AUCKLAND: With a jaunty victory dance, 101-year-old Man Kaur celebrated winning the 100 meters sprint at the World Masters Games in Auckland on Monday, the 17th gold medal in the Indian athlete’s remarkable late-blooming career.
Kaur clocked one minute 14 seconds as a small crowd cheered her on — ending a mere 64.42 seconds off Usain Bolt’s 100m world record set in 2009.
In truth her dash became more of a gentle amble the closer the diminutive centenarian came to the finish line, with more energy spent beaming at spectators than running.
But Kaur was guaranteed victory as the only participant in the 100-years-and-over category at the New Zealand event, which has attracted 25,000 competitors.
Participation, not racing the clock, is the priority for Kaur, who has been dubbed the “miracle from Chandigarh” in New Zealand media.
“I enjoyed it and am very, very happy,” she told reporters via a Punjabi interpreter.
“I’m going to run again, I’m not going to give up. I will participate, there’s no full stop.”
Kaur only took up athletics eight years ago, at the tender age of 93.
She had no prior sporting experience before her son Gurdev Singh suggested she join him in competing on the international masters games circuit.
After a medical check-up she was given the all clear and since then mother and son have taken part in dozens of masters athletics meets around the globe.
Kaur already has a swag of gold medals that would rival Michael Phelps’ haul and also plans to compete in the 200m sprint, two kilogram shot put and 400 gram javelin in Auckland, taking her tally to 20.
Her son told the Indian Weekender newspaper that Kaur was on a strict diet that included wheat grass juice and a daily glass of kefir (fermented milk).
World Masters Games 2017 Chief Executive Jennah Wootten said the Auckland organizers were delighted to host such an inspiration.
“Man Kaur truly personifies the ‘sport for all’ philosophy which World Masters Games is all about and we are thrilled to have her here,” she said.
“I have no doubt that she and many of the other 24,905 athletes competing in these games are inspiring others to lead more active lifestyles and take up a sport.”
While Kaur was the only 100-plus athlete to compete in Auckland, there are a surprising number of spritely centenarians still on the sporting stage.
Japan’s Hidekichi Miyazaki, 106, holds the 100m record in the category with a time of 29.83, earning him the nickname “Golden Bolt” after the Jamaican Flyer.
Miyazaki, who credits his daughter’s tangerine jam for his age-defying exploits, even mimics Bolt’s signature victory pose and is keen to race against the Olympic superstar.
Frenchman Robert Marchand, 105, set a cycling record for his age in January, riding 22.547 kilometers (14.01 miles) in one hour.
Afterwards, the former fireman said he was not even tired and said he could have gone faster.
No hurry as India’s inspirational centenarian wins gold
No hurry as India’s inspirational centenarian wins gold
Afghanistan’s brain drain continues as job security, education prospects fade
- Taliban blames Western countries for taking away country’s talent
- But ban on women’s education seen as one of main reasons young people leave
KABUL: Abdullah Jalal is counting down the days to his relocation overseas — a move that will mean him restarting his career but give him the employment security he no longer believes is possible in Afghanistan.
The 29-year-old data management expert has been working for an international organization but said “the future is extremely uncertain.”
“With the current situation in the country, a whole generation is being punished and opportunities are taken away from young experts. I know many friends who have left the country in the past few years or are planning to leave,” he told Arab News.
“Specializations and expertise are not valued in the country anymore … The future employment prospects are not very good.”
Jalal is among the many skilled young professionals who choose to leave Afghanistan every year in search of better opportunities abroad. The numbers peaked in 2021, when hundreds of thousands of Afghans fled as the Taliban regained control of the country.
Three years on, with sanctions slapped on the Taliban administration and a devastating economic and humanitarian crisis, the brain drain continues, further limiting Afghanistan’s capacity for growth.
The trend has been worsened by Taliban policies banning women from attending secondary school and university and most forms of paid employment.
Some parents, like Abdul Saboor, choose to send their daughters overseas so that they can pursue their education. One of his daughters wanted to complete a master’s degree in computer science, but that is no longer possible in Afghanistan.
“Before the suspension of university education, she was teaching at a private university and took some freelance assignments to earn an income and support the family. She is very talented. She taught at a private university and developed websites for some organizations, but she couldn’t continue working,” Saboor said.
