Saina Nehwal : India’s hope for gold in Rio Olympics

Saina is undoubtedly one of the best badminton players, not just in India but also in the world for the past few years. She has a good chance of becoming India's first female individual Olympic gold medalist, if she can perform to her full potential and maintain her fitness

Past Olympic performance

- Reached the quarter-finals at the 2008 Beijing Games, but lost to Indonesia's Maria Kristin Yulianti

- Won the bronze medal at the 2010 London Games

The former world number one and current fifth ranked player Saina, heads to Rio with the aim of changing the colour of her medal. In London Olympics 2012, she reached the semi-finals, but lost to China’s Wang Yihan. Why India has a genuine expectation of gold from her. After London Olympics, she has her game improved and also become a more attacking and versatile player.

When she topped the women's singles rankings in April 2015, becoming the first Indian to do so. And even though losses and injuries halted her reign, she is still in the top five. She fought her way back to fitness after an Achilles injury last year and went on to win the Australian Open Super Series in June this year before Rio Olympics and that give her a much needed boost.

Past record (best performances in singles):

-Bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics in London

- Gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi

- Silver medal at the 2015 World Championships in Jakara

- Bronze medal at the 2016 Asian Championships in Wuhan

- Bronze medal at the 2010 Asian Championships in Delhi

- Won Indonasia Open in 2009, 2010, 2012

- Won Singapore Open in 2010

- Won Hong Kong Open in 2011

- Won Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold Winner in 2011, 2012

- Won India Grand Prix Gold in 2010

She carries a huge burden of expectations and will be closely followed by a nation believes that she will bring back a medal. We hope she handles this pressure and become the first gold medal for India in badminton women's singles.

Lalita Babar's versatility leads India for steeplechase.

Lalita Babar made her way in India’s #Olympic contingent by qualifying for, the 42.195 km marathon event and the 3,000m steeplechase competitions, but decided to participate in only steeplechase in #Rio.

Lalita is hard at work to give her best at Rio. She trains for 7-8 hours every day. She has to sustain a joint family depend on farming for income. She loved running so much that she ran barefoot on village roads for 4 kilometers from her school. She started out her career as a long distance runner. But now she has decided to focus her energies more on the steeplechase event, a challenging race in which runners have to clear hurdles and water jumps. 

Take a look at her past performances:

• Lalita Babar smashed her own national record to win the gold at the Delhi Federation Cup National Athletics Championships in April 2016

• She won gold in the 2015 Asian Athletics Championships in the 3,000m steeplechase event.

• She won the bronze medal at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea on her senior international debut.

She also received the Sportsperson of the Year Award in 2015. he intends to do the best she can and earn a medal while doing what she loves the most.

India beat West Indies by an innings and 92 runs and register their biggest test victory outside Asia.

"It isn't the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it's the pebble in your shoe." -Muhammad Ali

#‎didyouknow‬ ‪#‎fact‬ ‪#‎sportsfact‬ #Michael Phelps

Indian women in Olympics

In Rio Olympics 2016, India sending its largest-ever contingent of sportspersons to the Olympics and nearly half of the people in that group are women.

The first Indian woman to ever win a medal at the Olympics was weightlifter Karnam Malleswari and No Indian has won an Olympic medal for weightlifting since.

The women heading to Rio this year have an amazing experience on their field, sportswomen like 18-year-old golfer Aditi Ashok is the first Indian woman golfer to qualify for Rio Olympics, as 2016 marks the first time golf will be played at the Olympics, and table tennis singles player Mouma Das, who played in the 2004 Olympics. The other female table tennis player to qualify this year is 20-year-old Manika Batra — who won three golds and a silver at the recent 12th South Asian Games. Renuka Yadav, became Chattisgarh’s first Olympian when she was named in the 16-member hockey squad announced on Tuesday 12 July. India’s top marathoner OP Jaisha from Kerala, now on her way to Rio Olympics. The famous names headed to Rio this time are Sania Mirza, who will play mixed and women’s tennis doubles; Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu, who will play badminton singles and Ashwini Ponnappa and Jwala Gutta who will play badminton doubles.

Dipa Karmakar from Tripura is the first Indian gymnast to ever qualify for the Olympics. Some of the women break national records to qualify for Rio Olympics are Dutee Chand, who is only the second Indian woman to qualify for the 100m after PT Usha did in 1980. She beat her own national record of 11.33 seconds in April this year to qualify for Rio with a timing of 11.30 seconds. Shot putter Manpreet Kaur shattered an 18-year-old national record (17.43 m) to qualify for the Olympics. She threw 17.96m.

Nirmala Sheoran from Haryana, who beat her personal best in 400m by over two seconds. Deepika Kumari, Bombayla Devi and Laxmirani Majhi from archery, who are participating in women’s individual as well as team events. When it comes to shooting, Apurvi Chandela and Ayonika Paul will participate in the 10 m air rifle event, while former World No 1 Heena Sidhu, who won a gold for the 10 m air pistol event at the 13th Asian Shooting Championship last year, will shoot in the 10m air pistol and 20m pistol events at Rio Olympics. Manipuri weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu, who broke a record that remained undefeated for over a decade, set by fellow Manipuri and weightlifting legend Nameirakpam Kunjarani Devi in June 2016.

Dutee Chand qualify for Rio2016

India's hope for a second medal in women's singles badminton in Rio Olympics.

P V Sindhu, another hope for India for a medal in women’s single badminton. Her qualification has helped India achieve the unique distinction of sending two ladies singles badminton players for the first time ever in Olympics.

Past record (best performances):

•  Gold medal in Girl's singles at 2012 Asian Junior Championships and 2011 Commonwealth Youth     Games.

•  Silver medals in Women's Singles in 2016 South Asian Games.

•  Bronze in Women's Singles in 2014 Commonwealth Games, in Women's team in 2014 Asian Games.

In January 2012, PV Sindhu won the senior national title, which made her the only player since Prakash Padukone to hold both the senior and junior titles at the same time.

In August 2013, She also become the first-ever Indian woman’s single to win a medal in the World Championships in Guangzhou.

“She is a workhorse. She can work for long hours and pick up fast. It makes her a great learner,” Gopichand was quoted as saying in an article on Forbes India.

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Did you know Ramanathan Krishnan?

We all know about tennis sensation Sania Mirza’s amazing contribution to popularizing the sport in India. But, #didyouknow that Ramanathan Krishnan was one of the leading tennis players in the world during his peak gaming period in the 1950s and 1960s? He was a semi-finalist at the Wimbledon in 1960 and 1961 and reached an amazing world ranking of number six. In 1954, he became the first Asian player to win the boys’ singles title at Wimbledon.

"If you only ever give 90% in training then you will only ever give 90% when it matters." -Michael Owen

Motivational Quote

Neymar Backs Lionel Messi in Fraud Case

Brazilian forward Neymar have declared his support to Lionel Messi after the Argentine star was handed a 21-month sentence for tax fraud.

“Messi is not only my friend, he is also my idol, and I will always support him, I can imagine what he is going through.” said the Brazilian at an event in Praia Grande on Saturday.

Neymar also provided his outlook on Messi’s astonishing decision to retire from international football by adding, “I respect his decisions. But football, without Leo, is not football. It is very difficult to conceive of football without Leo.”

Contratulations Portugal for winning Euro Cup 2016

Happy Birthday to Indian Badminton Star PV Sindhu