Sports - General Knowledge Questions

Correct Answer :   Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh emerged as the overall champion at the first-ever Diu Beach Games 2024.

The landlocked state showcased remarkable talent with a total of 18 medals, including 7 golds, in a competition that featured 1404 young athletes from 28 states and Union Territories.

This victory underscores Madhya Pradesh's prowess in sports and its ability to excel even in beach games despite being a landlocked state.

Correct Answer :   Rohit Sharma

* Rohit Sharma created history by becoming the first male cricketer to appear in 150 T20 international matches during the second T20I between India and Afghanistan in Indore on Sunday (14th Jan 2024).

* Ireland’s Paul Stirling is second on the list of most international appearances with 134, followed by his international teammate George Dockrell with 128.

* Virat Kohli is the second highest Indian on the list, accumulating 115 appearances for the Men in Blue so far.

* In his 149 appearances so far, Rohit has scored 3853 runs at an average of 31.07. He has four international centuries in the shortest format with a highest score of 118..

Source : Sport Star

Correct Answer :   Yogesh Singh

Indian shooter Yogesh Singh bagged a gold medal in the men’s 25m standard pistol event at the 2024 Asian Shooting Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Sunday (14th Jan 2023).

In a field of 20 shooters in the non-Olympic shooting discipline, Yogesh impressed with a score of 572, claiming the top honour. His scores were 187 in the 10-second stage, 191 in the 20-second stage, and 194 in the 150-second stage.

Despite Mongolian shooter Davaakhuu Enkhtaivan also achieving the same score, Yogesh finished ahead by shooting 17 Xs compared to Enkhtaivan’s seven. The bronze medal went to Kazakhstan’s Nikita Chiryukin, who had previously defeated India’s Vijayveer Sidhu for the men’s 25m rapid-fire pistol gold medal on Saturday (13th Jan 2024) with a score of 568.

Amit Kumar from India secured the sixth position with a score of 565, while Om Prakash was 12th with 553. Pankaj Yadav, shooting for Ranking Points Only (RPO), managed a score of 562.

In the team standings, the Indian trio of Yogesh Singh, Amit Kumar, and Om Prakash topped the event with a total score of 1690-34x. Team Vietnam claimed the silver medal with a score of 1679-29x, and the host country, Indonesia, clinched the bronze medal.

Indian shooters have showcased exceptional skill at the continental championships this year, securing an impressive four Paris 2024 Olympic quotas from the event..

Source : DD News

Correct Answer :   Wanindu Hasaranga

As of January, 2024, Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga is the fastest bowler to take seven wickets in an ODI.

* The 26-year-old all-rounder set the record by taking 35 deliveries to take seven wickets against Zimbabwe in the third ODI in Colombo.

* In November 2023, Mohammed Shami became the first Indian bowler to take seven wickets in an ODI.

* Shami achieved the best bowling figures for India in a knockout game against New Zealand in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.

Correct Answer :   Aman Sehrawat

Reigning Asian champion Aman Sehrawat won the Gold medal in Men’s 57kg at the Zagreb Open 2024 Wrestling Tournament in Croatia. He defeated China’s Zou Wanhao via technical superiority in the 57kg final yesterday (10th Jan 2024), to win India’s first medal in this edition of the Ranking Series.

Deepak Punia, competing in the men’s 86kg category, lost by 6-2 against Kazakhstan's Azamat Dauletbekov in the qualification round. Meanwhile, another Indian wrestler Yash Tushir was defeated by USA’s Quincy Monday by 15-4 in the round of 16 of the men’s 74kg category.

Nonetheless, today's competition will feature Freestyle wrestlers Vicky and Sumit competing in the men's 97kg and 125kg weight classes, respectively..

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   India

Indian shooters secured a gold medal in men’s 10m air pistol team event to make a bright start to their campaign at the Asian Olympic Qualifiers in Jakarta, Indonesia 8th Jan 2023.

* The Indian team of Varun Tomar, Arjun Singh Cheema and Ujjawal Malik produced a total of 1740 to finish at the top. While Iran claimed Silver, Korea claimed bronze medals.