“I had to send her — along with my younger daughter who has graduated from high school — to Pakistan to pursue their studies and stay with their aunt. Not all families have this opportunity. I couldn’t see my daughters stay dull at home and continue to live with depression.”
While data about the exact numbers of skilled professionals and graduates leaving the country is unavailable, the International Organization for Migration estimates that in September more than 166,000 Afghans left the country for neighboring Pakistan and Iran alone.
Over the past four decades of wars in the country, 6.4 million Afghans have resettled abroad.
“The brain drain continues to happen even after several years of Islamic Emirate’s rule, creating major gaps in the society,” Dr. Sohaib Raufi, director of the Center for Strategic and Regional Studies in Kabul, told Arab News.
“The educated generation of the country, including university professors and other experts, have fled Afghanistan and continue to leave the country for various reasons, such as a lack of studying and teaching prospects, fading hopes for a better future.”
Last year, the Taliban called on Western countries to stop taking Afghan talent out of the country, but it is their own policy that is contributing to it, according to Raufi.
“A major factor contributing to the growing brain drain is the continuing suspension of school and university education for girls. Job security is another reason experts leave the country because in some instances expertise and profession is not prioritized in Afghanistan, leaving many outside the workforce,” he said.
“This may, in the long term, lead to scarcity of experts in the country negatively impacting the country’s economy, development and political stability.”
Law enforcement personnel enter KP House in Islamabad to arrest Chief Minister Gandapur
- The development took place shortly after the government blamed him for leading a violent protest to the capital
- While PTI said he was arrested, local media quoted sources denying the news that he had been taken into custody
ISLAMABAD: Police and paramilitary Rangers stormed the official guesthouse and administrative office for the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province in Islamabad on Saturday to arrest Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur after federal authorities accused him of leading a violent protest rally to the capital and warned him not to “cross any more lines.”
Gandapur is a close aide of former prime minister Imran Khan, whose Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party announced a protest near the parliament building in Islamabad against proposed constitutional amendments that it claims are aimed at curtailing the independence of the judiciary, though the government denies the charge.
The PTI is also trying to mobilize supporters through protests and public gatherings to pressure the government for the release of Khan, who has been in prison since August last year and faces a slew of legal challenges.
The federal government suspended mobile services and placed shipping containers at the entry and exit points of Islamabad to prevent the PTI protest, describing it as an attempt to sabotage the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in the capital this month.
“Rangers have forcefully entered KP House and launched an aggressive attack in an attempt to arrest CM KPK Ali Amin Gandapur,” the PTI said in a social media post. “This blatant abuse of power is deeply shameful, raising serious concerns about the state of lawlessness in Pakistan.”
The party said the government had failed to stop people from reaching Islamabad despite all efforts and had “now resorted to arresting a sitting Chief Minister of a province.”
However, local media quoted official sources denying the news of his arrest, even as news channels widely aired videos of heavy deployment of law enforcement and paramilitary personnel at the KP House in Islamabad.
Shortly before the development, Federal Minister for Interior Mohsin Naqvi blamed the PTI for carrying out violent protests and accused Gandapur of leading a “horde” to Islamabad.
“The responsibility for this [protest] definitely lies with the [PTI] leadership [Imran Khan] from where these instructions came,” he told the media. “After that, if someone is practically implementing them, it is the CM KPK [Gandapur] who is responsible. The CM KPK is responsible for the [current] situation since he is leading the horde that is marching on Islamabad.”
“I will say it to them once again that if they cross any more lines, it will force us to take extreme steps,” he added.
The minister also said the police had arrested 41 Afghan nationals during the clashes with the PTI and apprehended 120 Afghan citizens in the last 48 hours.
He stated that the government would not allow anyone to sabotage the SCO summit.
A day earlier, he had also maintained that the government’s decision to block roads and prevent the protest in Islamabad was aimed at ensuring an environment where adequate security could be provided to all state guests.
Militants kill 6 Pakistani soldiers in a shootout
- The troops died in an overnight operation in North Waziristan district on Saturday, according to an army statement
- It said six militants also were killed
PESHAWAR: Militants killed six Pakistani soldiers in a shootout, the army said Saturday, the latest unrest in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan where armed groups including the Pakistani Taliban are active.
