The post Manoj Sarkar wins bronze in the badminton men’s singles SL3 event appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>In a match which lasted for 47 minutes, Sarkar managed to win the first game 22-20, in what was turning out to be a cagey encounter.
The Indian shuttler found his footing in the second game, crusing to a 21-13 win against his Japanese opponent.
Also, India’s Pramod Bhagat, who is also the reigning world champion, claimed a historic gold in this event, defeating Bethell in the summit clash.
The post Manoj Sarkar wins bronze in the badminton men’s singles SL3 event appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>The post Manish Narwal wins gold in Mixed 50m Pistol SH1 appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>19-year-old shooter Manish Narwal won gold in Mixed 50m Pistol SH1 event while Singhraj Adhana won silver.
This is India’s third gold at the ongoing Paralympics. Narwal shot a total of 218.2, a Paralympic record, to claim the yellow metal while Adhana, who had won the bronze in the P1 men’s 10m air pistol SH1 event on Tuesday, added a silver to his kitty with an effort of 216.7.
Russian Olympic Committee’s Sergey Malyshev took home the bronze with an effort of 196.8.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to congratulate Narwal and Adhana and said glory from the ongoing games continues.
“Glory from the Tokyo Paralympics continues. Great accomplishment by the young and stupendously talented Manish Narwal. His winning the gold medal is a special moment for Indian sports. Congratulations to him. Best wishes for the coming times,” he tweeted.
“The outstanding Singhraj Adhana does it again! He wins yet another medal, this time in the Mixed 50m Pistol SH1 event. India rejoices due to his feat. Congrats to him. Wishing him the very best for the future endeavours,” the prime minister said in another tweet. PM Modi also called up Narwal and Adhana to congratulate them.
Earlier in the qualifying round, Adana progressed to the medal round in fourth place with a total of 536 while Narwal shot 533 to qualify at seventh at the Asaka Shooting Range.
The post Manish Narwal wins gold in Mixed 50m Pistol SH1 appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>The post Avani Lekhara becomes the first Indian woman to win two medals at a single edition of the Paralympics appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>During the 1984 Paralympics, Joginder Singh Sodhi had won multiple medals in the same edition of the Games when he clinched one silver and two bronze medals.
Avani had finished second, a point behind Sweden’s Anna Normann in the qualification. The Swedish shooter and Avani both had bettered the previous Qualification World Record with some exceptional shooting.
During the qualification round, Avani had struggled a bit in the Kneeling position but found her range in the Prone and Standing to climb up the ladder.
In the final, Avani once again was slow to get off the mark scoring a 9.8 and 9.7 in her first two shots. However, she found her mark soon and shot a 10.9 in her fourth shot.
Avani, though, found the going hard in the third series in Kneeling position, with only one shot out of 5 in the over 10-point mark. Her scores improved in the Prone position, shooting a 51.5, 51.4 and 51.0. But with others shooting a little better, the Indian found herself in seesawing between 5th and 6th place.
The post Avani Lekhara becomes the first Indian woman to win two medals at a single edition of the Paralympics appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>The post Avani Lekhara creates a new Paralympic record appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>The 19-year-old from Jaipur, who sustained spinal cord injuries in a car accident in 2012, finished with a world record equalling total of 249.6, which is also a new Paralympic record.
She is only the fourth Indian athlete to win a Paralympics gold after swimmer Murlikant Petkar (1972), javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia (2004 and 2016) and high jumper Mariyappan Thangavelu (2016).
“I can’t describe this feeling, I’m feeling like I’m on top of the world. It’s unexplainable,” an elated Lekhara said.
Hers is also the first shooting medal that India has logged in the showpiece.
“I’m so happy I could be the one to contribute it. Hopefully there’s a lot of medals more to come,” Lekhara said.
Lekhara edged out 2016 Rio Games gold-medallist Cuiping Zhangh of China who clinched the silver medal with a total of 248.9 at the Asaka Shooting Range.
World number one and reigning world champion Iryna Shchetnik of Ukraine took home the bronze with an effort of 227.5.
She will also be competing in the mixed 10m Air Rifle Prone SH1, the women’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions SH1 and the mixed 50m Rifle Prone event.
In the SH1 Rifle category, shooters are able to hold a gun with arms.
The athletes have an impairment in their legs, for example amputations or paraplegia.
Some athletes will compete in a seated position, while others will compete in a standing position.
