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South Asian TT: Bangladesh beat Pakistan, Maldives
Bangladesh earned convincing wins against Pakistan and the Maldives on the first day of the South Asian Junior and Cadet Table Tennis Championship that began on Monday (May 9) in the Maldives capital Male.
In a league basis competition, Bangladesh beat Pakistan by straight 3-0 sets in the first match and defeated hosts Maldives by 3-1 sets in the day's 2nd match.
Also read: Top 10 Free Table Tennis Ping Pong Games for Android
In the next two matches, Bangladesh will play Sri Lanka and Nepal, informed vice president of Bangladesh Table Tennis Federation Khondakar Hasan Munir from Male.
After the day's matches, Sports Minister of the Maldives congratulated the Bangladesh team for their feat.
Also read: JPC Table Tennis: Mahbub Reza earns double crown
Asian Games Qualifier: Bangladesh to face Sri Lanka on Tuesday
Bangladesh will face Sri Lanka in their 2nd Pool B match of the Men's Asian Games Hockey Qualifier in the Thai capital Bangkok Tuesday afternoon.
The match will kick-off at 2:30 pm Bangkok time.
Earlier on Saturday, Bangladesh team made a good start in the nine-nation Asian Games Qualifier beating Indonesia by 3-1 goals with medio Sarwar Hossain, forward Pushkar Khisha Mimo and midfielder Fazle Hossain Rabbi scoring one field goal each for Bangladesh.
Also read: Men's Asian Games Hockey Qualifier 2022: Bangladesh's Full Fixtures, Squad
Earlier in the AHF Cup Hockey Tournament held in Indonesia last March, Bangladesh outplayed hosts Indonesia by 7-2 goals.
Sri Lanka also made a flying start in the Asian Games qualifier outplaying Singapore by 5-2 goals in their first match last Saturday.
Bangladesh team, which was placed in four-team Pool B of the Asian Games Qualifiers with Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Singapore, will play lowly Singapore on May 12 in their remaining group match.
On completion of the Asian Games qualifier, Bangladesh team led by new captain Khorshedur Rahman will travel to Indonesia directly from Thailand to compete in the Men's Asia Cup Hockey to be held in Jakarta from May 23 to June 1.
In the eight- nation Hero Men's Asia Cup Hockey, Bangladesh team was placed in Pool B with Malaysia, Korea and Oman.
Also read: Asian Games hockey qualifiers: Bangladesh beat Indonesia 3-1
Bangladesh will face Korea on May 23, Oman on May 24 and Malaysia on May 26.
Earlier, Bangladesh qualified for the Hero Men’s Asia Cup Hockey by clinching the Men's AHF Cup Hockey title for the fourth consecutive time in Jakarta last year.
Women's Rating Chess: Four players share top spot
Four players shared the top spot in the Begum Laila Alam 12th FIDE Rating Women's Chess Tournament, securing 3.5 points each, after the fourth round matches at the Bangladesh Chess Federation in Dhaka Sunday.
They are WIMs Sharmin Sultana Shirin, Rani Hamid; WFM Nazrana Khan Eva and Nusrat Jahan Alo.
Also read: Int'l Rating Chess: Minhaz Uddin maintains solo lead
WFMs Noshin Anjum, Zakia Sultana; Kazi Zarin Tasnim, Wadifa Ahmed, Tasnia Tarannum Orpa, Omnia Binta Yusuf Lubaba, Neelava Choudhury and Essaba Masnun shared the second position with 3 points each.
In the day's matches, WIM Sharmin drew with WIM Rani, and WFM Noshin drew with Nusrat.
Also, WFM Eva beat Warsia Khusbu, Zarin beat Israt Jahan Diba, Wadifa beat Sharmin Khan, WFM Zakia drew with Sumi Akter, Omnia beat Kaumudi Nargis, Neelava beat Raiba Sobhan Adhora and Essaba beat Mim Akter.
Also read: Int’l Rating Chess: IM Minhazuddin, CM Sharif Hossain share top spot after 6 rounds
The fifth round matches will be held Monday from 3pm at the same venue.
Djokovic playing his ‘best’ tennis ahead of French Open
Novak Djokovic is optimistic about his game going into the French Open despite going another week without a title.
The top-ranked Djokovic is yet to win a trophy this season while trying to regain his best form after not being allowed to play in the Australian Open because he was not vaccinated for COVID-19.
