Mirabai Chanu won silver; India’s men’s and women’s skeet teams bag bronzes (Image credit: Agencies)

NEW DELHI: Mirabai Chanu finally ended her long wait for an Asian Games medal, winning silver in the women’s 49kg category on Wednesday.The 32-year-old lifted a total of 198kg (88kg+111kg) to finish second. The medal was India’s first Asian Games weightlifting medal since Karnam Malleswari won silver in 1998.Mirabai had been chasing an Asian Games medal since 2014. The Tokyo Olympic silver medallist once again showed her class on the big stage and added another major medal to her career.With a familiar grin on her face, she made light work of the heavy lifts before declaring that her “life is now complete.”

Skeet shooters save the day for India

It was a mixed day for India at the shooting range.The much-anticipated women’s 10m air pistol team of double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker, Suruchi Singh and Esha Singh could not win a medal in either the team or individual events.Bhaker was the only Indian from the trio to qualify for the individual final, but she finished fifth.The 24-year-old Paris Olympics bronze medallist later broke down while speaking about the emotional impact of the death of her childhood coach Jaspal Rana in June.The skeet shooters, however, ensured India did not leave the shooting range empty-handed.The men’s and women’s teams both won bronze medals.Raiza Dhillon, Maheshwari Chauhan and Parinaaz Dhaliwal combined for a score of 331 to finish third in the women’s team event. China won gold with 357 points, while Kazakhstan took silver with 336.Raiza and Parinaaz also reached the individual finals but could not finish on the podium.In the men’s event, Anantjeet Singh Naruka, veteran Mairaj Ahmad Khan and Bhavtegh Singh Gill secured bronze with a combined score of 346.Anantjeet was the only Indian from the trio to reach the individual final and finished fourth.

Wushu: Roshibina enters gold medal clash

Roshibina Devi Naorem moved into the gold medal match in the women’s 60kg category after defeating Indonesia’s Thania Kusumaningtyas 2-0 at the Aichi Prefectural Martial Arts Hall.She will face China’s Xiaoyu Zhang in the final.Roshibina, 25, has already won a silver and a bronze medal in the previous two editions of the Asian Games.

Badminton stars humbled by China

India’s men’s badminton team ended its campaign with a bronze medal after losing 1-3 to China in the semifinals.Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty could not get past their higher-ranked opponents, while Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were the only Indians to win a match.India had won silver at the previous edition in Hangzhou in 2023, where China had also beaten them in the final.World No. 14 Lakshya, who had played a key role in India’s run to the semifinals, lost 16-21, 18-21 to world No. 6 Shi Yu Qi in the opening singles match.India fell 0-1 behind, but Satwik and Chirag brought the team back into the contest.The Indian pair produced a strong performance to beat Paris Olympics silver medallists and reigning world champions Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang 21-11, 22-20.However, Ayush Shetty and the second doubles pair of Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun could not win their matches as China sealed the tie.

Table tennis, squash players move ahead

Indian pairs Harmeet Desai-Yashaswini Ghorpade and Diya Chitale-Manush Shah advanced to the table tennis mixed doubles quarterfinals.The seventh-seeded Chitale and Shah made easy progress with a 3-0 win over the Sri Lanka-Maldives combination.In the round of 16, Shah and Chitale defeated Moosa Ahmed and Aishath Nazeem 11-0, 11-7, 11-6.They will face Hong Kong’s Doo Hoi Kim and Wong Chun Ting in the quarterfinals on Thursday. A win will assure them of a medal.In squash, Abhay Singh, Veer Chotrani and Tanvi Khanna entered the round of 16 with comfortable victories.Second seed Abhay dropped only three points in his opening men’s singles match against Thailand’s Arkaradet Arkarahirunya, winning 11-1, 11-0, 11-2.Chotrani beat Sri Lanka’s Shamil Wakeel 11-8, 11-3, 11-3 in the round of 32.In the women’s singles, Tanvi defeated South Korea’s Dami Kim 11-5, 11-7, 11-5.

