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Straits Times
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Shooting-New league aims to lift Indian shooters out of cricket's shadow
Find out what's new on ST website and app. FILE PHOTO: Paris 2024 Olympics - Shooting - 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team Bronze Medal - Chateauroux Shooting Centre, Deols, France - July 30, 2024. Manu Bhaker of India (L) and Sarabjot Singh of India celebrate their win REUTERS/Amr Alfiky/File Photo NEW DELHI - Indian shooters, like most Olympic athletes in the country, are accustomed to being the poor cousins of their cricket counterparts but a new franchise-based league wants to change that. The Shooting League of India (SLI) will start on the outskirts of Delhi in November with six to eight teams, each an eclectic mix of the sport's global stars and local talents. "Despite our consistent performance in the Olympics and other events, shooting does not have the kind of visibility it should have here," National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) President Kalikesh Singh Deo told Reuters. "The league will, hopefully, give some visibility to our shooters, popularise shooting overall and increase our mass appeal." Each franchise will have a 12-member squad -- six men and six women -- with up to four foreigners in their ranks. More than 70 shooters from 25 countries have registered for next month's auction, Deo said without disclosing any names. "This is a first of its kind league in shooting and we'll ensure that the best shooters come here and put up a great show," he said. Similarities with the Indian Premier League (IPL) are uncanny and Deo acknowledged the influence of cricket's most lucrative T20 competition. "Of course, IPL is a major, successful league for any sport and we've borrowed certain elements from it. But we understand that shooting is different from cricket," Deo said. "We are not competing with cricket, but we believe that shooting needs to be recognised for being one of the most successful sports in the country. "It's a long-term venture and it's going to be fast, fun, and exciting. We'll make sure our franchises and our sponsors get a bang for their buck." MINOR FORCE India remains a minor force at the Olympic Games but shooters have enjoyed consistent success, winning three of the country's six medals in Paris last year. The league, which requires franchises to include at least two shooters aged under 21, should go a long way to establishing India as a shooting powerhouse, Deo said. "We have identified the youngsters, who will potentially compete in the 2032 and 2036 Olympics," he said. "This league will give the opportunity to all those shooters, who may not be part of the current national squad, to compete with the best and learn from them." The NRAI will announce the league's franchises and broadcast partners in due course. The International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) has thrown its support behind the league. "Innovative formats like this have the potential to bring Olympic shooting to new audiences, offer more competitive opportunities for athletes, and enhance the visibility of our sport on a national and international level," ISSF secretary general Alessandro Nicotra di San Giacomo told Reuters. "We commend NRAI for taking this initiative and wish the league every success in its inaugural season." REUTERS
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘A Second Life' Review: Agathe Rousselle, Star of Palme d'Or Winner ‘Titane,' Carries a Compellingly Off-the-Cuff Paris Movie
Film directors, like the characters they depict on screen, can sometimes learn from their mistakes. This is certainly the case with French DP turned filmmaker Laurent Slama, whose new feature A Second Life vastly improves on his Netflix debut Paris Is Us, which he made under the pseudonym Elisabeth Vogler. Both movies showcase similar styles and premises, following a young woman around Paris and employing tons of real people and locations, clearly without full authorization from the city. More from The Hollywood Reporter 'Jimmy Jaguar' Review: An Atypical Hungarian Horror Flick That's More Provocative Than Frightening Karlovy Vary Eastern Promises Winners Include 'Battalion Records,' 'In Vacuo' 1-2 Special Takes Radu Jude's 'Dracula' for North America But whereas Slama's first film felt overindulgent and ultimately aimless, this one is held down by a compelling performance from Titane's Agathe Rousselle, playing a Franco-American with a major attitude who's desperately trying to make ends meet as the 2024 Summer Olympics begin. Short and poignant, with a terrific supporting turn from Alex Lawther (Andor), A Second Life manages to avoid most of the clichés of your touristy Paris-set drama, all while using the City of Lights to its fullest. Shot and edited by Slama in a dense labyrinth filled with sightseers, fans, partygoers and a sizable police force, the film makes the summer games — or 'fucking games,' as heroine Elisabeth (Rousselle) calls them — both a backdrop and a key player in the story. Working in a concierge service renting out luxury apartments to demanding clients, Elisabeth navigates an urban gauntlet during two action-packed days, hoping to garner good customer ratings and land both a steady job and a work visa. Since she's clearly French, it's a bit confusing why Elisabeth mostly speaks English and strives to get legalized, but Slama eventually answers these questions: Born abroad to Franco-German parents and raised for a time in the U.S., she's a stranger in a strange land who's trying hard to make Paris her home. She's also inflicted with an auditory ailment that requires her to wear hearing aids — a fact that allows Slama to keep messing with the sound design, enhancing the overall sense of disorientation. Hostile and unwelcoming, Elisabeth actually comes off like a typical Parisian, ill-suited to the task of accompanying obnoxious rich people into their overpriced rentals. The film's early sections track her from one flat to another, with the camera rushing alongside her as she races around town. These moments recall another Paris-set drama: Benoit Jacquot's A Single Girl, which followed Virginie Ledoyen in real time as a luxury hotel chambermaid with a big personal dilemma. Elisabeth has some big issues as well, suffering from a nasty breakup and contemplating suicide in the opening scene. She's in no mood for small talk or even a vague smile, which is why her run-in with an unusual client, the chatty, flighty and extremely chill Elijah (Lawther), looks like it will end in yet another disaster. But as the latter decides to stick with Elisabeth throughout the rest of the day, and then some, A Second Life winds up transforming into something unexpected: not a romance, per se, but a chronicle of a budding friendship between two young people in need of genuine human affection. Yet another movie comes to mind here: Julie Delpy's Two Days in Paris, which also followed a French-American couple in a city jam-packed for its annual Fête de la musique. The difference here is how much Slama's film seems to be off-the-cuff and improvised, as if the actors were mostly playing themselves, while those around them are only vaguely aware a movie is being made (we do see bystanders occasionally look at the camera). This DIY approach befits a story about two wayward millennials who want to live freely but are each pinned down by mental health struggles, whether it's Elisabeth's depression or Elijah's panic attacks. Thankfully, the latter is also a gifted hypnotist — he's in town to work with pro athletes — and at one point he finally manages to crack Elisabeth's hard shell, calming her nerves during an impromptu therapy session at the Buttes-Chaumont park. The film can get a bit treacly during such moments, especially when Slama repeatedly inserts shots of Monet's famous Water Lilies paintings — or else of the artist's scenic gardens out in Giverny. If there ever was a clichéd tourist attraction along with the Louvre and Eiffel Tower, this would be it, although the director does manage to give it greater meaning toward the end of the film, explaining how Monet's work is ultimately a masterpiece in which the nearly blind painter triumphed over adversity. Otherwise, the director mostly sticks to reality, grounding his movie in Rousselle's tough and touching performance. After going beyond the call of duty in Julia Ducournau's Titane, her first feature, the actress shows she can play a character dealing with more mundane issues than say, getting impregnated by a Cadillac. Her Elisabeth feels very much like a young woman of our time, striving to make it but refusing to compromise herself, especially when we see her turn down a high-profile job offer from a tech guy. Slama smartly keeps his camera focused on her from start to finish, revealing how exhausting it can be to settle in a beautiful city that keeps rejecting you, until it suddenly opens its arms. Best of The Hollywood Reporter The 40 Best Films About the Immigrant Experience Wes Anderson's Movies Ranked From Worst to Best 13 of Tom Cruise's Most Jaw-Dropping Stunts
The Star
04-07-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Athletics-Yego battles to keep javelin's future alive in Kenya
FILE PHOTO: Paris 2024 Olympics - Athletics - Men's Javelin Throw Final - Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France - August 08, 2024. Julius Yego of Kenya in action REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/File Photo (Reuters) -Julius Yego, the former world champion famously known as "Mr. YouTube", faces a lonely battle to preserve javelin's future in Kenya as he prepares for Saturday's Neeraj Chopra Classic with the weight of an entire sport on his shoulders. The 2016 Rio Olympics silver medallist stands as Kenya's sole representative in javelin at World Athletics Championships, a contrast to his country's dominance in distance running that has produced athletes like Eliud Kipchoge and Faith Kipyegon. "India, of course, being a very big economy, has really been able to help Chopra. I would say maybe the Kenyan story is a little bit different because there isn't much support in the sport as such," Yego told Reuters. "You can see it's only me who is still there. I'm in the last stages of my career and then we haven't got big support as I would want it to happen, but hopefully it will continue. "I can't even push when I'm not there (retired). So I can't even be part of the people who really want to make the change when I'm not active," added 36-year-old Yego, who won the world title in 2015. Coming from countries with less exposure in athletics, Yego finds kinship with Chopra in their shared mission to expand javelin globally. "We want to make the sport grow even bigger because it is a footprint that matters a lot. What we have done so far and what will happen after us, we want the sport to continue even when we are no longer there," the 36-year-old said. With the worlds looming in Tokyo in September, Yego said he was operating at "90% fitness" due to injury concerns and with a couple of months to go before the competition starts, he does not want to rush into anything. The Kenyan also reflected on his country's depth of talent in athletics, praising triple world and Olympic 1,500 metres champion Kipyegon's recent achievements. Kipyegon last month fell short in her attempt to become the first woman to run a mile in under four minutes when she clocked 4:06.42 in a Nike "Breaking4" project that, though faster than her own world record, will not be ratified. "Kenya has big talent, especially in track. Faith's done so well. She's done great in her push to break the four-minute barrier," he said. However, he expressed a particular interest in nurturing "the next generation of javelin throwers." Apart from Yego, Irene Jepkemboi can be his country's next hope in the sport after she became the first Kenyan female athlete to surpass the 60-metre mark in the javelin last month. (Reporting by Suramya Kaushik in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
