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Badminton Asian C’ships: Momota, Tai clinch singles titles
Wuhan, April 29 (IANS) Japan’s Kento Momota and Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei bagged the men’s singles and women’s singles titles respectively at the Badminton Asian Championships here on Sunday.
Former world No. 2 Kento Momota of Japan finished the week in style, beating defending champion Chen Long of China 21-17, 21-13 to win the summit clash of the men’s singles event, reports Xinhua news agency.
Also, it was Momota’s first victory over Chen in their five meetings.
The Japanese shuttler went into the break in the first game with a 11-8 lead. Although the Rio Olympic champion Chen restored himself and hit a 6-1 to overturn the score, Momota again reclaimed the lead with a five-point winning streak.
The second game turned to be a one-sided fight as Momota eventually collected the title in an hour.
“It was the turning point of the whole match when I led by 14-12 in the first game, I was caught in his pace, which made me lose points in row,” Chen said after the match.
In the women’s singles final, Tai defended her title as she managed to carve out a 21-19, 22-20 win over China’s Chen Yufei.
The 42-minute long clash saw a close fight between the two finalists, however Tai held her nerve to emerge victorious.
It was Yufei’s second defeat to the former world No. 1 this year, the eighth of her career, after she had lost to Tai at the All-England Open last month, where the latter eventually won the title.
“In the beginning of the game, I had too many faults. So I was trying to tell myself to ‘calm down’,” Tai, 24, said.
“Chen is always improving. In fact, she played more consistently than me today and gave me great pressure,” she added.
Earlier, the home mixed doubles pair of Wang Yilyu and Huang Dongping registered a 21-17, 21-17 win over top-seeded Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir of Indonesia.
In the men’s double final, reigning champions Li Junhui and Liu Yuchen of China claimed a sensational win. Coming from one game down, the Chinese duo overcame Japan’s Takeshi Kamura and Keigo Sonoda 11-21, 21-10, 21-13 to defend their title.
“It’s a game worth carefully reviewing and summarizing,” Li said adding, “We had a poor start in the first game, but we restored in the second and levelled the score. In the third, our confidence was back.”
Meanwhile, the women’s double final saw a battle between two Japanese pairs. Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota defeated Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi 21-18, 18-21, 21-15.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.