SPORTS JANUARY 2014

SPORTS JANUARY 2014

• Heena Sandhu’s score of 203.8 in 10 m Air Pistol set at the Munich World Cup in November 2013 was recognized as World record on 30 January 2014. The declaration was officially made by the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF). The declaration of the ISSF came following the adoption of new format. At the Shooting World Cup held in Munich, Germany in November 2013, she had defeated the World Champion Zorana Arunovic of Serbia by 5.2 points in the final to win the Gold. Heena, thus, became the first Indian woman ever to hold the world record in Shooting World Cup.
  
• Kathy Cross of New Zealand on 30 January 2014 became the first woman to be appointed in an International Cricket Council (ICC) umpires panel. Cross is of 56 years old and was named as an Associate and Affiliate panel of International umpires for 2014 following the annual review and selection process. The panel comprises 11 umpires that sits below the elite and international panels-officiates in ICC World Cricket League matches for teams ranked in divisions three to six and other associate and affiliate tournaments. The panel of 11 umpires’ panel for 2014 has been joined by Kathy Cross and Nigel Morrison. Previously Cross has officiated in the Women's World Cup in Australia in 2009 and in India in 2013. She has also umpired in the Women's World Cup Qualifier in 2011 as well as in the Women's World T20 Qualifier in 2013. She became the first woman to be selected in the men’s Test umpiring team in 2002, when she was named as the fourth umpire for a match between England and New Zealand played in Wellington
  
• Saina Nehwal won the Syed Modi International India Grand Prix title 2014 on 26 January 2014. Sania beat P V Sindhu 21-14, 21-17 in the final held at Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh. Sania’s last title was Denmark Open in 2012 against Juliane Schenk of Germany. At present, Saina is ranked ninth whereas P V Sindhu is ranked eleventh in world ranking of women singles. China’s Xue Song won the men’s single of the Syed Modi International India Grand Prix title. He beat K. Srikanth of India 21-16, 19-21, 13-21 in the final.
  
• Vijay Amritraj, was presented the Davis Cup Commitment Award on 1 February, at Indore. Eight Indians were selected by the ITF in an overall list of 299 players from 80 countries. The 60-year-old Vijay was the last of the lot to be presented the award among Indians. Ramanathan Krishnan, Jaidip Mukerjea, Anand Amritraj, Ramesh Krishnan, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi were honoured in two home ties in Delhi and Bangalore last year.
  
• Karnataka won its seventh Ranji Trophy title after beating a spirited Maharashtra by seven wickets on the fifth and concluding day of the final match in New Delhi on 2 February. Robin Uthappa (36), KL Rahul (29) and Amit Verma (38) made useful contributions as Karnataka made amends for their disappointing six-run loss during the 2009-10 final against Mumbai.Young opener Rahul was awarded the man-of-the-match. Maharashtra earned a purse of Rs. 1 crore, where as the winner got Rs. 2 crore.
  
• Indian women team won the three ODI series 3-0 by defeating Sri Lankan women team. In the last and final ODI played at ACD-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam, India defeated the Lankan team by 95 runs. The ODI series will be followed by three Twenty20 matches to start from 25 January 2013. Indian team was captained by Mithali Raj. The Sri Lanka team was captained by Hettimulla Appuhamilage Shashikala Dedunu Siriwardene.
  Seven months after threatening to quit tennis to be a humble housewife, Chinese trailblazer Li Na has become the oldest Australian Open women's champion in more than 40 years instead. China's Li Na defeated Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia by 7-6 (7-3) 6-0 to win her first Australian Open title on 25 January. Li na won this title after winning the 2011 French Open. Asia's first grand slam singles winner, Li raised her arms in triumph and after shaking hands with her opponent. At 31, she's the oldest Australian women's singles champion since Margaret Court won at 30 in 1973.
  
• Canadian veteran Daniel Nestor and Frenchwoman Kristina Mladenovic have combined for their second grand slam mixed doubles title, defeating Horia Tecau and Sania Mirza in the Australian Open final on 26 January. Nestor and Mladenovic successfully targeted Mirza, with the Indian dropping her last three service games in the 6-3 6-2 victory which lasted only 58 minutes. The pair also won last year's Wimbledon mixed doubles title.For 41-year-old Nestor, it was a third mixed doubles triumph at Melbourne Park, all coming with different partners.
  
• After Mary Kom's fabulous effort in London Olympics, yet another woman boxer from India did the country proud. Nikhat Zareen, the 17-year-old Andhra Pradesh pugilist, won a gold medal in the third Nations Cup International Boxing Tournament in Novi Sad, Serbia on 12 January. She defeated Paltceva Ekaterina of Russia 3-0 in the 51kg final to follow up on her success in the Youth World Boxing Championship in Bulgaria in September, when she had finished runner-up. The bright young talent from the state of A.P. is now targeting a gold at the Youth Olympics to be held in China.
  
