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#BronzeMedal

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Breaking Ice : Indian Women's Ice Hockey Team Wins Historic Bronze in UAE!

The Indian Women's Ice Hockey Team has created a new chapter in the history of Indian sports by winning its first-ever bronze medal at the 2025 IIHF Women's Asia Cup. Held in the United Arab Emirates, the tournament saw six international teams competing for the top spot. The Indian team, comprising 20 members from Ladakh and one from Himachal Pradesh, defied all odds to secure the third position on the podium.The Journey to SuccessThe team's journey began in the rugged terrains of Ladakh and Spiti Valley, where temperatures dip below freezing levels during winter. A group of young women decided to take up ice hockey, breaking societal barriers in a male-dominated sport. With no gear, no funding, and no precedent, the women turned frozen ponds into their battlegrounds. Despite facing discouragement and remarks like "Go home, be mothers" and "Try dancing instead," the women did not back down and scored.The team formed the Ladakh Women's Ice Hockey Foundation (LWIFH) to promote women's ice hockey and provide opportunities for young girls. Over the years, the foundation has received support from the government, and the team has achieved new milestones. The foundation has also started training kids in remote villages, promoting the sport across the country. For quite some time, the sport has been gaining more popularity, and many more women and young girls are aspiring and training hard to be in the national jersey and represent India in this beautiful sport of ice hockey.The Winning MomentIn a historic match, the Indian Women's Ice Hockey Team defeated the host nation, United Arab Emirates (UAE), 5-4, marking the first time India has beaten UAE in international women's hockey. The match was a reflection of India's ever-growing talent, with the Indian team scoring the winning goal in the last few seconds. The victory was met with widespread recognition and admiration from fellow players and fans worldwide.Understanding Ice HockeyIce hockey is a fast-paced team sport played on ice, where two teams consisting of six players each, including a goalkeeper, compete to score more goals than their opponents. The objective is simple: hit a puck into the opposing team's goal using a stick. A standard game is divided into three periods, each lasting 20 minutes. During gameplay, players can be penalized for infractions like tripping, hitting, or hooking opponents, which can temporarily or sometimes even permanently impact their participation in the game. A goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line, and the team with the most goals at the end of the three periods wins the game.The Indian Women's Ice Hockey Team's bronze medal win is proof of their hard work, passion, and unity. As the team looks to the future, they hope to inspire a new generation of young girls to take up the sport. With continued support and infrastructure development, Indian ice hockey can reach new heights. Ice Hockey in IndiaIce hockey in India is a growing sport, primarily popular in the regions of Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir. The sport was introduced by the British Raj in Shimla, and the Shimla Ice Skating Club still promotes ice sports in India. The India men's national ice hockey team made its international debut in 2009 at the IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The team has mostly participated in the Challenge Cup of Asia, a regional tournament for lower-tier ice hockey nations in Asia. The Ice Hockey Association of India (IHAI), which is the governing body responsible for overseeing ice hockey in India, became a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) on April 27, 1989. Many members of the Indian national team are recruited from clubs associated with military units and regiments. India has a total of 2,554 players, with 1,260 senior male players, 589 junior players, and 705 female players. The country has 24 referees and 3 indoor rinks, with 42 outdoor rinks. The Ice Hockey Association of India is working to promote the sport and develop infrastructure.

10 Jun 2025
Good News

The Rise of a Shooting Star: Manu Bhaker Becomes India’s First Female Olympic Shooting Medalist!