* Varun and Arjun have also made it to the individual finals.

* A total of 16 quota places for the Paris Olympics are available at the continental showpiece.

* The 10m air pistol events for men and women have four quotas on offer with a maximum of three for the Indian shooters. Esha Singh, Rhythm Sangwan and Surbhi Rao then shoulder Indian hopes in the women’s 10m air pistol, where India have still to win a Paris quota.

* As many as 385 athletes from 26 countries will take aim at the Senayan Shooting Range in Jakarta for 256 medals (84 gold, 84 silver and 88 bronze medals), besides the Paris quotas.

* India have already won 13 Olympic quota places in shooting across rifle, pistol and shotgun disciplines. While all quota places in rifle have been secured, a total of three quotas have been won in pistol..

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Anahat Singh

India's young squash player Anahat Singh won the Women's Under-19 title at the 2023 Scottish Junior Open Squash in Edinburgh (Scotland).

* Anahat won the title by defeating Robin McAlpine 11-6, 11-1 and 11-5 in the final.


Anahat's performance in 2023 :

* Won the women's singles title at the National Squash Championships " 2023.
* Won gold medal in the under-15 girls category at the 2023 British Junior Open Squash.
* Won gold medal in the under-17 girls category at the 2023 Asian Junior Squash Championships.
* Won mixed doubles bronze medal with Abhay Singh in both the inaugural Mixed Doubles Championships and Asian Games.
* At 14, she was the youngest member of the Indian contingent for the 2022 Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham.


Other winners of the Scottish Junior Open 2023 :

Girls Under-13 Winner :
* Indian Aadya Budhia won the girls' under-13 title.
* Divyanshi Jain was the runner-up in the Under-11 category.

Boys Under-15 Winner :
* India's Subhashish Chaudhary won the title by defeating compatriot Shiven Agarwal 5-11, 11-4, 6-11, 11-8, 11-5 in the boys under-15 final.

Boys Under-13 Winner :
* Shrestha Iyer emerged winner by defeating Shreyansh Jah 11-8, 11-8, 3-11, 11-8 in the Boys Under-13 final.

Boys Under-11 Winners :
* Prabhav Bajoria won the boys' under-11 final.

National Squash Championship‚ 2023 :

* Held – 17 – 23 November 2023
* Venue – Chennai, Tamil Nadu
* Edition – 79th
* Men's Singles Result -
* Winner – Velavan Senthilkumar (Tamil Nadu)
* Runner-up - Abhay Kumar (Tamil Nadu)
* Women's Singles Result -
* Winner – Anahat Singh (Delhi)
* Runner up – Tanvi Khanna (Delhi)


30th Asian Junior Individual Squash Championships :

* Held - 16 -20 August 2023
* Venue – Dalian, China
* Result of girls under-17 category -
* Winner - Gold Medal - Anahat Singh (India)
* Runner-up – Silver Medal – Anna Kwong (China)


PSA Women's World Squash Championships‚ 2023 :

* Held – 3 – 11 May 2023
* Venue – Chicago, USA
* Winner – Nour El Sherbini (Egypt)
* Runner-up – Nouran Gohar (Egypt)

Correct Answer :   Koneru Humpy

India’s Koneru Humpy showcased her prowess in chess by clinching the women’s individual silver medal at the 2023 World Rapid Chess Championships held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Despite a valiant effort, the 36-year-old Grandmaster succumbed to Russian player Anastasia Bodnaruk in a tie-break sudden death on time. This article delves into Humpy’s journey, her achievements, and the accompanying heartbreak faced by Vidit Gujrathi in the open section.


Koneru Humpy’s Achievements :

* Silver Medal in 2023: Humpy secured the women’s individual silver medal after a thrilling competition, highlighting her consistent performance at the world stage.

* Complete Set of Medals: With this silver, Humpy completes a set of medals at the women’s world rapid championships. She had previously won the bronze in 2012 in Moscow, Russia, and was crowned the world champion in 2019 at Batumi, Georgia.