• Anju Bobby George was declared winner of the World Athletics Championships final held in Monte Carlo in 2005. The decision was given by the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) on 13 January 2014.The decision of the IAAF came following the disqualification of the Gold Medalist Tatyana Kotova of Russia for doping. At the World Athletics Final in 2005, Anju Bobby George won the Silver Medal with a long jump of 6.75 meter. The Gold Medal was won by Tatyana Kotova with a jump of 6.83 meter and the Bronze Medal was won by Grace Upshaw of the US. Anju from Kerala was the first Indian athlete who won the bronze medal in the World Athletics Championships held in Paris in 2003.She received the Arjuna award in 2003 and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award in 2004.She was conferred Padma Shri in 2004.
  
• Abhijeet Gupta won his second Parsvanth International Grandmasters chess tournament on 16th January 2014. Abhijeet Gupta won against Eldar Gasanov of Ukraine. In 2008, he won the Parsvanth International Grandmasters chess tournament for the first time. Indian Grandmaster Deepan Chakkravarthy beat Russian Grandmaster Alexander Evdokimov to finish third in the tournament. 12th Parsvnath International Grandmasters Chess Tournament was held from 9 to 16 January 2014 by Delhi Chess Association. Grandmaster Aleksei Aleksandrov of Belarus won the 11th Parsvanth International Grandmasters chess tournament in 2013.
  
• Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal won the FIFA Ballon d’Or award for 2013 on 13th January 2014. He beat Barcelona's Messi and France winger Franck Ribery in a polling conducted by FIFA.Ronaldo scored 69 goals for Real Madrid and Portugal Collectively in the year 2013.Cristiano Ronaldo was awarded the Order of Prince Henry, one of the Portugal’s highest honours in January 2014.
  The other awards are-
  • FIFA Presidential Award 2013: Jacques Rogge (Belgium)
  • FIFA Player of the Year (Men): Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
  • FIFA Player of the Year (Women): Nadine Angerer (Ger)
  • FIFA Fair Play Award: Afghanistan
    
• The Netherlands clinched the Hero Hockey World League Final by crushing New Zealand 7-2 in the finals held in New Delhi on 18th January .Constantijn Jonkers scored the first goal to break the deadlock as the Netherlands took a 1-0 lead in the 17th minute after both the teams tested each other in the first 10 minutes of the final encounter.
  
• ONGC on 9 December 2014 won the men’s title of the IMG-Reliance 28th Federation Cup National Basketball Championship. While Chhattisgarh Women defeated Maharashtra 77-76 in the final to win the federation cup. The ONGC men defeated Tamil Nadu 61-53 in the final held at YMCA International Centre. Chhattisgarh Women defeated Maharashtra 77-76 in the final. With this, winning team won the prize amount of 1 lakh rupee and a title. The Runners-up were awarded Rs 75000 each.
  
• The 75th Senior National table tennis championship was concluded on 9 January 2014 at the Patliputra Sports Complex. The PSPB (Petroleum Sports Promotion Board) men retained the Barna Ballack cup by winning over West Bengal. PSPB Women regained the Jayalakshmi Cup by beating North Bengal.
  
• Serena Williams won the Brisbane International title in Queensland, Australia on 4 January 2014.Serena Williams won over Victoria Azarenka, the Belarusian tennis player; ranked 2.This was Serena’s 14th win in 17 matches played with Victoria Azarenka. Williams is a five-time champion in Melbourne but has not won the title, since 2010.Recently Serena Williams won the Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press in December 2013. Serena Williams won 11 titles and ranked number 1 for the 2013 season. Brisbane Tournament was held from 29 December 2013 to 5 January 2014 in Queensland, Australia.
  
• New Zealand's Corey Anderson has made world record by his name by blasted the fastest century in One Day International.History was created at Queenstown Events Centre ground against West Indies on 1 January 2014. The left-handed Anderson brought up his hundred off just 36 balls, shattering the previous record held by Pakistan's Shahid Afridi. Anderson remained 131 not out (47 balls). New Zealand posted a mammoth 283/4 in 21 over. Jesse Ryder too hit a quick ton, scoring 104 off 51 deliveries. Ryder's 100 are the sixth fastest in ODI history.Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi had taken 37 balls for his ton. Afridi had set the record in 1996 in Nairobi against Sri Lanka. The 22-year-old Anderson, batting at number 5, reached the world record mark in the 18th over of the match, which was reduced to 21 over each due to rain. New Zealand won by 159 runs after keeping the West Indies to 124/5 in 21 over.
  
• Young shuttler Aditya Joshi from Madhya Pradesh on 6 January 2014 became the first male junior badminton player from India to be ranked top in the world. The shuttler, Aditya of 17 years in age is a resident of Dhar town of the state. He got the number one slot in the January Rankings released by the World Badminton Federation (WBF).
  
• Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo has been awarded one of Portugal's highest honours by the country's president. Ronaldo, 28, will receive the Order of Prince Henry from President Anibal Cavaco Silva at a ceremony on 2 January. "He is a worldwide symbol of Portugal, making the country better known internationally and an example of perseverance for younger generations, “said a presidential statement. In November, the Portugal captain became the nation's all-time joint record goal scorer. He scored a hat-trick in the World Cup play-off win against Sweden to move level with Pauleta on 47 goals. The former Manchester United player is also third on the nation's all-time appearance list, winning 109 caps since his debut in August 2003.