The troops died in an overnight operation in North Waziristan district on Saturday, according to an army statement. It said six militants also were killed.
The army said a separate operation killed two militants in Swat, also in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. One of them was said to be involved in an attack on a convoy of foreign ambassadors in the area earlier this month.
Also Saturday, cellphone services remained suspended in Islamabad as it entered a second day of a lockdown aimed at thwarting rallies in support of ex-leader Imran Khan. He is in prison on multiple charges.
Shipping containers blocked off the city’s entry and exit points, but videos from Khan’s PTI party showed supporters piled into vehicles and attempted to head toward Islamabad.
The chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ali Amin Gandapur, and others in the convoy worked throughout the night to remove shipping containers from the road, according to the party.
The PTI later said that security forces arrested Gandapur for entering Islamabad in defiance of a ban on rallies. Police and officials did not immediately confirm the arrest.
Clashes broke out between Khan supporters and security forces in D-Chowk, which is close to several key government buildings including Parliament and the Supreme Court.
The PTI also said it planned to hold a rally in Lahore.
Saudi FM discusses Lebanon with French counterpart
- The two ministers discussed efforts exerted to achieve ceasefire in Lebanon
RIYADH: Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan discussed developments in Lebanon with his French counterpart Jean-Noël Barrot.
The french minister was on an official visit to Riyadh, state news agency SPA reported on Saturday.
The two ministers discussed efforts exerted to achieve ceasefire in Lebanon.
They reviewed bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional and international developments.
Gauff fights back to set up Beijing final against Muchova
- The American former US Open champion beat Spain’s Paula Badosa 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 to close on an eighth title
- In the other semifinal, Karolina Muchova disappointed the 15,000 crowd to beat Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 6-4
BEIJING: Coco Gauff fought back from a set down to battle into the China Open final on Saturday setting up a showdown with party-pooper Karolina Muchova.
The American former US Open champion beat Spain’s Paula Badosa 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 to close on an eighth title.
The 20-year-old faces Muchova after the 49th-ranked Czech silenced a capacity Beijing crowd to beat Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in straight sets.
Sixth-ranked Gauff has struggled for form in recent months and split with coach Brad Gilbert after her US Open defense ended in the last 16 in a blur of double-faults.
Gauff struggled again with her serve against Badosa, racking up 11 double-faults.
But she belatedly found a semblance of top form to down the former world number two in two hours, 20 minutes.
With a new coaching set-up in place, Gauff said that she had not really expected to be in the final.
“Has this week been my best tennis? In moments, yes,” said Gauff, the youngest player to reach the China Open decider since Caroline Wozniacki in 2010.
“I think today I reached some levels where I was playing my best tennis. Obviously, that’s not the case for the whole match.”
The 19th-ranked Badosa broke in the fifth game of the first set as Gauff’s problems with her serve resurfaced.
The eighth game was mammoth, with Gauff finally converting her eighth break point, and she celebrated by putting both arms in the air.
The jubilation was short-lived, as Badosa broke back immediately and sealed the set on her third set point when Gauff overhit a simple forehand return.
Badosa broke once more to start the second set and Gauff was in danger of losing her cool, whacking the sole of her foot with her racquet as she fell 2-0 down.
Gauff recovered her poise to twice break the Spaniard and take the set against a suddenly rattled Badosa.
It was the first set Badosa had dropped in Beijing and Gauff took that ascendancy into the deciding set as her opponent faded fast.
Gauff’s only title of the year so far came in Auckland in January.
In the other semifinal, Muchova disappointed the 15,000 crowd to beat a subdued Zheng 6-3, 6-4.
The Czech is the lowest-ranked player to reach the Beijing final since the tournament began in 2004.
Last year’s French Open finalist toppled top seed Aryna Sabalenka in the quarter-finals on Friday.
She eased through the first set against Paris gold medalist Zheng and was unrelenting in the second to ram home her advantage.
Serving to stay in the tournament, the 21-year-old Zheng dug deep to save two match points in the ninth game, but the reprieve was only very brief.
The 28-year-old Muchova was inside the top 10 this time last year but did not play for nearly 10 months after having wrist surgery.
She is pursuing only the second title of her career.
Gauff has won both their previous two meetings, most recently in the US Open semifinals last year on the way to clinching her first major crown.