Also read: Djokovic heads for Belgrade after deportation from Australia
Djokovic lost to young sensation Carlos Alcaraz in three sets in the semifinals of the Madrid Open on Saturday, when he was trying to make it to his second consecutive final after losing to Andrey Rublev in Serbia last month.
Despite the loss, Djokovic said he leaves Madrid feeling good about his preparations for the upcoming French Open, where he will defend his title.
“I definitely played very good tennis, I mean, the best that I have played this year,” Djokovic said. “Probably when the disappointment of losing this match passes, I will have a lot of positives to take away from this week.”
Djokovic said he felt he could have come away with the victory against the 19-year-old Alcaraz — one the hottest players on tour this season — if he had been “able to capitalize when it mattered” during the match of more than 3 1/2 hours at the “Caja Mágica” center court.
The Madrid Open was only his fourth tournament of the year, and third on clay. He lost to 29th-ranked Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in his first match in Monte Carlo in his only other Masters 1000 appearance so far.
Djokovic did not play in Indian Wells and Miami. He will carry an 8-4 record on the season into Rome this week, with one of those victories coming after Andy Murray withdrew from their third-round match in Madrid because of a stomach illness.
Also read: Double-fault: Visa revoked again, Djokovic faces deportation
Djokovic had opened his campaign in the Spanish capital with a two-set win over Gael Monfils. He comfortably defeated Hubert Hurkacz in two sets in the quarterfinals.
The 34-year-old Djokovic said after the match against Monfils it was “his best performance of the year” considering he hadn’t played well and lacked rhythm in the few tournaments he had played.
Djokovic had reached the quarterfinals in the only other tournament he played this year, losing to 72nd-ranked Jiri Vesely in Dubai in February.
The goal now is preparing to do well in Roland Garros, where he will try to win his third French Open.
“I think it’s on the good path, definitely,” he said.
Asia Cup Archery: Bangladesh reach recurve men's, women's team finals
Bangladesh reached the finals of the recurve men's and women's team events of the Asia Cup World Ranking Archery Tournament, Stage-2, held in Iraq on Sunday.
Bangladesh reached the recurve men's team final eliminating Iran by 29-24 score in the tie- breaker as the semifinal match between two teams was locked in 4-4 sets.
Also read: Archery WC: Bangladesh recurve women’s team advance to pre-quarterfinal
Earlier Bangladesh recurve team comprising Ruman Shana, Hakim Ahmed Rubel and Abdur Rahman Alif beat hosts Iraq by 6-0 sets in the quarter final.
Bangladesh will play the final against India on May 11.
Bangladesh women's team of Nasrin Akter, Diya Siddiqui and Beauty Roy moved into the recurve women's team event final eliminating Uzbekistan by 5-1 sets in the semifinal.
Also read:Asia Cup Archery: Nasrin Akter helps Bangladesh to clinch 3 gold medals
Bangladesh will face neighboring India in the event's final, also on May 11.
In the recurve mixed team event, Bangladesh team studded with Ruman Shana and Nasrin Akter were eliminated from quarterfinal losing to Kazakhstan by 3-5 sets.
Men's Asian Games Hockey Qualifier 2022: Bangladesh's Full Fixtures, Squad
The Bangladesh Hockey Federation named an 18-member squad for the ongoing Men’s Asian Games Qualifier 2022. The tournament is taking place in the city of Bangkok, Thailand from May 6th to May 15th. The top six teams will qualify for the main event. The Bangladesh team started their qualification campaign with a 3-1 victory over Indonesia on Saturday. Let's have a look at the Bangladesh men's hockey team's squad and their fixtures for the qualifying tournament.
Bangladesh Men’s Hockey Squad for the 2022 Asian Games Qualifier
The BHF cut the preliminary team from 36 to 18 on April 27 after a one-week fitness camp at BKSP, Savar, in preparation for the Men's Asian Games Qualifier 2022 in Thailand. Rezaul Karim Babu was promoted to captain, while Milon Hossain was named deputy skipper. Malaysian Iman Gobinathan Krishnamurthy will coach the Bangladesh team during the main event. The Bangladeshi squad flew from Dhaka to Bangkok to compete in the qualifiers on May 4.
Squad
Rezaul Karim Babu (Captain), Milon Hossain (Vice-Captain), Biplob Kujur, Abu Sayeed Nippon, Arshad Hossain, Pushkor Khisha Mimo, Khorshedur Rahman, Farhd Ahmed Shitul, Naim Uddin, Fazle Hossain Rabbi, Prince Lal Samanta, Rasel Mahmud Jimmy, Ashraful Islam, Sohanur Rahman Sabuz, Mehedi Hasan, Sarwar Hossain, Roman Sarkar, and Rakibul Hasan.
