The post Prime Minister Narendra Modi keeps his word and enjoys ice cream with PV Sindhu. appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>When the Prime Minister had a video engagement with Tokyo-bound Indian athletes in July, he mentioned Sindhu’s ban on eating ice cream before the Rio Olympics and asked if she would do the same this time.
Sindhu was encouraged by the PM, who assured her that after she returned from Tokyo, they would eat ice cream together. Sindhu’s father, PV Ramana, informed ANI that his daughter will now share ice cream with PM after the badminton star earned a bronze medal at the recently ended Tokyo Olympics.
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]]>The post PM Modi hails India’s Olympic contingent appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>Today, we have with us our Olympic athletes who made India proud. I request the citizens, those who are present at this ceremony and those watching from different corners of the country, to applaud our athletes by clapping for them. Let’s show our respect to Indian sports, to our young generation, and to our athletes who brought laurels to the country,” urged the Prime Minister, as he led the audience in applauding the athletes.
He added, “We can be proud of the fact that our athletes have not only the nation’s hearts, but they have also done something that will inspire generations to come.”
On August 3, PM Modi sent an invitation to the athletes to be a part of Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort. In the recently concluded Games in Tokyo, the Indian contingent won a record seven medals, which included one gold medal, two silver and four bronze medals. Neeraj Chopra, the javelin thrower, brought home India’s first Olympic gold in 13 years, after Abhinav Bindra shot his way to gold at Beijing in 2008; Chopra is also India’s second individual gold medallist in the Olympics, after Bindra.
On Saturday, they were hosted by President Ram Nath Kovind over high tea. Entire country is proud of the athletes, Kovind said.
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]]>The post Neeraj Chopra becomes most followed track and field athlete in the world appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>Neeraj Chopra created history on August 7 as he became the first from the country to win a gold in track and field in the Olympics. He threw the javelin to a distance of 87.58m to pick the yellow metal at the Tokyo Games.
The 23-year-old athlete is only behind German athlete Johannes Vetter who has a 1396 score as per the latest update issued by World Athletics.
Meanwhile, Neeraj has a score of 1315 in men’s javelin throw after his Tokyo Olympics gold. The star athlete’s historic golden throw in the Olympics has been listed as one of the 10 magical moments of athletics (track and field) in the Tokyo Olympics by the World Athletics.
Most keen followers of the sport had heard of Neeraj Chopra before the Olympic Games. But after winning the javelin in Tokyo, and in the process becoming India’s first athletics gold medallist in Olympic history, Chopra’s profile sky-rocketed,” the World Athletics website read.
Neeraj had 143,000 followers on Instagram before the Olympics but now has a staggering 3.2 million, making him the most followed track and field athlete in the world.
“Still processing this feeling,” he recently posted. “To all of India and beyond, thank you so much for your support and blessings that have helped me reach this stage. This moment will live with me forever.
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]]>The post This is actually disgusting : Glenn Maxwell on South Australian Government’s decision appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>See the tweet here :
Australia won 46 medals at the Tokyo Olympics which included 17 gold medals. They finished sixth on the table with USA topping the list at 113 medals which includes 39 gold medals.
As per olympics.com.au, the South Australian Government has chosen to impose a further mandatory quarantine period when South Australian athletes return from hotel quarantine in Sydney, effectively inflicting a 28 quarantine period for athletes at a time of mental and emotional vulnerability.
South Australia is the only state to do this. There are 56 team members returning to South Australia with 16 currently quarantined in Sydney.
AOC Chief Executive Officer Matt Carroll says the decision flies in the face of the expert medical advice of the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Chief Medical Officer David Hughes that the mental health of athletes can be severely challenged after returning from a highly constrained Tokyo Games environment into the further isolation of extended lockdown.
“While other countries are celebrating the return of their athletes, we are subjecting ours to the most cruel and uncaring treatment. They are being punished for proudly representing their country with distinction at the Olympic Games,” said Carroll.
The AOC wrote formally to the South Australian Chief Medical Officer after weeks of discussions with departmental staff.
On Wednesday, the AOC was informed of the decision that the Olympians would be required to home quarantine, on top of the two weeks hotel quarantine just completed.
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]]>The post Here’s a look at all the Indian medallists in Tokyo appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>With one gold, two silver and four bronze medals, India’s total of seven medals in Tokyo bettered the previous best haul of six at the London Games in 2012.
India’s tricolour was raised during the medal ceremonies in weightlifting, hockey, badminton, wrestling, boxing and athletics at this edition of the Olympics.
