North Korean lifters smash records at Asian Games

Published

3 years ago

September 30, 2023

Hosts China romped to gold in the men’s and women’s 100m sprints at the Asian Games as North Korea’s weightlifters scorched several world records on an action-packed Saturday.

Golds were up for grabs on a damp day in Hangzhou in everything from diving and eSports to athletics and roller skating, AFP reported.

China inevitably hoovered up many of them to take them to 114 golds in total at the halfway stage of the competition, well clear of Japan (28 golds) and South Korea (27).

The 100m sprints are among the most prestigious events of any Games and it was two Chinese speedsters who thrilled the raucous crowd with victories at the 80,000-capacity Hangzhou Olympic stadium.

First, Ge Manqi raced to the line in 11.23sec to take the women’s crown and then Xie Zhenye made it a double home delight with his winning time of 9.97sec for the men’s title.

Among other notable performances in track and field, the world’s number-two ranked pole vaulter EJ Obiena of the Philippines cleared 5.90m for gold and a Games record.

He admitted to mixed feelings, having relegated home favorite Huang Bokai to silver.

“The challenge is I feel a little bit like a villain today — it’s not my medal,” he said.

There were some eye-popping performances from North Korea’s women weightlifters.

They were competing at an international event for the first time since December 2019 after the country sealed its borders because of the pandemic.

But that did not stop them from shattering a slew of world records.

Ri Song Gum broke two world records in the women’s 49kg, the first weightlifting event in Hangzhou.

Then Kang Hyong Yong, a 24-year-old with no international pedigree, set a hat-trick of world records in snatch, clean and jerk, and combined on her way to gold in the women’s 55kg class.

China’s world champion Jiang Huihua, who took silver, said she was “surprised” at Ri’s success after such a long absence.

There were tears on the podium as Ri and Kang saluted the North Korean flag — which was hoisted once again in contravention of a World Anti-Doping Agency edict.

WADA declared the country’s national anti-doping body “non-compliant” in 2021 and slapped it with sanctions, including not being able to fly the flag at continental events.

“I feel very happy about breaking the world record and when I see my national flag flying I feel very excited to bring this good news to my people,” said Ri.

Fierce rivalries took center stage.

North Korea thrashed South Korea 4-1 in a feisty quarter-final of the women’s football.

South Korea, led by the English coach Colin Bell, included players who featured at the recent Women’s World Cup, where they went out in the group phase.

The neighbors, who are still technically at war, were locked at 1-1 when South Korea forward Son Hwa-yeon was sent off for a second yellow card close to half time.

North Korea made the most of their numerical advantage to score three times in the second period for an ultimately comfortable victory, their players celebrating wildly at the full-time whistle.

Pakistan and arch-rivals India then clashed in the men’s hockey group stage.

The highly anticipated showdown turned out to be a mismatch, however, as India thrashed their neighbors 10-2.

India also got one over Pakistan in squash, edging them 2-1 in the final of the men’s team competition.

Table tennis shock

In other action, China’s Zhang Zhizhen won the men’s singles tennis, adding his gold to the one collected by Zheng Qinwen in the women’s singles a day earlier.

“It’s been a very, very tough week, not just this match, but very tough for the whole week actually, from the first match onwards,” said Zhang.

In table tennis, the hosts won all five golds five years ago and are a global superpower in the sport.

But they were on the end of three defeats in the quarter-finals on Saturday.

In the biggest shock, the 16th-ranked Indian women’s pair of Ayhika Mukherjee and Sutirtha Mukherjee — not related — defeated world champions Chen Meng and Wang Yidi 3-1 to reach the last four.

Related Topics:#AsianGames #NorthKorean #Records ArianaNews featured

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IPL 2026 Playoffs Confirmed: RCB, GT, SRH and RR reach top four

Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Gujarat Titans, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals secured the four playoff spots after a dramatic finish to the group phase.

Published

4 minutes ago

May 25, 2026

Ariana News

Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru finished top of the standings as the four-team playoff line-up for the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) was confirmed at the end of the league stage on Sunday.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Gujarat Titans, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals secured the four playoff spots after a dramatic finish to the group phase.

RCB became the first team to book their place in the playoffs after defeating Punjab Kings on May 17. They ended the league stage on 18 points from 14 matches, edging Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad to top spot on superior net run rate.

The final playoff berth went to Rajasthan Royals, who sealed qualification with a commanding win over Mumbai Indians on the last day of the league phase. The victory took RR to 16 points and eliminated both Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders from contention.

Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad also finished on 18 points, but were separated from RCB by net run rate. GT secured second place with a net run rate of 0.695, while SRH ended third with 0.524.

The playoff schedule will see RCB face Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1 on Tuesday, with the winner advancing directly to the IPL final. Sunrisers Hyderabad will meet Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday, where the losing side will be knocked out. The loser of Qualifier 1 will then play the winner of the Eliminator, Wednesday’s match, in Qualifier 2 for the remaining spot in the final.

Five-time champions Chennai Super Kings were among the teams to miss out after a disappointing campaign, while Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants were the first sides eliminated from playoff contention earlier in the month.

