Current Affairs April 2018 - Sports

1 - Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu clinched India’s first gold medal of the 2018 Commonwealth Games

World champion weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu gave India its first Gold Medal at the 21^st Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast. However, the first medal for India was won by weightlifter P Gururaja who claimed a silver medal in the men's 56kg category.

Chanu was competing in the women's 48 kg division. She ended with a total lift of 196 kg. Her previous best was a total lift of 194kg which was achieved in the World Championships.

2 - Virat Kohli retained second spot in ICC Test Rankings

Virat Kohli has held on to his second position in the latest ICC Test Player Rankings. Australia's Steve Smith was placed at the top of the Test player ranking.

India Test spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was at the fifth position in the bowlers ranking while Ravindra Jadeja holds on to his second spot in the all-rounders ranking. Kagiso Rabada of South Africa was at the top position among bowlers. India and South Africa are the top ranked teams followed by New Zealand and Australia.

3 - Commonwealth Games 2018 held at Gold Coast in Australia

The Commonwealth Games 2018, the XXI edition of the games and commonly known as Gold Coast 2018, was held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, between 4 and 15 April 2018. 6600 athletes and thousands of others guests from 71 countries and territories participated in the spectacular opening ceremony.

Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu was the flag-bearer as she led the Indian contingent into the stadium. It was the first time a major multi-sport event achieved gender equality by having an equal number of events for males and female athletes.

4 - Kerala won Santosh Trophy 2018

Kerala defeated defending champions Bengal via penalty shootout to win the national football championships for the Santosh Trophy at the Salt Lake Stadium. With this, Kerala lifted their sixth Santosh Trophy Football title. Kerala had last won the trophy in 2004.

The Santosh Trophy is an association football knock-out competition contested by the regional state associations and government institutions under the All India Football Federation (AIFF).

5 - Miami Open 2018- Complete List of Winners

The 2018 Miami Open was played at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park. The Miami Open is one of nine ATP Masters 1000 Series events on the ATP calendar.

The list of winners of 2018 event is:

6 - Star India retained BCCI Media Rights with Rs 6138.1 Crore Bid

Star India has bagged the Board of Control for Cricket in Indian (BCCI) media rights for television and digital rights for the Indian cricket team and domestic championships from 2018 to 2023 with a bid of Rs 6138.10 Crore. Previously, Star paid Rs 3851 crore for the rights to broadcast India's home matches from 2012-2018.

The rights are for a proposed 102 matches of the men’s team while it will also telecast international matches involving the national women’s team as well as domestic tournaments.

7 - Ace shuttler Kidambi Srikanth becomes World No 1

Ace Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth became World number 1 in men’s singles category world badminton rankings given by World Badminton Federation. He overtook World Champion Viktor Axelsen at the top of rankings with 76,895 points. Srikanth has now become the first Indian male shuttler to achieve the feat in modern ranking system.

He joins Saina Nehwal to become only the second Indian to achieve the feat. Twenty-five year old Srikanth had missed out on the chance to become No. 1 in the world last year after suffering an injury.

8 - Indian wrestlers bagged 2 gold, 1 silver & 1 bronze medal at CWG 2018

In the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, Indian wrestlers bagged 2 Gold, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze medal on the opening day of their competition itself.

The Gold medals were won by veteran Olympian Sushil Kumar in the 74 kg category, Babita Kumari claimed the Silver in Women's 53 kg category, Kiran clinched the Bronze in the 76 kg division and Rahul Aware in 57 kgs. While Sushil brushed aside South African Johannes Botha, 10-0, Rahul defeated Steven Takahashi of Canada, 15-7. 2018 Commonwealth Games Gold Coast was a major multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth, held in Australia.

9 - Deepak Lather became youngest weightlifter to win medal in CWG 2018

India’s veteran weightlifter Deepak Lather became youngest weightlifter to win a medal in Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia. He won bronze in men’s 69kg category. Deepak Lather carried a total of 295kg (136kg+159kg) weight to win bronze and finish at third position. Out of the total 295 kgs, Deepak lifted 136 kg in snatch and 59kg, a new personal best, in clean and jerk.

