The Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council organised first-ever Kayaking and Canoeing marathon on the river Jhelum in Srinagar. Around 100 participants took part in the marathon, which started from the famous Zero Bridge to Ganpatyar area of Srinagar.&nbsp;

The race had 4 categories which included senior, junior, K1 and K2. The athletes have been training on static waters of the Dal Lake and it was the first time they were trying river rowing, moving against the flow of water. The four kilometres stretch had spectators looking from over the banks and bridges.&nbsp;

The government says that Kashmir has so many natural water resources that taking up water sports is one of the best sporting option for the youth as water bodies to practice in&nbsp;are present everywhere.&nbsp;

"We are blessed with natural water resources. This was the first-ever canoe race particularly on the river Jhelum. We can use river Jhelum for training as well for competition. Popularity of games is extremely important and by doing such events, we want to promote it. In last four years we have won 92 medals at national level and 4 athletes represented us at international level. This is the first such initiative and in June we will organise the first-ever Rowing championship where more than 500 athletes will participate from across the country. We have a lot of talent, and our focus is the Olympics," said Bilquis Mir, Director, Water Sports.&nbsp;

The participating athletes were extremely happy that such an event had been organised for them by the government. They hope more and more events like these will be held in the valley so that they get a platform to learn and represent the country on international level.&nbsp;

"I am extremely happy that this marathon was organised. This helps other youngsters to pick up sports as careers. Lot of youths are involved in drugs and sports is the only way to get rid of that from society. The youngsters will be attracted to these sports and represent the country at international levels," said Vilayat Hussain, an athlete and a gold Winner in the marathon.&nbsp;

There were 10 girl athletes who took part in the marathon as well. The winner of the marathon in the female category was Nabeela Khan, a local athlete who has won many medals for Jammu Kashmir. &nbsp;

"This will give a lot of exposure to the newcomers to get a platform like this. The most important thing is to have fun in all this. It's how you become healthy. Sports can get you fame, and you can represent the country at international levels. You can make so many people proud," said Nabeela Khan.&nbsp;

The Sports Council of Jammu and Kashmir is pushing for more and more sports activities across the valley to engage youth in various sports activities.&nbsp;

The Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council organised first-ever Kayaking and Canoeing marathon on the river Jhelum in Srinagar. Around 100 participants took part in the marathon, which started from the famous Zero Bridge to Ganpatyar area of Srinagar.

The Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council organised first-ever Kayaking and Canoeing marathon on the river Jhelum in Srinagar. Around 100 participants took part in the marathon, which started from the famous Zero Bridge to Ganpatyar area of Srinagar. The race had 4 categories which included senior, junior, K1 and K2. The athletes have been training on static waters of the Dal Lake and it was the first time they were trying river rowing, moving against the flow of water. The four kilometres stretch had spectators looking from over the banks and bridges. The government says that Kashmir has so many natural water resources that taking up water sports is one of the best sporting option for the youth as water bodies to practice in are present everywhere. "We are blessed with natural water resources. This was the first-ever canoe race particularly on the river Jhelum. We can use river Jhelum for training as well for competition. Popularity of games is extremely important and by doing such events, we want to promote it. In last four years we have won 92 medals at national level and 4 athletes represented us at international level. This is the first such initiative and in June we will organise the first-ever Rowing championship where more than 500 athletes will participate from across the country. We have a lot of talent, and our focus is the Olympics," said Bilquis Mir, Director, Water Sports. The participating athletes were extremely happy that such an event had been organised for them by the government. They hope more and more events like these will be held in the valley so that they get a platform to learn and represent the country on international level. "I am extremely happy that this marathon was organised. This helps other youngsters to pick up sports as careers. Lot of youths are involved in drugs and sports is the only way to get rid of that from society. The youngsters will be attracted to these sports and represent the country at international levels," said Vilayat Hussain, an athlete and a gold Winner in the marathon. There were 10 girl athletes who took part in the marathon as well. The winner of the marathon in the female category was Nabeela Khan, a local athlete who has won many medals for Jammu Kashmir. "This will give a lot of exposure to the newcomers to get a platform like this. The most important thing is to have fun in all this. It's how you become healthy. Sports can get you fame, and you can represent the country at international levels. You can make so many people proud," said Nabeela Khan. The Sports Council of Jammu and Kashmir is pushing for more and more sports activities across the valley to engage youth in various sports activities.

Kashmir: First-ever Kayaking and Canoeing marathon held on Jhelum river

Benjamin Savsek won Slovenia's first gold medal in the men's canoe slalom on Monday after barrelling down the white-water course in Tokyo almost four seconds ahead of his nearest rival.

Lukas Rohan from the Czech Republic took silver with Germany's Sideris Tasiadis, who finished runner-up in 2012, getting bronze.

