1)Abhinav Bindra- The Gold Hunter  | |
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He made India proud by making it clinch to its first ever individual Olympic gold medal in 108 years. The bespectacled shooter, with an aura of confidence and pride made the whole wide world salute to the Indian national flag as the anthem was played at the honour of his victory. Here is a sneak peek into his ordinary life and extraordinary victory that paved its golden way to India's sports history. Read the brief biography or life story of Abhinav Bindra.
His Early Life
Abhinav was born on 28th September, 1982 in Dehra Dun to Dr.Apjit Bindra and Babli Bindra who are the promoters of the Hi-tech Group of companies. He belongs to a rich Punjabi Khatri family. He studied in the Dun School, Dehradun till 8th standard and then left for St. Stephens School, Chandigarh. He completed his BBA from Colorado University.
Abhinav The Shooter
Abhinav had a keen interest in shooting and is talented as well. He began his journey as a shooter when he was 15 years old. Abhinav Bindra was the youngest Indian contributor at the 2000 Olympic Games. The people recognized his talent when he created a junior world record in Munich World Cup, 2001 and won a bronze medal. He also participated in 2002 Manchester Commonwealth games and won the gold medal and was awarded Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award in 2001. He is the man who bagged the first gold medal in an individual event for his nation.
His Achievements In 2008 Beijing Olympics
A 25 year old Abhinav Bindra is the first Indian to win a gold medal in 10mt air rifle shooting in Beijing Olympic games 2008, after Indian hockey team made it in 1980. By winning gold medal at the 2006 ISSF World Shooting Championships with the score of 699.1, he established his position in 2008 Beijing Olympic. Abhinav Bindra began with the shot of 10.7; none of his shots were under 10.0. Abhinav Bindra was joined by Henri Hakkinen heading into his last shot. Abhinav Bindra made his highest score in the final- 10.8 whilst Hakkinen made 9.7 score to resolve for the Bronze medal.
The Rewards
Abhinav Bindra was rewarded by diverse Indian state govt. and private associations for his accomplishment. They are as follows:
Rs. 1 crore cash award by State Government of Punjab.
Rs. 2 lakh cash award by Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee
Rs. 25 lakh cash award by the Board of Control for Cricket in IndiaRs. 15 lakh money award by Steel Ministry of India
A free lifetime railway pass by the Railway Ministry of India
Rs. 10 lakh cash award by Chief Minister of Maharashtra state
Rs. 5 lakh cash award by State Government of Orissa
Rs. 1.5 Crore by L N Mittal, Arcelor Mittal
Rs. 10 lakh cash award by the State Government of Karnataka
Rs. 11 lakh cash award by the State Government of Bihar. The Patna Indoor Stadium will be renamed after Abhinav Bindra.
Rs. 1 lakh cash award by the State Government of Chhattisgarh
Rs. 25 lakh cash award by the State Government of Haryana.
Rs. 5 lakh cash award by M. Karunanidhi, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu
A Gold medal by the State Govt. of Kerala.
Business Career
At the age of 25, Abhinav Bindra is the CEO of Abhinav Futuristics, which is the sole distributor of Walther arms in India.
His Quotes
"I sincerely hope my medal changes the face of India's Olympic sports,"
"I worked hard, left home and trained in Germany. It only proves that if you keep working hard, you would have your day someday and fortunately, it was my day today."
Abhinav was a sports buff since the beginning and hence made way to his own glory. His victory is undoubtedly and arguably the highest achievement ever in India"s sport history.
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His Early Life
Abhinav was born on 28th September, 1982 in Dehra Dun to Dr.Apjit Bindra and Babli Bindra who are the promoters of the Hi-tech Group of companies. He belongs to a rich Punjabi Khatri family. He studied in the Dun School, Dehradun till 8th standard and then left for St. Stephens School, Chandigarh. He completed his BBA from Colorado University.
Abhinav The Shooter
Abhinav had a keen interest in shooting and is talented as well. He began his journey as a shooter when he was 15 years old. Abhinav Bindra was the youngest Indian contributor at the 2000 Olympic Games. The people recognized his talent when he created a junior world record in Munich World Cup, 2001 and won a bronze medal. He also participated in 2002 Manchester Commonwealth games and won the gold medal and was awarded Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award in 2001. He is the man who bagged the first gold medal in an individual event for his nation.
His Achievements In 2008 Beijing Olympics
A 25 year old Abhinav Bindra is the first Indian to win a gold medal in 10mt air rifle shooting in Beijing Olympic games 2008, after Indian hockey team made it in 1980. By winning gold medal at the 2006 ISSF World Shooting Championships with the score of 699.1, he established his position in 2008 Beijing Olympic. Abhinav Bindra began with the shot of 10.7; none of his shots were under 10.0. Abhinav Bindra was joined by Henri Hakkinen heading into his last shot. Abhinav Bindra made his highest score in the final- 10.8 whilst Hakkinen made 9.7 score to resolve for the Bronze medal.
The Rewards
Abhinav Bindra was rewarded by diverse Indian state govt. and private associations for his accomplishment. They are as follows:
Rs. 1 crore cash award by State Government of Punjab.
