Sports

Magnetic, Echoes Of Time and Gold Empire pleased when the horses were exercised here on Friday morning (August 1)

Outer sand:

600m: Sheer Bliss (Srinath) 44. Moved well. Stella Maris (rb) 45.5. Easy.

1000m: Kazing (rb) 1-16, 600/44.5. Strode out well. Echoes Of Time (R. Pradeep) 1-12.5, 600/41.5. Impressed. Magnetic (Antony) 1-12, 600/41. Moved impressively. Bashir (Koshi K) 1-15, 600/45.5. Moved on the bit.

1200m: Fils De France (Antony) 1-28.5, 1,000/1-14.5, 600/44. Worked well.

1400m: Gold Empire (Suraj), Good Deeds (Vikrant) 1-43, 1,200/1-27.5, 1,000/1-12.5, 600/43.5. Former started two lengths behind and finished six lengths ahead.

Outer sand — July 31:

600m: Sekhmet (rb) 45.5. Easy.

1200m: My Visionary (-) 1-30, 1,000/1-15, 600/44. Moved well.

1400m: Night Raider (Pavan), Sapporo (Arvind) 1-40.5, 1,200/1-25.5, 1,000/1-12, 600/44.5. They moved fluently.

The England cricketers and fans remembered Graham Thorpe on his first death anniversary here on Friday. The former England batter passed away last August in Surrey, with a coroner ruling the death a suicide.

It was indeed a ‘A Day for Thorpey’ at The Oval, as his friends and teammates paid tribute to the left-hander, who scored 6,744 Test runs at an average of 44.66 in 100 matches from 1993 to 2005.

The players wore headbands, with a silhouette of Thorpe and his initials, during the training. His wife Amanda and daughter Emma were present to ring the bell ahead of the second day’s play.

Ben Stokes recalled the impact Thorpe had on his career and the team. “Thorpey has been a very influential character as a player and a coach in English cricket. A few of us in that dressing room spent a lot of time with him coming through the ranks and, as we got into the main (England) team, Thorpey spent a lot of years around us,” Stokes said.

Surrey, the club that Thorpe represented throughout his career, also honoured his legacy with a mural outside the ground.

(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the State’s (Tamil Nadu) health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050)

The England cricketers and fans remembered Graham Thorpe on his 56th birth anniversary here on Friday. The former England batter passed away last August in Surrey, with a coroner ruling the death a suicide.

It was indeed a ‘A Day for Thorpey’ at The Oval, as his friends and teammates paid tribute to the left-hander, who scored 6,744 Test runs at an average of 44.66 in 100 matches from 1993 to 2005.

The players wore headbands, with a silhouette of Thorpe and his initials, during the training. His wife Amanda and daughter Emma were present to ring the bell ahead of the second day’s play.

Ben Stokes recalled the impact Thorpe had on his career and the team. “Thorpey has been a very influential character as a player and a coach in English cricket. A few of us in that dressing room spent a lot of time with him coming through the ranks and, as we got into the main (England) team, Thorpey spent a lot of years around us,” Stokes said.

Surrey, the club that Thorpe represented throughout his career, also honoured his legacy with a mural outside the ground.

(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on Tele-MANAS 14416 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050)

World University Games champion archer Sahil Jadhav said coach Rahul Banerjee’s pep talk helped him clinch the gold medal in the keenly-contested compound men’s individual final in Essen, Germany, recently.

On his maiden international trip, Jadhav, who has not won an individual medal at the National level, was delighted after defeating his compatriot Kushal Dalal in the semifinals.

“I was happy to have secured an individual medal. But Rahul bhaiya said, ‘If you want to be a champion, you should not nurture such a mindset.’ His words inspired me for the final,” said Jadhav, who pipped Great Britain’s Ajay Scott 149-148 in the title clash, at a felicitation function organised by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) regional centre here on Friday.

“I have gone through so many trials and competitions without any success. When I got the opportunity, I wanted to make it count.”

Coming from a humble background in Satara district, Maharashtra, the 24-year-old, who was trained by Pravin Sawant before being coached by SAI’s Haresh Kumar, has overcome a phase of frustration to dream big. “I want to go step-by-step, but the ultimate goal is the Olympics,” said Jadhav.

Hailing from East Singhbhum, Jharkhand, 22-year-old recurve archer Shrey Bhardwaj, who claimed gold medals in outdoor, 3D and field archery at the World Police and Fire Games (WPFG) in Birmingham, USA, said the SAI centre’s support played a crucial role in his success.

“I trained during the day and in the evenings and put rocks on the ground to prepare for different formats of the WPFG,” said Bhardwaj, proving that switching from cricket to archery was the correct decision for him.

SAI National Centre of Excellence (NCOE) Regional Director-in-charge Amar Jyoti lauded the archers for carrying forward the legacy of the centre.

: Luca and Waitara caught the eye when the horses were exercised here on Friday (Aug. 1) morning.

