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Pakistan Contingent Departs for South Asian Athletics Federation Junior Championships in ChennaiA 12-member Pakistani contingent has embarked on a journey to Chennai, India, to participate in the South Asian Athletics Federation (SAAF) Junior Championships. The contingent received visas from the Indian High Commission on Saturday, paving the way for their departure.The contingent, comprising athletes and officials, crossed the Wagah border into India and proceeded to Amritsar. From there, they boarded a flight to Chennai, where the SAAF Junior Championships will be held from September 11 to 13.The Pakistani contingent will compete in various track and field events, including sprints, hurdles, jumps, and throws. They will face stiff competition from athletes from other South Asian countries, including India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldives.The SAAF Junior Championships serve as a platform for young athletes to showcase their talent and gain international experience. The event also provides an opportunity for athletes to qualify for regional and global competitions.Pakistan has a strong tradition in athletics, having produced several world-class athletes over the years. The contingent will be hoping to continue this legacy by performing well in Chennai and bringing home medals.

India's para-athletes have etched their names in history with a record-breaking medal haul of 29 at the Paralympics. This remarkable achievement marks a significant milestone in the country's Paralympic journey, surpassing the previous record of 19 medals in Tokyo.The contingent of 84 athletes showcased exceptional determination and talent, with established stars delivering on expectations and new faces making their mark. Seven of the 29 medals were gold, a first for India, which has only recently emerged as a force in Paralympic sports.Track and field events proved to be a major source of success, with 17 medals, including a bronze for sprinter Preethi Pal in the women's 100m T35 class. Pal's achievement is particularly inspiring, as she was born with weak legs that have progressively worsened.Another first-ever medal came in judo, with Kapil Parmar securing a bronze in the men's 60kg J1 class. Parmar's story is one of resilience, having overcome a life-altering accident in his childhood.Archery and club throw also contributed significantly to India's medal tally. Harvinder Singh won gold in archery, while Dharambir and Pranav Soorma finished first and second in the club throw event.Armless archer Sheetal Devi, who uses her legs to shoot, became a crowd favorite with her mixed team bronze. Her determination and spirit inspired millions, demonstrating that anything is possible with perseverance.Defending champions Sumit Antil and Avani Lekhara lived up to expectations, winning gold in javelin throw and air rifle shooting, respectively. Badminton player Kumar Nitesh also claimed gold, overcoming a train accident that resulted in the loss of his leg.India's success at the Paralympics is a testament to the government's increased investment in training, recovery, and support staff. The Target Olympic Podium Scheme has played a crucial role in providing resources to para-athletes.While India has made significant progress, there is still room for improvement. Creating a pool of para swimmers would enhance the country's chances of finishing in the top 10 at future Paralympics.

The Paris Paralympic Games 2024 concluded with India achieving its most successful campaign ever, securing 29 medals, including seven golds, nine silvers, and 13 bronzes. This remarkable performance placed India at the 18th position in the points table, surpassing several top nations.India's medal haul was led by track-and-field, which contributed 17 medals, including four golds. Navdeep Singh's gold medal in the men's javelin throw F41 classification was particularly noteworthy, as he originally finished with a silver but was upgraded to gold after the disqualification of Iran's Sadegh Beit Sayah for displaying an objectionable flag. Simran also added a bronze in the women's 200m (T12) event, setting a personal best time.India's success in Paris was a testament to the significant progress made in para-sports in the country. The team outperformed traditional Paralympic powerhouses such as Switzerland, Belgium, South Korea, Turkey, and Argentina, finishing among the top 20 nations in the world.In comparison, Paralympic heavyweights China, Great Britain, USA, and Italy continued to dominate, finishing among the top 10 nations. India's performance in Paris sets the stage for an even stronger showing at the 2028 LA Para Games.

Jonnie Peacock's journey to Paralympic stardom is a testament to resilience and the unwavering support of his mother, Linda. Diagnosed with meningitis at age five, Peacock faced the possibility of losing his life. However, thanks to the quick thinking of his mother and the skill of surgeon Per Hall, he survived, albeit with the amputation of his lower right leg.Initially, Peacock struggled to accept his new reality, blaming his mother for his amputation. But with time, their bond grew stronger, and Linda became an integral part of his recovery and athletic pursuits. She ferried him to countless events and training sessions, instilling in him the resilience that would fuel his Paralympic success.Peacock's Paralympic debut in London 2012 was a triumph, as he claimed the 100m title at just 19 years old. He repeated the feat in Rio four years later, but a bronze medal in Tokyo 2021 left him hungry for more.Now, at 31, Peacock is determined to reclaim his 100m crown in Paris. He believes his experience and the pressure of competing in a packed stadium will give him an edge over his rivals.Peacock's success extends beyond the track. He is a role model for countless young people, promoting the Tackle Meningitis campaign and raising awareness about the devastating effects of the disease. He credits his mother for his positive outlook and the unwavering support that has shaped his life.