The post Avani Lekhara creates a new Paralympic record appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>The post Tokyo Paralympics: Powerlifter Sakina Khatun Finishes 5th In Women’s 50kg Final appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>As a result, the Indian para-powerlifter missed out on a medal. Chinese powerlifter Hu Dandan won the gold as she lifted 120kg while Egypt’s Rehab Ahmed clinched silver. Olivia Broome of Great Britain won the bronze in the women’s 50 Kg powerlifting final in the Tokyo Paralympics on Friday.
The post Tokyo Paralympics: Powerlifter Sakina Khatun Finishes 5th In Women’s 50kg Final appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>The post Japan government to extend a virus state of emergency to eight more regions appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>The step comes with summer school holidays ending and top infection experts suggesting delaying the start of classes to reduce contagion risks.
The country has been recording more than 20,000 new cases a day in recent weeks as the more infectious Delta variant spreads.
In urban areas like Tokyo, patients in serious condition have been left waiting for hours or travelling long distances in ambulances to find available hospital beds.
“The number of new cases has continued to hit record highs nationwide,” Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told ministers and government officials as he announced the expansion.
“The transmissibility of the Delta variant is extremely strong. We need people’s further cooperation in order to overcome this crisis.”
Eight more regions will be placed under the virus emergency already in force in 13 areas including Tokyo, with a provisional end-date of September 12.
The measure largely limits the sale of alcohol by restaurants and bars and asks them to close early, while urging the public to work from home and avoid non-urgent outings.
The government also plans to bring four other regions under a less strict measure.
In all, the planned move will mean 33 of Japan’s 47 regions are under heightened anti-infection rules as the country hosts the Paralympics after the Olympics.
Organisers say their countermeasures have stopped infections spreading from participants to the Japanese public, but some experts argue holding the events has undermined government messaging on the virus and encouraged people to go out.
A top adviser to the government on the virus told lawmakers Wednesday that municipalities should be able to consider extending the summer vacation for school children to prevent infections.
The government has so far ruled out blanket school closures and is proceeding with a vaccination programme that began slowly but has picked up speed, with around 40 percent of the population now fully inoculated.
So far, Japan has recorded around 15,500 deaths in the pandemic.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Edge Media staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
The post Japan government to extend a virus state of emergency to eight more regions appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>The post India to compete in nine sports in the Paralympics appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>The likes of star javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia and high jumper Mariyappan Thangavelu — both 2016 Rio Paralympics gold winners — will lead the biggest ever contingent with India expecting at least 15 medals, including five gold.
India is competing in nine sports in the Paralympics, which is being held under strict safety and health protocols due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has led to few countries pulling out.
The expectation of unprecedented success would not be wide off the mark as at least four Indians are ranked top of the world while six are at number two and around 10 are at number three in global standings.
India has won 12 medals in total in Paralympics since it first took part in 1972 and if the projected success materialises, the country could be among the top 25 in the medal tally this time, as against 43rd in 2016 with 2 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze.
With the government loosening its purse strings for para-athletes and many of them preparing well at various Sports Authority of India facilities across the country, the Paralympians look set to add to the euphoria of sporting success following the best ever medal haul in the Olympics which ended on August 8. India secured seven medals, including one gold and two silver medals, during the Olympics.
Jhajharia, who lost his left hand due to electrocution as a child, is going strong even at 40 and is aiming for a hat-trick of gold medals in the F-46 category after finishing on top of the podium in 2004 and 2016.
He is the current world record holder in the event. F-46 classification is meant for athletes who have upper limb deficiency, impaired muscle power or impaired passive range of movement.
Mariyappan, who was permanently disabled at the age of five when a bus crushed his right leg below the knee, is another para athlete seeking to defend the gold he had won in 2016 in T63 high jump, though he is currently ranked world number 2. He will also hold the country’s flag during the opening ceremony on Tuesday.
World champion Sandeep Choudhary (F-64 javelin throw) is the third gold medal contender from the 24-strong para athletics team. He is world number one and world record holder also. Other medal prospects from para-athletics are reigning world champion Sundar Singh Gurjar and Ajeet Singh (also in F-46) and Navdeep Singh (F41) — all para-javelin throwers.
World champion Sandeep Choudhary (F-64 javelin throw) is the third gold medal contender from the 24-strong para athletics team. He is world number one and world record holder also. Other medal prospects from para-athletics are reigning world champion Sundar Singh Gurjar and Ajeet Singh (also in F-46) and Navdeep Singh (F41) — all para-javelin throwers.
The post India to compete in nine sports in the Paralympics appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>