2018 Commonwealth Games Gold Coast is a major multi-sport event.

10 - Indian player Mithali Raj became most capped player in women's ODIs

Indian women team captain Mithali Raj became the most capped player in women's One-Day International (ODI) cricket with 192^nd appearance. She broke the previous record of former England captain Charlotte Edwards’ tally of 191 matches. Another Indian player Jhulan Goswami is at third place on the list.

Mithali Raj is also known for her highest run-getter in women’s ODIs and record of highest number of fifties and nineties. Mithali Raj is known as the only female cricketer player to achieve the 6,000 run mark in Women ODIs.

11 - Manu Bhaker bagged gold in women’s 10m air pistol

India’s 16-year-old shooter Manu Bhaker bagged gold medal in women’s 10 air pistol at 240.9 to break the Commonwealth Games record. Another player Heena Sidhu finished with silver medal at the 21^st Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast. Australia's Elene Galiabovitch bagged bronze medal with an effort of 214.9.

Manu Bhanker had previously bagged 2 gold medals at 2018 ISSF World Cup and became youngest Indian to win a gold medal at the ISSF World Cup. XXI Commonwealth Games was held at Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, between 4 and 15 April 2018.

12 - Leander Paes announced as most successful player in Davis Cup

In the history of Davis Cup winners, India’s Leander Paes became the most successful doubles player. Leander Paes in duo with Rohan Bopanna created record of 43 victories. Leander Paes is known for his outstanding performance in Grand slams. He has won 18 Grand Slam titles with a world record of 43 doubles tennis victories in Davis Cup.

The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis organized by International Tennis Federation (ITF).

13 - Sebastian Vettel won Bahrain Grand Prix

Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel claimed his second win of the season Bahrain Grand Prix. He defeated Italy’s Valtteri Bottas by just 0.699 seconds. Valtteri Bottas plays on behlf of Mercedes.

The 2018 Bahrain Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race that took place at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain. The race was the second round of the 2018 FIA Formula One World Championship. 2018 Bahrain Grand Prix final rankings placed Sebastian Vettel at 1^st grid and Kimi Räikkönen at 2^nd grid.

14 - Jitu Rai and Mehuli Ghosh created CWG record

Veteran shooters Jitu Rai won gold in 21^st Commonwealth Games and Mehuli Ghosh won silver in women's 10m Air Rifle event. Jitu Rai created record of 235.1 in the final of the men’s 10m air pistol event in Gold Coast. Other players like Apurvi Chandela won bronze and Om Prakash Mitharwal bagged bronze. Mehuli Ghosh broke her own Games qualification record of 415.6 she set in Glasgow in 2014.

2018 Commonwealth Games Gold Coast was a major multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth that were held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.

15 - India bagged gold medal in badminton for the first time in CWG

Indian team bagged gold medal in badminton at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast for the first time in CWG. India won gold medal in mixed team category for the first time by defeating Malaysia by 3-1. Prior to this, India has won gold medal in singles category. Players like Prakash Padukone, Syed Modi, Saina Nehwal and P Kashyap had won gold medal in singles category.

Saina Nehwal defeated Soniia Chea of Malaysia in women’s singles category. 2018 Commonwealth Games Gold Coast was a major multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth that were held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.

16 - India won gold medal in table tennis team men’s category

Indian table tennis men’s team defeated Nigerian men’s team in table tennis to win gold medal in Commonwealth Games for the first time since 2006. Similarly, Indian women’s team won table tennis against Singapore. With this victory, India joined England to bag second-most table tennis gold medals (5) at CWG.

Indian players performance was found in improved in Commonwealth Games as 6 Indian players were placed in the top-100 of the men's world rankings. Some really good players who performed best were Sharath Kamal, G Sathiyan, Harmeet Desai.