Rs. 2 lakh cash award by Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee
Rs. 25 lakh cash award by the Board of Control for Cricket in IndiaRs. 15 lakh money award by Steel Ministry of India
A free lifetime railway pass by the Railway Ministry of India
Rs. 10 lakh cash award by Chief Minister of Maharashtra state
Rs. 5 lakh cash award by State Government of Orissa
Rs. 1.5 Crore by L N Mittal, Arcelor Mittal
Rs. 10 lakh cash award by the State Government of Karnataka
Rs. 11 lakh cash award by the State Government of Bihar. The Patna Indoor Stadium will be renamed after Abhinav Bindra.
Rs. 1 lakh cash award by the State Government of Chhattisgarh
Rs. 25 lakh cash award by the State Government of Haryana.
Rs. 5 lakh cash award by M. Karunanidhi, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu
A Gold medal by the State Govt. of Kerala.
Business Career
At the age of 25, Abhinav Bindra is the CEO of Abhinav Futuristics, which is the sole distributor of Walther arms in India.
His Quotes
"I sincerely hope my medal changes the face of India's Olympic sports,"
"I worked hard, left home and trained in Germany. It only proves that if you keep working hard, you would have your day someday and fortunately, it was my day today."
Abhinav was a sports buff since the beginning and hence made way to his own glory. His victory is undoubtedly and arguably the highest achievement ever in India"s sport history.
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| Sachin Tendulkar - Inspirational Icon | |
By: Sharon Supriya
Sachin Tendulkar, the brightest star in the world of cricket has achieved his greatest prices with his intellectual and skilful cricketing brains. Read his story that inspires to do something more than normal. He dreamt a world of superstars and great triumph and he achieved it.
His childhood
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar was born on 24 April 1973 to a middle class family in Mumbai. His father Ramesh Tendulkar was a schoolteacher and a Marathi Novelist. He was named after his family's favourite music director, Sachin Dev Burman (Father of R D Burman).As a child Tendulkar loved to play tennis more than any other game. It was his elder brother Ajit Tendulkar, who motivated him to play cricket. Young Sachin later found his interest to become a fast bowler. However his height made him the finest batsmen in the world. At the age of 10 he walked to the field at 6 am with a cricket bag bigger than him for the practice. At the age of 11 he moved with his paternal uncle to get trained in cricket by the most renowned coach Ramakanth Achrekar.
In the World of Cricket
Sachin Tendulkar scored a century in his first debut in Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy and Irani Trophy. He is the only player to have owned this credit so far. He made his debut in ODIs and international Tests at the age of 16 against Pakistan's fiery cricketers Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis (who also made his debut). He thus made his mark as the youngest Indian cricketer to play in an International Match.
Sachin has been 'Man of the Match' 11 times in Test matches and 'Man of the Series' twice against Australia. His physical peak was seen through the years 1994-99. He continued to do his best and became the leading run scorer at the 1996 Cricket World Cup. His name itself striked terror in the heart of the best bowlers all around the world. He was soon hailed as the master blaster after the end of the legacy of Vivian Richards
Sachin went through a chronic back problem in 1999. Despite the problem he scored a century. The same year, during the Cricket World Cup, Tendulkar's father passed away. He flew back to India for his final rituals, but with the sad demise in his thoughts he did not let India sink with the score. He scored a century unbeaten 140 off 101 balls against Kenya.
Sachin, succeed Mohammad Azharuddin as captain of Indian Team. However he resigned in 2000 after a gruesome defeat in few matches.
In 2004 Sachin made 673 runs in 11 matches in the 2003 World Cup, thus helping India to pave a path in the finals. He was then awarded man of the series. However his fame was getting shadowed after he started suffering from Tennis Elbow. It was only after two years he delighted the cricket world fan by scoring the 35th century.
At the beginning of 2006 Sachin made a wonderful start. However the cricket icon of 90's was booed by his own admirers off the ground as he scored just 1 run in 21 balls against England in the 1st innings. He combated the stares and envy of his fans by winning them again in the very next innings. He was the top scorer in the second innings.
Read more about his marital life and some other interesting features that make the superstar's unique persona.
In 2006 Sachin was operated upon his injured shoulder. He missed many of the matches due to this problem. However his comeback was again a startle. He proved his critics wrong who made a statement that his career is sliding after the 40th ODI century. He made his 41st ODI century in Jan 2007 against West Indies.
His marital life
Sachin has always kept the blitz of glamour away from his personal life. Here are some of the interesting facts that I could collect. He first met Anjali through mutual friends. After the first meeting they started dating and tied a knot in the year 1995. Anjali is four years elder to Sachin, but the age difference was not a barrier for him to or her to hold each other's hand to walk the path of fame. They have two children 10-year-old Sara, who owes her fathers curly hair and 7-year-old Arjun who is apparently practicing his father's footsteps.Anjali, the proud wife has never enjoyed a live cricket match as she becomes very nervous when Sachin bats. She prefers to see the recordings later. Sachin has never been home for Diwali most of the times since their marriage. On his 30th birthday Anjali had to wait till dusk to wish him. Although he is away from the family most of the times the couple has seen that their relationship has grown everyday than down sliding.