Track and field legend Sebastian Coe has hailed the emergence of an "extraordinary" group of athletes at the Paris Olympics, who have filled the void left by Jamaican sprint icon Usain Bolt.Bolt, an eight-time Olympic and nine-time world gold medalist, was a transformative figure in athletics, dominating the sprints during his illustrious career. Since his retirement in 2017, there has been speculation about who would step into his shoes as the sport's leading star.However, Coe believes that the narrative has shifted away from relying on a single athlete to carry the sport. "We are no longer a sport about one person," he said. "That one person was Herculean, that one person transformed the popularity of our sport for a very clear period of time, and he consistently did that."Coe compared Bolt's legacy to that of boxing legend Muhammad Ali. "You don't replace Muhammad Ali, you don't replace Usain Bolt," he said. "But I did say, 'Mark my words, other athletes will come through.'"The Paris Olympics showcased a remarkable depth of talent across various disciplines. Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis, American 400m hurdler Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, and the US mixed 4x400m relay team all set world records. There were also 13 new Olympic records established.Coe highlighted the global reach of track and field, with athletes from 75 countries achieving top-eight finishes. He noted that 105 countries have now won Olympic medals in the sport's history."Tell me any other sport on the opening day of a competition is celebrating a medal for Ecuador," Coe said. "So that for me tells me the sport is moving in the right direction."Coe emphasized the importance of continuing to promote the sport and building on the momentum generated by the Paris Olympics. "We had our 105th country in the history of the Olympic Movement winning a medal in Paris and that has been sensational," he said. "It is really important we do not take our foot off the accelerator."

France, led by the towering Victor Wembanyama, are aiming to dethrone the mighty USA in the Olympic basketball final on Saturday as track and field wraps up in Paris. The women's golf tournament comes to a close, with two-time medallist Lydia Ko and Switzerland's Morgane Metraux in pole position, while the US take on Marta's Brazil in the women's football final.The star-studded US basketball team, led by LeBron James and Stephen Curry, were made to sweat by Serbia in Thursday's semi-final before an exhilarating fourth-quarter comeback, with Curry scoring 36 points. The four-time defending champions will be favourites to beat France in a repeat of the gold medal match at the Tokyo Games in 2021.But James, going for his third Olympic gold, knows it is unlikely to get any easier against the host nation, who can boast NBA Rookie of the Year Wembanyama. "Super competitive. Obviously, this is Wemby's (Wembanyama's) first Olympics, but that team has been playing together for quite a while," he said. "They've been feeding off the crowd, so we look forward to that match-up."Eight golds are on offer on the final night of track and field action at the Stade de France, while the men's marathon winds its way through the streets of Paris. Qatar's Mutaz Essa Barshim and Italy's Gianmarco Tamberi shared high jump gold in one of the most memorable moments of the Tokyo Games. But this time both come into the competition with questions over their fitness.Tamberi was pictured in hospital this week having cited a high temperature and kidney pain, while Barshim appeared to injure his left calf during qualifying. Reigning world champion Tamberi, who has jumped a highest of 2.37 metres in 2024, wants his rival alongside him. "I hope he will be fine by Saturday," said the Italian. "I need him on the field. I have to be fit myself but I want him to be there in the competition."The Stade de France will also witness the men's 800m and 5,000m finals and the women's 100m hurdles and 1,500m finals, with the 4x400m relays closing the show. Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge is aiming to become the first athlete to win three back-to-back Olympic marathon titles but faces stiff competition, including from compatriot Benson Kipruto and Uganda's world champion Victor Kiplangat.The US football team won four of the first five Olympic women's titles after the competition was introduced in 1996 but have not taken gold since the London 2012 Games. The team are resurgent under new coach Emma Hayes, the English coach who won a stack of medals during her time as Chelsea boss. They have been inspired on their way to the final by the exciting attacking trio of Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson and Trinity Rodman.The Brazilians will be attempting to make it third time lucky after losing to the same opponents in the Athens final in 2004 and in Beijing in 2008. Brazil great Marta, 38, appearing at her sixth and likely last Olympics, is hoping to sign off with gold to go with her two silver medals. "Marta has changed the game of soccer around the world," said US star Rodman of Marta, who has spent much of her club career in the United States. "She is such a talented soccer player but also a great human. I have always looked up to her. She has a legacy forever, but we want that gold."At Le Golf National, New Zealand's Ko is on nine under par with one round to go, level with 137th-ranked Metraux, who finished her round in dramatic fashion with an eagle at the 18th. China are chasing one more diving gold to complete a clean sweep of eight, with the men's 10m platform rounding off the competition.

