Who is Riley Norton? South Africa's U19 all-rounder and U20 Rugby World Cup finalist
Norton's switch to rugby has been equally impactful. Leading the team in a global competition and now reaching the final signals his growing reputation in the sport. The 20-year-old's leadership and athletic versatility have drawn comparisons with other rare dual-sport athletes. His rise recalls names like Rudie van Vuuren of Namibia, who famously played in the 1999 Rugby World Cup and later dismissed Sachin Tendulkar during the 2003 Cricket World Cup.South Africa will now prepare to face the final hurdle in Italy, with Norton at the helm in what could be a defining moment for a player who has already worn national colours in two sports at the junior level. His journey is quickly becoming one of the most fascinating sporting stories to emerge from South Africa in recent years.- Ends
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The Hindu
25 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Stokes — raw, real and relentless
The universe sometimes conspires — almost magically — to bless a few individuals with the power not only to write their scripts, but to live them out on the grandest stages of life. Act I: T20 World Cup final, Eden Gardens, Kolkata, 2016 The tension was palpable. West Indies needed 19 runs off the final over. It was advantage England, as things stood. Marlon Samuels — calm, ice-cool and unbeaten on 85 — was stranded at the non-striker's end. The moment was ripe — not for Samuels, not for West Indies — but for a young 24-year-old Englishman full of fire and fight. Ben Stokes had the ball. History was in the making. But in his, and England's, way stood a player and a performance immortalised by Ian Bishop's iconic scream: 'Carrrrrlos Brathwaite! Carrrrrlos Brathwaite — remember the name!' Four sixes on the trot, each sailing into the night sky and then swallowed by the crowd, stunned Stokes and his teammates into shock. Brathwaite had pulled off the unthinkable and handed the Windies a cherished world title. Stokes crumbled; his face sank into the palm of his hands. He dropped to the floor, hollowed out by heartbreak. As one name and performance entered the annals of history, another – Stokes – was buried under the weight of an opportunity gone tragically wrong. A man, who could have been a national hero, was made the villain. 'I said to myself, 'I've lost the World Cup.' I couldn't believe it. I didn't know what to do. It took me so long to get back on my feet. I didn't want to get back up. It was like the whole world had come down on me,' Stokes, always one to candidly dissect emotions, would later admit. 'There weren't any good things going through my mind. It was just complete devastation. After the first six, I thought, 'Oh God,' but I was backing myself. I had been in that type of situation for four weeks in all my training, so it was not a case of holding anything back and thinking, 'I hope I get this one in' because I knew I could do it.' But destiny is often cruel. 'I haven't watched it back yet because I don't want to bring myself to do that at this stage,' he said later. 'I don't know how much I missed it, but as a bowler, you have a feeling as soon as you let go whether or not you've got the yorker right — and it felt like I had. 'Some days they go well. Some days they don't. That was a horrible day, but I won't be shying away from it. You almost want it to happen… because if you nail it, everyone forgets the final.' But no one forgot. Not then. Not even now. After the gutting group-stage exit in the 2015 ODI World Cup, the T20 final loss was akin to rubbing salt on one's raw wounds. It was rock bottom, sure, but as it turns out, it was not the end. Act II: Rock Bottom to Rock Star 'You've got to lose to know how to win…' — Aerosmith famously crooned in their 1973 classic 'Dream On'. Stokes held that loss at the Eden close to his heart. The itch of that adamant scar dragged him back to the drawing board. Only this time, it wasn't just blind hard work; he trained smarter. It dawned on him that technique wasn't the only area of work: far more important were temperament and mindset. Stokes needed to find a way to give direction to the fire that burned within. He needed to find purpose. And where better to find that than at home! His father, Gerard, was a tough, no-nonsense rugby player-turned-coach. His mother, Deborah, who introduced him to cricket as a young boy, worked as a counsellor for victims of violent crime. Growing up, young Benjamin excelled at both sports. 'In a room full of people, you'd spot a Stokes straight away,' the all-rounder once said. 'The sense of humour is the same. We take the mickey out of each other constantly. My brother's a grouch around people — he just grunts. That competitiveness, the frustration, the inside build-up of anger — that's from my old man. I've definitely got that in me,' the Christchurch-born English all-rounder said. Gerard wasn't one for excuses. For years, he told his son he'd lost a finger to a crocodile. The truth, when it came out, was equally striking: 'He kept dislocating the same finger,' Stokes recalled. 'The doctor said he needed surgery. But Dad couldn't afford to miss games — he had bills to pay. So he just got it cut off.' That missing finger would eventually be his son's iconic celebration. But it was in that kind of environment — relentless, raw, real — that Ben Stokes was shaped. 'If I didn't do well, I'd beat myself up,' he remembered. 