17 - Heena Sidhu bagged gold medal in 25m pistol event

Veteran Indian shooter Heena Sidhu bagged gold medal at women's 25m pistol shooting event at Commonwealth Games 2018. Prior to this, she won silver in women's 10m air pistol in Commonwealth Games. India tallied at 8 medals in shooting at Commonwealth Games.

Heena Sidhu is an Indian sport shooter who created record by becoming first Indian pistol shooter to reach number one in world rankings by the International Shooting Sport Federation. She created world record in 10 metre air pistol event with a final score of 203.8.

18 - Tennis rankings placed Yuki Bhambri back in top-100

Tennis star Yuki Bhambri broke back into the top-100 for the first time since February 2016. As per the latest rankings, he leapfrogged 22 places to a career-best rank of 83. This follows his title-winning performance at the Taipei Challenger. This is the best rank an Indian has achieved in ATP singles chart since Somdev Devvarman touched a career-high 62 in July 2011.

If the 25-year-old maintains the top 100 place, it will allow him direct entry into the Grand Slams and the ATP 1000 series Masters event.

19 - Veteran javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra won 1^st gold for India

It has been for the first time that India has won gold medal in Javelin at the Commonwealth Games. With this, Neeraj Chopra became first Indian javelin thrower to win gold for India at CWG 2018 and second javelin thrower to claim a CWG medal -- the first being Kashinath Naik, who clinched a bronze in the 2010 Delhi Games. The throw was made at 86.47m in the final. He has won on a gold medal in 2016 IAAF World U20 Championships as well.

2018 Commonwealth Games Gold Coast is a major multi-sport event, based on motto ‘Share the Dream’.

20 - Mary Kom became first Indian woman to win gold medal at CWG boxing

Olympic bronze medallist MC Mary Kom became first Indian woman boxer to win a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games, thereby defeating Northern Ireland's Kristina O'Hara in 45-48kg category. Prior to this championship, Mary Kom recently won gold medal at Asian Championships and silver medal at the Strandja Memorial Tournament in Bulgaria.

Mary Kom is known for her outstanding performance at the boxing ring. She was appointed as as national observers for boxing. She is also known as first Indian woman boxer to get a Gold Medal in the Asian Games in 2014.

21 - Commonwealth Games 2018 concluded: Indian Highlights

XXI Commonwealth Games was held at Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. India finished medal tally with historic 66 medals, placing itself at 3^rd position.

• India won most of the medals by shooting (16 medals), followed by wrestling (12) and weightlifting (9).

• Australia topped the CWG games with 198 medals followed by England with 136 medals.

• Muhammed Anas Yahiya created world record by finishing race in 45.31 sec in men’s 400m final.

• India bagged 26 gold, 20 silver, 20 bronze medals in total medals tally.

• Saina Nehwal won women's singles title in the badminton competition.

• Boxing star Gaurav Solanki bagged gold.

22 - Saina Nehwal bagged second gold at CWG in women’s singles badminton

Saina Nehwal bagged historic second gold medal in the 2018 Commonwealth Games badminton final against PV Sindhu. She is the only Indian female badminton player to win singles gold in Commonwealth Games history. With this victory, she became the first Indian to win 2 singles gold in commonwealth games. Saina Nehwal has won over twenty three international titles.

XXI Commonwealth Games was held at Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. India finished medal tally with historic 66 medals, placing itself at 3^rd position. India won most of the medals by shooting (16), followed by wrestling (12) and weightlifting (9).

23 - Bengaluru FC won Super Cup Football tournament

Bengaluru FC has won the inaugural edition of Super Cup Football tournament.

In the final at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, they defeated East Bengal by 4-1.

Bengaluru FC maintained their run of lifting a trophy each season since their inception in 2013/14. They have won two I-League titles, two Federation Cup crowns and the inaugural edition of the Super Cup. Venezuelan striker Miku was adjudged as the 'Hero of the Tournament' for his five goals.