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Bangladesh's Schedule for the Men’s Asian Games Qualifier 2022
A total of 12 teams will play in the Asian Games main event. Six teams have already qualified, and they are India, Pakistan, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, and the host China. The rest of the six teams will be determined through the qualifier competition.
Thailand is hosting the qualifier tournament for the Men’s Asian Games 2022. All the matches of the competition will take place at the Queen Sirikit Commemorative Stadium. There are two groups in the competition – Pool A and Pool B. Thailand, Uzbekistan, Oman, Hong Kong, and Kazakhstan are competing against each other in Pool B. On the other hand, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Singapore, and Indonesia are competing against each other in Pool B.
As per the tournament format, the top six teams will secure a place in the main event. The top two teams in Pool A and Pool B will earn a place in the Asian Games main event. The remaining two teams will be determined through fifth to eighth place matches.
Read Asian Games hockey qualifiers: Bangladesh beat Indonesia 3-1
The tournament kicked off with a game between Hong Kong and Uzbekistan, which Uzbekistan won 4-2. Bangladesh got off to a good start in the competition, defeating Indonesia comfortably on Saturday (May 7). Bangladesh will play Sri Lanka on May 10 and Singapore on May 12, respectively, in their final two matches.
Bangladesh team’s 2022 Asian Games Qualifier fixtures
Date
Fixture
Venue
May 7, 2022 (Saturday)
Bangladesh vs Indonesia
Result (3-1 win for Bangladesh)
Queen Sirikit Commemorative Stadium
May 10, 2022 (Tuesday)
Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka
Queen Sirikit Commemorative Stadium
March 12, 2022 (Thursday)
Bangladesh vs Singapore
Queen Sirikit Commemorative Stadium
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_hockey_at_the_2022_Asian_Games_%E2%80%93_Men%27s_Qualifier#Pool_B
Read Bangladesh Hockey team to leave for Bangkok on May 4 to participate in Asian Games Qualifiers
Bottom Line
Bangladesh are one of the top teams competing in the qualifiers. Therefore, they have a good chance of finishing in the top two spots in Pool B in the Men's Asian Games Qualifier 2022. Bangladesh will qualify for the main event in China if they finish in the top two teams in Pool B. This qualifying round will also serve as a warm-up for them. Bangladesh will get useful experience from the competition, which will help them play better in the Asian Games later this year if they qualify.
2022 Happy Mother’s Day: Five Athletes Who Make a Big Comeback After Becoming Mothers
Breaking society's taboos is never easy, especially when returning to work after a pregnancy. A woman has several challenges during prenatal, and returning to her pre-pregnancy state is sometimes tough. However, several female athletes have amazed the world by making a powerful comeback and winning everyone's hearts. This article honors five female athletes who have made a strong return after becoming moms in celebration of 2022's Happy Mother's Day.
Five Amazing Post-Pregnancy Returns by Female Athletes
A notable number of female athletes from around the world have returned to competition after becoming moms. This article features five of the most well-known female athletes among them.
Kim Clijsters (Tennis, Belgium)
Kim Clijsters was a professional tennis player from Belgium. She rose to the no. 1 position in the WTA rankings (both in singles and doubles) in the mid-2000s. This talented Belgian won six grand slams, including four singles. Clijsters had her pick when her daughter Jada Lynch was born in 2008. Everyone in the tennis fraternity thought Clijsters' tennis career would soon be over.
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However, she stunned everyone by making a commanding comeback on the court and winning the 2009 and 2010 US Open, followed by the 2011 Australian Open. After her astounding performances, the media dubbed her comeback as "The Mother of All Comebacks"
Sania Mirza (Tennis, India)
Indian tennis sensation Sania Mirza has been a pro player since 2003. She has represented her country in the leading tennis tournaments in the world. Sania has won three grand slams in doubles (Australian Open in 2016, US Open in 2015 and Wimbledon in 2015).
Sania got married to Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik in April 2010 and the couple welcomed their son, Izhaan Mirza Malik, in October 2018. Following her son’s birth, Sania made a strong comeback on the court and won the women’s doubles title at the Hobart International in 2020.