'Especially when I was younger. I'd just get angry. I'm not someone who hates people for beating me. But I. Just. Don't. Like. Losing'. But somewhere along the way, something shifted. From pain came a hard-earned truth: stop chasing moments…become them. While others shrank in the wake of chaos, Stokes always found himself drawn to it. Take the 2019 ODI World Cup, for example. Once again, a final – this time at Lord's – and a final over, except this time he was the one batting. Fifteen runs were needed for a famous win against New Zealand. History stared him down once more, but this time, Stokes didn't blink. Stokes would drop to his knees once more, but this time after willing his team across the finish line, in a Super Over no less. He took the weight of a nation and turned it into poetry. Act III: Immortality in Leeds If Lord's was redemption, Headingley was a step above. With the Ashes slipping away, England — chasing 359 — collapsed to 286 for nine. With 73 runs still needed and just one wicket in hand against an Australian attack baying for blood, it seemed foolish to hope. Alone but determined, Stokes motored on. He reverse-swept Nathan Lyon into the stands and switch-hit Pat Cummins for maximums. He smashed boundaries, all with tailender Jack Leach as his shadow. For all his heroics, Stokes was but human. When he trudged unwillingly to the non-striker's end, he was rendered unable to watch Leach's desperate attempts to survive. The pair kept the game alive. Stokes was handed the relief of a missed run out and an erroneous not out decision on an LBW appeal (Australia couldn't turn to DRS, having exhausted its reviews). Two runs were needed for a largely unlikely English win when Cummins resumed with the ball. Leach blocked before running a single and bringing Stokes back on strike. He wasted no time, creaming a length delivery through covers to seal a miraculous win. Arms spread wide, Stokes – who finished with an unbeaten 135 – roared. Headingley erupted in unison. The famous Western Terrace stands went into a frenzy. 'It was beyond greatness,' said former England captain Nasser Hussain. 'It was something else. Something beyond cricket.' 359 was chased, the Ashes remained alive, and the game got a masterclass on the power of belief. Final act: Leading from the front In 2022, when Stokes was handed the reins of the England Test team, the side was adrift. One win in 17 outings didn't inspire any confidence. Spirits were low. The team's brand of cricket was unclear. England had lost its soul. Early on in his partnership with coach Brendon McCullum, it was evident the duo were cut from the same cloth: bold, unafraid, instinctive. Together, they didn't just rebuild a team; they redefined it. They exorcised passivity from England's character. No more playing for the draw. No more waiting for the game to come to them. Stokes and McCullum lit a fire and gave it a new name: Bazball. Its evangelists were keen to underline that this style of cricket was not about reckless bravado, but about freedom. And at the heart of it was a liberated Stokes. The 2023 series had a not-so-glamorous 2-2 score on paper. But those who watched every ball know that this series housed some of the most riveting contests the red ball game has ever seen. At Lord's, when tensions flared after the controversial stumping of Jonny Bairstow, it was Stokes who walked the tightrope between rage and grace. His counter-attacking 155 nearly pulled off the impossible. Belief is a Ben Stokes staple. The most recent proof of concept coming from England's recent triumph over India at Lord's in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. With India matching England blow for blow with bat and ball, Stokes effected a game-changing run out of Rishabh Pant in India's first innings — an athletic pinpoint throw after bowling five overs of short-pitched darters under intense heat. Not only was a threatening partnership broken, but that run out galvanised the crowd to get behind the home boys. Stokes, the bowler, has been exceptional all through this series, but more so at Lord's. He struck twice in the first innings, however, it was his performance later in the match that defined the contest. He bowled himself for 24 overs on the trot, at speeds exceeding 137 kmph, removing K.L. Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, and nightwatchman Akash Deep in a pivotal session on the penultimate day. His sustained 9.2-over burst on the final morning laid the foundation for England's eventual victory. As a leader, his composure and tactical might took centrestage whenever tempers ran high. Sharp catching positions, attacking bowling changes and faith in their short-ball strategy to dismantle the lower order paid rich dividends. He managed 44 and 33 in testing conditions and against menacing opponents like Bumrah, anchoring England's lower-order resistance. The home side won by a narrow 22 runs, proving his shifts invaluable in the end. That triumph gave England 2-1 lead in the series, reaffirming Stokes' own status as the pulse of the red-ball setup. Bazball is an easy concept to bash because of its volatility. But its champions remain unfazed. What Stokes and McCullum have built is more than a team. It's a culture. They've made Test cricket thrilling again. Not because they win every time, but because they aren't afraid to lose. And that, oddly, is what makes them win more. Stokes' redemption is more about persistence than perfection. His ascendancy was anything but smooth — in fact, the first chapter of his career had more infamy than glory. The 2016 T20 World Cup final cast a long, painful shadow. The 2017 nightclub brawl in Bristol led to an arrest, a trial, and a suspension. He lost the England vice-captaincy and missed the 2017-18 Ashes. It takes something special to resist spiralling and emerge transformed in spirit. Stokes didn't just have to reclaim his place in the team — he had to earn back the trust of a dressing room, and a nation. Turns out, he's done that and in some style. Some players create history. But once in a generation, one becomes it. Benjamin Andrew Stokes — Remember the Name!