Interesting Facts
- Sachin is a good cook. He has once cooked Baigan- bartha for all his teammates.
- He sponsors 200 under privileged children every year through Apnalaya a Mumbai based NGO.
- He is the fastest to score 10,000 runs in Test Cricket history.
- He has spent all his life in Bandra. From his early childhood till 2001 he stayed with his parents, brothers and sisters in Bnadra (East) and since mid 2001 in Bandra (West).
- Runs a restaurant, 'Tendilkar's in Colaba, Mumbai.
Sachin Tendulkar endowed with the right attitude, exceptional speed and great vision for the country and the team has stormed many awards one after the other. An international celebrity with the most prestigious awards like "Padma Shree" and "Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award" is the most admired icon of the young and the old. He embodies the values of excellence, boldness and a taste for new challenges. This are the key elements that has pulled him up so far and promises to keep him in the highest peak for the rest of his career life.
3)Narain Karthikeyan: Speed in his blood
By: Dhanyasree M
Narain Karthikeyan is a Formula One Driver who spread the glory of India in this realm of sports across the world. The success in his career speeds up each year since he began with a notable start in Indian Formula Maruti + British Formula Vauxhall Junior during 1993.This article traces the biography of Narain behind his race.
Kumar Ram Narain Karthikeyan born in Coimbatore, Tamilnadu on 14th January 1977. His father G.R Karthikeyan, who had won South India Rally more than seven times, inspired the young Karthikeyan. Karthikeyan finished on the podium in his first ever race, at Sriperumpudur in a Formula Maruti (a.k.a.FISSME) With the ambition of becoming India's first Formula One driver, while doing his schooling at Stanes Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School, Coimbatore. He joined Elf Winfield Racing School in France and got a chance to show his real talent by becoming a semi-finalist in the Pilote Elf Competition for Formula Renault cars in 1992. However he came to limelight only in 1994, when he became the first Indian to win any championship in Europe.
Narain Karthikeyan made his debut in the internationa Formula One race in 1998, with the carlin Motorsport team in British Formula Three Championship. He won third places in Spa-Francorchamps and Silverstone during the same season. Karthikeyan managed two wins at Brands hatch and a 6th position in Macau Grand Prix in 1999.
Narain Karthikeyan began the millenium with taking pole position and fastest laps in the Macau Grand Prix. He also won the International F3 race and Korean Super Six in 2000. Nrain became the first Indian to ever drive an F1 car, testing for the Jaguar Racing team at Silverstone in 2001. In 2002, he entered into the Telefonica World Series with Team Tata RC Motorsport. In 2003, Karthikeyan won two races and took three other podium positions on his way to 4th overall in the championship. In 2004, he signed the preliminary deal with Jordan Formula One team and became their main driver for the 2005 Formula One season, thus making him India's first Formula One racing driver. Karthikeyan signed a contract with Williams-Toyota, and promoted to third driver in 2006.
4)Viswanathan Anand
By: Priya Devi R
Born in Chennai on December 11th 1969, Viswanathan Anand began his training in chess at the age of six from his mother Susheela. She gave him his first lessons in chess. His father Viswanathan after whose name Anand is fondly called as Vishy is a railway executive. Destiny crowned him with success at the tender age of fourteen when he won the National Sub Juniors Championship in 1983. Since then a string of victory ensued with him winning many more titles. The 'Lightining Kid was conferred on him for his speedy play.
He has been a World Championship challenger in the PCA (New York 1995) & FIDE (1997 Lausanne) cycles. He has also the credit of winning the Strongest knock out tournament in Groningen in December 1997 and the Linares super Torneo in 1998. The Melody Amber tournament (1994 & 1997), the Credit Suisse Masters (1997), Dos Hermanas (1997) and Wijk Aan Zee (1998) are his other noted victories. According to the rating lists of PCA and FIDE Anand has ranked as the second best chess player in the world.
Anand's recent success include the Corus Chess Tournament in the years 2003, 2004 and 2006, Dortmund in 2004 and The Monaco Amber Blind fold and the Rapid Chess Championship in the years 1994, 1997, 2003, 2005 and 2006.
Titles
The titles won by Anand are
3)Narain Karthikeyan: Speed in his blood
By: Dhanyasree MNarain Karthikeyan is a Formula One Driver who spread the glory of India in this realm of sports across the world. The success in his career speeds up each year since he began with a notable start in Indian Formula Maruti + British Formula Vauxhall Junior during 1993.This article traces the biography of Narain behind his race.
Kumar Ram Narain Karthikeyan born in Coimbatore, Tamilnadu on 14th January 1977. His father G.R Karthikeyan, who had won South India Rally more than seven times, inspired the young Karthikeyan. Karthikeyan finished on the podium in his first ever race, at Sriperumpudur in a Formula Maruti (a.k.a.FISSME) With the ambition of becoming India's first Formula One driver, while doing his schooling at Stanes Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School, Coimbatore. He joined Elf Winfield Racing School in France and got a chance to show his real talent by becoming a semi-finalist in the Pilote Elf Competition for Formula Renault cars in 1992. However he came to limelight only in 1994, when he became the first Indian to win any championship in Europe.
