Tokyo Olympics 2020 Highlights: After Mirabai Chanu won the first medal for India on the opening day of the Tokyo Games, hopes of a second medal continue to grow. It was a good start to Day 6 for Team India. After the rowing team of Arjun and Arvind finished 11th, India’s best show at Olympics, Indian shuttler PV Sindhu beat Mia Blichfeldt in straight games to advance to quarters. Indian hockey men team gave a confident performance to beat reigning champions Argentina 3-1 and advance to quarterfinals. Boxer Satish Kumar won his first match to advance to quarterfinals.
Archer Atanu Das stunned London Olympics gold medallist Oh Jin-Hyek to enter pre-quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Manu Bhaker finished 5th with a score of 292 while Rahi Sarnobat stands at 18th spot with a score of 287 in 25m women’s pistol qualification precision stage. Mary Kom put up a valiant fight but lost by a 3-2 margin in her Round of 16 clash to bow out. Anirban Lahiri and Udayan Mane are also in golf action for India. Sajan Prakash finished 46th out of 55 swimmers in his 100m Fly event, thus ending India’s Swimming campaign.
The big setback in the day from an Indian perspective came in the second half of the day as Mary Kom lost by a 3:2 verdict in her Round of 16 match. Mary Kom says she was not aware that she had lost her bout. Learnt about it only when she read it on Twitter while going for a dope test. “My coach said I am a winner. What does that mean? I thought I had won. I read tweets by Kiren Rijiju sir and got to know (that she lost).”
Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary during the 10m air pistol mixed team event at the Tokyo Olympics. (PTI)
Fearing backlash over a comedy act he performed in 1985, Japanese actor Naoto Takenaka pulled out of his scheduled performance in the opening ceremony at the last minute, his management agency said on Thursday.
36 years ago, his act had portrayed a visually-impaired person swinging his cane wildly on a crosswalk according to his agency who also stated that he had recalled that video and apologised after advocacy groups had criticised him then.
Takenaka was supposed to dress as a carpenter and do his act with the actress Miki Maya, but pulled out the night before the ceremony.
On that day, the show director for the event, former comedian Kentaro Kobayashi was sacked after a video emerged of him joking about the Holocaust in the 1990s. A few days prior, according to Japan Times, the music composer for the opening ceremony, Keigo Oyamada, resigned over outrage over interviews in 90's in which he seemed to boast about abusing disabled children while in school.
In February, the former prime minister Yoshiro Mori too was removed as head of organising committee after he claimed that meetings drag too much because women talk too much.
After treating herself to pizza, Tokyo Olympics silver-medallist eats "ghar ka khana" after two long years.
Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said boxer MC Mary Kom was the clear winner in Thursday’s pre-quarterfinals in the Tokyo Olympics but judges have their own calculations.
“Dear Mary Kom, you lost in Tokyo Olympics by just one point but for me you are always a champion! You have achieved what no other female boxer in the world has ever achieved. You are a legend. India is proud of you. Boxing and Olympics will miss you,” the former sports minister said in a tweet.
This is the tweet which broke the news to Mary Kom:
Mary Kom says she was not aware that she had lost her bout. Learnt about it only when she read it on Twitter while going for a dope test.
"My coach said I am a winner. What does that mean? I thought I had won. I read tweets by Kiren Rijiju sir and got to know (that she lost)."
"this is an unfair decision. I thought I won two rounds. I was shocked when I saw I had lost. Later on, I will take this up with boxing's task force."
From travelling from Ethiopia to The Netherlands as a refugee at the age of 15 to making headlines by becoming the European Under-23 champion, just nine days after being allowed to compete for her adopted country.
Two gold medals at the World Championships in Doha two years ago – in the 1,500 metres and the 10,000m – made her a star. No woman or man had won gold at a single major competition in these demanding, but vastly different, events.
Now Sifan Hassan is willing to push the boundaries once again....Writes Nihal Koshie
Sunisa Lee, the 18-year-old from USA, the first Hmang American Olympic gymnast, won the all-around gold medal in gymnastics.
The 38-year-old Indian lost the battle of the bronze-medallists by a razor-thin verdict, despite winning the last two rounds. With the Olympics having an age cap of 40, this was to be her last bout. This was no teary farewell but a happy goodbye...Writes Gaurav Bhatt.
Last year when George Floyd was killed in police custody in Minnesota, an unexpected fallout of the ensuing protests scared the family of Sunisa Lee, the US gymnast who led the way after her teammate Simone Biles’s exit in Tokyo Olympics.