Here’s a look at all the Indian medallists in Tokyo:
Mirabai Chanu (Weightlifting) – Silver Medal
Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu won a silver medal as she lifted a total of 202kg (87kg+115kg) in the women’s 49 kg category. Chanu finished behind Hou Zhihui of China, who took the gold medal while Indonesia’s Windy Aisah won bronze. This was India’s second overall medal in weightlifting at the Olympics. Weightlifter Karnam Malleswari had previously won bronze at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
PV Sindhu (Badminton) – Bronze Medal
India’s badminton star PV Sindhu carried on from where she left at the last Olympics and brought back another medal for the country in the women’s singles event. After winning silver in Rio 2016, Sindhu picked up a bronze this time when she overcame China’s He Bing Jiao 21-13, 21-15 in the bronze medal match.
Lovlina Borgohain (Boxing) – Bronze Medal
Indian boxer Lovlina Borgohain picked up the country’s third ever Olympic medal in boxing when she secured a bronze in the women’s welterweight (64-69kg) category, following on the footsteps of Vijender Singh and MC Mary Kom’s bronze medals in 2008 and 2012, respectively. She displayed immense grit in her semi-final bout against eventual champion Busenaz Surmeneli of Turkey but lost via unanimous decision. Hong Gu of China secured silver after losing the final to the Turk.
Indian Team (Men’s Hockey) – Bronze Medal
The Indian men’s hockey team ended a 41-year medal drought at the Olympics after defeating Germany 5-4 in a thrilling comeback victory in the bronze medal match. India, eight-time winners of the men’s hockey gold at the Olympics, had last clinched an Olympic medal in the sport at the 1980 Moscow Games, where they won the gold.
Ravi Dahiya (Wrestling) – Silver Medal
Indian wrestler Ravi Dahiya took the second spot in the men’s freestyle 57kg category after losing a close final bout to ROC’s Zavur Uguev 4-7. Dahiya showcased great determination as he pushed two-time world champion Uguev to his limits and came agonisingly close to earning a gold medal for the country. However, Uguev used his experience to get over the line, leaving Dahiya to be content with the silver medal.
Bajrang Punia (Wrestling) – Bronze Medal
Bajrang Punia won India’s second wrestling medal as he defeated Kazakhstan’s Daulet Niyazbekov 8-0 in men’s 65kg freestyle to win bronze. After losing to Azerbaijan’s Haji Aliyev in the semi-finals, Bajrang dominated his Kazakh opponent to ease to victory in the bronze medal bout.
Neeraj Chopra (Javelin Throw) – Gold Medal
India’s first ever Olympic gold in athletics came in Tokyo when Neeraj Chopra put on a stellar display to register a best throw of 87.58m in the final to seal victory. Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch and Vitezslav Vesely won silver and bronze, respectively. This was also India’s first gold medal since Abhinav Bindra in Beijing 2008 and only the second ever individual gold medal.
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]]>The post Neeraj Chopra says “It feels unbelievable” after winning good medal appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>“It feels unbelievable. It is the first time India has won a gold in athletics, so I feel very good. We have just one gold here in other sports,” the 23-year-old said after winning the historic gold.
Neeraj’s gold took India’s medal tally to 7, making Tokyo 2020 their most successful Olympics. India had won 6 medals at the London Olympics 2012.
This is our first Olympic medal for a very long time, and in athletics it is the first time we have gold, so it’s a proud moment for me and my country,” Neeraj said.
Asked if he was surprised to win gold which also featured German great Johannes Vetter, he said, “In the qualification round I threw very well so I knew I could do better in the final.”
(But) I didn’t know it would be gold but I am very happy.”
Few would have thought that Chopra would bludgeon his way to gold in such a dominant fashion at the grandest of the stage.
Just like in the qualification round, Chopra began with a bang by sending the spear to a distance of 87.03m and then improved it to 87.58m, his best of the day which none in the field could match.
His third throw was a poor 76.76m, he then fouled his next two attempts before a final effort of 84.24m.
By the time the Nordic javelin left his right hand in his second attempt, he knew that it was going the farthest among all and he raised both his arms in jubilation, confident that the job had been done.
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]]>The post Ten important points about Neeraj Chopra appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>Here are 10 points on this big story:
1) Mr Chopra is a Subedar with 4 Rajputana Rifles in the Indian Army. He is a graduate of DAV College in Chandigarh.
2) He is the son of a farmer from Haryana. The state government has announced it would honour the athlete with Rs 6 crore.
3) “The golden victory of Subedar Neeraj Chopra at the Olympic brings laurels for the Indian Army. He performed like a true soldier at the Olympics. It is indeed a historic and proud moment for the entire country including the Indian Armed Forces! Many congratulations to him,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted.
4) Mr Chopra came into the Olympics with the fourth best throw of the year and lived up to his form as a faltering Johannes Vetter of Germany struggled and failed to qualify as one of the top eight.
