Kabaddi
Asian Championship 2016
- Pakistan has won the Asian Kabaddi Championship 2016 held at Wah Cantonment in Pakistan by defeating India by 50-31 points on May 6, 2016.
- This is Pakistan’s second successive win in the Asian Kabaddi title as they had won it in 2012. The championship was organised by Pakistan Kabaddi Federation (PKF) in collaboration with POF Sports Control Board under the banner of the Asian Kabaddi Federation. Seven teams including India, Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Pakistan had participated.
Athletics
AAF World Challenge
- The Indian 4x 100 m women’s relay team broke the 18-year-old National record to finish in 4th position at the IAAF World Challenge on May 18, 2016.
- The 4x 100 m women relay team comprising Dutce Chand, Srabani Nanda, HM Jyoti and Merlin Joseph took 44.03 seconds to finish the race, breaking the 18-year-old record of 44.43 seconds created by the quartet of Saraswati Dey, Rachita Mistry, EB Shyla and PT Usha on July 22, 1998 in Fukuoka (Japan).
- China-A team clocked 42.65 for the gold medal while Japan team finished the race in 43.81 for the silver medal and China-B team finished third for the bronze medal by clocking 43.89.
Sports Personalities
Seema Punia
- Asian Games discus throw gold medal winner Seema Punia qualified for the Rio Olympics with a 62.62 m effort at the Pat Young’s Throwers Classic 2016 at Salinas, California in the USA on May 29, 2016.
- This will be Seema’s third Olympic Games appearance having taken part in 2004 and 2012 where she failed to get past the qualification round on both the occasions.
- She is the 19th Indian track and field athlete to have qualified for Rio Olympics. Seema crossed the Rio Games qualification standard of 61.00 m at the Hartnell College Throwers Complex with her season’s best effort of 62.62 m.
- She won the gold in the event and in the process pipped 2008 Olympic discus throw champion Stephanie Brown-Trafton of the USA for the gold. She had won a gold in the 2014 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China with a throw of 61.03 m. She had also won a silver in the 2014 Glasgow CWG Commonwealth Games with an effort of 61.61 m.
Alastair Cook
- England skipper Alastair Cook, became the youngest cricket player to reach 10000 runs in Tests on May 30, 2016 i.e., the 4th day of the 2nd Test against Sri Lanka in Durham. The England skipper became the 12th batsman overall to reach the milestone and he achieved it in his 128th Test.
- Cook became the first England player to reach the landmark of 10000 runs and he also became the youngest at 31 years and 158 days to achieve the landmark. Tendulkar was 31 years and 3-6 days old when he reached the landmark against Pakistan at Eden Gardens in 2005.
- Cook, the leading Test run-scorer of England, is the 12th player in the history to score 10000 test runs. The other ten players include Allan Botder, Brian Lara, Rahul Dravid, Kumar Sangakkara, Sunil Gavaskar, Ricky Ponting, Mahela Jayawardene, Jacques Kallis, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Steve Waugh.
Maria Sharapova
- Maria Sharapova is one of four Russian players named to compete in the women’s singles at the Olympics in Rio on May 26, 2016.
- She has been suspended from competition after testing positive for the banned substance meldonium at this year’s Australian Open after it was added to WADA’s list of banned substances in January.
- The World Anti-Doping Association (WADA) then admitted in April that scientists were unsure how long meldonium stayed in the system, suggesting athletes who tested positive for the substance before March 1 could avoid bans.
Fatma Samoura
- FIFA President Gianni Infantino, appointed Fatma Samoura as Secretary General of FIFA on May 13, 2016. She became first female to hold this post.
- She replaced Jerome Valcke who was banned for 12 years earlier this year due to corruption allegations.
- She began her United Nations career with the World Food Program in Rome in 1995 and has served as country representative or director in six African countries.
Stephen Curry
- Stephen Curry was named the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the second straight year, after a record-breaking contribution to the record breaking victory of Golden instate Warriors.
Vinesh Phogat/Sakshi Malik
- Indian women wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik qualified for 2016 Rio Olympics as the duo entered the final of 2nd Olympic games world qualifying tournament in Istanbul (Turkey) on May 8, 2016. Vinesh earned the spot in 48 kg, Sakshi earned quota in the 58 kg.
- This is the first time two female Indian wrestlers will compete at the Olympics. At 2012 London Games, Geeta Phogat was the lone Indian female grappler.