Kellie Chauvin, the now ex-wife of Derek Chauvin, the officer who murdered George Floyd, is an Hmong American. So is another officer on the scene and who is set to stand trial in August... writes Sriram Veera.
Some of these will make your heart swell with pride. Others may make you want to look away.
We don't know yet if today was the last time we saw Mary Kom on the Olympics stage, but what a display of courage it was from her, if indeed the fight against the Colombian Valencia is how we bid her goodbye from the Olympics. The first round went to the Colombian, even though 1 judge awarded the round to Mary. Both the 2nd and 3rd rounds had split decisions, indicating the judges thought Mary grew into the game as it went on. In the end, it was a 3-2 victory for Valencia. For Mary, the narrowest possible margin of defeat in boxing was not enough to wipe the smile on her face. Gracious in defeat, as always!
Sajan Prakash finished 46th overall (out of 55 swimmers). His time today was 53.45 seconds. His best is 53.27s, which would also have been way off the qualifying mark. 16 swimmers have qualified for the semis.
That is the end of Sajan Prakash's campaign in Tokyo. He was 22nd in the butterfly event. He was 46th in the 100m Fly today.
Sajan Prakash finishes 2nd in his heat with a time of 53.45 seconds. Will have to wait to see if he has any chance of making it to the semis.
Olympic organizers in Paris formally submitted breakdancing as a new competition they want to introduce to the games when they come to the City of Lights in summer 2024, reports AP. The International Olympic Committee has the final say, but won't consider it — or any other proposed new games — until after the 2020 Tokyo Games are completed. The mere proposal making it this far is a major triumph for breakdance advocates.
"It's a victory for us. Even if it goes no further, we'll still have won," said noted breaker Mounir Biba, who lives in France.
So many reasons to admire Magnificent Mary! One of them being that she was now not fighting in her own category. Mary, who had previously fought in the 46 and 48 kg categories, shifted to the 51 kg category after the world body decided to allow women's boxing in only three weight categories eliminating the lower weight classes.
Mary Kom has been knocked out in the Round of 16. What a close fight this was! All 5 judges had different points to give both athletes in all the rounds. Three judges award the fight to the Colombian. Two judges award it to Mary. What a close run thing!
An enthralling match this has been so far. And the third round continues in the same way. Both boxers covering a lot of ground. The cheers, which started off as muted in Round 1, are now full-throated and ringing out all around the arena. Mary hooks with her left! Ducks and lands a jab. 20 seconds left... again, Mary ducks out of the way.
All over. It's the Colombian who looks more confident. Which way will the judges go?
Time for Round 1. It's the Colombian who rushes out from her corner with more alacrity as this round starts. As the round goes on, it's Mary now who looks to dominate. The Colombian hangs back, staying out of Mary's reach. What a topsy-turvy match this is turning out to be! Now Mary looks to hang back and wait for her openings.
Scorecard: Another split round. 3 judges award Round 2 to Mary. 2 award it to the Colombian. This fight is going down to the wire, folks!
India's Mary Kom, in blue, and Colombia's Ingrit Lorena, in red, enter the ring. We are set for Round 1.
Round 1: The Colombian gets an early warning from the referee for aiming low with her punches. Both boxers land some solid blows in the first three minutes. Now, it's Mary who gets a warning from the referee. That's the end of Round 1. The scorecard shows 4 referees awarded Round 1 to the Colombian. 1 judge awarded the round to Mary.
Six-time world champion Mary Kom (51kg) powered into the Olympic Games’ pre-quarterfinals after staving off a stiff challenge from Dominican Republic’s Miguelina Hernandez Garcia in the opening round on Sunday. Today she faces her next test. If she wins, she gets to within 1 more win of a medal place. Can the 38-year-old Boxing World Wonder pull it off?
India's Boxing queen Mary Kom will be stepping inside the ring for her Round of 16 match. She will be up against a Colombian boxer in Valencia Victoria. That bout is set to start in another 30 minutes or so.
Meanwhile, here's looking back at some Tokyo 2020 pathbreakers in other sports for India, even though their reception has not been as warm as some others.
In a little more than an hour, Mary Kom will be in action in her last-16 bout in the women's 51kg category. After her fight with Colombia's Ingrit Valencia, Sajan Prakash will be the final Indian athlete on show on Thursday with his 100m men's butterfly heat 2.
