With over 60,000 fans expected to participate in the historic 20th edition of the Mumbai Marathon, which will be run on January 19, the organisers of the race in an attempt to drum up support have invited fans to join in celebrating the indomitable spirit of Mumbaikars by Striking the Gong. A tradition steeped in symbolism, the Striking of the Gong marks an auspicious beginning, embodying gratitude and recognizing the collective efforts that have shaped the marathon’s legacy. Dattatray Vithoba Bharne, Minister of Sports and Youth Welfare, Government of Maharashtra, on Tuesday captured the event's essence perfectly. Also Read: ISL: NorthEast United grab a point in gripping end-to-end draw with FC Goa “The Tata Mumbai Marathon is more than a race; it’s a celebration of unity, health, and resilience. It brings together people from all walks of life, showcasing the spirit of Mumbai and India to the world. This event inspires fitness, togetherness, and the determination to overcome every challenge.” Echoing this sentiment, former minister Chhagan Bhujbal emphasized, “Today, as we strike the gong for the Tata Mumbai Marathon 2025, we celebrate not just an iconic sporting event but the very spirit of Mumbai and Maharashtra. "With over 60,000 participants from across India and the world, this Marathon stands as a symbol of unity, resilience, and inspiration. It is truly a matter of pride for all of us to witness this event grow into one of the largest and most prestigious international marathons,” he said. In the buildup for the landmark 20th edition of the Mumbai Marathon 2025, a total of 269 local NGOs, corporates, and citizens have collectively raised INR 43 crore for the event. Fundraising for the event continues until February 5, 2025. Spearheaded by United Way Mumbai, the event’s Philanthropy Partner, the Mumbai Marathon has established itself as the country’s single largest sporting platform for philanthropy, raising over Rs 429 crore for 740 NGOs with the support of 600 corporates. This remarkable convergence of runners, donors, NGOs, and corporates continues to drive social change and empower communities nationwide. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
15 January,2025 01:16 PM IST | Mumbai | IANSThe Indian women’s team produced an incredible performance against South Korea, securing a commanding 175-18 victory in their opening match of the Kho Kho World Cup here on Tuesday. Also Read: Manu may replace her faulty Paris Oly medals The home team showcased their prowess with impressive ‘Dream Runs’ and defensive strategies that left their opponents stunned at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. Chaithra B, Meeru and skipper Priyanka Ingle set the tone for India with consecutive ‘Dream Runs’, with the first two batches each earning a point. This strategic opening helped neutralise the 10 touch-points that South Korea managed to secure at the end of the first Turn. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
15 January,2025 08:32 AM IST | New Delhi | PTIIndia’s star pistol shooter Manu Bhaker is likely to get her two Paris Olympics bronze medals replaced as she is among the large group of athletes, who have complained that their medals have are deteriorating. Also Read: Havertz family hurt by trolls Many athletes from across the world have also posted pictures of their worn out medals on social media. It is learnt that the colour of Bhaker’s medals has come off. “The damaged medals will be systematically replaced by the Monnaie de Paris [the French state mint] and engraved in an identical way to the originals”, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Tuesday. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
15 January,2025 08:25 AM IST | New Delhi | PTIJasmine Paolini underlined her Australian Open title credentials with an almost flawless march into the second round on Tuesday. The 29-year-old Italian inflicted a dreaded ‘bagel’ on Chinese qualifier Wei Sijia, who was making her Grand Slam debut, as she sprinted to a 6-0, 6-4 victory. In 2024, Paolini became the first Italian woman to make the last 16 at all four Grand Slams in the Open Era and won the title in Dubai in a breakthrough season that propelled her into the top five. Also Read: Rybakina schools Oz’s Jones “Maybe everything began from here last year,” said Paolini. “It gave me so much confidence. “And it’s great to be back here in Melbourne.” Paolini raced out of the blocks with an emphatic first-set, landing 81 percent of her first serves against the hapless World No. 117. Wei did get on the board by winning the first game of the second set. However, Paolini kept up the pressure with powerful returns and groundstrokes. She finally broke Wei again to lead 3-2 before serving out for victory in 73 minutes. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
