Sports - General Knowledge Questions

Correct Answer :   Max Verstappen

Double world champion Max Verstappen led a soggy and slippery Monaco Grand Prix from start to finish on Sunday (28th May 2023) to stretch his Formula One lead to 39 points and earn Red Bull a sixth win in as many races this season.

* In a race livened up by a downpour after a processional 51 laps in dry conditions, Spaniard Fernando Alonso finished second for Aston Martin but a massive 27.9 seconds behind at the chequered flag.

* Frenchman Esteban Ocon completed the podium in third place for Renault-owned Alpine, their first of the season, with Mercedes' seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton fourth and taking a bonus point for fastest lap.

* "That was a real Monaco," Verstappen said after a 78-lap race that lasted an hour and 48 minutes.

* "It was incredibly slippery and when you are that far in the lead you don't want to push too hard but also you don't want to lose too much time so it's quite difficult in that scenario.

* "I clipped the wall a few times and it was super difficult out there. But that's Monaco."

* Verstappen had one more wall hit with nine laps to go at the exit of the Swimming Pool section, but survived for his 39th F1 victory, his fourth of 2023.

2023 F1 Monaco Grand Prix results :

Correct Answer :   Ambati Rayudu

Chennai Super Kings batter "Ambati Rayudu" has announced his retirement from the Indian Premier League. The 37-year-old confirmed that the IPL 2023 Final between CSK and defending champions Gujarat Titans would be his last game.

The CSK batter took to Twitter to announce his decision to retire post the IPL 2023 Final, saying he has truly enjoyed playing this great tournament, adding there won’t be any U-turns this time.

2 great teams MI and CSK, 204 matches, 14 seasons, 11 playoffs, 8 finals, 5 trophies. Hopefully 6th tonight. It’s been quite a journey. I have decided that tonight’s final is going to be my last game in the IPL. I truly have enjoyed playing this great tournament. Thank you all. No U-turn,” Rayudu posted on Twitter

Rayudu started his IPL career in 2010 with Mumbai Indians, and won his first title in 2013. He won two more titles in 2015 and 2017 before moving to CSK in 2018, where he won the title in his debut season with the franchise. The 37-year-old went on to win another title with CSK in 2021.

Rayudu has scored 4,329 runs in 203 matches in the IPL, at an average of 28.29, while striking at 127.29. He has hit 22 fifties and a solitary century in his glittering IPL career.

This season (2023), Rayudu has chipped in with 139 runs in 15 matches, at a strike rate of 132.38. His best season in the competition came in 2018, when he scored 602 runs in 16 matches, at an average of 43, while striking at 149.75, and guiding CSK to the IPL title in his debut season for the franchise.

Rayudu will play his final match of the competition when CSK take on GT in the final of IPL 2023. Rayudu has a chance of winning his sixth IPL title, while CSK aim to lift their fifth and go level with Mumbai Indians in terms of most titles won..

Source : India Today

Correct Answer :   Magnus Carlsen

World champion Magnus Carlsen won the Superbet Rapid and Blitz Poland 2023 event, thanks to his performance during the second day of the blitz section.

* The Norwegian ended with a score of 24/36. The world no 1 pocketed a cool pay cheque of $40,000 for his win.

* Carlsen — who opted to skip the recently concluded World Chess Championship and was succeeded on the throne by China’s Ding Liren as the 17th world champion — pipped local favorite and defending champion Jan-Krzyzstof Duda to the title in Warsaw.

* Duda led the race until the final day, but eventually ended just a point behind Carlsen at 23/36. On the last board, he almost forced the event into a playoff by nearly beating Carlsen.

* Finishing just below the two were Wesley So and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, each finishing joint third with 21½ points. Levon Aronian was fifth with 20½...

Source : Indian Express

Correct Answer :   Murali Sreeshankar

India’s Murali Sreeshankar successfully defended his title in the men’s long jump event at the International Jumping Meeting 2023 in Kallithea, Greece on Wednesday (24th May 2023).