Narain Karthikeyan made his debut in the internationa Formula One race in 1998, with the carlin Motorsport team in British Formula Three Championship. He won third places in Spa-Francorchamps and Silverstone during the same season. Karthikeyan managed two wins at Brands hatch and a 6th position in Macau Grand Prix in 1999.Narain Karthikeyan began the millenium with taking pole position and fastest laps in the Macau Grand Prix. He also won the International F3 race and Korean Super Six in 2000. Nrain became the first Indian to ever drive an F1 car, testing for the Jaguar Racing team at Silverstone in 2001. In 2002, he entered into the Telefonica World Series with Team Tata RC Motorsport. In 2003, Karthikeyan won two races and took three other podium positions on his way to 4th overall in the championship. In 2004, he signed the preliminary deal with Jordan Formula One team and became their main driver for the 2005 Formula One season, thus making him India's first Formula One racing driver. Karthikeyan signed a contract with Williams-Toyota, and promoted to third driver in 2006.
4)Viswanathan Anand
By: Priya Devi R
Born in Chennai on December 11th 1969, Viswanathan Anand began his training in chess at the age of six from his mother Susheela. She gave him his first lessons in chess. His father Viswanathan after whose name Anand is fondly called as Vishy is a railway executive. Destiny crowned him with success at the tender age of fourteen when he won the National Sub Juniors Championship in 1983. Since then a string of victory ensued with him winning many more titles. The 'Lightining Kid was conferred on him for his speedy play.
He has been a World Championship challenger in the PCA (New York 1995) & FIDE (1997 Lausanne) cycles. He has also the credit of winning the Strongest knock out tournament in Groningen in December 1997 and the Linares super Torneo in 1998. The Melody Amber tournament (1994 & 1997), the Credit Suisse Masters (1997), Dos Hermanas (1997) and Wijk Aan Zee (1998) are his other noted victories. According to the rating lists of PCA and FIDE Anand has ranked as the second best chess player in the world.Anand's recent success include the Corus Chess Tournament in the years 2003, 2004 and 2006, Dortmund in 2004 and The Monaco Amber Blind fold and the Rapid Chess Championship in the years 1994, 1997, 2003, 2005 and 2006.
Titles
The titles won by Anand are
- 1983 National Sub-Junior Chess Champion
- 1984 International Master
- 1985 Indian National Champion
- 1987 World Junior Chess Champion, Grandmaster
- 2000 FIDE World Chess Champion
- 2003 FIDE World Rapid Chess Champion
- Arjuna award in 1985
- Padma Sri, National Citizen's award, Soviet Land Nehru award in 1987
- Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 1991-1992
- Padma Bushan in 2000
- Chess Oscar in 1997, 1998, 2003 and 2004.
Anand has also won the 'Book Of The Year' award for his book 'My Best Games Of Chess' in 1998 by the British Chess Federation.
Personal Details
Anand currently lives in Collado Mediano in Spain with his wife Aruna Anand who takes care of his preparations for the tournaments and his other concerns.
Anand did his schooling in Don Bosco and earned a bachelor's degree in commerce in Loyola, Chennai. Tal and Fischer are his favourite chess personalities. His favourite actors are Rajnikanth, Kamal Hasan and Aishwarya Rai. Anand relishes South Indian food. His hobbies are swimming, reading and listening to music. On a defeat he works out in the gym so that he can go to sleep quickly. His words for future chess players are 'endless practice.' Solving puzzles and playing sharp positions help in improving tactics in chess. His advice when sought for the beginners is to be more aggressive and to learn from the games of other great players.
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Personal Details
Anand currently lives in Collado Mediano in Spain with his wife Aruna Anand who takes care of his preparations for the tournaments and his other concerns.
Anand did his schooling in Don Bosco and earned a bachelor's degree in commerce in Loyola, Chennai. Tal and Fischer are his favourite chess personalities. His favourite actors are Rajnikanth, Kamal Hasan and Aishwarya Rai. Anand relishes South Indian food. His hobbies are swimming, reading and listening to music. On a defeat he works out in the gym so that he can go to sleep quickly. His words for future chess players are 'endless practice.' Solving puzzles and playing sharp positions help in improving tactics in chess. His advice when sought for the beginners is to be more aggressive and to learn from the games of other great players.
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| Mahendra Singh Dhoni - Man With Incompatible Aura | |
By: Sharon Supriya
Passion seeps through his gaze. The stylish hunk of the Indian cricket team has it all, best wicketkeeper, best batsmen with a strong value for teamwork. Unfold the life story of an aggressive right-handed batsman and wicket-keeper, and the Indian ODI Team's vice-captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who has clinged to the throne of glory from the first day.His Early Days To His Step To Glory:
Mahendra Sigh Dhoni was born on July 7 1981 in Ranchi to Pan Singh and Devaki Devi. He has two siblings, a sister Jayanti Gupta and a brother Narendra. As a child he loved to play Badminton and football. He scored so well in the sports that he was selected at district and club level to achieve greater heights. However the destiny has always taken a varied path to taste sweet success. It drove him to the field of cricket to be recognised as a cricketer than a football or a badminton player.
