Sonam shocks Olympic medalist Sakshi Malik in trials
Lucknow: Two-time World Cadet champion Sonam Malik stunned Rio Olympic bronze medallist Sakshi Malik while another promising junior Anshu Malik knocked out World Championship medallist Pooja Dhanda to seal their places in the Indian team for the Asian Championship, here on Saturday.
Pitted against heavyweights in their respective first round, both Sonam and Anshu cared little for reputations, fighting fearlessly.
Sonam was trailing 4-6 in the second period but produced a sensational four-point throw with just three seconds left in the bout to make it 10-10 and win on criteria of scoring the last point.
She then defeated Radhika 4-1 in the final to seal her spot in the Indian team in the 62kg category. Hailing from a small village Madina in Haryana's Sonepat, Sonam is coached by Ajmer Malik in Gohana.
Anshu, who trains with Jagdeesh, downed Pooja and then Mansi in the final of the 57kg.
There were no surprises in other categories with Vinesh Phogat (53kg) and Divya Kakran (68kg) easily winning in their respective bouts.
Nirmala Devi (50kg) and Kiran Godara (76kg) were other wrestlers to win the trials.
The winners will compete at the first ranking series of the event in Rome (January 15-18) followed by Asian Championships in New Delhi (February 18-23) and if they can win medals at these two events, they will represent India at the Asian Olympic qualifiers, to be held in Xian from March 27 to 29.
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Sri Lankan Tamils observe 15th anniversary of armed conflict end
Colombo (PTI): Sri Lanka on Saturday marked the 15th anniversary of the end of the armed separatist campaign with Tamils holding a series of events throughout the former conflict zone in the north and east regions to remember their dear ones killed in the clashes.
However, in many areas, police and the government troops were accused of attempting to disrupt the memorial events.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had run a military campaign for a separate Tamil homeland in the northern and eastern provinces of the island nation for nearly 30 years before its collapse in 2009.
On May 18, 2009, Sri Lankan army declared victory with the discovery of the body of the dreaded LTTE leader Velupillai Prabakaran.
Agnes Callamard, the Secretary General of the Amnesty International, visited the final battle site at Mullaivaikkal in the north-eastern Mullaithivu district to attend the commemoration.
“Today’s anniversary is a grim reminder of the collective failure of the Sri Lankan authorities and the international community to deliver justice to the many victims of Sri Lanka’s three decade-long internal armed conflict,” Callamard said.
She said the UN investigations have found credible evidence of crimes committed by both sides to the conflict - “yet there has been little by the way of an independent or impartial national inquiry.”
The police and the government troops were accused of attempting to disrupt the memorials leading to the day’s event in different parts. The troops maintained that in the guise of remembering the 'conflict dead', permission cannot be given for the events that celebrate the LTTE, a banned organisation.
The troops came under fire for arresting several Tamils, including women, for organising memorials.
In Colombo, police thwarted an attempt to disrupt a ceremony commemorating those killed in conflict. One person was arrested as he argued with police saying he was against the LTTE being commemorated, police said.
Meanwhile, the government’s celebration of the victory in the war is to take place on Sunday with the participation of Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena at the war memorial near parliament here.
The defence ministry has announced promotions to over 3,100 sailor and 1,300 soldiers to mark the victory over the LTTE ending the separatist campaign.
