Indian sports wrap, February 19: Gopi Thonakal, Ashwini Jadhav to headline New Delhi Marathon

ATHLETICS

Defending champions Gopi Thonakal and Ashwini Jadhav return to New Delhi Marathon

Defending men’s and women’s champions Gopi Thonakal and Ashwini Madan Jadhav will headline the 10th edition of the New Delhi Marathon scheduled to take place here on February 23.

Recognised by Athletics Federation of India (AFI) as a national event, the marathon will also see participation from the country’s top runners including Anish Thapa, Belliyappa, Man Singh, Akshay Saini and Vikram Bangriya the men’s section.

The likes of Laxmi KM, Nirmaben Thakor Bharatjee and Disket Dolma will feature in the women’s field.

The event, which is also recognised by World Athletics, is a qualifying race for International Amateur races.

Runners will compete across four categories — full marathon, half marathon, 10k and 5k.

Former Indian cricket team captain Ajinkya Rahane and head badminton coach Pullela Gopichand will flag off the marathon.

The event is supported by Delhi Metro, offering free rides to and from JLN Stadium for participants with bibs.

The marathon will focus on reducing plastic waste by offering eco-friendly hyderation stations, minimising single-use plastic bottles and encouraging the use of reusable water containers.

The event will also implement waste segregation and promote recycling throughout the venue.

-PTI

POWERBOATING

Kohli, LeBron, Nadal are team owners in world’s first electric powerboating competition

Star India batter Virat Kohli, tennis legend Rafael Nadal, and basketball icon LeBron James are among the prominent team owners of the UIM E1 World Championship, the world’s first all-electric powerboating competition.

The event will feature a star-studded lineup of team owners from across sports, music, and entertainment, including Kohli, whose Team Blue Rising will compete in the global series.

Besides Kohli, the championship boasts of high-profile team owners such as basketball legend James (Team AlUla), music producer and DJ Steve Aoki (Aoki Racing Team), and NFL great Tom Brady (Team Brady).

Other teams include Team Drogba, owned by football Chelsea star Didier Drogba, Team Miami powered by Magnus, owned by Latin music star Marc Anthony, and Team Rafa, backed by tennis icon Nadal.

Additionally, Hollywood actor Will Smith leads Westbrook Racing, while Marcelo Claure helms Team Brazil by Claure Group.

The UIM E1 World Championship presented by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) is unique in its commitment to diversity and innovation, featuring mixed-gender pilots selected from various racing disciplines, including rally, jet ski racing, and Formula 1.

These pilots go through the E1 Pilot Academy, where they are chosen based on their racing skills.

The races will take place across iconic locations around the world including Jeddah, Miami, Monte Carlo and Doha.

The championship will be broadcast live on FanCode.

-PTI

ESPORTS

Finals of College Rivals season 2 to be played in Mumbai

The second season of College Rivals, one of India’s leading competitions to scout esports athletes, will have its final played in Mumbai on February 23.

Seven finalists will compete for the trophy across three gaming titles, Valorant, BGMI and EA FC 24.

The summit clash will take place at Hall 4, NESCO, Mumbai, after 224 days of nationwide qualifiers and, has a prize pool of 50 lakh rupees.

The previous season’s finale had drawn over 5,000 attendees who saw 28 finalists battling it out across six titles—BGMI, FIFA 23, Road to Valor, Valorant, Tekken 7, and Counter Strike-2—in a best-of-three format.

Sahil Nagpal had won the tournament and got a dream ticket to become a professional BGMI player for Rivals Ape X, the youth team of Orangutan, a leading Esports team in the country.

The popularity of College Rivals has only burgeoned in the second season, with over two lakh registrations across 55 colleges in 22 cities and over 11 lakh students witnessing the competition.

This season’s finale will also feature Indian hip-hop stars Seedhe Maut, Pho and Dizlaw, giving it a synergy of entertainment and gaming.

The competition is a joint venture of Ampverse, Asia’s leading Gaming ecosystem, and DMI Finance, the NonBanking Financial Company (“NBFC”) of the DMI Group.

-Team Sportstar