CUE SPORTS
World Billiards Championships 2016
- Ace Indian cueist Pankaj Advani won his 11th World Billiards (150-Up format) Championships title by beating Peter Gilchrist of Singapore in the summit clash on December 12, 2016.
- He has achieved a hat-trick of tricks in English hat- billiards, holding the World, Asian, and Indian National Championship titles simultaneously, in three different years : 2005, 2008 and 2012.
- The government of India has bestowed several awards upon Advani—Aijuna Award (2004), Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (2006), and Padma Shri (2009).
3rd IBSF World Title 2016
- Former world champion Peter Gilchrist (Singapore) delivered his another best and won the 2016 IBSF World Billiards Long up title at Bangaluru (Karnataka) on December 8, 2016.
- Gilchrist, literally, knocked Sourav out of contention in his 14th visit when he broke 354 points and then in his next visit scored a 150-break, taking his overall score to 855 against 205.
- Gilchrist won the WPBSA World Championships in 1994, 2001 and in 2013. in 2003, Gilchrist moved to Singapore to become the national billiards and snooker coach.
- In 2006, Gilchrist become a Singapore citizen under the Foreign Sports Talent Scheme as a two-time world billiards champion (1994 and 2001) while competing for England.
- He has also represented Singapore in the SEA Games in 2009 where he won Gold for English Billiards Singles, and Bronze for the doubles.
Read Also – Bank IBPS Question Paper
SPORTS CURRENT AFFAIRS
PERSONALITIES
Anurag Thakur
- Anurag Thakur, son of former Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh Prem Kumar Dhumal, is a BJP MP.
- He won his first Lok Sabha election in May 2008, and won again in 2014. In May 2016, he was elected the BCCI president after the death of Jagmohan Dalmiya. ’
- Thakur’s became secretary of BCCI in 2011. By then he had already spent many years as the president of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association!
- It was during his tenure that the picturesque Dharamshala stadium was built.
- He was also a junior national selector and has represented his State in Ranji Trophy once, that too as captain – in a game against J&K.
- Anurag Thakur’s rise in the BCCI was undisputable as he rose to the ranks of joint secretary and to secretary in 2011.
Somdev Devbarman
- India’s star singles player Somdev Devbarman announced his retirement from professional tennis on January 1, 2016 bringing an abrupt end to what was once a promising career.
- Somdev was India’s star singles player since he first broke into the scene
- in 2008.
- A regular in India’s Davis Cup squad, Somdev appeared in 14 rubbers and played a crucial role in India reaching the World Group back in 2010.
- Somdev had also nude the finals of two ATP Tour events — the 2009 Chennai Open as a wildcard and the 2011 South Africa Open.
- He also the singles and doubles gold medals at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou (China).
- He was conferred the Aijuna award (the country’s second highest sporting honour) in 2011.
Lionel Messi
- The International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) for a second time in a row, has named Lionel Messi as the World’s Best Ptaymaker on January 1, 2017.
- Last year, the five times Ballon d’Or winner had gained 168 points to clinch the title. This year, the 29-ycar-old Argentinean improved his previous points to get a massive 172 points.
- He is the only football player in the history to have won five FIFA Balloons d’Or, four of which he won consecutively.
- Interestingly, both in 2015 and 2016, his teammate Andres Iniesta stood second in ranking.
- This year, he bagged 66 points. Andres had been the winner in the years 2012 and 2013.
Bradley Wiggins
- Bradley Wiggins announced his retirement from cycling on December 30, 2016, ending a career that saw him win a British record eight Olympic medals as well as the country’s first Tour de France title.
- He conquered his sport on the road as well as in the velodrome, won his fifth Olympic gold in Rio this year as part of the team pursuit, adding to a tally that also includes a silver and two bronzes.
- He competed in five successive Games from Sydney 2000 and reached a career high in 2012 when he completed an unprecedented double of a maiden Tour de France victory with Team Sky and a home Olympic triumph in the time-trial in London.
Suresh Katmadi
- Faced with a barrage of criticism, scam-tainted Suresh Kalmadi declined the position of the Indian Olympic Association’s Life President even as the Sports Ministry issued a showcause notice to the IOA for its controversial decision on December 29, 2016.
- Kalmadi along with another tainted former President Abhay Singh Chautala were elevated to Life Presidents by the IOA at its Annual General Meeting in Chennai.
- Goal also remains the CGF’s total focus, and Hooper is charged with working in partnership with the Organising Committee and other stakeholders towards achieving this.