In a moment that will be etched in Indian sports history, Manu Bhaker opened India's medal tally at the Paris Olympics 2024 by securing a bronze in the women's 10m air pistol event. The 22-year-old prodigy from Haryana not only lived up to her billing as one of India's biggest medal contenders but also became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal in shooting. Her victory broke India's dry spell in Olympic shooting, following medal-less outings at both the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Games. A Historic Feat It took India just two days to capture their first medal at the Paris Olympics, thanks to Bhaker's remarkable performance. Competing with a score of 221.7 in the finals, Manu's journey to the podium was anything but straightforward. She finished fourth in the qualification round, narrowly making it to the finals. However, as the competition on the second day of the Olympics commenced, all eyes were on her. Despite stellar performances from PV Sindhu, Sreeja Akula, and Nikhat Zareen, it was Manu who ultimately elevated India's presence on the global stage, with the national flag soaring high in her honor. Source: Google Images Redemption and Triumph Manu's bronze medal win was a story of redemption and resilience. Three years ago, at the Tokyo Olympics, she experienced a heart-wrenching disappointment when a gun malfunction during the qualification round dashed her hopes of making it to the finals. Overcoming the emotional and psychological aftermath of that setback required immense patience and hard work. Yet, Bhaker's perseverance paid off in Paris, where she executed a near-flawless performance, narrowly missing the silver. In the final five rounds, Manu came tantalizingly close to overtaking South Korea's Kim Yegi, firing a 10.3 to momentarily take the lead. However, a 10.5 by Yegi in the last shot nudged Bhaker to third place. Another South Korean, Oh Ye Jin, took gold with an Olympic record score of 243.2. Early Years Manu Bhaker's journey from a small town in Haryana to the Olympic podium proves her extraordinary talent and determination. Haryana is known for producing boxing and wrestling champions. However, Bhaker charted a different course, trading the boxing ring for the shooting range. In her early years, Bhaker was a multi-faceted athlete, excelling in tennis, skating, and even the martial art of thang ta, where she won national accolades. However, it was the allure of the Olympics, sparked by the 2016 Rio Games, that directed her focus toward shooting. At just fourteen, she persuaded her father to buy her a pistol. That set the stage for her rapid rise in the sport. Bhaker's breakout moment came when she defeated seasoned Olympian Heena Sidhu at the national championships, a victory that sent shockwaves through the shooting community. Her talent quickly gained international recognition, with notable performances at the Asian Junior Championships and the Asian Games. But it was her gold medal at the Youth Olympics that cemented her status as a shooting prodigy. Under the mentorship of veteran marksman Jaspal Rana, Bhaker continued to dominate. Her exceptional showing at the Olympic Selection Trials secured her spot in the Indian shooting squad for Tokyo. Despite the heartbreak there, she returned stronger, culminating in her historic performance in Paris. Bhaker's achievement also marks the first time an Indian woman has qualified for the 10m air pistol final at the Olympics. Her success follows the footsteps of previous Indian shooting medalists, including Gagan Narang and Vijay Kumar, who won medals at the London 2012 Games. As she stood on the podium, the national anthem playing and the tricolor flying high, Manu Bhaker paved the way for future generations of Indian shooters to aim for the stars.

29 Jul 2024
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Star Citizens

From Body Shaming to Record Smashing: Krishna’s Story of Power and Perseverance!