24 - Birmingham Organising Committee of CWG decides to exclude shooting from 2022 Games

The Birmingham Organising Committee of CWG has decided to exclude shooting from the 2022 Games, citing logistical issues. The Commonwealth Games Federation has awarded the 2022 CWG to Birmingham. Shooting, though an optional sport at the CWG, has been played in every edition since Kingston 1966, except once in Edinburgh in 1970.

It will be a huge setback for India. The shooting squad, at the recently concluded Gold Coast Games, bagged as many as 16 medals, seven of them gold.

25 - Daniel Ricciardo won Chinese Grand Prix 2018

Red Bull Driver, Daniel Ricciardo of Australia, won the Chinese Grand Prix 2018. Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Räikkönen stood second and tthird in the race respectively. Lewis Hamilton of mercedes was fourth while Max Verstappen of Red Bull was fifth.

The 2018 Chinese Grand Prixwas a Formula One motor race that took place at the Shanghai International Circuit in Shanghai, China.

26 - "Son of Dreams", Official Mascot of FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019

Son of Dreams was unveiled as the official mascot of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019. Born in China on August 8, 2015, Son of Dreams' magical horns give him the power to see in the future, envisioning plays and moves before they actually happen.

Son of Dreams was brought to life for the first time, by way of a hologram and video. FIBA (fiba.basketball) - the world governing body for basketball - is an independent association formed by 213 National Basketball Federations throughout the world.

27 - India won 8^th South Asian Judo Championship

India has won 8^th South Asian Judo Championship in Lalitpur, Nepal. Indian women and men won respective team events. The Indian women defeated host Nepal by 5-0 in the final of team events. Indian men also won the team championship adfter they defeated Pakistan by 3-2 in the final.

Indian women grabbed all 7 gold medals in the individual category while men bagged 3 gold and 3 bronze medals. India topped the medal tally winning 10 Gold and 3 Bronze medals in the individual category. Host Nepal remained second and Pakistan got third place.

28 - Rafael Nadal won his 11^th Monte Carlo Masters title

Rafael Nadal won his 11^th Monte Carlo Masters title after beating Kei Nishikori 6-3, 6-2 in the Monte Carlo Masters final. It was his overall record 31^st Masters Title. He moved one ahead of rival Novak Djokovic for career Masters Titles.

Nadal became the first man to win a single tournament 11 times in the Open era with his 76^th ATP Tour title. Nadal also maintained his top ranking ahead of Roger Federer.

29 - Mohamed Salah crowned PFA Player of the Year

Mohamed Salah of Liverpool has been named PFA Player of the Year at the 45^th PFA Awards. He beat Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City to win the award. Salah has scored an incredible 33 Premier League goals. Leroy Sane of the Manchester City was named Young Player of the Year.

Fran Kirby was named PFA female player of the year at the ceremony. Lauren Hemp was voted the PFA Young Female Player of the Year Award.

30 - Tennis player Ankita Raina included in Target Olympic Podium Scheme

Tennis player Ankita Raina was included in the government's Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS). Ankita displayed good performance both in the Fed Cup and the professional circuit. She recently broke into the top-200, reaching a career-best 197 in the WTA rankings.

She also became only the third Indian to breach the top-200 mark in women's singles, jumping 15 places to reach 197. The 25-year-old is the first player to achieve the feat since Sania Mirza. Before Sania, Nirupama Vaidyanathan had made it to the top-200.

31 - BCCI panel recommended Diana Edulji for Lifetime Achievement Award

A three-man BCCI panel has recommended former India women's team captain and current CoA (Committee of Administrators) member, Diana Edulji, for CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award. Along with Edulji, former India opener late Pankaj Roy will also be awarded posthumously.

The three-member panel comprised journalist N Ram, acting president CK Khanna and acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary. Edulji took 63 wickets in Tests and 46 wickets in ODIs. Pankaj Roy will always be remembered for his world record opening stand of 413 runs with Vinoo Mankad against New Zealand in Chennai (Madras) in 1956.