News of the Week: Vinesh's stunning form, Chhetri's brace, Football world unites for Eriksen

Saikhom Mirabai Chanu qualifies for 2020 Tokyo Olympics

The lifter from Manipur, Saikhom Mirabai Chanu, will be the only Indian in the sport of Weightlifting at the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The 26-year-old is expected to start as the second seed in Tokyo, behind China's Hou Zhihui. The official confirmation of Mirabai Chanu's qualification came after the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) released its absolute rankings on Saturday. The other Indian lifter in contention to make it to Tokyo, Jeremy Lalrinnunga, failed to qualify after South Korea decided to field a lifter in his weight division.

Vinesh Phogat wins her fourth gold medal of the year

Vinesh Phogat continued her dominating run in 2021, as she clinched the gold medal at the Poland Open on Friday. The Tokyo Olympics-bound Vinesh defeated the Ukrainian Khrystyna Bereza 8-0 in the final to be crowned the champion. This is the 26-year-old India's fourth gold medal in as many tournaments she has competed in this year. Vinesh had previously bagged the yellow metal at the Outstanding Ukraine Wrestlers and Coaches Memorial, Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series, Asian Wrestling Championships and the Poland Open.

India drops Li Ning as apparel sponsor for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) decided to drop Chinese brand Li Ning as the apparel sponsor for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, keeping in mind 'public sentiments'. This development came just three days after the IOA unveiled Indian kits for the Olympics. Later the Indian Minister for Youth and Sports Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, stated that the Indian contingent would go 'unbranded' to the Tokyo Olympics.

Rafael Nadal's dominance at Roland Garros ends

In probably one of the best matches in the history of Tennis, world number 1 Novak Djokovic defeated the 'King of Clay' in the semifinal of the Roland Garros or the French Open. With this defeat, Nadal now has a win-loss record of 105-3 at the Roland Garros, with two of these defeats coming against the Serbian Djokovic.

Football world unites for Danish footballer Christian Eriksen

In probably one of the most horrific incidents in the history of sports, Danish footballer Christian Eriksen collapsed on the field during the 2020 UEFA Euro league match between Denmark and Finland on Saturday. What followed was probably some of the greatest show of sportsmanship, with the Finnish fans throwing their flags to cover Eriksen, who was being given CPR by medical officials inside a human wall formed by the Danish players. Eriksen later regained consciousness and was stretchered off the field and is now understood to be stable. The match was restarted later as the players from both the teams agreed and ended with Finland winning the game 1-0.

Sunil Chhetri's brace propels India to a win

Skipper Sunil Chhetri once again came to the rescue of the Indian football team as he netted a brace during their FIFA World Cup and AFC Asian Cup qualifiers on Monday. Just when it looked as if the match is headed towards a goalless draw, Chhetri scored a header in the 79th minute before slotting in one more just before the final whistle to ensure a win for India. With his brace, Chhetri went past Lionel Messi in terms of international goals and currently sits at number 11 in the list of highest international goal scorers ever.

Neeraj Chopra's winning return

Indian javelin thrower and Tokyo Olympics medal hopeful Neeraj Chopra made a winning return to the international circuit. Competing at the Lisbon City athletics meet, the 23-year-old Chopra clinched the gold medal with a best throw of 83.18m. He was competing in the international arena for the first time in over a year.