Sports

Staying healthy and Olympic gold are Vetter’s goals for 2021, not the world record

Published

5 years ago

2020/11/7

World’s leading javelin thrower this year, Johannes Vetter, who came within a meter of the long-standing world record, considers staying healthy and winning gold in Tokyo as his prime goals for 2021. He said this in a World Athletics podcast on Wednesday.

Asked for his comments on the talks of breaking the 1996 world record, the German national record holder said: “My focus should not be on breaking the world record. The goal should be to get the gold at the Tokyo Olympics.”

“In the javelin throw it is tough to build up such a high level that you can throw over 95 meters every week. May be it will not happen in the future. Maybe I will not throw over 97 or 98 in the future. It’s nothing you can plan. It is something that will happen or not happen. In my training I am trying to improve small things, specially in the technique. I will try to stay healthy. Future will tell how far I could go,” said Vetter who is the only thrower to clear the 90 meters mark this year, according to World Athletics statistics.

“Biggest goal is the gold medal in Tokyo and also to stabilize the 90 meter throws and to win as much competitions as I can. I think the highest goal should be to stay healthy,” said the former world champion who won the global title in 2017.

Vetter, was placed fourth at the 2016 Olympics where compatriot Thomas Röhler was the winner. Next year he came up with the World Championship gold but was placed third at the last World Championship in Doha.

After recovering from an injury Vetter was in fine form this year. Asked to comment on his massive throw of 97.76 meters (in September 2020), which is the second furthest throw of all time, Vetter had this to say. “Competition was not easy at the beginning. The warm up throws were quite good. But the first two throws were not quite good. But the moment I released the third throw I was crying. I felt that I had thrown a huge throw. All emotions of this year and the last two years came together. It was strong and intense feeling. It was like that you could give something back to your family and to your mother and of course you give back something to yourself and for the whole society in such crazy times. For your sport and for your discipline.”

Johannes Vetter is one of the ten athletes named by World Athletics for this year’s World Athlete of the Year Award. (RF)

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Sports

ICC shortlists venues for 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka

Published

2 hours ago

2025/11/8

Thilina Walpola

Ahmedabad will host the final of the 2026 T20 World Cup, unless Pakistan qualify for it

The ICC has finalised Ahmedabad, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai as the venues in India for the 2026 men’s T20 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Sri Lanka as well. It is understood the ICC has shortlisted two venues in Colombo and Kandy as the three venues in Sri Lanka.

The T20 World Cup is set to begin on February 7 and will conclude with the final in Ahmedabad on March 8. According to PTI, the ICC is likely to release the schedule next week, with just about three months to go for the start of the tournament. It is understood that the majority of the participating countries have been waiting for the ICC to inform them about the grouping of teams as well as the schedule. The ICC is also yet to release ticketing information for the tournament.

Pakistan will play all their games in Sri Lanka as per the agreement reached between the BCCI and PCB for India and Pakistan to play at neutral venues during multi-nation tournaments hosted by the other country. If Pakistan make the final, the fixture will be held in Sri Lanka.

The 2026 T20 World Cup will have the same format as the previous edition – 20 teams split into four groups of five each, with every team playing the others once. The top two teams from each group will progress to the Super-eight stage, where they will be placed into two groups of four. The top two sides from each Super-eight group will then qualify for the semi-finals. The winners of the semi-final will meet in the final.

Apart from hosts India and Sri Lanka, the other teams with automatic qualification to the tournament were the top seven teams from the 2024 T20 World Cup – Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, United States of America and West Indies. The three teams that qualified on the basis of their T20I rankings were New Zealand, Pakistan and Ireland.

Canada took the lone spot from the Americas Qualifier. Italy, first time T20 World Cup participants, and Netherlands, qualified from the five-team tournament in Europe. Namibia and Zimbabwe grabbed the two spots from the eight-team African qualifier before Nepal, Oman and UAE made it from the Asian -EAP round.

India are the defending champions, having beaten South Africa in the final of the 2024 T20 World Cup in Barbados.

[Cricinfo]

Sports

Yashitha wins men’s singles title

Published

2 hours ago

2025/11/8

Thilina Walpola

Yashitha De Silva (Pic by Kamal Wanniarachchi)

Mercantile Tennis Tournament 2025

Yashitha De Silva of MAS Holding beat Sanka Athukarala of Lanka Minerals & Chemical to clinch the Division I men’s singles title of the Mercantile Tennis tournament held at Sri Lanka Tennis Association courts.

Yashitha beat Sanka 6-3, 3-6, 10-8 in the final.

Latest News

Eshan Malinga picked for white-ball tour of Pakistan; Rajapaksa back for T20Is

Published

11 hours ago

2025/11/7

Priyan

Bhanuka Rajapaksa last played a T20I in January this year [Cricinfo]

Dasun Shanaka has been named Sri Lanka’s vice-captain for the upcoming T20I tri-series that will also involve Pakistan and Zimbabwe. Fast bowler Eshan Malinga, meanwhile, is in line to make his debut in the same series while also being included in the ODI squad for the three matches against Pakistan before the tri-series begins.

Dilshan Madushanka has been ruled out of the ODI series as he hasn’t yet recovered from a knee injury, and was replaced by Malinga, whereas Matheesha Pathirana isn’t a part of the T20I squad as he is recovering from an upper respiratory tract infection. Pathirana was replaced by Asitha Fernando.

Top-order batter Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who last played a T20I at the start of the year, was back in the squad for the shortest format, having missed two bilateral series and the Asia Cup since then.

Left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage didn’t find a spot in either of the 16-member squads, but he will lead Sri Lanka A in the Rising Stars T20 Asia Cup in Doha later this month.

Sri Lanka’s ODIs against Pakistan are all scheduled to be played in Rawalpindi, on November 11, 13 and 15. Those will be followed by the tri-series from November 17 in Rawalpindi and Lahore, with the final slated for November 29.

Sri Lanka squads

ODIs: Charith Asalanka (capt), Pathum Nissanka, Lahiru Udara, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Kamindu Mendis, Janith Liyanage, Pavan Rathnayake, Wanindu Hasaranaga, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Dushmantha Chameera, Asitha Fernando, Pramod Madushan, Eshan Malinga

T20I tri-series: Charith Asalanka (capt), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Kamil Mishara, Dasun Shanaka (vice-capt), Kamindu Mendis, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Janith Liyanage, Wanindu Hasaranaga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushan Hemantha, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Thushara, Asitha Fernando, Eshan Malinga

[Cricinfo]