5) He is the first athlete representing India to have won gold in javelin throw at both the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games. He claimed victory at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, and the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia.
6) Mr Chopra became the first Indian competitor to win a junior world title in athletics when he claimed gold in javelin throw at the 2016 World Junior Championships in Poland
7) He took up the sport in 2011, inspired by watching people practice throwing javelin in Haryana, according to his bio on the Olympics official website.
8) Chief of Army Staff General MM Naravane and all ranks of the Indian Army congratulate Subedar Neeraj Chopra on winning nation’s first ever gold medal in javelin in Olympics with a throw of 87.58 metres, the Army tweeted from its official handle.
9) Mr Chopra’s win is India’s first gold medal at the ongoing Tokyo Olympics.
10) It is also the country’s second individual gold medal in its Olympic history after Abhinav Bindra’s heroics in Beijing 2008.
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]]>The post “We have shown it is possible to keep the pandemic at bay.” : Brian McCloskey appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>Basic anti-COVID-19 measures and a good testing scheme made a “safe and secure” Games possible, said Brian.
“We have shown it is possible to keep the pandemic at bay. And that is a very important lesson from Tokyo to the rest of the world,” McCloskey, a leading health adviser to the sporting event, said on Saturday during a press briefing as per Kyodo News.
The organising committee of the games has said over 600,000 tests have been carried out, with the cumulative total of those COVID-19 cases standing at 404 after another 22 people were added on Saturday.
As for the daily count, released on Saturday, no athletes tested positive for the second straight day. Of the 22 who tested positive, 13 are contractors, four are games-related officials, two are members of the media, two are employees of the organizing committee and one is a volunteer.
The total number of coronavirus cases in Japan has topped 1 million while the 17-day Olympics is nearing its close on Sunday.
“What is important is the core message from the (World Health Organization) and other agencies that the way you manage this pandemic is through basic public health measures and a good testing regime,” McCloskey said.
We’ve proved that works,” he said, adding that collected data will be provided to the rest of the world to cope with the pandemic.
IOC President Thomas Bach on Friday also stated that the Olympic Community has been the best-tested community anywhere in the world during the last few weeks.
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]]>The post Don’t be disappointed, you all played very well : PM Modi to Indian women’s hockey team appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>“You all played very well. Though your four-five years of hard work couldn’t be converted to a medal, you hard work and sweat have become an inspiration to crores of daughters of the country. Don’t be disappointed,” Modi told an emotional Indian team.
See the tweet here :
https://twitter.com/mannkibaat/status/1423562787607826437?s=19
He also congratulated all the members of the team and their coach for their achievement – the best finish by Indian women’s hockey team in past 41 years.
PM Modi further inquired about the injury sustained by India’s Navneet Kaur after colliding with Argentina’s Agustina Gorzelany in the hockey semi-final match.
Taking the names of each players, PM congratulated them and asked them to stop crying as he could hear them break down.
Rani Rampal, the team captain, thanked the Prime Minister for the encouragement. PM Modi then went on to praise Vandana Katariya and Salima Tete for their performance at the match.
“Please stop crying. The whole of India is proud of you. There is no need for disappointment. India’s identity in hockey has been revived and it’s because of you people,” he added.
The Prime Minister also spoke with team coach Sjoerd Marijne and thanked him for his and the team’s hard work.
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]]>The post Tropical storm to hit Tokyo on the last day of the Olympics appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>Japan’s weather agency warned of strong winds, high waves and the risk of landslides and floods along the eastern coastline from Saturday afternoon to Sunday, when Tropical Storm Mirinae is expected to pass over the capital.
The Olympics closing ceremony is on Sunday evening, with medal events including water polo and rhythmic gymnastics taking place at indoor venues in the city during the day.
Cycling track races are also scheduled in Shizuoka, southwest of Tokyo, while the men’s marathon will kick off early Sunday in the far northern city of Sapporo.
“We are firmly and calmly paying attention” to the path of the storm, Tokyo 2020 organising committee spokesman Masa Takaya told reporters.
It is necessary to inform you objectively, so that we can avoid excessive overreaction,” he said.
A separate storm hit Japan last week, forcing Games organisers to reschedule some rowing and archery events, although they brought forward the surfing finals to take advantage of strong waves.
On Friday, Mirinae was around 100 kilometres (62 miles) north of Minamidaito island, near the southern archipelago of Okinawa.
It was moving east, packing gusts of up to 108 kilometres per hour (67 miles per hour).
Another tropical storm is hovering in the Taiwan strait, moving towards Japan.
Japan’s typhoon season runs from around May to October, peaking in August and September.
In 2019, Typhoon Hagibis smashed into Japan as it hosted the Rugby World Cup, killing more than 100 people.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Edge Media staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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