Women’s hockey team continues winning run

India’s women’s hockey team registered its third straight win in Pool B, thrashing Thailand 20-1.Drag-flicker Deepika Sehrawat was the star of the show, scoring a record nine goals in one match.Deepika scored in the 2nd, 8th, 9th, 24th, 33rd, 36th, 39th, 51st and 57th minutes. She converted all nine of her penalty-corner attempts.Navneet Kaur also scored four goals in the 4th, 29th, 35th and 51st minutes.India also continued its strong run in kabaddi, with both the men’s and women’s teams registering comprehensive wins over Bangladesh and Iran respectively in their group-stage matches.

Benjamin Sesko has been mocked by a former Manchester United duo in a brutal swipe, but his Slovenia team-mate has jumped to his defence

Benjamin Sesko has received support from Slovenia team-mate Jaka Bijol after Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt cast doubt on the seriousness of the Manchester United striker’s injury. The forward was left out of the squad for Saturday’s clash with Fulham after reporting discomfort in his shin.

After the match, Reds boss Michael Carrick confirmed Sesko was dealing with the issue and would undergo further assessment. On Monday evening, United announced that Sesko had withdrawn from Slovenia’s squad for the upcoming international break.

A club statement confirmed: “Benjamin will undergo tests this week before defining his individual recovery plan.”

Despite that update, Scholes and Butt questioned the severity of the injury. The former United midfielders also criticised Carrick’s use of Matheus Cunha, arguing the Brazilian is less effective when deployed as a false nine, the position he played in against Fulham.

Speaking on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast, Scholes said: “If it isn’t broken, just wear your shin pads,” before Butt added: “You’re a player – you either break your shin or you play!”

However, Bijol was unimpressed by those remarks and responded: “I hope and believe that Beni knows how to distance himself from this kind of pressure. When things aren’t going your best on the pitch and you have certain doubts, reading things like this can make your confidence even worse.

“He shouldn’t pay too much attention to it, since we all know what quality he has. He himself knows what kind of footballer he is, and I think he always shows it with incredible things on the pitch.”

On Tuesday morning, Sesko released a statement on Instagram in Slovenian. Translated, the message read: “I am very sorry that I will have to miss the national team’s upcoming matches. I have always played for Slovenia – and always will – with heart and pride.

“Right now, the most important thing is to focus fully on my recovery. I am already working on getting back on the pitch as soon as possible to help both the national team and my club once again. I believe in our guys, and I am certain that this time, too, they will display the team spirit that has always defined us.

“I can’t wait to wear the national team jersey again; until then, I will be Slovenia’s biggest supporter. Go Slovenia.”

Sesko will have several weeks to recover ahead of the Premier League clash against Tottenham on October 10 (5:30pm), following the international break.

Spain’s World Cup-winning national team will return to action this weekend for its first match since lifting the trophy. The reigning champions will face England in their opening Nations League match, with the squad holding an open training session attended by large numbers of fans ahead of the game.

Retired champion jockey Damien Oliver is to partner with track managers in an effort to resolve potential issues, following disruptions at Caulfield last weekend.

As part of a new initiative with Racing Victoria, Oliver will inspect tracks on the day prior to race meetings throughout the remainder of the Spring Carnival. Any identified safety concerns will be promptly reported to RV stewards for their assessment and determination of required remedial actions.

Jockeys had expressed safety concerns regarding ‘turf plugs’ that had been inserted into the Caulfield track before Saturday’s Underwood Stakes meeting, noting their easy dislodgement.

These concerns resulted in RV stewards mandating the rail be shifted four metres outwards in the home straight, away from the area that had raised rider apprehension.

The Melbourne Racing Club stated on Tuesday that these turf plugs are grown on-site and are used to replace affected ground from previous weeks of racing.