Just before she went out and qualified for the semifinals in BMX cycle racing, the Australian Saya Sakakibara called her elder brother Kai on his birthday. It wasn't just another b'day call, though. Kai, a cyclist who could have been competing in the Olympics, has emerged after eight months in brain injury unit at a hospital after an accident at a cycling race last year. He was in coma for two months before learning how to walk and talk in the next eight months.
“I’m here for the both of us,” Saya said after qualifying for the semifinal. 'I’m living the Olympic dream at the moment and he’s on that journey with me all the way. With all the pressures that comes with the Olympics, I really wanted to show my best performance for him for his birthday as well. I think I was able to do that.”
"When I first crashed, I didn’t even know if I was going to walk again,” Kai told Sydney Morning Herald. “But I was able to, which was cool. Then I was able to ride my bike, which was really cool. Then I was able to ride my bike on the track, which was awesome.I’m sure there’s no limit to how far I can go.”
Saya is desperate to do well. "Kai was the reason I got into BMX originally, he was my older brother and someone who inspired me growing up,” Saya told SMH. “Knowing Kai is in Tokyo to do something that is important to him is so special. He continues to amaze in his recovery and breaks through barriers that no one expected this early on."
Atanu Das on Thursday expressed his disappointment for being denied the chance to play the mixed team event with his wife Deepika Kumari, whom he credited for his stunning win over two-time Olympic champion Oh Jin-Hyek at the Tokyo Olympics.
"I was listening to her full time. She was pushing me: 'believe in myself', 'you can do it', 'just stay calm and handle the situation'," Das said in the mixed zone after his 6-5 (10-9) win in his last-32 match. "She is world number one and I'm privileged to have my wife in this competition. It was a great support and motivation for me."
Das was denied a chance to recreate his chemistry with Deepika in the mixed pair section after he slipped four places behind Olympian debutant Pravin Jadhav, who stood 31st in the ranking round. "I expected to play with her in the mixed team but unfortunately it was not possible. I don't know why...," Das said. "But it's quite satisfying. We are giving our best. Let's see what happens." He next faces home favourite Takaharu Furukawa, an individual 2012 London silver medalist.
Udayan Mane has dropped to Tied-43rd after the thirteenth hole. Meanwhile, Anirban Lahiri drops to Tied-7th (4 under par).
In the men’s one-person dinghy (laser), Vishnu Saravanan finishes 27th in race 7 and 23rd in race 8, in 23rd overall.
The Australian track and field team have now been cleared to return to their regular routines. They had earlier isolated as a precautionary measure. Three Australian athletes had self reported after contact with the American pole vaulter Sam Kendricks, who will now miss the tournament after testing positive. All the three Australians, ABC reports, were wearing masks have tested negative now.
Nethra Kumanan is 20th in qualifying Race 8 of the women's laser radial class. Her best finish so far is 15 which she achieved in Race 3. She is sitting 31st overall. Race 09 and 10 scheduled for Friday. After 10 races, top 10 will make it to the medal race.
The Shammgod Nutmeg is three-a-side basketball’s equivalent of a Cruyff turn, the nascent Olympic sport’s most iconic move and its weapon of marketability. It begins with a Shammgod, patented by former American basket-baller God Shammgod, in which a player throws the ball in front of his body, drops his shoulder, pulls it back with his opposite hand and performs a crossover dribble. In Shammgod Nutmeg, the executioner follows the Shammgod with a nutmeg, threading the ball through the nutmegee’s legs, leaving him utterly embarrassed.
No one executes it better than Serbia’s Dusan Bulut. Though his team, four-time world champions, had to contend with a bronze medal, Bulut was the event’s golden boy, scoring 33 of his team’s 96 points, most of those fetched in eye-catching style. Against China, he unfurled a behind-the-back-assist, against ROC in the league game, he produced a delicious Euro Step layup, a skill where he moves in one direction before exploding the opposite way after picking up his dribble, and a step-back shot against Latvia. And in his final game, against Belgium, he unfurled the Shammgod Nutmeg. (Read More)
While completely in awe of how sharp and unwavering the former World No 1 and World Cup winner’s focus can be, Das says the couple trades tips on each other’s strong points in the sport. “She’s told me she likes my shooting stance. I keep asking her about what mental framework is needed to be at the top. She’s been a World No 1, I haven’t,” Atanu Das explained. India's top archers on how a mid-June wedding and a calming stay at home offset all other travails of a pandemic year. (Read Full Story)
Members of the Australian athletics team have been sent into isolation after close contact with American pole vaulter Sam Kendricks, who has tested positive for Covid-19. According to The Guardian, Australian vaulter Kurtis Marschall had been training with Kendricks — the 28-year-old reigning world champion and Rio bronze medallist who was ruled out of the Games earlier today. Additionally, The Guardian reports that Argentine pole vaulter Germán Chiaraviglio has also tested positive and is ruled out of competition.