Hindustan Times
29 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
India's 2036 Olympics bid faces Qatar challenge
New Delhi: India is making an ambitious pitch to host the 2036 Olympics and the task before it only got more challenging with Qatar confirming this week that it is also bidding for the Games. Qatar hosted the 2022 men's football World Cup after staging the 2019 world athletics championships and is also the venue for the 2030 Asian Games. (AP) Doha hosted the 2022 men's football World Cup after staging the 2019 world athletics championships and is also the venue for the 2030 Asian Games. The Qatar Olympic Committee announced on Tuesday that it is taking part in the 'ongoing discussions' with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in keeping with the process put in place for hosting a future Games. 'We currently have 95% of the required sports infrastructure in place to host the Games, and we have a comprehensive national plan to ensure 100% readiness of all facilities,' Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, the QOC president and head of the bid committee, said in a media release. Turkey, Indonesia and Chile are also bidding for the 2036 Games. An Indian delegation led by Indian Olympic Association president PT Usha and including Gujarat sports minister Harsh Sanghvi – Ahmedabad is being pitched as the host city – visited IOC headquarters in Lausanne early this month and initiated the 'continuous dialogue' process. While the Indian delegation spoke of how the Olympic movement can serve as a 'generational springboard for socio-economic development, innovation, education and youth pride, advancing both India and the Olympic Movement,' IOC conveyed that India must pay urgent attention to the governance crisis in IOA and an alarming rise in doping cases. The IOC team was headed by director general Christophe De Kepper and Olympic Games ED, Christophe Dubai. 'IOC has said that IOA, NSFs and the government need to be on the same page and need to put up a united front. They have also raised concerns over the rise in doping cases in India and called for strong anti-doping measures to be implemented,' people aware of the development in the meeting had told HT. India seems to be taking strong steps in sorting out the issues. An end to the prolonged feud between Usha and IOA's executive committee members – they have refused to ratify the appointment of Raghuram Iyer as the body's first CEO – seems to be in sight. Both sides have met the union sports minister, Mansukh Mandaviya, and ratifying Iyer's appointment is expected to happen this week. The new National Sports Governance Bill, which was placed in parliament on Wednesday, also seeks to rein in doping by strengthening the administrative mechanism. The next summer games will be hosted by Los Angeles in 2028 and Brisbane is the 2032 Games venue.
The Hindu
43 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Qatar sets sights on 2036 Olympics Games by creating bid committee
The Qatar Olympic Committee on Wednesday announced the creation of a bid committee for the 2036 Olympics and Paralympic Games, confirming its intention to host the events that would come 14 years after it staged the World Cup. It's the latest attempt by the Middle Eastern country to host the Summer Games, after Doha was overlooked by the International Olympic Committee in favour of Brisbane for the 2032 Olympics. On two other occasions, Doha did not progress to the IOC's list of candidates. The Qatari committee said the country, which was criticized by human rights defenders ahead of the World Cup, 'has firmly established itself as a global hub for major international sporting events ... (and) has successfully hosted numerous world championships across multiple disciplines and invested in world-class infrastructure that reflects the country's long-term commitment to excellence and sustainability in sport.' ALSO READ | Gout Gout at Commonwealth Games 2026: Australia's sprint sensation confirms plans for Glasgow CWG The QOC said the bid committee will 'engage national stakeholders and international partners to shape a proposal that is technically strong, socially inclusive and globally relevant.' 'The bid will reflect a unified national vision that builds on Qatar's track record, speaks to the potential of the region and upholds the enduring values of excellence, friendship and respect that define the Olympic and Paralympic movements,' the committee said. The committee didn't address when in 2036 it would propose to host the Games. The World Cup had to be held in November and December because of the extreme heat in the region. The IOC prefers the traditional July-August slot. Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, president of the Qatar Olympic Committee, will serve as bid committee chairman. Related Topics 2036 Olympics