Delhi Capitals also failed to advance despite finishing with 14 points, while Punjab Kings narrowly missed out after ending fifth on 15 points.

Final IPL 2026 standings:

1. Royal Challengers Bengaluru – 18 points
2. Gujarat Titans – 18 points
3. Sunrisers Hyderabad – 18 points
4. Rajasthan Royals – 16 points
5. Punjab Kings – 15 points
6. Delhi Capitals – 14 points
7. Kolkata Knight Riders – 13 points
8. Chennai Super Kings – 12 points
9. Mumbai Indians – 8 points
10. Lucknow Super Giants – 8 points

The 2026 season continues a recent trend in which 16 points proved enough to secure a playoff berth, as has been the case in several IPL seasons since the tournament expanded to a 70-match league format in 2022.

Both high-stakes knockout matches will be broadcast live and exclusively in Afghanistan on Ariana TV, giving fans access to all the action as the race for the title intensifies.

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Rajasthan Royals clinch last playoff spot as Archer downs Mumbai Indians

The victory sent Rajasthan into the playoffs, where they will face Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator. Archer was named Player of the Match for his decisive all-round display.

Published

3 hours ago

May 25, 2026

Ariana News

Rajasthan Royals secured the final playoff place in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with a convincing 30-run victory over Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Needing a win to stay alive, Rajasthan recovered from an early wobble to post 205, thanks largely to a brilliant late assault from Jofra Archer. RR lost three wickets in the powerplay, but Dhruv Jurel’s 38 kept the innings together before Archer smashed 32 off 15 balls, including three sixes, as Rajasthan hammered 73 runs in the final five overs.

Archer then struck twice with the new ball to remove Rohit Sharma and Naman Dhir, while Nandre Burger and Brijesh Sharma reduced Mumbai to 49/4 inside the powerplay.

Suryakumar Yadav fought back with 60 off 42 balls and Will Jacks added a quick 33, but Archer returned to dismiss Hardik Pandya at a crucial stage and halt the chase. Burger later removed Suryakumar as Mumbai were restricted to 175.

The victory sent Rajasthan into the playoffs, where they will face Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator. Archer was named Player of the Match for his decisive all-round display.

Delhi Capitals finish strongly as KKR collapse at Eden Gardens

In the second match of the day Sunday, Delhi Capitals ended their IPL campaign with a dramatic 40-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens.

A rapid 60 from KL Rahul helped Delhi post 203/5 after useful contributions from Axar Patel, David Miller and Ashutosh Sharma.

Mitchell Starc picked up two wickets in an over, as KKR collapsed in a heap, Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Capitals, IPL 2026, Kolkata, May 24, 2026

Kolkata looked in control of the chase at 126/3 after 13 overs, with Ajinkya Rahane leading the way. But Kuldeep Yadav sparked a stunning collapse with two wickets in successive balls against his former franchise.

Mitchell Starc and Lungi Ngidi then ripped through the lower order as KKR crashed from 126/3 to 163 all out, losing eight wickets for just 38 runs. Ngidi finished with 3/27, while Kuldeep claimed 3/29 to earn Player of the Match honours.

Delhi closed their season with three straight wins but still missed out on the playoffs, while Kolkata’s disappointing campaign ended with another collapse under pressure.

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Iran shifts FIFA World Cup 2026 training base from US to Mexico

Iran are scheduled to play their Group G matches against New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21 in Inglewood, California, before facing Egypt on June 26 in Seattle.

Published

1 day ago

May 24, 2026

Ariana News

Iran has officially moved its training base for the 2026 FIFA World Cup from the United States to Mexico after receiving approval from FIFA, according to the president of the Iran Football Federation.

Federation president Mehdi Taj announced that the national team’s base camp will now be located in Tijuana, just south of San Diego, instead of Tucson, Arizona, where the team had originally been scheduled to stay during the tournament.

The decision comes amid ongoing regional tensions in the Middle East and reported security concerns surrounding the team’s stay in the United States.

“All team base camps for countries participating in the World Cup must be approved by FIFA,” Taj said in a statement released by the federation. He added that discussions with FIFA and World Cup officials in Istanbul, along with meetings involving FIFA secretary general officials in Tehran, led to approval for the relocation.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, which runs from June 11 to July 19, will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Iran are scheduled to play their Group G matches against New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21 in Inglewood, California, before facing Egypt on June 26 in Seattle.

According to the federation, Tijuana’s proximity to southern California will make travel easier for the squad while also providing access to modern training facilities, gyms, private dining and other support services needed during the tournament.

The move is also expected to ease possible visa and travel complications, with Iranian officials saying the team will enter the United States through Mexico. Taj also indicated the squad could potentially use Iran Air flights for travel arrangements.

Known as Team Melli, Iran will be appearing in their fourth consecutive FIFA World Cup and seventh overall appearance, although the nation has never advanced beyond the group stage.

The issue of Iran’s participation in the tournament has drawn political attention in recent months. U.S. President Donald Trump previously made mixed comments regarding Iran’s presence at the tournament, while FIFA president Gianni Infantino has repeatedly confirmed that Iran will participate and play matches in the United States during the competition.