“Members of Australia’s track and field team at the Tokyo Olympic Games are isolating in their rooms as a precautionary measure following news of a Covid positive finding with a member of the US track and field team,” an AOC statement read. “Members of the Australian track and field team are now undergoing testing procedures in line with Australian Olympic team protocols.”
ABC News reported that 'athletes from other nations' have also been sent to isolate in their rooms, less than 24 hours out from the start of track and field events on Friday in Tokyo.
When the men's and women's sprints begin on Friday, most competitors will embrace the hot weather, reveling in conditions that Carl Lewis calls “the Caribbean without the breeze.” (Read More)
Like the questions about the ban on marijuana — now legal in many states — spurred by the absence of sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson, or about what makes a woman, raised by the decision of middle-distance champion Caster Semenya not to compete rather than forcibly lower her natural levels of testosterone, the controversies over clothing have triggered a reexamination of the status quo.
They have cast a spotlight on issues of sexism, the objectification of the female body, and who gets to decide what kind of dress is considered “appropriate” when it comes to athletic performance. (Read More)
American world-champion pole vaulter Sam Kendricks will miss the Olympics after testing positive for COVID-19. Kendricks' dad posted on social media that his son had no symptoms but was informed while in Tokyo that he tested positive and was out of the competition.
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee confirmed the news and said Kendricks has been placed in isolation at a hotel. He is being supported by the USOPC and USA Track and Field. Kendricks won the bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics and took gold at the last two world championships. He holds the American record at 19 feet, 10 inches (6.06 meters).
Dominique Moceanu was a part of the first USA women's gymnastics team to win the Olympic team gold medal in the 1996 Atlanta Games.
Atanu Das’ next opponent, Takaharu Furukawa, was the silver medallist in London, only losing to Oh Jin Hyek in the final.
Nethra Kumanan finishes 22nd in race 07, and that's enough to move her up to 32nd overall in the women's laser radial.
Diksha Dagar gets late Olympics entry after South Africa's Paula Reto withdrew and Austria declined reallocation. Diksha, who won a silver medal at the 2017 summer deaf Olympics, will join Aditi Ashok in the Women's event
Vishnu Saravanan finishes 26th in race 7 of the men's laser. He's 22nd overall. Varun Thakkar and KC Ganapathy have finished 7th in race 6 of the 49-er skiff!
Nethra Kumanan has starter her women's laser radial and is 27the after mark one. She's 34th overall.
Anirban Lahiri has finished round one. After 18 holes, Anirban ends with a four under. He's tied 7th at the moment. Meanwhile, Udhyan Mane is faring well with a score of 2 under par thru Hole 8, sitting T-19th
Ok. Akane Yamaguchi beats Kim Ga-eun 21-17, 21-18 to line up against PV Sindhu in quarters. With both having to rely on attack (Sindhu was a touch sharper on net today, Yamaguchi had wretched fumbles), expect a tricky go-for-broke blitz.
Should Yamaguchi drag Sindhu into a retrieving contest, then badminton's version of a respectful brawl can follow. Sindhu has a 11-7 H2H, Yamaguchi has won three out of last four.
After the first stage of qualifying (precision), Manu Bhaker is fifth with 292, and Rani Sarnobat is 25th with 287. Leading the pack is Zorana Arunovic of Serbia who shot a sensational 296. The rapid stage and the finals will be tomorrow, the 30th of July.
Perhaps the finest couple of hours for India at Tokyo Olympics since Mirabai Chanu's medal on Day 1. It started with Sindhu making light work of Blichfeldt in badminton, followed by Indian men hockey team's dominating win over Olympic champs Argentina, Atanu pulling off seemingly impossible task of beating a Korean in Archery.
Add to that Manu Bhaker's fine show in 25m pistol first qualifying round shooting and Satish advancing to boxing quarterfinals. Mary Kom will hope to cap off a fine day.