Inner sand:

800m: La Dolce Vita (A. Prakash) 57, 600/42. Easy. Ange Raphael (C. Umesh) 52, 600/38. Moved well. Zarkan (Bhawani) 56, 600/43. Moved fluently. Waitara (Ritesh) 50, 600/38. Responded well. Star Of Asia (app) 54, 600/41. Worked freely. Endurance (Mosin) 54, 600/41. Moved freely. Duesenberg (Kirtish) 54, 600/41. Worked freely. Joondalup (Ritesh) 54, 600/41. Moved fluently.

1000m: Marcus (C. Umesh), Son Of A Gun (app) 1-8, 800/54, 600/41. Former was one length superior. Luca (C. Umesh) 1-6, 800/52, 600/39. Moved impressively. Beyond Stars (Bhawani) 1-8, 800/53, 600/40. Worked well. Foujita (A. Prakash) 1-7, 800/53, 600/40. Responded well to the urgings.

1200m: Wind Dancer (N. Bhosale), It’s My Time (Mosin) 1-22, 1000/1-7, 800/52, 600/40. Former was one length better.

Fernando Alonso will miss the first practice session for the Hungarian Grand Prix on Friday because of a back injury and could be in doubt for the race itself.

Aston Martin said in a post on X that the two-time Formula 1 champion “has been managing a muscular injury in his back” since last week’s Belgian Grand Prix

He will be replaced by reserve driver Felipe Drugovich for the first session Friday and continue treatment before the team decides who will compete.

“A decision will then be made on Fernando’s participation in (second practice) and the remainder of the weekend in due course,” Aston Martin said.

Brazilian driver Drugovich is in his fourth season as Aston Martin reserve but has yet to race in F1. He was the 2022 champion in Formula 2.

Pacer Gus Atkinson grabbed five wickets as India collapsed on the second day of the fifth and final Test against England to be bowled out for 224 in their first innings, on Friday (August 1, 2025).

The overnight batters Karun Nair (57) and Washington Sundar (26) fell in the first 20 minutes of play, which exposed the frail tail of the Indian team, which once again fell without much resistance.

For England, Atkinson completed a five-for as he returned 21.4-8-33-5 while Josh Tongue took 3/57 as the two fast bowlers shared the majority of the workload for the hosts.

India had earlier resumed the second day’s play — which began earlier than the scheduled start owing to rains on the first day — at 204 for six.

Brief scores: India 224 all out in 69.4 overs (Sai Sudharsan 38, Karun Nair 57; Gus Atkinson 5/33, Josh Tongue 3/57) vs England.

Injury-plagued England were dealt a severe blow on Friday (August 1, 2025) after seamer Chris Woakes was ruled out of the ongoing fifth and final Test against India with a suspected shoulder dislocation.

The all-rounder had to leave the field after landing awkwardly on his left shoulder while saving a ball hit by Karun Nair at long-off late during the opening day of the match on Thursday.

Woakes looked in visible pain as he walked off the field with his left arm wrapped in his sweater.

“England seamer Chris Woakes will continue to be monitored throughout the remainder of the Rothesay Fifth Test at The Kia Oval, following a left shoulder injury sustained on day one of the match against India,” the England and Wales Cricket Board said in a statement.

“At this stage, the injury has ruled him out of any further participation in the Test. A further assessment will be conducted at the conclusion of the series.”

Earlier on Thursday, Woakes teammate Gus Atkinson said Woakes’ injury didn’t look good.

“I don’t know too much about it, but it doesn’t look great,” Atkinson said after India reached 204 for 6 at stumps on the rain-affected day.

“It’s a big shame, last game of the series, and when anyone gets injured, it’s a shame. I’m hoping it’s not too bad, and whatever it is, he’ll get full support from everyone.”

Woakes bowled 14 overs on the opening day, picking up the crucial wicket of KL Rahul and conceded 46 runs. Woakes’ injury has added to the woes of England, who are missing several key players, including captain Ben Stokes.

Atkinson picked up two wickets from his 19 overs on the opening day, and seemed confident to take up the responsibility in Woakes’ absence.

“Definitely, I feel fresh, I feel good,” Atkinson said. “I know I’ve only got this one game to play so I can push the limits a bit,” he added.

England are leading the five-Test series 2-1.

Khalid Jamil, who famously guided the unheralded Aizawl Football Club to the I-League title in 2017, was on Friday (August 1, 2025) named head coach of the Indian national men’s football team, becoming the first Indian in 13 years to occupy the coveted post.

The 48-year-old Jamil, a former India international and currently in charge of Indian Super League side Jamshedpur FC, was selected by the All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) executive committee from a three-man shortlist.

The other two contenders were former India head coach Stephen Constantine and Stefan Tarkovic, who previously managed the Slovakia national team.

The AIFF’s Technical Committee, led by legendary striker IM Vijayan, had shortlisted the three candidates for the executive committee’s final decision.

Jamil will succeed Spaniard Manolo Marquez, who parted ways with the AIFF last month following India’s recent struggles.

The last Indian to serve as head coach of the national men’s team was Savio Medeira, who held the position from 2011 to 2012.

Jamil’s first assignment in his new role will be the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) Nations Cup, to be held in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan starting August 29.