A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday
Credited for moulding the likes of Manu Bhaker and Anish Bhanwala, junior shooting coach Jaspal Rana was a notable omission from this year's Dronacharya award recommendations but the national federation stood firmly behind him, saying he is the "best candidate" for the honour.
The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) said the acclaimed marksman, who uses his rich experience and knowledge to guide the upcoming shooters, should have been considered.
He was overlooked despite consistently producing results as the Indian junior team coach for pistol and rifle shooters.
"We are convinced he (Jaspal) was the best candidate for the award," NRAI president Raninder Singh told PTI.
The national shooting federation's president, though, was hopeful that the multiple Asian Games and Commonwealth Games medallist would soon be bestowed with the honour for his contribution to the sport.
".... it is for the empowered panel to decide on merit and we trust such an accomplished and talented coach will very soon be considered favourably at the next such opportunity," Raninder added.
The Dronacharya honour is given by the Government of India for excellence in sports coaching.
The 42-year-old was at the forefront of the junior shooters' rapid growth in the last couple of years, with his wards winning medals in not just junior but senior international tournaments too, including in the recently-concluded Asian Games in Indonesia.
Teen sensations Bhaker, Saurabh Chaudhary and Bhanwala grabbed podiums and headlines with their fearless approach, with Japsal, in their own words, playing a key role in their success.
In the just-concluded ISSF World Championships in Changwon, South Korea, which also marked the beginning of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic qualifying cycle, the juniors once again exceeded expectations.
India returned with a record 11 gold, nine silver and seven bronze, and the junior shooters accounted for a majority of the podium finishes.
Vijay bags bronze in junior wrestling world championships
Indian wrestler Vijay bagged the bronze medal in the 55kg greco-roman category after defeating Cihat Ahmet Liman of Turkey 16-8 in the Junior World Championships in Trnava, Slovakia, on Tuesday.
It was a victory by fall. He beat Kim Doohoon of Korea 3-1 in the quarter-final but lost to Armenia's Tigran Minasyan 10-0 in the semi-final.
In the 60kg greco-roman style, another Indian wrestler, whose name is also Vijay, reached the final with a win over Ali Reza Ayat Ollah Nejati of Iran.
He will take on Turkey's Kerem Kamal in the gold medal match.
Asian champion Sajan Bhanwal also advanced into the finals of 77kg greco-roman with a 4-1 win over Dmytro Gardubei of Ukraine.
Man charged after Spanish golfer found dead on Iowa golf course
Police in the United States have charged a homeless man with the murder of Celia Barquin Arozamena on Tuesday, a day after the Spanish amateur golfing champion was found dead on a golf course in Iowa.
Barquin, 22, won the European Ladies' Amateur championship in July and was studying civil engineering at Iowa state university.
Her unattended golf bag was discovered by golfers at the Coldwater Golf Links in Ames early on Monday, and police found her body in a pond a short distance away with stab wounds to the head, neck and upper torso.
The suspect, Collin Daniel Richards, was charged with first-degree murder and appeared in court on Tuesday.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Celia Barquin Arozamena," an Ames Police Department spokesman told a news conference on Tuesday.
"During a search of the wooded area next to the golf course, officers located a subject who spoke of another individual living in the wooded area who had made statements of having an urge to rape and kill women."
A police dog tracked the scent from the victim's body to a location in the wooded area, where police encountered Richards, who had "fresh scratches on his face consistent with a fight and was attempting to conceal a laceration on his left hand."
A knife and clothes covered in blood were also recovered, and Richards was charged with first-degree murder, the spokesman added.
Story County Attorney Jessica Reynolds told the Des Moines Register newspaper that the state believed Richards to be a "flight risk" and "a danger to the community."
Tributes poured in for Barquin, with Iowa State's head women's golf coach, Christie Martens telling local media the young golfer was a "beautiful person who was loved by all her team mates and friends."
Spain's sports minister Jose Guirao tweeted that "her loss leaves us broken" and offered his condolences to her friends, family and "the whole family of sports."
