Latest news with #OlympicMedalist
India.com
6 days ago
- Sport
- India.com
BFI announces Rs 17.5 Lakh prize money for Indian Medal Winners at Brazil and Astana Boxing World Cups
World Boxing Cup medalists with Boxing Interim Committee Chairman Ajay Singh, Olympic Medalist Vijender. (PIC - X) The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) has announced a prize purse of Rs 17.5 lakh to reward the 17 Indian boxers who brought home medals from the recent World Boxing Cup legs in Brazil and Kazakhstan. Each gold medallist will receive Rs 2 lakh, silver medallists Rs 1 lakh, and bronze winners Rs 50,000, as India builds momentum toward the World Boxing Cup Finals to be held in New Delhi later this year. The announcement comes at a time when India's national core group continues high-intensity training at the Patiala camp in preparation for two key international events: the World Boxing Championships in Liverpool in September and, later, the World Boxing Cup Finals on home soil. In a further boost to the development pipeline, the BFI has been approached by China to explore a strategic partnership spanning junior, sub-junior, and elite levels, including potential joint training camps and sparring exchanges. Commenting on the pugilists' success and the path forward, BFI President-Chairman, Interim Committee, Mr Ajay Singh, said: 'I want to congratulate our boxers for a fantastic showing on the world stage. Our efforts are beginning to bear fruit. India has made a huge mark in the first two cups and our fifth in the world. It's a matter of pride. When you go to these championships, people come up to congratulate the contingent, to tell us what a great job India is doing in boxing. We have also been approached by China for a strategic relationship for boxing development, reflecting how highly the world is looking at Indian boxing.' 'But this is just the beginning. There are many Mary Koms and Vijender Singhs out there; we must nurture them and ensure they're prepared to deliver at the biggest stages, including the Olympics,' he added. The dual World Boxing Cup performance brought India a total of 17 medals, including 4 gold, with standout showings from Sakshi (54kg), Jaismine Lamboria (57kg) and Nupur (80+kg) in Astana, and Hitesh Gulia (70kg) in Brazil. Notably, both Hitesh and Abhinash Jamwal (65kg) secured medals at both events—a gold and silver for Hitesh; two silvers for Abhinash—underlining consistency across weight categories. In addition to the gold medallists, India's medal tally included silvers for Pooja Rani (80kg), Minakshi (48kg), Jugnoo (85kg), and Hitesh and Abhinash in Astana, while Sanju (60kg), Nikhil Dubey (75kg), and Narender (90+kg) earned bronze. From the Brazil leg, bronze medals were also secured by Jadumani Singh (50kg), Manish Rathore (55kg), Sachin Siwach (60kg), and Vishal (90kg). Speaking at the ceremony, guest of honour Mr Vijender Singh, India's first Olympic boxing medallist, said: 'You all have done very well, all the boys and girls. We have to keep going. There are a lot of hurdles in life, and we have to move ahead without being satisfied, always hungry for more success.' The recognition reflects the Federation's continued push to reward performance and sharpen India's international boxing ecosystem with depth, structure, and continuity at its core. Earlier this year, India clinched a rich medal haul at the Asian Boxing U-15 and U-17 Championships, underscoring the strength of its talent pipeline. At the Thailand Open, India's second- and third-in-line boxers delivered silverware, showcasing bench strength across categories. Domestically, the recently concluded Elite Women's Boxing Tournament in Telangana offered high-quality exposure for top contenders and a platform to identify the next tier of national talent.