Tanya Fullarton, CEO of the Melbourne Racing Club, commented on Tuesday that stewards had acted with undue haste in their decision to move the rail on Saturday.

“Saturday underscored the importance of ensuring that any concerns about a racing surface are appropriately assessed, with the necessary technical input, before significant decisions are made on race day,” the statement read. “The stewards were placed in an extremely difficult position, with concerns raised by jockeys less than an hour before the first race. With the limited time available, they were unable to properly consult with our track team about the purpose, installation, and condition of the plugs before making the incorrect decision to move the rail.”

“Our track team complied with that direction so the meeting could proceed, but this is not how these issues should have to be dealt with on race day. The new inspection process will give jockeys and participants confidence in the racing surface and allow any genuine concerns to be identified and addressed by stewards and race clubs well before racing.”

Fullarton added that the Club’s review following Saturday’s meeting found no safety issues and that the turf plugs had been correctly installed.

“The turf plugs were correctly installed, the track as presented was safe for racing and the rail did not need to be moved,” the statement read. “The track subsequently raced safely and fairly throughout the meeting. Dozens of exactly the same turf plugs remained on other sections of the track that continued to be raced on after the rail movement, with no issues for jockeys and horses. The jockeys clearly did not understand how turf plugs work. The jockeys’ claim that being able to pull the tops off the plugs somehow showed that the track was unsafe is nonsense. Turf plugs are routinely installed a few days before a race day and are always able to be physically pulled up, as grass plugs take at least two weeks to bind with the rest of the turf profile. This has been standard practice for over 25 years and is not a problem. They remain in place while horses gallop over them, with no risk to jockeys or horses.”

Matt Hyland, chief executive of the Victorian Jockeys’ Association, strongly defended his members who raised concerns after large clumps of turf could easily be lifted from the Caulfield track on Saturday.

“I’ve read the statement from the MRC and find some of the commentary extraordinary,” Hyland told Racenet. “I’ll back my members’ judgement on track surfaces all day, every day, and if they raise concerns around the safety and inconsistency of the tracks, it’s their workplace and they’re entitled to their views. I think the vision we saw on Saturday speaks for itself.”

Racing returns to Caulfield on Sunday for the Manikato Stakes meetings where the rail will be out 13m for the entire circuit. The rail was to be in the 10m mark, however after the rail was moved to 11m in the home straight for last Saturday’s card, this move will allow fresh ground. The MRC said the reason the rail was not moving back to the true position was to protect the track for the Caulfield Cup Carnival that commences on October 10.

For those looking to bet on the upcoming races, consider the available online bookmakers.

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Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi, 13, has completed a hat-trick of gold medals at the Asian Games after winning the women’s 400-metre individual medley.

Having already shaken the swimming world by winning the 200m butterfly and 200m individual medley, the teenager erased any lingering doubts about her generational talent with a dominant victory in the 400m individual medley, further tightening China’s grip on the medals table.

Yu’s wire-to-wire win, clocked at four minutes and 28.56 seconds, set a new Games record and came comfortably 3.95 seconds ahead of compatriot Ke Wenxi.

She also finished less than five seconds off Summer McIntosh’s world record of four minutes and 23.65 seconds and now looks set for a direct showdown with the Canadian at next year’s World Aquatics Masters Championships in Budapest, before a potential Olympic rematch at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.

“I am very happy. I have gained a lot from these Asian Games, but there are also some regrets,” Yu said. “I will go back and review what I ⁠did not do well. Hopefully, I can do better next time.”

China’s butterfly queen Zhang Yufei was the latest to gush about Yu, telling Reuters: “I’ve only seen her at the National Games so far but seeing her results get better ⁠and better it makes me really happy.”

Elsewhere in the pool, China continued to dominate as Peng Xuwei claimed the women’s 100m backstroke title, even though she was “not particularly satisfied” with how she swam, while Zhang Zhanshuo powered to victory in the men’s 200m freestyle to bag his fourth gold of the ongoing Games.