The Indian men's 4x400m relay team's Olympic aspirations were dashed on Friday as they finished 10th overall in the heat race, failing to secure a spot in the final round of the Paris Olympics.Despite clocking a season's best of 3 minutes and 0.58 seconds, the quartet of Muhammed Anas Yahiya, Muhammed Ajmal, Amoj Jacob, and Rajesh Ramesh could only manage a seventh-place finish in heat number 2. This placed them 10th overall out of 16 teams, with only the top three teams from each heat and the next two fastest across the two heats advancing to the final.Botswana (2:57.76), Great Britain (2:58.88), and the USA (2:59.15) emerged as the top three finishers in the heat, while Japan secured the fourth spot with a time of 2:59.48. India's failure to qualify for the final came as a disappointment, given their Asian record of 2:59.05 set at the 2023 Budapest World Championships.The Athletics Federation of India had high hopes for the men's 4x400m relay team to reach the final round, but their hopes were ultimately dashed. The women's 4x400m relay team also failed to qualify for the final, finishing 15th overall out of 16 countries in the round one heats.The quartet of Vithya Ramraj, Jyothika Sri Dandi, MR Poovamma, and Subha Venkatesan clocked 3:32.51 to finish eighth and last in heat number two. This placed them 15th overall, ending their Olympic dreams.

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who has been at the center of an Olympic gender eligibility controversy, will compete for gold in Paris on Friday. The boxing competition has been overshadowed by a dispute over whether Khelif and Taiwanese fighter Lin Yu-ting should be allowed to compete in the women's category.Khelif and Lin were disqualified from last year's world championships by the International Boxing Association (IBA) after failing unspecified gender eligibility tests. However, they were cleared to compete in Paris by the International Olympic Committee, which is running the boxing competition in the French capital.The 25-year-old Khelif and Lin both fought at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago without controversy. On Friday, Khelif will face China's Yang Liu in the 66kg final, while Lin will compete in a different weight category on Saturday.The penultimate evening of track and field action features the men's and women's 4x100m relays, the men's 400m hurdles, the women's 400m, and the final event of the heptathlon, the 800m.US sprint star Noah Lyles, who won the 100m earlier this week, could only manage bronze in his favored 200m on Thursday. Minutes after the race, won by Botswana's Letsile Tebogo, Lyles revealed he had tested positive for COVID-19. The American later posted on social media that his Games were likely over.In Friday's women's 10,000m final, Dutch runner Sifan Hassan will attempt to defend her crown after coming up short in her bid for a historic long-distance treble. Defending champion and world record-holder Karsten Warholm is favored to defend his title in the men's 400m hurdles.In football, Thierry Henry's France will take on Spain in the men's final at the Parc des Princes. Henry, one of France's all-time great players, has led his country to the brink of their second football gold, 40 years after they won the title in Los Angeles.Spain came from behind to beat Morocco 2-1 in their semi-final in Marseille, giving them confidence that they can handle the pressure in the French capital.In diving, China is targeting gold in the women's 3m springboard as they close in on a clean sweep in Paris, with victories in all six events so far. Defending champions the Netherlands will take on China in the women's hockey final, chasing their fourth title in five Games.History will be made when the first Olympic medals are won in the breaking competition staged at La Concorde.

Armand Duplantis, the Swedish-American pole vaulter, has once again etched his name in the annals of sports history by breaking the world record for the ninth time. At the Stade de France in Paris, Duplantis soared over a height of 6.25 meters, surpassing his previous record of 6.24 meters set in April this year.Duplantis's journey to the top began in his backyard in Lafayette, Louisiana, where he grew up with a pole vault pit. Coached by his father, Greg, a former pole vaulter, and his mother, Helena, a former heptathlete, Duplantis developed a deep passion for the sport.In Tokyo three years ago, Duplantis won the Olympic gold medal, but his ambitions extended far beyond that. He sought to push the boundaries of human potential and shatter his own world records.On Monday night in Paris, Duplantis faced a formidable field of competitors, but he remained unfazed. He cleared 6.00 meters on his first attempt, securing the Olympic gold medal. With the gold already in his grasp, Duplantis set his sights on the world record.In his third and final attempt, Duplantis unleashed his explosive speed and planted the pole in the vault box with precision. He launched himself into the air, his body soaring upwards. The pole flexed and bent as he ascended, propelling him over the crossbar.As he landed on the foam mat, Duplantis erupted in celebration, knowing he had achieved the impossible once again. He had broken the world record for the ninth time, cementing his status as the greatest pole vaulter of all time.Duplantis's victory was not just a personal triumph but also a testament to his unwavering determination and the power of human ambition. He has shown the world that anything is possible if you dare to dream big and work relentlessly towards your goals.