Indian Sports LIVE, August 22: Archana Kamath quits table tennis to pursue higher education
Hello and welcome to ESPN India’s daily blog where we bring you all the latest from the dynamic world of Indian sports including news, scores, schedules, results and commentary.
After two very busy weeks related to the Olympic Games in Paris, things should now be a little quieter in comparison, but there are still some repercussions from Paris to deal with.
Preparations are also underway for the Paralympic Games, which begin in a week.
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Archana Kamath gives up table tennis to pursue higher education
Indian table tennis player Archana Kamath, who was part of the Indian women’s team that reached a historic quarterfinal at the Paris Olympics earlier this month, has decided to quit the sport professionally and focus on her studies. In a Interview with The Indian ExpressArchana’s coach Anshu Garg said she was doing well and had worked her way up the rankings in the last few months, “but I think she had already made up her mind to leave.”
Archana’s father Girish said she was pursuing a master’s degree in international relations, strategy and securities and “she has taken this difficult step without any regrets and after giving her best for the sport and the country.”
Archana, 24, is also not playing in the Ultimate Table Tennis league, which starts today.
U-17 Wrestling World Championship: Four Indians in the final
India’s women wrestlers showed their mettle on Wednesday with all four of them – Aditi Kumari, Neha, Pulkit and Mansi Lather – reaching the final of the U-17 World Wrestling Championship.
Aditi defeated Ukraine’s Karolina Shperyk by technical superiority and then won against Marriem Mohamed Abdelaal (4:2), securing her place in the 43 kg semifinal against Aleksandra Berezovskaia. She then defeated Berezovskaia and agreed a title fight with Greece’s Maria Louiza Gkika.
In the 57kg category, Neha was in brilliant form and made it to the semi-finals without dropping a point. She defeated her Greek rival Mairi Mani and then won by technical superiority against Miranda Kapanadze of Georgia. Next up was Anna Stratan of Kazakhstan, whom she defeated 8-4 to advance to the final where she will face So Tsuitsui of Japan.
Solid performance from NEHA 🇮🇳 as she makes it to the final of the 57 kg class
U17 World Cup live on https://t.co/DyIQNCXx22#Wrestling #dumb #wrestleamman pic.twitter.com/pm0jitxidZ
– United World Wrestling (@wrestling) 21 August 2024
Pulkit (65 kg) defeated Egypt’s Maram Ibrahim Aly 3-0 to advance to the final, while Mansi dropped just two points on her way to the final of the 73 kg category, where she will face Hanna Pirskaya.
India has already won two medals in Greco-Roman wrestling: World number two Ronak took bronze in the 110kg category, while Sainath Pardhi added bronze to India’s tally in the 51kg category by defeating Mussan Yerassyl of Kazakhstan in the play-off.
What’s going on today?
Athletics: The big man is back! Fresh from his silver medal at the Paris Olympics, Neeraj Chopra will compete in the Lausanne Diamond League, while Paris gold winner Arshad Nadeem understandably pulls out.
Badminton: The Japan Open Super 750 is underway. Sathish Kumar Karunakaran is the only Indian still in contention yesterday after many players pulled out.
Chess: World Championship challengers D Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa are in action at the Sinquefield Cup tournament in Saint Louis.
We will continue to bring you more reactions from Indian athletes returning after participating in the Paris Olympics as well as those participating in the upcoming Paralympics.
What happened yesterday?
Wrestling: Indian Greco-Roman wrestler Ronak Dahiya won bronze at the U-17 World Championships, while Aditi Kumari, Neha and Pulkit reached the semifinals in the women’s event.
Badminton: Sathish Kumar Karunakaran was the only Indian still in contention at the Japan Open after Kiran George, Rutuparna and Swetaparna Panda, Sumeeth and Sikki Reddy all lost.
football: NorthEast United and Shillong Lajong will contest a North East Indian derby in the semi-finals of the Durang Cup after beating Indian Army (2-0) and East Bengal (2-1) respectively in the quarter-finals.
Football: Manolo Marquez has named a 26-man squad of likely players for the upcoming Intercontinental Cup in September.