* The 24-year-old M Sreeshankar registered his season-best jump of 8.18m to beat compatriot and national record holder Jeswin Aldrin, who claimed silver with an effort of 7.85m.

* M Sreeshankar had won the International Jumping Meeting last year with an effort of 8.31m.

* Sreeshankar’s best jump at the Kallithea meet, a World Athletics Continental Tour bronze label event, came in his sixth and final attempt. His other jumps measured 7.94m, 8.17m, 8.11m, 8.04m and 8.01m.

* Jeswin Aldrin, meanwhile, warmed up with a jump of 7.81m and had his best jump on his second attempt. His subsequent tries read 7.74m, 7.74m and 7.79m. Jeswin Aldrin’s final attempt ended up as a foul.

* Jalen Rucker of Australia won bronze for a 7.80m effort in the 12-man field.

* This was Murali Sreeshankar’s third competition of the year and also the third gold medal. He won the gold medal at the MVA High Performance athletics meet in Chula Vista, USA in May with an effort of 8.29m - 0.07m short of his personal best. Earlier, he won the long jump event at the third Indian Grand Prix in March with a jump of 7.94m...

Source : Olympics

 

Correct Answer :   Neeraj Chopra

* Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra is the new world number one in men’s javelin throw, as per the latest rankings released by World Athletics.

* Chopra, who became the first Indian to win a gold medal in a track and field event at the Tokyo Olympics, leads reigning world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada by 22 points.

* Chopra began his 2023 season by winning the first Diamond League meeting in Doha on 6 May 2023 with a world-leading effort of 88.67m.

* The 25-year-old Indian will next be in action at the Fanny Blankers-Koen Games at Hengelo, the Netherlands on June 4 followed by the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku in Finland on June 13.

Top 5 in Men’s Javelin Throw (as per rankings released by World Athletics on May 16, 2023) :

1. Neeraj Chopra (IND) - 1455 points
2. Anderson Peters (GRN) - 1433 points
3. Jakub Vadlejch (CZE) - 1416 points
4. Julian Weber (GER) - 1385 points
5. Arshad Nadeem (PAK) - 1306 points.

Source : Sports

Correct Answer :   Shaili Singh

Indian athlete Shaili Singh clinched a bronze medal at the Golden Grand Prix 2023 athletics meet in the women's long jump event in Yokohama, Japan.

21st May 2023, Shaili Singh attempted a jump of 6.65 meter, which provided her third place on the podium at the Yokohama meet, a World Athletics Continental Tour gold label event.

Germany’s Maryse Luzolo won the gold medal with an effort of 6.79 meter while Australia’s Brooke Buschkuehl bagged the silver medal with a 6.77 meter leap.

During the Indian Grand Prix 4 athletics meet in Bengaluru which concluded last month, Shaili Singh registered a jump of 6.76 meter, her personal best jump, the second-best by an Indian woman after the legendary athlete Anju Bobby George 6.83 meter.

Two years back, Shaili Singh had won a silver medal win at the World Athletics UNDER-20 Championships in Nairobi..

Source : News on Air

Correct Answer :   Daniil Medvedev

In Italian 2023 Open final, world number three tennis star Daniil Medvedev clinched his maiden claycourt title after beating Holger Rune 21st May 2023.

In the men's singles final, the Russian beat the 20-year-old Danish player 7-5, 7-5. It is Medvedev's fifth title of 2023 and victory lifts him above Novak Djokovic to second in the world rankings.

Overall he captured 20 career titles. He will also be the second seed at the French Open, which starts at Roland Garros on 28th of this month.

The men's doubles title has been captured by Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski in Rome. The Monegasque-Polish duo defeated Robin Haase and Botic van de Zandschulp 7-5, 6-1 in the men's doubles final to won their maiden ATP Masters 1000 title.

Australian-Belgian pair of Storm Hunter and Elise Mertens have become the women’s doubles champions after defeating top-seeded Americans Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula 6-4 6-4 .