Although Dhoni had not played cricket, he impressed with his wicket-keeping skills and became the regular wicketkeeper at the Commando cricket club within a short span of time. In his college days he slowly drifted from his childhood interests and focused only on cricket. Based on his performance at club cricket, he was picked for 1997/98 season Vinoo Mankad Trophy Under-16 Championship and he performed admirably
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| Ranking does not matter. The team is more important. As long as my contributions lead to the team's victories... |
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Dhoni, referred to as 'Mahi' by his friends, debuted in the Bihar cricket team during the 1998/99 cricket season and was selected to represent India for a tour to Kenya in 2004. As a child he idolized three people, Cricket teammate Sachin Tendulkar, Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan and singer Lata Mangeshkar. In one of the interview he states the pleasure of meeting his idol Mr. Bachchan as the most memorable moment. Besides his love for field sports he also loves to buzz in the streets with his remarkable bikes.
Marketable cricket icon
Dhoni has been riding high on style not just because of his tinted hair but also because of his shimmering smile. He is reputed to have 17 endorsements. From ceiling fans, shoes, electronics, men's fabirc to petrol, he's done it all. In 2006 he was voted MTV Youth Icon. He joins cricketers Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar in winning the award.He garnered maximum number of votes to win the honour ahead of five other heavyweights -- Navjot Singh Sidhu, Abhijeet Sawant, Vijay Mallaya , President A P J Abdul Kalam and John Abraham.
His quote
"Ranking does not matter. The team is more important. As long as my contributions lead to the team's victories, it is more important than the top ranking,"
His Cricket career
Dhoni burst into the cricket field with complete zest in 2004. He immediately established himself as a swashbuckling batsman besides being a good wicketkeeper. He was credited by critics, 'as the man who can decimate any bowling attack with his powerful hitting'. Dhoni has so far played in 66 One-Day Internationals for India in which he has amassed 1958 runs. He has a highest score of 183 not out which he achieved against Sri Lanka in Nagpur.
Dhoni is known for his awesome strike-rate of 98.49 and averages 46.61 per match. He hit 10 Sixes, the most by an Indian in an Innings, and the second highest in ODI cricket. Till date, he has managed to climb the third spot while Sachin Tendulkar slipped to the 19th in the International Cricket Council (ICC) one-day international ranking till February 2007. However his first trip to world cup did not fetch him any applaud due to his unexpectedly poor performance.
After the loss to Bangladesh in 2007 Cricket World Cup, the house that Dhoni was constructing in his home-town Ranchi was vandalized and damaged by political activists. The local police arranged for security for his family as India exited the World cup in the first round.
With the built in shame and the will to win back the world of fame, Dhoni rose back to his stardom within a years time. Twenty20 match was a blessing to the young Indian team headed by Dhoni to win all that they lost. Under his captaincy, India won the 2007 World Twenty20 against finalist Pakistan Team. He made the attempt to give India the celebration of 1983 World cup. Kudos to the hero who dared to achieve what he dreamt with his humble leadership techniq
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Marketable cricket icon
Dhoni has been riding high on style not just because of his tinted hair but also because of his shimmering smile. He is reputed to have 17 endorsements. From ceiling fans, shoes, electronics, men's fabirc to petrol, he's done it all. In 2006 he was voted MTV Youth Icon. He joins cricketers Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar in winning the award.He garnered maximum number of votes to win the honour ahead of five other heavyweights -- Navjot Singh Sidhu, Abhijeet Sawant, Vijay Mallaya , President A P J Abdul Kalam and John Abraham.
His quote
"Ranking does not matter. The team is more important. As long as my contributions lead to the team's victories, it is more important than the top ranking,"
His Cricket career
Dhoni burst into the cricket field with complete zest in 2004. He immediately established himself as a swashbuckling batsman besides being a good wicketkeeper. He was credited by critics, 'as the man who can decimate any bowling attack with his powerful hitting'. Dhoni has so far played in 66 One-Day Internationals for India in which he has amassed 1958 runs. He has a highest score of 183 not out which he achieved against Sri Lanka in Nagpur.
Dhoni is known for his awesome strike-rate of 98.49 and averages 46.61 per match. He hit 10 Sixes, the most by an Indian in an Innings, and the second highest in ODI cricket. Till date, he has managed to climb the third spot while Sachin Tendulkar slipped to the 19th in the International Cricket Council (ICC) one-day international ranking till February 2007. However his first trip to world cup did not fetch him any applaud due to his unexpectedly poor performance.
After the loss to Bangladesh in 2007 Cricket World Cup, the house that Dhoni was constructing in his home-town Ranchi was vandalized and damaged by political activists. The local police arranged for security for his family as India exited the World cup in the first round.