* Tie-Break Drama: In a tense final round match against Kateryna Lagno, Humpy’s victory leveled her points with Bodnaruk, leading to a tie-break. Despite a promising start in the blitz tie-break, Humpy faced setbacks, ultimately succumbing to Bodnaruk in sudden death.

Vidit Gujrathi’s Heartbreak :

In the open section, Vidit Gujrathi experienced a rollercoaster of emotions, ultimately finishing fourth with nine points in 13 rounds. His hopes of a podium finish were dashed after an unfortunate blunder in the penultimate round against Vladimir Fedoseev, who went on to secure a silver medal.


Missed Opportunities :

Gujrathi was initially placed sole second, displaying promise for a medal. However, the unexpected blunder in a winning position against Fedoseev proved costly and prevented him from securing a medal at the championships.


Magnus Carlsen’s Successful Defense :

In the open section, the 33-year-old Magnus Carlsen successfully defended his title with a total of 10 points after 13 rounds. Carlsen maintained his composure, securing a comfortable draw in the final round against India’s R Praggnanandhaa, who finished eighth with nine points.

Correct Answer :   David Warner

Ahead of his farewell Test match in Sydney, Australia opener David Warner announced his retirement from ODI cricket on Monday (01 Jan 2024).

* “I’m definitely retiring from one-day cricket as well. That was something that I had said through the World Cup, get through that, and winning it in India, I think that’s a massive achievement,” Warner said in an emotional press conference at the SCG on Monday (01 Jan 2024).

* “So I’ll make that decision today, to retire from those forms, which does allow me to go and play some other leagues around the world and sort of get the one-day team moving forward a little bit,” he added.

* However, Warner also suggested that if he is “playing decent cricket in two years’ time and they need someone”, he’d consider a returns for the 2025 Champions Trophy.

* Having featured across 161 games and scored around 7000 runs, Warner was part of Australia’s World Cup winning squad in 2015 as well as recently in 2023, where he finished as Australia’s leading run getter.

* The southpaw also teased that it might just not be him from Australia’s World Cup-winning side to hang his boots on the 50-overs format.

* “It might not just be me (retiring), but no-one (else has) said anything, so I think it just is me,” he said. “But it was a decision that I was very comfortable with.”

* With a T20 World Cup less later this summer, Warner also expressed his interests in participating for the next season of the Big Bash League. “I definitely am keen to pursue playing Big Bash next year. There’s going to be conversations behind the scenes to allow me to do that,” he said..


Source : Indian Express

Correct Answer :   Pooja Dhanda

Indian wrestler Pooja Dhanda, a decorated athlete with international accolades, has been suspended for one year by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) due to three whereabouts failures. This article examines the details of the case and its implications.


Whereabouts Failures and NADA Regulations :

* NADA, established in 2005, is India’s central anti-doping agency responsible for testing athletes to ensure fair competition and adherence to World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) regulations.
* Elite athletes like Pooja, included in the Registered Testing Pool (RTP), must provide a 60-minute window for potential testing during the year.
* Failing to comply with these obligations constitutes a whereabouts failure, with three such failures within 12 months leading to a suspension.


Pooja’s Case :

* NADA recorded two filing failures and one missed test against Pooja in 2022.
* Filing failures involved discrepancies in submitting location updates.
* The missed test occurred in December 2022 while travelling to the national wrestling championships.
* Pooja argued she offered alternate testing times and locations, though NADA deemed it insufficient.

Disciplinary Action and Impact :

* NADA’s Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel charged Pooja with three whereabouts failures and imposed a one-year ban on December 5, 2023.
* The suspension retroactively began on June 15, 2023.
* This means Pooja will be ineligible to compete in various tournaments and training camps until June 14, 2024.


Implications and Pooja’s Achievements :

* This suspension significantly impacts Pooja’s career trajectory, potentially affecting her training and preparation for future events.
* Despite the penalty, it’s crucial to acknowledge Pooja’s impressive accomplishments as a world championship bronze medalist (2018), Commonwealth Games silver medalist (2018), and Youth Olympic Games silver medalist (2010).