When I was young, I had thick, untamed unibrows, something my friends didn’t. I spent years feeling insecure, threading them away with gritted teeth, believing that beauty meant pain and conformity. But as I grew, I realized it was just hair, a detail so small yet given so much weight by the world. The pressure to fit in had been an illusion, and my real power lay in embracing what made me unique.This isn’t just my story, it’s the story of many like me and of people like Krishna Jayasankar, who once struggled with body shaming but turned it into her strength breaking records one after another. The Unstoppable Rise of India’s Shot Put StarIn the bustling city of Bengaluru, where traditions intertwine with modernity, a fierce athlete has emerged Krishna Jayasankar, the name now echoing in the world of shot put. Krishna recently set a new Indian women’s indoor shot put record with an astounding throw of 16.03 meters at the Mountain West Indoor Track and Field Championship in Albuquerque. Yet, her journey to this pinnacle of success has been far from smooth. Born into an athletic family, Krishna inherited the towering frame of her parents, national basketball players Prasanna and Jayasankar Menon. But what should have been a symbol of strength turned into a source of silent suffering. In a society that often values delicate beauty over raw power, Krishna faced relentless body shaming.“I have the physique of my father, and growing up, people made fun of me. I didn’t realize it was body shaming, I thought something was wrong with me,” Krishna recalls. Even within her home, her mother urged her to lose weight, fearing society’s cruel judgments. But Krishna was not one to crumble. She questioned why she needed to shrink herself when her body was not a burden but a symbol of strength.From Body-Shamed to Record-BreakerThe turning point came when she traveled to Jamaica to train under coach Michael Wessel. There, Krishna saw athletes who looked muscular just like her but, powerful, and unapologetic. It was a revelation. “Jamaica taught me that my body is beautiful,” she says, the glow of self-acceptance finally replacing years of self-doubt.Her relentless pursuit of greatness pushed her through the challenges of the COVID-19 lockdown, training in makeshift setups at home. When the opportunity arose to train at Wessel’s academy in Jamaica, fear of the country's crime rates almost held her back but her desire to conquer the sport outweighed her anxieties.Breaking Records, Breaking StereotypesKrishna soon earned a groundbreaking NCAA Division One scholarship, the first Indian female thrower to do so taking her from the University of Texas El Paso to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Under the guidance of her current coach, Jordan Roach, Krishna fine-tuned her skills, and a breakthrough came when she surpassed the 15-metre mark, smashing mental and physical barriers alike. Today, standing tall and proud at 5'10", Krishna has no desire to conform to outdated beauty standards. Her record-breaking throw in Albuquerque wasn’t just a sporting achievement, it was a powerful statement against every voice that ever tried to diminish her.“I am living the American dream, but my heart is Indian. I will always represent my country,” she asserts.Looking ahead, Krishna has her sights set on the 2028 Olympics, with the Asian and Commonwealth Games also on her radar. Each throw now carries the weight of her dreams and the hopes of every girl who has ever been told she’s “too much”,  too tall, too strong, too bold.The Beauty That Lies WithinKrishna’s journey is more than a tale of athletic triumph, it’s a celebration of self-love and unyielding strength. Just like unibrows are more than just hair, her muscles were more than just size, they were symbols of resilience, carved by every insult she once endured and every throw she’s ever made.Her story teaches us that the parts of ourselves we once hid can become the very source of our power. It’s not about blending in but it’s about standing tall, bold, and unapologetic. So whether it’s a unibrow, broad shoulders, or anything else the world has told you to “fix” remember, your so-called flaws might just be your hidden superpowers. Own them. Just like Krishna did.

13 Mar 2025
Star Citizens

Beyond Limitations: The Story of a Passionate Photographer's Journey to International Fame

With a strong will and creative vision, Mohith Majety has never let his physical limitations hold him back from capturing the world's beauty through his camera's lenses. Despite being born with a defect in his foot and missing more than half of his fingers, this 24-year-old has turned his perceived disadvantage into his greatest strength, creating a world for himself that is filled with passion, creativity and boundless possibilities. With the support of his family and teachers, he pursued his dream and recently won the bronze medal for Outdoor Photography at the International Abilympics 2023 held in France. This accomplishment has brought him worldwide recognition and made him one of the most identified photographers in the world in the differently-abled category. Mohith's journey has been remarkable. He completed his BTech in Instrumentation Engineering from IIT Kharagpur and went on to do his Masters in Management (MBA) at Essec School of Business in Paris. After participating in the National Abilympics competitions in India and winning a gold medal, he earned the opportunity to participate in the International Abilympics. However, due to Covid-19 and the Russian war, he had to wait three years before finally winning the bronze medal. International photography expert Vijay Jodha commended Mohith's achievement, stating that he competed with full-time professionals from other countries despite being an amateur. Mohith's success is a testament to his perseverance, talent, and creative vision.

4 Apr 2023
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