With the built in shame and the will to win back the world of fame, Dhoni rose back to his stardom within a years time. Twenty20 match was a blessing to the young Indian team headed by Dhoni to win all that they lost. Under his captaincy, India won the 2007 World Twenty20 against finalist Pakistan Team. He made the attempt to give India the celebration of 1983 World cup. Kudos to the hero who dared to achieve what he dreamt with his humble leadership techniq
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| Pankaj Advani: A Saga In Billiards & Snooker | |
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Pankaj Advani is one of the best personalities in Indian sports as he takes a game that is much neglected in the country. Winner of four world titles in billiards and snooker; in 2005, he became the first player to complete a grand double by winning both the points format as well as the time format titles in the IBSF World Billiards championship. After legendary Geet Sethi"s victories, Pankaj Advani lifts Indian sports" pride to a news realm.
Born in Pune on July 24, 1985, Pankaj Advani showed promise and talent from a young age. Arvind Savur, former national snooker champion, recognized the talent in the 10-year-old boy, who used to accompany his elder brother to the Karnataka State Billiards Association hall. Through the dedicated training under Arvind Savur, Advani polished his talents to reach the new heights.At 17 years of age, Pankaj became the youngest national snooker champion. He proved his talent internationally by winning IBSF World Snooker Championship in 2003. He became only the second cueist after Malta's Paul Mifsud to have won both the English billiards and snooker amateur world titles after his victory over Devendra Joshi in 2005 IBSF World Snooker Championship.
Pankaj Advani is said to be unassuming during the game. However he had the patience and the skills to beat the best in the longer format as he outplayed seven-time World champion Geet Sethi in a thrilling six hour final. In the 2007 World Billiards Championship, he was knocked out in the quarter-finales, 859–1074 (34.4 vs. 44.8 average), by eventual runner-up Chris Shut.
The real talent of Pankaj Advani duly got recognized and he is the recipient of many awards and other winnings over the past decade. The latest among them are Karnataka's Kempegowda Award in 2007, Karnatakas highest civil award, the Rajotsav Award in 2007 and IBSF World Billiards Championship (Time Format) in Singapore in Sep. 2007. He was also awarded with Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, India's highest sporting honour, for the year 2005–2006, on 29 August 2006.
Despite achieving extraordinary success at a young age, Advani has his feet firmly on ground. With three World titles already under his belt, Advani is sure to scale greater heights in a sport.
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Born in Pune on July 24, 1985, Pankaj Advani showed promise and talent from a young age. Arvind Savur, former national snooker champion, recognized the talent in the 10-year-old boy, who used to accompany his elder brother to the Karnataka State Billiards Association hall. Through the dedicated training under Arvind Savur, Advani polished his talents to reach the new heights.At 17 years of age, Pankaj became the youngest national snooker champion. He proved his talent internationally by winning IBSF World Snooker Championship in 2003. He became only the second cueist after Malta's Paul Mifsud to have won both the English billiards and snooker amateur world titles after his victory over Devendra Joshi in 2005 IBSF World Snooker Championship.
Pankaj Advani is said to be unassuming during the game. However he had the patience and the skills to beat the best in the longer format as he outplayed seven-time World champion Geet Sethi in a thrilling six hour final. In the 2007 World Billiards Championship, he was knocked out in the quarter-finales, 859–1074 (34.4 vs. 44.8 average), by eventual runner-up Chris Shut.
The real talent of Pankaj Advani duly got recognized and he is the recipient of many awards and other winnings over the past decade. The latest among them are Karnataka's Kempegowda Award in 2007, Karnatakas highest civil award, the Rajotsav Award in 2007 and IBSF World Billiards Championship (Time Format) in Singapore in Sep. 2007. He was also awarded with Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, India's highest sporting honour, for the year 2005–2006, on 29 August 2006.
Despite achieving extraordinary success at a young age, Advani has his feet firmly on ground. With three World titles already under his belt, Advani is sure to scale greater heights in a sport.
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| Leander Paes, India's Tennis Pride | |
By: Debasmita Chanda
Leander Paes, India's Tennis pride, was born in Goa on June 17,1973 and brought up in Kolkata. Born into a family of sportsmen, his father, Vece was a member of the Indian hockey team that won a bronze medal in the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. His mother, Jennifer was a member of the basketball team. Leander began playing tennis at the age of 5 and took to tennis at the age of six, though his first passion was football (he used to sleep with his boots under the pillow!).
He joined the Britannia Tennis Academy in Madras (now known as Chennai) in 1985 where he was coached by Dave O'Meara. Leander shot into international fame when he won the 1990 Wimbledon Junior title and rose to No.1 in the junior world-rankings.
He turned professional in 1991 and in 1996 won a bronze medal at the Atlanta Olympics becoming the first Indian in more than 4 decades to win an individual medal. The previous individual medalist for India was K.D. Jadhav who won a bronze in 1952. Specialising in Doubles, he was ranked number 1 along with Mahesh Bhupathi.
