Hockey World Cup 2018: It has been a dream start for India, says former captain Sardar Singh
November 30, 2018 19:48 ISTIndia registered a comprehensive 5-0 win against South Africa to make a sizzling start in the World Cup.
India registered a comprehensive 5-0 win against South Africa to make a sizzling start in the World Cup.
Two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar and Rio Olympic bronze medallist Sakshi Malik, who are struggling with form for quite some time, could not make the top Grade.
The AIBA's finances were a cause of concern for the International Olympic Committee, which is still to take a final call on whether to retain boxing in the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Saina said, "It is definitely a tough year. Throughout there were so many big tournaments and we did not even have time to rest and think about the next event."
Spain stunned the Argentines as early as in the third minute through young Enrique Gonzalez's fine field strike past Argentina goalkeeper Juan Vivaldi.
Vinesh was forced to skip the World Championship in Budapest due to a last-minute elbow injury.
The AIBA said it has worked hard towards reforming its systems, most notably scoring, which has often been lambasted as opaque by critics.
During his time as a High Performance Director in India, Oltmans strengthened the grassroot level besides working with all the national teams, be it junior or senior, men or women.
India's next game is against Belgium on December 2. The match is going to be a high-voltage one as Belgium also thrashed Canada by 2-1 in the opening match of Hockey World Cup.
Akashdeep impressed all and sundry in his new role as linkman by not only setting up a goal for Lalit Upadhyay but also scoring one in India's 5-0 rout of South Africa.
India scored three fine field goals in a span of four minutes to take the match out of South Africa's reach.
Even though Belgium controlled the proceedings in the first two quarters by showcasing fast-paced attacking hockey, they lacked the sting after the change of ends.
Sindhu continued her impressive form this year, claiming silver medals at all the major events - Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and the World Championship.
Simranjeet Singh scored two goals and was chosen the Man of the Match for his excellent performance.
Mary Kom won gold at the recently concluded Boxing World Championships, which took her tally at the tournament to a record 7 medals.
In the last 10 editions since its maiden triumph in 1975, India's best performance was a fifth-place finish at the 1992 edition in Mumbai (then Bombay).
Some of the best known Bollywood stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit and music maestro A.R. Rahman descended to signal the start of the world cup, which has gripped the entire state.
Swapna, the first individual gold medalists from Bengal after Saraswati Saha (2002), was among the three medal winners - including two bronze -- from the West Bengal at the Asian Games this year.
World number 15 South Africa coach Mark Hopkins said the biggest hurdle for the growth of the game in South Africa is "funding".
Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit and AR Rahman would be present for the opening ceremony at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.
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