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Simone Biles wins top awards at 2025 ESPYs
Simone Biles won two trophies at the ESPYS on Wednesday night, including the Women's Best Athlete award. The 11-time Olympic medalist also claimed the night's first award, Best Championship Performance for her efforts at the Paris Games. She won three golds and a silver there while helping the US women's gymnasts win their first team title since 2016. She beat Stephen Curry, Freddie Freeman and Rory McIlroy to the prize. "That was very unexpected, especially in a category of all men," Biles said after kissing her husband, Chicago Bears footballer Jonathan Owens. "I'm honoured to receive this award. The recognition means more than you guys know. I would like to thank the people who have stood with me on this journey - my teammates, my competitors, my coaches, family and fans - who have lifted me up every step of the way. I wouldn't be standing here without all of you. "Having a strong support system that understands your dreams, who are willing to show up for you, not just when you're winning, but when you're struggling, too, is really important," Biles continued. "My sincere gratitude, appreciation and love to all of you who have stood with me on this magical journey, all the highs, lows, twists and turns along the way." The annual awards show, produced by ESPN since 1993, brought people across the sports world to the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Forbes
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Building The Daily Discipline To Lead At The Highest Level
Julia Rafal-Baer, CEO and Founder, Women Leading Ed and ILO Group. Leadership under pressure is not for the faint of heart. The pressure is constant, and everybody is watching. That's the shared reality for leaders in business, education, public life and beyond. And too often in education, leaders are asked to take these top jobs in systems that are outdated, designed for past challenges, while being expected to navigate pressure and drive bold, new progress. Overcoming that reality, transforming systems, accelerating outcomes and achieving strategic goals as leaders requires an inward understanding of ourselves and an enduring and daily commitment to our own growth. World-class athletes provide a powerful model for inward improvement for high-impact leaders. Elite athletes excel because they train their minds as much as their bodies. It's the inner athlete that defines how they show up, both in competition and, critically, in daily practice. Athletes live in pursuit of something specific. Clear. Measurable. Purposeful. They spend years training to shave a tenth of a second off their time or to jump just half an inch higher. Not to beat someone else, but to reveal more of what they are capable of. I had the chance recently to host a fireside chat with six-time Olympic medalist, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, at our annual summit. Top women in education leadership from states across the country heard about the lessons that propelled her to sustained greatness. We delved into resilience, grit and the discipline required to not only break through barriers but stay on top. Widely regarded as one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century, Joyner-Kersee's greatness didn't come from talent alone. It came from discipline and a commitment to chasing her own limits, day after day. As someone who coaches and develops leaders navigating high-stakes decisions every day, I see a troubling pattern: Too many leaders are burning out, not because they aren't smart or capable, but because they believe grinding harder is the only answer. They put more time in at the office, or at night or on weekends, thinking that if they just push through, they'll get to 'the other side.' What they don't realize is that at the top, there is no other side. And if leaders haven't developed the inner habits that sustain clarity and calm amidst the chaos, they are more likely to burn out and break down. Top executives like New York Times CEO Meredith Kopit Levien and Courtney della Cava of Blackstone recently pointed to the importance of stamina over time as a critical trait for successful leaders. As these two top corporate executives also know, leaders who are able to build the habits and practices to improve and endure in leadership are those who move from simply surviving to thriving and achieving transformational results. Clarity. Discipline. Purpose. When we think of athletic excellence, we often think of focus, laser-sharp, no-distraction, eyes-on-the-prize focus. That's not just a physical skill; it's a mental one. And it's one we all need to cultivate. Here's how to start: Athletes chase measurable goals. Leaders must do the same. Define what success looks like for you, not just in abstract terms, but with clarity and precision. What does a successful week, month, quarter or year look like? How will you measure progress toward your long-term vision? Whether it's giving more effective feedback, financial decisions or mastering new tools, if it matters to your leadership, measure it. You can't train when you don't track. Athletes train every day; high-impact leaders must do the same with a focus on mental, emotional and strategic growth. Carving out daily time for reflection is a powerful place to start. It can be as simple as asking yourself a series of targeted questions and being completely honest with yourself: What did I learn today? Where did I lead well? Where can I do better tomorrow? Build that structured reflective time into your morning or evening routine and protect that time like it's your calendar's most important meeting. The world's best athletes have coaches and data to track progress and constantly refine their game. Leaders need that too. They need trusted advisors and peer communities who will challenge them honestly and constructively. One of the most effective strategies in this area is a coaching collaborative. In my own practice, we pair senior leaders with individual, one-on-one coaching, then bring the coaches together to identify common themes, challenges and opportunities across the team. These collective insights are elevated to top leadership and their coach to drive deeper alignment, sharper decision making and real progress on strategic goals. Building a system for getting feedback and acting on it is an essential component in training your inner athlete and improving as a leader overall. The best athletes are as serious about recovery as they are about pushing themselves in their most