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Serena Williams (Tennis, USA)
One of the greatest tennis players of all-time, Serena Williams has won the most grand slam titles (23) in the open era and the second-most of all time. This legendary American tennis player got married to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian in November 2017, two months after giving birth to their daughter Olympia.
Serena Williams suffered a pulmonary embolism after giving birth, which delayed her return to the court. However, nothing stopped her from making a strong return to the tennis court. Serena has reached the Wimbledon finals in 2018 and 2019, as well as the US Open finals in 2018 and 2019. However, she lost all of the finals.
Mary Kom (Boxer, India)
Mary Kom is a legendary Indian female boxer who, by her hard work, devotion, and tenacity, has inspired millions of women across the country. Mary Kom has won a number of prestigious titles and brought glory to her nation. She has five world titles and won an Olympic bronze medal in the London 2012 Games. Mary Kom married footballer Karung Onkholer in 2005.
Read 2022 International Women’s Day: Five South Asian Female Athletes Who Defy Stereotypes
In 2007, she gave birth to twins, and in 2013, she welcomed another son. Kom made tremendous comebacks in both after her deliveries. Her determination is an example to all women around the world.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (Field Sprinter, Jamaica)
Jamaican track and field sprinter, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is regarded as one of the best sprinters of all time. She has three Olympic gold medals and nine World Championship gold medals to her credit. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce married her longtime lover, Jason Pryce in 2011.
They welcomed their son Zyon into the world on August 7, 2017. She made a tremendous comeback to track and field after her delivery, winning several gold medals. She was named to the BBC's list of the world's 100 most inspirational and influential women in 2019.
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Aftermath
Women had to overcome several barriers in order to freely participate in any sport even a few decades ago. However, the situation has much improved in recent years. Women are now competing in a variety of sports alongside males. Not only that, but they may also make big decisions like becoming a mother when still in their prime. One of the reasons for this is that women have gained confidence in their ability to return. Unconditional respect to these brave women on the occasion of 2022 Happy Mother's Day.
In this article, we have discussed about five sports women who made successful return after pregnancy and motherhood. We hope these great athletes will encourage many young female athletes around the world to continue their jouney in sports while rearing family.
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Asian Games hockey qualifiers: Bangladesh beat Indonesia 3-1
Bangladesh's national hockey team made a good start to the nine-nation Men's Asian Games Qualifiers, defeating Indonesia 3-1 in Saturday's match in Thai capital Bangkok.
In March last too, Bangladesh outplayed hosts Indonesia 7-2 in the AHF Cup Hockey Tournament.
Bangladesh, which was placed in four-team Pool B of the Men's Asian Games Qualifiers with Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Singapore, will face Sri Lanka on May 10 and Singapore on May 12 in the remaining group matches.
In the day's first match in Bangkok, Sarwar Hossain put Bangladesh ahead by a field goal in the 10th minute of the match (1-0).
Forward Pushkar Khisha Mimo doubled the Bangladesh margin in the eighth minute of the 2nd quarter also by a field goal (2-0).
Indonesia reduced the margin in the ninth minute of the 3rd quarter (2-1).
Finally, midfielder Fazle Hossain Rabbi sealed the fate of the match scoring one more field goal in the 10th minute of the quarter (3-1).
Bangladesh captain Rezaul Karim Babu displayed his brilliance in the field and was adjudged man of the match.
READ: Asian Games Hockey Qualifier: Bangladesh to play Indonesia on Saturday
The Men's Asian Games Hockey Qualifier began in Bangkok on Friday (May 6), despite the Asian Games Authority on the same day deferring the Hangzhou Asian Games indefinitely amid a recent surge in Covid-19 cases in China, the host country.
The Hangzhou Asian Games was scheduled for September 10-25 this year in China.
On completion of the Asian Games Hockey Qualifiers, the Bangladesh team, led by new captain Khorshedur Rahman, will travel to Indonesia to compete in the Men's Asia Cup Hockey in Jakarta from May 23 to June 1.
In the eight-nation Hero Men's Asia Cup Hockey, Bangladesh has also been placed in Pool B with Malaysia, Korea and Oman.
Bangladesh will face Korea on May 23, Oman on May 24 and Malaysia on May 26.
Bangladesh squad:
Goalkeepers: Biplob Kujur, Abu Sayeed Nippon
Defenders: Khorshedur Rahman, Farhd Ahmed Shitul, Ashraful Islam, Mehedi Hasan, Rezaul Karim Babu, Shohanur Rahman Sabuj.