China boast 21 gold medals in 27 swimming events and are looking to pass their total of 28 golds from the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou.

Two days of competition remain in the pool, where Yu could still feature in a relay event.

Tyson Fury’s brother, Shane, has revealed the contingency plan for if Anthony Joshua withdraws from their showdown and leaves ‘The Gypsy King’ without an opponent.

As things stand, the two British heavyweights are expected to finally collide on December 11, with Cardiff’s Principality Stadium being discussed as the likely destination.

Initially, fans were told their long-awaited clash would be heading to New York’s Madison Square Garden but, now, it appears the pair are set to square off on British soil.

Regardless of the location, though, Fury is likely to be considered a sizable favourite following his seventh-round stoppage of Mariusz Wach in July.

Prior to that, he had unanimously outpointed Arslanbek Makhmudov and, while neither performance particularly set the world alight, it could at least be said that Fury encountered minimal danger on both occasions.

Joshua, on the other hand, was made to survive two knockdowns before scoring a second-round finish over Kristian Prenga on the same weekend as Fury-Wach.

Even aside from that rather shaky performance, Fury has maintained his belief that ‘AJ’, despite the considerable sum of money up for grabs, wants no involvement in their all-British encounter.

As such, brother Shane has told Boxing King Media that the 38-year-old is guaranteed a replacement opponent if the Joshua fight falls through and it will be on the same night and in the same venue as the planned AJ bout.

“Tyson’s put on his [new] contract that if, for any reason, this fight don’t happen … he will be fighting on the same date, [in the] same arena.

“Tyson don’t think Joshua will fight.”

Regardless of whether he thinks Joshua will fight, both two-time world champions have ultimately signed contracts in order to do so, and an announcement is expected imminently.

Man Utd announced their end-of-year financial results on Wednesday, which confirmed the cost of Ruben Amorim’s sacking.

Manchester United have confirmed their exceptional items for the financial year were a cost of £8.2million, primarily comprising costs for sacking Ruben Amorim and the departures of his staff.

In January, Amorim was sacked by United after just 14 months in charge. The Reds faced a hefty compensation bill of £16.7m to cover Amorim’s departure, along with his staff, but the Portuguese’s contract stipulated that the figure would be reduced if he landed a new job.

Amorim was appointed by Milan in the summer, saving United from paying out more compensation, and the full cost of his sacking has now been revealed in the club’s end-of-year financial results, published on Wednesday.

United have confirmed their exceptional items for the year were £8.2m, which is largely down to the sacking of Amorim, and pay-offs for coaches Carlos Fernandes, Adelio Candido, Emanuel Ferro and Jorge Vital.

A small portion of the exceptional item cost is attributable to final costs related to the club’s restructuring programs, and to additional contributions the club expects to pay to pension schemes.

When United announced their financial results for the prior year, their exceptional items were a cost of £36.6m, primarily due to the sacking of Erik ten Hag and various members of his coaching staff.

Amorim was sacked amid rising tensions with the United board. He called out the club’s decision-makers when he spoke to the media after facing Leeds at Elland Road, suggesting others should focus on their jobs.

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In the Premier League, Amorim had the worst win ratio (32 per cent), the worst goals conceded per game ratio (1.53) and the lowest clean sheet ratio (15 per cent) of any United manager in history.

Omar Berrada still praised Amorim shortly after he was sacked, saying: “Ruben Amorim deserves a lot of credit. In a very difficult season he helped raise standards in the dressing room. I am sure he will go on to be a successful coach.”

Amorim reflected on his United tenure over the summer, saying: “The first thing is that it doesn’t matter anymore. That is the feeling. There’s a history, then something happens, the context changes, and you focus on the next challenge.

“I learned a lot. It would be hard to point to one thing, but the important thing that I clearly know is that I made a lot of mistakes. When you do this kind of reflection, and you understand that it was not just their fault, but also my fault, I think you can be a better coach and a better man.”