He captured the 1990 Wimbledon Junior title and was ranked as the No.1 junior player in the world at one time. Since then he has been representing India at various international events, winning matches and bringing glory to the country. He is also a member of the Davis Cup squad since 1990, compiling a 32-19 career record (21-12 in singles). In 1996 Atlanta Olympics, he won the bronze medal (the only individual medal won after a gap of 44 years), thus making India proud after a gap of 44 years. It was K.D Jadhav who won the last individual medal for wrestling in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.He teamed up with Mahesh Bhupathi to form the Indian doubles team and the duo in 1999, showed their class by winning the French Open and Wimbledon and entering the finals of the two other Grand Slam Tournaments; the Australian and US Opens. But the dream team separated soon after, due to mutual misunderstanding. They came together again in time for the Sydney Olympics and started regaining their lost prestige at the end of 2000, winning the Men's Double title in Japan Open 2000 followed by Worlds Doubles Championship in Bangalore, Verizon Atlanta Challenge, US Clay court Championship in Houston and at Roland Garros defeating the Czech pair of Petr Pala and Pavel Vizner, ranked no. 2 in the world.
Rhea and Leander met and fell in love at an Art of Living course, where she was his teacher. Rhea, passionate about Art of Living, is a qualified instructor who has conducted courses all over the world. Though Leander had an affair with actress Mahima Chowdhury before, she broke away saying that Leander was a two-timer. As a matter of fact the whole scenario changed when he was found to be falling for Rhea Pillai who was the ex wife of famous bollywood actress Sanjay Dutt.
He was a joint winner of India's highest sporting honour, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award in the year 1996-1997 along with Nameirakpam Kunjarani. In 2001, he was awarded the Padma Shri.
Thus keeping all these in mind one can definitely say that Leander Paes has proved to be a genius in the world of sports and it has been proved time and again. Having chalked out a name for himself and also being a multi millionaire, he has many things in store to look forward to.
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| Tiger Woods: King Of Golf | |
By: Dhanyasree .M
The name 'Tiger' may bring the mighty and royal animal to your mind. The description aptly suits for Tiger Woods, the most successful golfer in the world. Eldrick Tiger Woods' achievements as a professional golfer till date rank him as the most successful golfer of all time. The World No. 1 golfer is the highest paid professional athlete in 2006, having earned an estimated $100 million from winnings and endorsements.Tiger woods was born on December 30, 1975 in Cypress, California as the only son of Earl and Kultida Woods. Since his parents shared various ancestral ethnicities, Woods refers to his own ethnicity as Cablinasian, a mixture of Caucasian, Black, American-Indian, and Asian. Tiger Woods received his nickname from Vietnamese soldier friend of his father, Vuong Dang Phong. He grew up in the Los Angeles area with a Buddhist belief that he had derived from his mother.
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| Tiger Woods' glory faded for a short period during 1997 to 1998. |
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Tiger woods was a child prodigy and set his hands on golf at the age of two. When he was three years old, Woods shot a 48 over nine holes at the Navy Golf Club in Cypress, California. His excellence was featured in Golf Digest and on ABC's That's Incredible at the age of five. He went on to win the junior championships that include 6 Junior World Championships, twice Southern California Amateur Player, Waker Cup World Amateur Golf Team Championships and The Open Championship.
With the announcement, "Hello World," Tiger Woods became a professional golfer in August 1996. He played his first round of professional golf at the Greater Milwaukee Open tying for 60th place. There he started his major career and named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman Of the Year. He also started the tradition of wearing a red shirt during the final round of tournaments, a colour that symbolizes assertiveness and aggression.
Tiger Woods' glory faded for a short period during 1997 to 1998. However he made a major comeback in 1999 with the victory in Memorial tournament. He started a record setting season in PGA Championships, U.S.Open, Triple Crown Golf, Vardon Trophy, Buick Open and other Open Championships. He has 82 major wins till date to the credit.
Tiger Woods is also into social activities during his busy schedule. He started The Tiger Woods Foundation along with his father to provide golf clinics and scholarships for needy and deserved children. The Tiger Woods Learning Center offers extensive educational facility for deserved candidates. He also donates the huge prize money of the annual golf tournament Target World Challenge for charity.
Tiger Woods' latest victory is his second tie in U.S.Open on June 17,2007. The next day his wife Elin Nordegren has given birth to their first child, a daughter Sam Alexis Woods. Woods was born as golfer and has never doubted his ability to win, till date. His fans are anticipating record breaking performances from this exceptional golfer.
With the announcement, "Hello World," Tiger Woods became a professional golfer in August 1996. He played his first round of professional golf at the Greater Milwaukee Open tying for 60th place. There he started his major career and named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman Of the Year. He also started the tradition of wearing a red shirt during the final round of tournaments, a colour that symbolizes assertiveness and aggression.
Tiger Woods' glory faded for a short period during 1997 to 1998. However he made a major comeback in 1999 with the victory in Memorial tournament. He started a record setting season in PGA Championships, U.S.Open, Triple Crown Golf, Vardon Trophy, Buick Open and other Open Championships. He has 82 major wins till date to the credit.
Tiger Woods is also into social activities during his busy schedule. He started The Tiger Woods Foundation along with his father to provide golf clinics and scholarships for needy and deserved children. The Tiger Woods Learning Center offers extensive educational facility for deserved candidates. He also donates the huge prize money of the annual golf tournament Target World Challenge for charity.
