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India jump to 9th spot in women’s hockey rankings (Lead)
N0ew Delhi, Aug 7 (IANS) Following their quarter-final finish at the Women’s Hockey World Cup, India have jumped a place to be ninth in the world rankings announced by International Hockey Federation (FIH) on Tuesday.
Sjoerd Marijne-coached India have 1138 points as they made it to the last eight round at the World Cup in London last week.
India will be the top-ranked team at the Asian Games, to be held in Indonesia from August 18.
“The new ranking comes as an added motivation to our team for the upcoming Asian Games, but what is even better to see is that the players are not satisfied. There is more hunger in the squad to improve the ranking further by performing consistently at the highest level,” Dutch tactician Marijne stated in a Hockey India (HI) release.
“We do have plenty of positives from the World Cup as the girls produced very good hockey, showing their grit and character to get through to the last eight.”
World Cup runners-up Ireland made the biggest of gains as they moved from 16th up to eighth position. Their previous highest ranking was 14th.
World Cup winners the Netherlands remained the world’s number one team as they clinched their record-extending eight title with a 6-0 triumph over the Irish girls. The Netherlands have been the top-ranked side since October 2011.
England remain in second spot following their sixth place finish in London while Australia jumped up to third, leapfrogging reigning Pan American champions Argentina, who move to fourth and Commonwealth Games champions New Zealand who dropped to sixth. Germany meanwhile move up to fifth.
Spain took the bronze medals in London to achieve their highest ever finish in World Cup history. Their 3-1 victory against Australia has seen them move up to seventh in the rankings.
Behind India are the likes of South Korea (10), China (11) and the US (12) — all of them lost grounds after their poor performances at the World Cup.
Marijne said that the improvement in their performances at the World Cup was down to the team keeping their defensive structure intact consistently even when they were under pressure.
“One must note that we only conceded three goals in the whole tournament in London. The defence was very solid and that starts with our forward-line as your entire team contributes to a strong defensive structure,” he said.
“We have placed special focus on our structure during matches and now we can see that the girls have come a long way in the past two years. They are now fully aware of their capabilities on the turf and I’m sure the new ranking will surely motivate them to excel at the Asian Games.”
Talking about the rooms for improvement ahead of the Asian Games, Marijne said: “We only have a few days in camp to prepare ourselves, but we will be looking to ensure that our passing is 100 per cent accurate in our build-up play, and we must also improve our penalty corner conversion rate and take more shots on goal.”
–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.