Midfielders: Sarwar Hossain, Roman Sarkar, Naim Uddin, Fazle Hossain Rabbi, Prince Lal Samanta.
Forwards: Rasel Mahmud Jimmy, Milon Hossain, Pushkor Khisha Mimo, Arshad Hossain, Rakibul Hasan Rocky (Jr).
19th Asian Games in Hangzhou postponed
The Executive Board of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) on Friday (May 6) decided to postpone the 19th Asian Games scheduled to be held in the Chinese city of Hangzhou from September 10 to 25 this year.
The OCA postponed the Asian Games, the biggest sports carnival of Asia, indefinitely amid a recent surge in Covid-19 cases in China, the host country of the games.
The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) Executive Board met in Tashkent on Friday to discuss the situation and felt postponing the Games was the best decision under the circumstances.
Also Read: BFF initially selects 30 booters for Asian Games
The new dates of the 19th Asian Games will be announced in the near future, said a BOA media release on Friday.
The OCA board also decided to cancel the 3rd Asian Youth Games scheduled to be held in another Chinese city of Shantou from December 20 to 28 next.
However, the next Asian Youth Games will therefore be held in 2025 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, the media release added.
Asian Games Hockey Qualifier: Bangladesh to play Indonesia on Saturday
Bangladesh National Hockey team will start their campaign in the nine-nation Men's Asian Games Qualifiers taking on Indonesia in the Thai capital Bangkok on Saturday.
The match will kick-off at 10 am local time and 11 am Bangladesh time.
The Men's Asian Games Hockey Qualifier already began in Bangkok on Friday despite the Asian Games Authority postponed the Hangzhou Asian Games indefinitely amid a recent surge in Covid-19 cases in China, the host country of the games.
The Hangzhou Asian Games scheduled for September 10-25 this year in China.
Also Read: National Hockey team for Men's Asia Cup, Asian Games Qualifiers announced
Bangladesh team, which was placed in four-team Pool B of the Men's Asian Games Qualifiers with Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Singapore, will play Sri Lanka on May 10 and Singapore on May 12 in the remaining group matches.
Bangladesh team, which reached Bangkok on Thursday to compete in the Asian Games Qualifiers scheduled May 6-15, made their first practice session the same day (Thursday) and made another one and half hour long practices Friday morning.
Earlier, Bangladesh Hockey Federation (BHF) announced an 18-member final national squad to compete in both the Asian Games Qualifiers and the Men's Asia Cup Hockey, also naming two stand-by players.
BHF named also two separate captains for two tournaments keeping the same squad intact.
Rezaul Karim Babu will lead the Bangladesh team in the Asian Games Hockey Qualifier scheduled for May 6-15 in Bangkok while Khorshedur Rahman will captain the Bangladesh team in the Men's a Asia Cup Hockey in Jakarta from May 23 to June 1.
Iman Gobinathan Krishnamurthy of Malaysia named as the head coach, Zahirul Islam Mitul as assistant coach and Mohammad Rafiul Haque as team leader of Bangladesh for both the tournaments..
In the eight- nation Hero Men's Asia Cup Hockey, Bangladesh team also been placed in Pool B with Malaysia, Korea and Oman.
Bangladesh will face Korea on May 23, Oman on May 24 and Malaysia on May 26.
Earlier, Bangladesh qualified for the Men’s Asia Cup as they clinched the fourth consecutive title of the Men’s AHF Cup last month.
Also Read: Bangladesh beat Oman to lift Men's AHF Cup Hockey title
Oman, who finished as runners-up in the meet, also qualified to play in the eight-nation Men's Asia Cup Hockey with auto-qualifiers– India, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, South Korea, hosts Indonesia.
Bangladesh squad:
Goalkeepers: Biplob Kujur, Abu Sayeed Nippon,
Defenders: Khorshedur Rahman, Farhd Ahmed Shitul, Ashraful Islam, Mehedi Hasan, Rezaul Karim Babu, Shohanur Rahman Sabuj
Midfielders: Sarwar Hossain, Roman Sarkar, Naim Uddin, Fazle Hossain Rabbi, Prince Lal Samanta.
Forwards: Rasel Mahmud Jimmy, Milon Hossain, Pushkor Khisha Mimo, Arshad Hossain, Rakibul Hasan Rocky (Jr).
Two stand by players are: Al Nahian Shuvo and Deen Islam Imon.