Earlier, Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina clinched her fourth WTA title with victory in the women's singles final as Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina retired with a injury when Rybakina was leading 6-4, 1-0...

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   3 gold and 1 bronze

In Archery World Cup Stage 2 at Shanghai on Saturday (20th May 2023), teenage Indian archer Prathamesh Jawkar defeated the world number one Mike Schloesser of the Netherlands to win a maiden World Cup gold medal in the men's individual compound section.

In the non-Olympic compound section, India bagged two gold with the mixed team duo of Ojas Deotale and Jyothi Surekha Vennam beating top-seeded Korean team 156-155.

This was a successive World Cup gold medal for the mixed pair duo that had also won in the Antalya leg last month.

Earlier, in the Compound mixed team event yesterday, mixed team duo of Sheetal & Rakesh also bagged gold.

Meanwhile, Avneet Kaur won bronze medal in the women’s individual compound category with a 147-144 victory over Ipek Tomruk of Turkey..

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Vuppala Prraneeth

Telangana’s Prraneeth Vuppala has become India’s 82nd Grandmaster after he achieved the required 2,500 FIDE rating points during the Baku Open tournament.

* The State chess player had already achieved three GM norms earlier and needed to cross 2,500 rating points. He got the required points after defeating GM Hans Niemann of the USA in the penultimate round of the Baku Open. Prraneeth is now the sixth Grandmaster from the State of Telangana.

* Speaking after the feat, the 16-year-old said he was delighted to achieve the title. “I am happy and I will keep working hard. My next target is to reach 2,600 rating points. I didn’t set any deadline but want to achieve it as soon as possible,” he said.

* Target “My goal is to achieve 2,800 rating points and become the World Champion. But as of now, my focus is on my next tournament. I am going to participate in the Asian Continental tournament in Kazakhstan starting next month,” he revealed

* The Intermediate CEC first-year student from Vishwa Chaitanya College is working eight to 10 hours daily to achieve his dream.

* He trained with Rama Raju, a noted chess coach at the RACE academy till 2021 and now trains with Israel GM Viktor Mikhalevski.

* Prraneeth earned his first GM norm in March 2022 and achieved the International Master title. Four months later in July 2022, he earned his second GM norm at Biel MTO. He achieved his third and final GM norm at the Formentera Sunway International Chess Festival in Spain in April..

Source : Telanganatoday

Correct Answer :   Hockey Haryana

Hockey Haryana on Sunday (14th May 2023) were crowned Champions of the 13th Hockey India Sub Junior Women National Championship 2023 after they defeated Hockey Jharkhand 3-2 in the final of the 11-day tournament which was held at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela, Odisha.  

* Notably, Hockey Haryana came from behind twice to defeat Hockey Jharkhand in a thrilling encounter. After Sangita Kumari (7') and Ankita Minz (27') netted a goal each to put Hockey Jharkhand in front, Bhavya (25', 58') equalised and then won the game for Hockey Haryana. Meenakshi (36') also scored a crucial goal for the Champions.

* With the win, Hockey Haryana not only successfully defended their title but also remained unbeaten in the tournament. Speaking on their successful campaign, Hockey Haryana's Coach Azad Singh Malik said, “We are elated to defend the title.

* Despite trailing twice in the summit clash against a strong team like Hockey Jharkhand, we didn’t lose our confidence, stuck to our plan, and backed our skills to make a comeback and win the game. Moreover, we remained unbeaten in the tournament which definitely is a testament to the persistence and perseverance of this squad.”

* Meanwhile, Hockey Association of Odisha finished third in the tournament as they defeated Uttar Pradesh Hockey 4-3 in penalty shootouts after regulation time ended with both teams scoring a goal each in the closely-fought 3rd/4th Place match. Rashmi Raikwar (6') gave an early lead to Uttar Pradesh Hockey, but Sonali Ekka (43') converted a late penalty corner to help Hockey Association of Odisha level the score and force penalty shootouts..

Source : Hockey India