Indian swimmer Sajan Prakash met International Olympic Commuttee President Thomas Bach & international swimming body FINA lresident Hussain Al Mussalman today at the Olympic pool, the Tokyo Aquatic Centre on Thursday. Sajan has been a recipient of FINA scholarship for his training at Phuket in Thailand for past four years.
Varun Thakkar and KC Ganapathy finish Race 05 on the 16th spot in Men's 49er.
In the 49-er skiff, race 05, Varun Thakkar and KC Ganapathy are currently 16th (overall 18th)
Badminton women's singles is shaping up nicely for the Last 8, with the top contenders all scoring commanding wins over opponents. PV Sindhu was ruthless against Mia Blichfeldt in her 21-15, 21-13 pre-quarters win. The Danish woman sought a toe-hold into the match in the second half of the opening set, but that just egged Sindhu on, to not entertain any quibbles of resistance. Mia has a long way to go before she can temper her high-energy game with the cold, cunning required to unsettle the top Asian names (Cue: Marin-sized vaccuum in the draw).
Nozomi Okuhara was breathlessly brutal against Canadian Michelle Li, winning 21-9, 21-7. Korean wunderkid An Sung Yan also silenced the Thai Busanan Ongbamrumphan 15, 15. Ratchanok Intanon - who India is banking on to stop or tire Tai Tzu Ying - was in Last 8, beating the Indonesian Tunjung 12, 19.
American BW Zhang limped out with a tearful injury in the second - allowing Chinese He Bingjiao to progress. Sindhu's potential next opponents - Akane Yamaguchi and Tai Tzu Ying, are playing their respective matches now.
World badminton's second rung was asked to wait another Olympics by the big names - women's singles Golden Generation - who refused to let any harakiri pan out in their huddle.
Georgian pistol shooter Nino Salukvadze is competing in her ninth Olympic Games. The 52-year-old has won three Olympic medals - gold and silver in the women's 25m pistol and 10m air pistol events at Seoul 1988, and bronze in the air pistol at Beijing 2008. Over the course of her long career she has competed under three differnet flags, playing for the Soviet Union in 1988, a Unified Team in 1992 Barcelona, and for Georgia from 1996 Atlanta onwards.
At Rio 2016 though, she and her 23-year-old son Tsotne Machavariani set the unique distinction of becoming the first ever mother-son duo to compete at the same Olympic Games.
Satish Kumar beats Jamaica's Ricardo Brown 4-1 in men's Super Heavy ( 91kg) to qualify for quarterfinals. He is now just one win away from a medal. Satish makes full use of his light weight in comparison to his opponent who has no answer to Satish's counters.
Satish will now face World Champion Bakhodir Jalalov.
Satish Kumar needed some attending to after the intense Round 2. He lands three solid right hands and shows some good footwork, taking round 2 with a wide split, 4-1.
After round 1, Satish Kumar leads comfortably with a unanimous decision from the judges! He tries to dart in and out of Brown's massive hooks and has been successful in dominating so far.
Satish Kumar is in the ring to start his Tokyo Olympics campaign. He’ll be keen to book his place in the last eight. Satish in the red corner is up against Ricardo Brown in the blue corner.
Vishnu Saravan is about to set sail in Laser Men Race 7 and 8.
It came down to a single arrow shootdown. Oh Jin Hyek, South Korean former gold medalist and absolute favourite, fired a 9. Atanu Das needed 10. Deepika Kumari had quietened down after shouting words of encouragement from the stands. Das steadied and gazed. Still head. Stiller body. Boooom. A perfect 10…!
It was close right through the match. The stodgy Korean has a slightly unique way - he bends up his right shoulder a bit as he feels it suits his body. 'What matters how you control the shoulders,' he once said. What also matters is how you control the mind. The Indian was better on the day.
It seemed he had won in the regular play itself. In the decider, in the last shot, Das need 10 to win. He fired and the arrow seemingly was on target but it just shaded away to 9. It brushed the previous arrow which was wedged in 10. The commentators speculated whether that brushing made the difference between 10 and 9. It might well have. The Korean let out a sigh of relief in the background. Das's face creased into a gentle boyish smile.
The final face-off- the single arrow shoot off began. No Achilles heel, this time. Game over.
Manu Bhaker finishes 5th with a score of 292 while Rahi Sarnobat stands at 18th spot with a score of 287 in 25m women's pistol qualification precision stage.Manu shoots 97, 97, and a superb 98 in the third series. Top 8 shooters will qualify for the finals which will be determined after tomorrow’s rapid fire stage.