15 January,2025 08:21 AM IST | Melbourne | AFPFormer Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina dished out a harsh tennis lesson to teenager Emerson Jones on Tuesday, racing into the Australian Open second round 6-1, 6-1. The sixth seed from Kazakhstan demonstrated her pedigree as she manoeuvred the 16-year-old World Jr. No.1 from Australia to all parts of Margaret Court Arena. Also Read: Winning start for local hope Rybakina served 11 aces and lashed 26 winners as she took just 53 minutes to bring Jones’ first Grand Slam appearance to an abrupt end. “She has a great future and many more years on tour, but I am pretty happy with my performance,” said Rybakina. Jones is highly rated in Australia and is tipped to follow in the footsteps of former Melbourne Park champion Ash Barty. At 5-1 down, she showed a glimpse of her talent when she engineered three break points, only for Rybakina to fire down four consecutive aces and a forehand winner to bully her way to the first set. Rybakina admitted that she had had to do her homework on Jones. “I watched her matches,” she said. “It took me a couple of games to get used to how she hits the ball.” This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
15 January,2025 08:19 AM IST | Melbourne | AFPLocal hope Alex de Minaur said he has never felt better after getting his Australian Open off to a flying start Tuesday in the pursuit of a near-five-decade first. The eighth seed raced through the first set against Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp but was then made to sweat. But he kept calm to clock a 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 victory as he bids to become the first men’s home champion since Mark Edmondson in 1976. Also Read: Teen stuns ninth seed Rublev While his best result in Melbourne so far is the round of 16, De Minaur is coming off a solid year where he made the quarter-finals at three of the four Slams. He also qualified for the ATP Finals, reaching a career-high six in the world. “Honestly, what gives me a sense of calm is knowing the amount of work I’ve put in behind the scenes,” said the 25-year-old. “Knowing I’ve put in everything in my power to be ready. “As soon as I walk on this court, I know every single one of you guys (the crowd) has my back, so I’m going to do my best. “I feel great,” he added. “It’s been a long time since I felt this good.” This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
15 January,2025 08:17 AM IST | Melbourne | AFPFearless teenage qualifier Joao Fonseca beat ninth seed Andrey Rublev on his Grand Slam debut on Tuesday in the biggest shock of the Australian Open so far. Roared on in Melbourne by Brazilian fans decked out in yellow, the prodigious 18-year-old appeared totally unfazed as he stunned the Russian 7-6 (7/1), 6-3, 7-6 (7/5). Also Read: Australian Open: Rohan Bopanna crashes out of the opening round Joao Fonseca Fonseca last month became the second-youngest winner of the NextGen ATP event since current World No.1 Jannik Sinner claimed the title, also aged 18, five years ago. Ranked 112 in the world, Fonseca came into the first-round meeting with 27-year-old Rublev on a 13-match winning streak. He had never faced a top-10 player before, but if he was nervous, he did not show it as they went toe-to-toe before Fonseca won the first set emphatically on the tie break. The Brazilian raced into a 3-0 lead in the second, at one point beckoning the crowd to show some more appreciation. Fonseca took the second set with an ace. He was in trouble in the third when Rublev broke for a 3-1 lead, but the youngster broke back immediately. They went to the tie break again and Fonseca raced into a 4-0 lead, then staved off a mini Rublev fightback to seal the deal. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
15 January,2025 08:15 AM IST | Melbourne | AFPFormer World No.1 Rohan Bopanna and his new Colombian partner Nicolas Barrientos bowed out of the Australian Open men’s doubles event with an opening-round loss to Spanish duo Pedro Martinez and Jaume Munar here on Tuesday. Also Read: Medvedev’s mindless Melbourne meltdown! Bopanna and Barrientos went down 5-7, 6-7 (5). The 14th-seeded Indo-Colombian pair began on a promising note but faltered in crucial moments, allowing the Spaniards to capitalize and secure victory. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
15 January,2025 08:12 AM IST | Melbourne | PTIDaniil Medvedev faces a hefty fine after mangling his racquet and a net camera in an epic temper tantrum before battling through a five-set roller coaster to start his Australian Open campaign on Tuesday. The feisty Russian, a three-time finalist in Melbourne, lost his cool in the third set before rallying to beat 418th-ranked Kasidit Samrej 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 at the Rod Laver Arena. Fifth seed Medvedev was 3-5 behind and on the brink of going two sets to one down against the Thai player when he exploded, slamming his racquet into the net camera repeatedly until they both became a broken mess. Also Read: Sindhu, Sat-Chi shine on mixed day at India Open Daniil Medvedev Ball kids had to sweep up the debris when he lost the game and set, while the match was postponed briefly as officials ran repairs on the net. Medvedev is facing a big penalty. “Honestly, I hope not too big. The fine is usually for breaking the racquet, and the camera is going to cost some, but I don’t think GoPro is that expensive,” he said. “When I did it, I didn’t want to smash the racquet in pieces. When I saw the racquet, I was, like, okay, time to take a new one I guess.” Medvedev was playing his first match since the ATP Finals in November after arriving in Australia late to be at home for the birth of his second child. He pledged before the tournament to be a “disruptor” against the big names this season, but his stuttering start against a player with no pedigree showed he has