Indian sports wrap, October 11: Harjinder Kaur sets new National Records at weightlifting nationals

WEIGHTLIFTING

Harjinder Kaur sets news National Records at National weightlifting championships

Punjab’s Harjinder Kaur created three new national records – one in snatch (98kg) , one in clean & jerk (125kg) and one in total (223kg) – bettering her own old records of 96kg, 124kg and 220kg, respectively at the National Weightlifting Championships in Nagrota Bagwan, Himachal Pradesh on Thursday.

– Team Sportstar

GOLF

Aditi Tied-46th after two rounds in Shanghai

India’s Aditi Ashok endured a mixed day for an even-par 72 in the second round of the Buick Open to lie tied 46th here.

The three-time Olympian is seeking her first win on the LPGA. In the second round, Aditi had two birdies and two bogeys after starting on the 10th tee. In the first round she had three birdies against two bogeys for a one-under card.

Korea’s Sei Young Kim shot 62-70 on the first two days to take a one-shot lead over Japan’s Mao Saigo (68-65) at Qizhong Garden Golf Club.

Lucy Li of the US is tied second with Saigo at 11-under. She had rounds of 65-68. Australian Minjee Lee is fourth with 67-67 and American Yealimi Noh is fifth with cards of 68-67.

– PTI

Slow start for Shubhankar in French Open golf

Indian golfer Shubhankar Sharma’s patchy form continued as he carded a topsy-turvy one-over 72 in the opening round of the FedEx Open de France that left him tied 77th in the standings in Paris.

Sharma struck four birdies against five bogeys.

He was one of the early starters and stumbled to a bogey on the second hole but quickly made amends with two fine birdies on the fourth and the sixth.

On the back nine, he had a good start with a birdie to go to two-under.

Then came three bogeys on the trot from 11th to the 13th and he was not able to recover from that, managing a birdie-bogey finish in the last two holes.

The cut looks likely at even par or better and Sharma will need a solid round to make the cut, after missing out last week.

– PTI

HOCKEY

HIL will revive India’s golden era: Sardar Singh

The revival of the Hockey India League will put the sport on a glorious path, feels former captain Sardar Singh.

Over 1,000 players have registered for the HIL 2024-25 Players’ Auction. The men’s Auction is scheduled for October 13 and 14, while the historic women’s auction will take place on October 15.

The league is set to make a comeback after seven years.

“The HIL will be bigger and better this time around and with a Women’s league being held concurrently, the League is set to revive Indian hockey’s golden era,” Sardar was quoted as saying in a Hockey India statement.

“A larger number of Indian players will be in line to experience hockey at the highest level, leading to a larger pool of potential players for the Indian Hockey Teams.” In the first edition, in 2013, the 38-year-old competed for Delhi Waveriders and was named player of the tournament. He played all editions of the league, rubbing shoulders with players like Jamie Dwyer, Moritz Fürste and many more.

“The HIL was an unforgettable experience; we were in a high-performance environment for an extended period of time, playing against and alongside some of the best players in the world.

“This created a learning environment for players by exposing them to different cultures and mindsets. For an impressionable young player, there is nothing more crucial than positive exposure,” Sardar commented.

Sardar Singh was the youngest player to captain the Indian team, at 21 years of age, when he led the side at the 2008 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.

“Current mainstays in the team; Harmanpreet, Mandeep, Sumit and many more were identified and groomed in the HIL. Captain Harmanpreet played HIL in 2015, which helped him develop quicker and he went on to lead the team to victory, scoring 3 crucial goals as a 19-year-old,” he added.