intense training sessions. In weight training, for example, growth doesn't happen during the lift. It happens in the pause, the rest. Muscles repair and grow stronger in recovery. Without it, they break down. Leadership is no different. Leaders need rest to perform at their best. Recovery time, quiet and solitude and stepping away from the noise isn't a luxury, but a fundamental part of intentional recovery for leaders to stay sharp and show up strong. Being The Inner Athlete Jackie Joyner-Kersee didn't wait for the world to give her a lane in the Olympics; she trained for it. Olympic training is a daily practice of focusing on measurable goals, getting honest feedback on progress, holding oneself accountable, pushing for progress and recovering with intention. Leaders at the top of their industries need to do the same. The challenges in business, education and public service aren't going away. They demand the kind of leadership that's forged under pressure, but grounded in purpose. They need the kind of leaders disciplined enough to get better every single day. Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Yahoo
Mary Lou Retton's Arrest Captured on Bodycam — Mugshots of Former Gold Medalist Released
Mary Lou Retton was arrested in May on a DUI charge in West Virginia The Olympian's arrest was captured on body cam footage She made history in 1984 as the first American female gymnast to win an individual all-around gold medalBodycam footage of Mary Lou Retton's May arrest shows her in an apparently distressed state as she tries to perform a sobriety test for West Virginia law enforcement officials. Retton was arrested on a DUI charge on May 17 in Marion County, W. Va., according to court records reviewed by PEOPLE at the time. The five-time Olympic medalist was allegedly spotted in her car in a Marion County AutoZone parking lot with a screw-top bottle of wine in her passenger seat, the Associated Press reported, citing a criminal complaint. Retton, 57, is seen in the bodycam footage obtained by Entertainment Tonight as an officer with the Fairmont City Police Department instructs her to carry out the sobriety test. As the officer guides her through the steps, Retton appears compliant, though at times she expresses shock at the situation, gasping and saying, "Oh my God." She appears to struggle to complete the test, which requires her to put her foot up six inches off the ground, and count until instructed by the officer to stop. Retton appears to struggle to count past nine. At one point, she seems to have trouble breathing, and has to get her oxygen, tying the tube to her nose while doing the test. Retton has been relying on daily oxygen since her recovery from a serious bout of pneumonia in 2023 — an illness so severe that doctors briefly believed she might not survive, she told PEOPLE in 2024. In July 2024, the Dancing with the Stars alum told PEOPLE that she was so gravely ill at one point during her month-long hospital stay that the doctors had told her four daughters she might not make it. 'It's been really hard," she told PEOPLE in 2024. "My lungs are so scarred. It will be a lifetime of recovery. My physicality was the only thing I had and it was taken away from me. It's embarrassing."Retton entered a no contest plea to a non-aggravated DUI charge and was slapped with a $100 fine, standard for first-time, non-aggravated offenses in the area. Following her arrest, she told PEOPLE in a statement that she is taking accountability for the incident. "What happened was completely unacceptable. I make no excuses. To my family, friends and my fans: I have let you down, and for that I am deeply sorry," she said through her attorney Edmund J. Rollo. The Fairmont City Police Department, which made the arrest, was not available for comment at publication time. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Yahoo
Mary Lou Retton's Arrest Captured on Bodycam — Mugshots of Former Gold Medalist Released
Mary Lou Retton was arrested in May on a DUI charge in West Virginia The Olympian's arrest was captured on body cam footage She made history in 1984 as the first American female gymnast to win an individual all-around gold medalBodycam footage of Mary Lou Retton's May arrest shows her in an apparently distressed state as she tries to perform a sobriety test for West Virginia law enforcement officials. Retton was arrested on a DUI charge on May 17 in Marion County, W. Va., according to court records reviewed by PEOPLE at the time. The five-time Olympic medalist was allegedly spotted in her car in a Marion County AutoZone parking lot with a screw-top bottle of wine in her passenger seat, the Associated Press reported, citing a criminal complaint. Retton, 57, is seen in the bodycam footage obtained by Entertainment Tonight as an officer with the Fairmont City Police Department instructs her to carry out the sobriety test. As the officer guides her through the steps, Retton appears compliant, though at times she expresses shock at the situation, gasping and saying, "Oh my God." She appears to struggle to complete the test, which requires her to put her foot up six inches off the ground, and count until instructed by the officer to stop. Retton appears to struggle to count past nine. At one point, she seems to have trouble breathing, and has to get her oxygen, tying the tube to her nose while doing the test. Retton has been relying on daily oxygen since her recovery from a serious bout of pneumonia in 2023 — an illness so severe that doctors briefly believed she might not survive, she told PEOPLE in 2024. In July 2024, the Dancing with the Stars alum told PEOPLE that she was so gravely ill at one point during her month-long hospital stay that the doctors had told her four daughters she might not make it. 'It's been really hard," she told PEOPLE in 2024. "My lungs are so scarred. It will be a lifetime of recovery. My physicality was the only thing I had and it was taken away from me. It's embarrassing."Retton entered a no contest plea to a non-aggravated DUI charge and was slapped with a $100 fine, standard for first-time, non-aggravated offenses in the area. Following her arrest, she told PEOPLE in a statement that she is taking accountability for the incident. "What happened was completely unacceptable. I make no excuses. To my family, friends and my fans: I have let you down, and for that I am deeply sorry," she said through her attorney Edmund J. Rollo. The Fairmont City Police Department, which made the arrest, was not available for comment at publication time. Read the original article on People
