Connect with us

Sport

Uzbeks shine, Algeria’s Khelif wins gold amid gender dispute

Algeria’s Imane Khelif, the female boxer thrust into the centre of a gender dispute at the Paris Games, beat China’s Yang Liu to take the welterweight Olympic gold medal.

Published

on

(Last Updated On: )

Asadkhuja Muydinkhujaev and Lazizbek Mullojonov won gold on Friday as Uzbekistan took the lead in the boxing medal tally for the Paris Olympics, while Algeria’s Imane Khelif claimed victory in the women’s welterweight final.

Muydinkhujaev beat Mexico’s Marco Verde in the men’s welterweight boxing final by unanimous decision. American Omari Jones and Lewis Richardson of Britain took bronze after their semi-final defeats, Reuters reported.

In Friday’s bout, world champion Muydinkhujaev did well to keep out of range and then struck with venom whenever the Mexican attempted to bridge the gap as he took a comfortable lead heading into the final round.

With his defeat all but guaranteed, Mexico’s Verde went in all guns blazing but he had left it too late and, despite winning the third round, Muydinkhujaev was declared the winner.

Mullojonov also won gold, beating Azerbaijan’s Loren Alfonso, to add to Hasanboy Dusmatov’s flyweight win on Thursday, putting Uzbekistan ahead of China, who have two gold medals.

Uzbekistan can add two more gold medals to their tally if Abdumalik Khalokov (featherweight) and Bakhodir Jalolov (super heavyweight) win their respective finals on Saturday.

Asked about Uzbekistan’s dominant showing in the boxing competition, Muydinkhujaev said: “We support each other. We respect each other. We are not just a team, we are a family.

“That is why we are so successful. We respect our coaches, they are like our fathers.

“My teammates still have to compete in their finals. I wish them well and hope we take five gold medals back to Uzbekistan.”

KHELIF WINS

Algeria’s Imane Khelif, the female boxer thrust into the centre of a gender dispute at the Paris Games, beat China’s Yang Liu to take the welterweight Olympic gold medal.

Khelif kept her opponent at bay with her jab and took control of the bout as she cruised to a third unanimous win in the tournament and became the first Algerian woman to earn an Olympic boxing title.

China had a mixed night, with Liu’s defeat being balanced out by Wu Yu’s victory over Turkey’s Buse Naz Cakiroglu in the flyweight final.

Wu fought with real ferocity to beat Tokyo silver medallist Cakiroglu by a 4-1 decision.

“This is my first time at an Olympic Games. So many people try to qualify and I’m so happy to win the gold medal,” Wu said.

“I have trained very hard and all that hard work paid off. I won the gold for my team, my coach, my country.”

 

Related stories:

Athletics-Nadeem wins javelin gold for Pakistan

Cuban Greco-Roman wrestler Mijain Lopez wins record fifth straight Gold, and then retires

Sport

Ariana Snooker Championship 2025: Naderi and Hotak through to final

Published

on

(Last Updated On: )

Ariana Snooker Championship semi-finals wrapped up on Sunday with Naveed Naderi and Raees Khan Hotak both moving on to the final on Monday.

In the first semi-final on Sunday, Naveed Naderi, who is ranked number 2 in Afghanistan, beat Zulmai Salamkhil 5-3.

Later in the day, Raees Khan Hotak, who is ranked number 4 in Afghanistan, defeated Nader Khan Rohani 5-4 in a fiercely contested match.

Hotak, who at 42 years of age, has over 40 domestic tournaments under his belt and has played in 30 international matches.

Naderi is 32 years old and while not as experienced as Hotak, he does have 35 domestic games to his name. He has also played in one international event.

Both players however have their eye on the title. Their match will get underway at 4pm Kabul time on Monday.

Snooker enthusiasts across Afghanistan can watch the exciting final on Monday live on Ariana Television, the Ariana Sports Facebook page, the Ariana Sports YouTube channel, and the Ariana Television website.

The match will start at 4pm but a preview show will be broadcast from 3pm. Stay tuned!

 

Continue Reading

Sport

Mujeeb Ur Rahman replaces injured Ghazanfar in Mumbai Indians’ squad for IPL 2025

Mujeeb had gone unsold at the IPL 2025 auction, but now joined MI at a fee of INR 2 crore ($230,000).

Published

on

(Last Updated On: )

Afghanistan offspinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman has replaced his countryman AM Ghazanfar in Mumbai Indians’ (MI) squad for IPL 2025 after an injured Ghazanfar was ruled out of the Champions Trophy, and the IPL that follows.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) said recently that Ghazanfar had been ruled out of the ICC Champions Trophy due to a fractured vertebra sustained during Afghanistan’s tour of Zimbabwe last month.

Ghazanfar, who will be out of cricket for at least four months, will also miss out on IPL this year, his first contract with the league.

Mujeeb meanwhile last played at the IPL in 2021, for Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Most recently, he was with Paarl Royals at the SA20, where his side lost to finalists Sunrisers Eastern Cape in Qualifier 2. However, he was Royals’ highest wicket-taker in the tournament, with 14 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 23.14.

He wasn’t picked by Afghanistan for the Champions Trophy, as according to Ahmad Suliman Khil, their interim chief selector, “he has been advised by his doctor to focus on T20s for a while to ensure his full recovery before returning to ODIs”.

This was after he sustained a hand injury that left him out of cricket for five months. Only in November last year was he able to return.

Mujeeb had gone unsold at the IPL 2025 auction, but now joined MI at a fee of INR 2 crore ($230,000).

The ICC Champions Trophy gets underway on Wednesday, February 19, in Pakistan when the hosts take on New Zealand. Afghanistan will play their first match on Friday, February 21, when they take on South Africa.

IPL will start on Friday, March 21 and run through to Sunday May 25.

Cricket fans meanwhile can stay tuned with Ariana Radio & Television Network (ATN) as all Champions Trophy matches will be broadcast live across the country.

Continue Reading

Sport

Ariana Snooker Championship 2025: Quarterfinals conclude with thrilling matches

Published

on

(Last Updated On: )

Zulmai Salamkhil clinched a 5-3 victory over Zarif Afzali in a gripping quarterfinal match on Saturday, securing his spot in the semifinals of the Ariana Snooker Championship.

In another electrifying encounter, Naweed Naderi edged out Mohammad Mir Noorzai 5-4, advancing to the semifinals after a fiercely contested game.

The day wrapped up with Nader Rohani delivering a dominant 5-1 win against Saleh Mohammad Mohammadi, solidifying his place in the semifinals.

Snooker enthusiasts across Afghanistan can watch the exciting semifinal matches, starting this Sunday, live on Ariana Television, the Ariana Sports Facebook page, the Ariana Sports YouTube channel, and the Ariana Television website. Stay tuned!

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2024 Ariana News. All rights reserved!