Month: July 2016

Krishna Poonia was in the TOPS list but couldn’t convert her improvement over the years into qualification for Rio Olympics. (PTI File Photo)

Ace Indian discus thrower Krishna Poonia has failed to qualify for the Rio Olympics as she could not touch the qualifying standard in the competitions she took part in the United States.

34-year-old Poonia, the lone Indian woman track and field athlete to have won an individual gold in the Commonwealth Games, finished first in her last competition in the United States with a throw of 57.10m at Florida but that was far below the Rio qualification mark.

The Olympics qualification mark stands at 61m and the deadline for making it to the Rio Games is Monday.

In the two months Poonia trained and competed in the United States with funding from the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) of the Sports Ministry, she could come up with a best effort of 59.49m. She had a personal best and national record of 64.76m which she did in 2012. She won the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games with a throw of 61.51m.

Poonia has taken part in three Olympics (2004, 2008 and 2012) and she is one of the few Indian track and field athletes to have qualified in the final rounds of any event in the Olympics when she finished sixth in 2012 London Games.

“I tried my best to qualify for Rio Olympics but in the end I could not do it. I think I did not have enough time to come back to my best after my knee surgery (last year),” Poonia said from US.

“I will now look forward to the 2018 Commonwealth Games and Asian Games. I thank the Sports Ministry and Sports Authority of India for supporting me and allowing me to train and compete in the United States. I wish all my countrymen taking part in the Rio Olympic Games all the success,” she said.

India men’s team was already in the top-16 for the Rio qualification and bettered the mark on Sunday to assure themselves a place.

India men’s 4×400 metres relay team qualified for the Rio 2016 Olympics with a timing of 3:00:91 at the Indian Grand Prix being held at the Sree Kantaveera Stadium in Bengaluru. This puts the team in the second spot for fastest 4×400 relay timing in the world in 2016 behind USA who had clocked 3:00:38.

July 11 is the deadline for the Rio Olympic qualification and the Indian Grand Prix is being held just for that purpose.

The fourth edition of the Grand Prix will be held on Monday.

Before the event, the 4X400m team stood 17th with a best timing of 3:02.94s.

Before the event began, the Athletics Federation of India Secretary C.K. Valson said, “We are extremely delighted that 24 athletes have already qualified for the Rio Olympic Games in individual events and the women’s 4x400m relay team is ranked world No. 13 and fulfills the qualification criteria. On behalf of the AFI, I also take this opportunity to congratulate all those athletes who have already qualified and extend my best wishes to those who will be contention over the next two days.”

Jos Butler’s match-winning innings came three days after he had struck an unbeaten 73 in England’s T20 win over Sri Lanka. (Source: AP)

Lancashire’s England ODI vice-captain Jos Buttler hit 57 off 22 balls with a fractured thumb in a T20 win over Worcestershire on Friday, the county club said X-rays had revealed.

Buttler, left out of England’s squad to face Pakistan in the first Test at Lord’s next week, was injured keeping wicket in Lancashire’s seven-wicket NatWest T20 Blast victory at home to Worcestershire but still opened his team’s innings.

“X-rays later revealed he sustained a small stable fracture which will be managed conservatively,” Lancashire said on their website (www.lccc.co.uk) on Sunday.

Worcestershire ran up a total of 198 which was overhauled with three wickets to spare as wicketkeeper Buttler scored Lancashire’s fastest T20 half-century off 20 balls.

He was out in the sixth over by which time Lancashire had set a record for runs scored in T20 powerplay overs in England.

His match-winning innings came three days after he had struck an unbeaten 73 in England’s T20 win over Sri Lanka.