Sports Shorts: CWG champ Bhaker to pursue pol science

Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday

Commonwealth Games and Youth Olympics gold medal-winning shooter Manu Bhaker has secured a seat in Delhi University's Lady Shri Ram College (LSR), where she will study political science.

The 17-year-old, who is a multiple ISSF World Cup gold medallist, applied under the sports quota and was eligible for direct admission in any college or course of her choice.

"Congratulations to our young shooting champion @realmanubhaker for getting admission in Delhi's prestigious LadyShriramCollege in Political Science. Our TOPSAthlete has won gold medals at Commonwealth Games & various World Cups & has earned a quota for Tokyo2020 @ Olympics," the Sports Authority of India (SAI) tweeted.

According to DU's guidelines, sportspersons who have represented India in competitions recognised and funded by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, will be given direct admission without sports trial.

These competitions are Olympic Games, World Championship/World Cup by international sports federations, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, Asian Championships by international sports federations, South Asian Games and Paralympic Games by International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

In May, Bhaker secured an Olympic quota for India when she finished fourth in the women's 10m air pistol event of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup in Munich.

Russian Dadashev dies after suffering head injuries in fight

Russian boxer Maxim Dadashev has died after suffering head injuries during a fight last week, TASS news agency reported on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old sustained the injuries in a fight in the United States against Subriel Matias.

“It’s very sad. There are no words,” Russian Boxing Federation President Umar Kremlev told Sport Express media outlet, adding it the federation would probe the circumstances surrounding Dadashev’s death.

The Russian Boxing Federation has said it would pay for Dadashev’s funeral and compensate his family.

Ankita, Nagal suffer first-round exits

It was a tough day for India's singles players Ankita Raina and Sumit Nagal as they made first-round exits from their respective tournaments, albeit, in contrasting styles.

Ankita, country's top women singles player, lost her first-round match at Baltic Open rather tamely.

She lost 2-6, 1-6 to Patricia Maria Tig in just 64 minutes in Jurmala, Latvia.

Nagal, who has enjoyed a good run in the last two months, lost 2-6, 6-7(2) to former top-10 player Richard Gasquet at the Hamburg European Open.

Nagal was playing in hist maiden ATP500 event, making it through qualifying. 

California boxing licence returned to Bulgarian athlete who forcibly kissed reporter

A Bulgarian boxer whose California licence was suspended for forcibly kissing a female reporter during an interview was reinstated on Monday but warned he faced a permanent ban for any such behaviour in the future.

The California State Athletic Commission voted 6-0 to lift the suspension of Kubrat Pulev, a heavyweight fighter known as "The Cobra," after he completed a class on sexual harassment prevention and paid a $2,500 fine.

Pulev, 38, a two-time European heavyweight champion whose on-camera encounter with Jennifer Ravalo in March went viral, apologised during the hearing in San Diego.

"I'm very sorry for this kiss," City News Service quoted him as saying. "And I must to say to Mrs. Ravel, please, excuse me and sorry for the kiss, because it was my mistake, 100 percent."

Pulev grabbed Ravalo's face in his hands and kissed her during an interview shortly after his seventh-round knockout of Romania's Bogdan Dinu in Costa Mesa, California.

In the video, she initially appears to laugh it off saying, "All right, thank you," as he walks away. But Ravel later lodged a complaint asserting the kiss was forced on her and unwelcome. She said Pulev also grabbed her buttocks following the interview.

In May the commission suspended Pulev's boxing licence, citing him for violating rules that prohibit an athlete from engaging in conduct considered a "discredit to boxing."

In his statement, Pulev said he had been "too emotional" during his interview with Ravel but has since learned that he must have "more respect for women."