutive races for the first time since Silverstone and Austria in 2022. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
08 July,2024 07:52 AM IST | Silverstone | AFPADVERTISEMENT