his work cut out. “It was kind of a top level [performance] from him, serving good, one break each set, just what you need to do to win matches,” Medvedev said. “Two sets to one down is not an easy feeling. I was, like: I don’t want to be on the flight tomorrow. “I’m happy that I managed to stay tough. I think, in my opinion, I didn’t play a bad level, I played quite well and will for sure try to play better throughout the tournament.” The former World No.1 broke his opponent’s opening service game and was never troubled in the first set, racing through it in 30 minutes. But the Thai player, who qualified for his Grand Slam debut by winning the Asia-Pacific wildcard playoff event, refused to go away. He stunned the Russian by breaking him at 5-4 to take the second and was well on top in the third before the Medvedev meltdown. But Medvedev used his experience to reassert control and win the game as Samrej began flagging. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
15 January,2025 08:08 AM IST | Melbourne | AFPPV Sindhu and the celebrated doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty had to toil to advance to the second round of the USD 950,000 India Open Super 750 badminton tournament on Tuesday, as home shuttlers experienced a mixed day. After missing the season-opening Malaysia Open Super 1000 due to her wedding in December, Sindhu looked a bit rusty but managed to battle through a 21-14, 22-20 victory over world No. 24 Sung Shuo Yun of Chinese Taipei. “After a long break, it’s always difficult to find the rhythm, but I am happy to have won the match in straight games. My shuttle was going midcourt in the second game, but I was always confident I could pull things off,” said Sindhu. The World No. 16 will now face Japan’s Manami Suizu. In men’s doubles, title contenders Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, seeded seventh, overcame a few nervous moments to defeat Malaysia’s world No. 7 duo, Man Wei Chong and Kai Wun Tee, 23-21, 19-21, 21-16. Also Read: Keen tussle on the cards as Karnataka face Haryana in SF ‘Happy to come back’ “They have always been a formidable team. They defended quite well, and it was very difficult to penetrate. Their service retrieving was also good. They have improved immensely, but we are happy we could come back in the third,” said Chirag. Talented shuttler Kiran George fought through a thrilling three-game encounter, saving three match points and then securing the win against Japan’s World No. 25 Yushi Tanaka. Kiran won 21-19, 14-21, 27-25. In mixed doubles, Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila advanced to the second round with a 8-21, 21-19, 21-17 victory over Chinese Taipei’s Chen Cheng Kuan and Hsu Yin-Hui. Ashwini Bhat and Shikha Gautam also progressed, defeating Crystal Lai and Jackie Dent 22-20, 21-18 in women’s doubles. Treesa-Gayatri bow out However, there was disappointment for the women’s doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, seeded fifth, as they suffered a 21-23, 19-21 loss to Japan’s Arisa Igarashi and Ayako Sakuramoto, despite recent success at the Syed Modi International Super 300. Amrutha Pramuthesh and Sonali Singh also fell short, going down 21-19, 15-21, 12-21 to Thailand’s O Jongsathapornparn and S Suwachai. Former World No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth, who was granted a last-minute entry, withdrew from the tournament, handing a walkover to his first-round opponent Weng Hong Yang of China. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
15 January,2025 08:06 AM IST | New Delhi | PTIIn a thrilling display of strategic prowess, Team India secured a 64-34 victory over Brazil on Tuesday night at the Kho Kho World Cup 2025. The match, which kept spectators on the edge of their seats at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, showcased exceptional skill from both sides, with India ultimately proving their mettle in a spectacular finish to Day 2 of the tournament, as a release from the Kho Kho World Cup 2025 stated. Brazil started well while attacking against India, getting 16 points to their name, but Team India came back very well. They earned two points during a Dream Run that kept the Brazilians on their toes, giving the team a good platform to kickstart the match in Turn 2. Turn 2 was very impressive for the Men in Blue, as they upped the ante while attacking against the Brazilians. Rokeson Singh, Pabani Sabar and Aditya Ganpule were the main aggressors for India, as they led the team to an impressive 36 points at the end of Turn 2. But just when it looked like they were running away with the same, Brazil fought back in Turn 3. Brazil piled the pressure on India in Turn 3, led by the likes of Mauro Pinto, Joel Rodrigues and especially Matheus Costa, who scored six touchpoints. The side worked hard and eventually fought their way back, scoring an impressive 34 points in reply to India's 38, setting up an extremely exciting final seven minutes of the match. As expected, India bounced back very well in Turn 4, led by Aditya Ganpule and skipper Pratik Waikar. Rokeson Singh also scored four points via Sky Dives and Mehul got two touchpoints, as the host team went on to secure an impressive -point win to close out day 2 of the Kho Kho World Cup 2025. (With agency inputs)
14 January,2025 11:05 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