The Star
30-06-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Surfing-'Pickles' relishes first win of 2025 in Brazil
FILE PHOTO: Paris 2024 Olympics - Surfing - Women's Round 2 - Heat 4 - Teahupo'o, Tahiti, French Polynesia - July 28, 2024. Molly Picklum of Australia rides a wave. Ed Sloane/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo (Reuters) -Australian surfer Molly "Pickles" Picklum won the Vivo Rio Pro in Brazil on Sunday, taking out local star Luana Silva to claim her first win of the year and jump to the top of the world rankings with just two events of the regular season remaining. Californian powerhouse Cole Houshmand also won his first world championship tour event of 2025, beating Griffin Colapinto in the final. The biggest surfer on the world tour at 190cm and 90kg, Houshmand, 24, surfed with speed and power throughout the event and laid down the heaviest turns in the overhead but funky waves at Saquarema Beach. Houshmand picked up a decent left-hander early in the final and belted it three times for a near-perfect 9.40 out of 10 to pile the pressure on Colapinto, his San Clemente neighbour. Colapinto fought back with an 8.23 to go with an earlier 6.17 but had no answer when Houshmand added a 7.5 for a two-wave total of 16.90. "The fans all week, whether they love me or hate me, it's the most passionate people in the world," Houshmand said. "And I love it. I feed off it. We're competing in a stadium here. I looked at the beach, and you can't even see open space. "It's what we dream of and what we live for." Picklum carried her dominant early form in the competition through to the finals, putting together powerful turns and combinations on both left- and right-handers to finish with a two-wave total of 15, the highest of the women's event. 'Before I was going out, I felt really emotional because I was just like, okay, I get another chance to try and get a victory," the 22-year-old said. "I've dreamt so much of winning here in Rio, too. I'm a real energetic person, I love the Brazilian energy, and to get a win this year means so much, for sure." The tour next heads to the right-hand point of Jeffreys Bay in South Africa for the 10th stop on the schedule, before the final regular-season event at the 2024 Paris Olympics venue of Teahupo'o. The top five men and women will then compete in a one-day, winner-takes-all Finals Day in Fiji in late August or early September. (Reporting by Lincoln Feast in Sydney; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
The Star
08-06-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Swimming-Chalmers hopes Enhanced Games leads to improvement in prize money for clean swimmers
FILE PHOTO: Paris 2024 Olympics - Swimming - Men's 100m Freestyle Victory Ceremony - Paris La Defense Arena, Nanterre, France - July 31, 2024. Silver medallist Kyle Chalmers of Australia celebrates on the podium. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne/File photo (Reuters) -Kyle Chalmers won't criticise fellow swimmers for taking part in the Enhanced Games, but the Australian hopes the proposed multi-sport event prompts World Aquatics to increase prize money for clean athletes. The Enhanced Games will allow athletes to use pharmacological or technological assistance, including substances banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Retired Australian world champion swimmer James Magnussen, 34, in February last year agreed to take performance-enhancing drugs to make an attempt at beating Cesar Cielo's 15-year-old 50-metre freestyle world record. The Enhanced Games concept has been met with widespread criticism, with World Aquatics introducing a new bylaw that will prevent any athlete or official who supports or endorses doping from competing or holding any positions after a Greek swimmer supported by the Enhanced Games 'broke' the world record. "James is one of my really great mates so I'm definitely not going to knock him for going across there," Chalmers was quoted as saying by the Australian Associated Press on Sunday. "That is something that is hard in our sport, there's not a huge amount of money or prize money on offer and we kind of do it for the love of it. "So I am not going to be a person that slams swimmers for wanting to go across and make some money and give themselves a better opportunity in life or set their families up..." The Enhanced Games will hold their inaugural competition in Las Vegas in May next year with swimming, athletics and weightlifting on the agenda. Participants could earn prize money totalling up to $500,000 per event plus bonuses for surpassing a world record mark. "Swimmers have been underpaid for a very long time at the big competitions," the 26-year-old said. "I'm very lucky to have a lot of personal sponsors so I do OK for myself, which is nice. But I know that there's a lot of swimmers out there that really struggle... "So I really hope that there is a shift, that we are able to get a little bit more prize money for what we do, but I guess we'll see." (Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Editing by Michael Perry)