Tiger Woods' latest victory is his second tie in U.S.Open on June 17,2007. The next day his wife Elin Nordegren has given birth to their first child, a daughter Sam Alexis Woods. Woods was born as golfer and has never doubted his ability to win, till date. His fans are anticipating record breaking performances from this exceptional golfer.
| Mahesh Bhupathi : Combination Of Talent And Hard Work | |
By: Sharon Supriya
Mahesh Bhupathi another feathered crown of India in the field of tennis was born on June 7, 1964, Chennai, India. One of the best double tennis player in the world has 10 grand slam titles and mixed doubles to his credit. He was overshadowed for a while with the giant sports celebrity Leander Paes. However he made his mark and surpassed every hurdle, with a combination of talent and hard work. Read the biography of this tennis hero, who is known for his steady gaze, sharp sense of humour, sharper ear-stud and finely woven serves .His childhood
As a child Mahesh Bhupathi, loved to play tennis and would accompany his father for the practice every day. In one of the interview with a sports magazine Mahesh's father, C. G. Krishna Bhupathi, recollects some of the memorable moments and says, "As a child, he used to sleep like a log, nobody can shake him up, but the moment I walk into his bedroom and say Mahesh, I am going for tennis, he would be up like jack in the box".
Another interesting tale of his love for tennis is the one, when his father had left back a nine-year-old Mahesh at Dubai Tennis Club and drove home, forgetting to pick him up. However the child was not troubled, rather when his father rushed back after six hours, the young Mahesh was still on the court practicing, unaware of his fathers faux-pas. Mahesh Bhupathi was a boy next door, who loved to sleep and dream big things. The only thing that made him extraordinary was that he worked hard to fetch the shinning stars that he dreamt.
Marital relationships
Mahesh Bhupathi tied the nuptial knot with Svetha Jaishankar a supermodel, who worked nearly five years prior to marriage with top designers such as Manish Malhotra, Rina Dhaka and Rohit Bal. Svetha was also the the runner-up at the Miss India-International contest held at Tokyo. She has featured in several ad campaigns, including those for brands like Nestle and Satyam Online.
Tennis carrier
Mahesh Bhupathi (mostly known as Hesh), was the first Indian to win a Grand Slam title by winning the French Open mixed doubles title in 1997. He won the Wimbledon and French Open doubles title in 1999 and US Open mixed doubles in 1999. He also made a mark in the Indian Tennis history by winning Australian Open mixed doubles in 2006Davis cup : Mahesh Bhupathi has won Davis cup as well as Asian Games several times. He has played 46 matches for India in the Davis Cup (from 1995 to 2006), winning 28 and losing 18. Out of the 28 matches that he won, 20 of his victories came in doubles matches. In 2006, Bhupathi won the doubles championship with Leander Paes at the Asian Games in Doha. His major win in the Mixed doubles has won him the title the 'perfect partner'. He is the man whom leading ladies of tennis can bank upon to win Grand Slam titles.
In mixed double Bhupathi partnered Ai Sugiyama in four tournaments, Elena Likhovtseva in 10, Mirjana Lucic and Lisa Raymond in three each, Rika Hiraki in two, and Caroline Vis, Rennae Stubbs, Anabela Ellwood, Martina Navratilova, Jelena Dokic, Irola Tulyaganova, Mary Pierce and Daniela Hantuchova in one each.
Mahesh Bhupathi is also involved in developing tennis facilities in India, along with his company Globosport. He has played a key role in developing and managing the careers of many Indian athletes like the present Tennis star, Sania Mirza.
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Khali The Great: A giant wrestler from India
Dalip Singh Rana, aka ‘Great Khali’, has been scaring the living daylights out of his opponents. A former police officer, he started his career as a pro-wrestler for All Pro Wrestling in US. He lifted the Heavyweight title on July 20..
HE INDIAN giant, Dalip Singh Rana, described as, inter alia, the man with strong muscles, extraordinary height and long flowing locks has been eliminating all those blocking his way in the world wrestling arena. April 7, 2006, was a memorable day not just for Dalip Singh but also for all those Indians who are crazy about wrestling, because the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) launched the ’Great Khali’ in the arena of ‘Smack Down’. On the first day, he choked the Undertaker and thus warned all the wrestlers of WWE. After that he challenged many other wrestlers like Rey Mysterio, Batista, Umaga, Shawn Michaels, Edge, Randy Orton and many others in the ring.
HE INDIAN giant, Dalip Singh Rana, described as, inter alia, the man with strong muscles, extraordinary height and long flowing locks has been eliminating all those blocking his way in the world wrestling arena. April 7, 2006, was a memorable day not just for Dalip Singh but also for all those Indians who are crazy about wrestling, because the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) launched the ’Great Khali’ in the arena of ‘Smack Down’. On the first day, he choked the Undertaker and thus warned all the wrestlers of WWE. After that he challenged many other wrestlers like Rey Mysterio, Batista, Umaga, Shawn Michaels, Edge, Randy Orton and many others in the ring.
Dalip Singh was born on August 27, 1972, in Himachal Pradesh. To earn a living, he worked as watchman in a residential building in Himachal Pradesh. After that, he joined the Punjab Police, as officer. In February 27, 2002, he got married to Harminder Kaur.