Savsek paddled through the difficult course straight after his German rival in 98.25 seconds, making him the only finalists to complete the course in under 100 seconds.

That run brought an end to the dominance of Slovakia and France in the event in which they had won every gold medal since the 1996 Atlanta Games.

"It's a nice step up from world champion to Olympic champion. I am really proud to achieve this," Savsek said.

"The course was pretty hard today," he added at a news conference wearing the gold medal presented to him by French three-times Olympic slalom champion Tony Estanguet.

Slovakian paddler Matej Benus, who was aiming to better his silver in Rio de Janeiro five years ago, ended sixth with Martin Thomas from France fifth.

Cloudy weather at the Kasai slalom centre next to Tokyo Bay made conditions easier for competitors after they battled through baking sun and warm water in the heats on Sunday, but the hot Japanese summer still made the going tough.

"The heat today was not as big a problem, it was much better, but the water is still hot," Savsek said.

Australia's Jessica Fox, who will attempt to take the women's kayak title tomorrow, had described the course as being like "bath water".

Despite only a handful of people watching from the stands, Savsek's victory was greeted enthusiastically by his team mates, with at least one jumping into the warm water to celebrate his near perfect run.

"It's not so easy without spectators. We have just the Olympic Games where we can race in front of thousands of people," said Rohan, whose father and coach Jiri Rohan won silver in the canoe slalom pairs in 1992 and 1996.

The pairs race was dropped from the Games in Rio to make way for women's canoe slalom.

Benjamin Savsek won Slovenia's first gold medal in the men's canoe slalom on Monday after barrelling down the white-water course in Tokyo almost four seconds ahead of his nearest rival.

Benjamin Savsek won Slovenia's first gold medal in the men's canoe slalom on Monday after barrelling down the white-water course in Tokyo almost four seconds ahead of his nearest rival. Lukas Rohan from the Czech Republic took silver with Germany's Sideris Tasiadis, who finished runner-up in 2012, getting bronze. Savsek paddled through the difficult course straight after his German rival in 98.25 seconds, making him the only finalists to complete the course in under 100 seconds. That run brought an end to the dominance of Slovakia and France in the event in which they had won every gold medal since the 1996 Atlanta Games. "It's a nice step up from world champion to Olympic champion. I am really proud to achieve this," Savsek said. "The course was pretty hard today," he added at a news conference wearing the gold medal presented to him by French three-times Olympic slalom champion Tony Estanguet. Slovakian paddler Matej Benus, who was aiming to better his silver in Rio de Janeiro five years ago, ended sixth with Martin Thomas from France fifth. Cloudy weather at the Kasai slalom centre next to Tokyo Bay made conditions easier for competitors after they battled through baking sun and warm water in the heats on Sunday, but the hot Japanese summer still made the going tough. "The heat today was not as big a problem, it was much better, but the water is still hot," Savsek said. Australia's Jessica Fox, who will attempt to take the women's kayak title tomorrow, had described the course as being like "bath water". Despite only a handful of people watching from the stands, Savsek's victory was greeted enthusiastically by his team mates, with at least one jumping into the warm water to celebrate his near perfect run. "It's not so easy without spectators. We have just the Olympic Games where we can race in front of thousands of people," said Rohan, whose father and coach Jiri Rohan won silver in the canoe slalom pairs in 1992 and 1996. The pairs race was dropped from the Games in Rio to make way for women's canoe slalom.

Tokyo Olympics: Canoeing- Benjamin Savsek wins Slovenia's first canoe slalom gold

Canoeing&#39;s governing body has banned five Russians, including a gold medallist and a five-times world champion, from next month&#39;s Rio Olympics after an explosive independent report revealed state-run doping across Russian sport. 
 
&quot;We are clear that if you step out of line you won`t make the start line,&quot; International Canoe Federation secretary general Simon Toulson said, as canoeing became the latest sport to bar Russians from the Games in the fall-out over the roiling doping controversy. 
 
Their exclusion takes the number of Russians banned from taking part in Rio to 18 since Sunday when the International Olympic Committee decided not to issue a blanket ban on all Russian competitors, instead leaving it up to each sport to decide what to do. 
 
&quot;The International Canoe Federation (ICF) has taken swift action to remove five Russian canoe sprint athletes from the Rio Olympic Games following the release of additional information naming those implicated by the McLaren report,&quot; the ICF said. 
 
&quot;In each case the ICF will impose an immediate suspension pending further investigation making the offending athletes ineligible to compete at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.&quot; 
 
The five were named as Elena Aniushina, Natalia Podolskaya, Alexander Dyachenko, Andrey Kraitor and Alexey Korovashkov. 
 
Korovashkov, a five-times world champion, won a bronze medal in London four years ago and Dyachenko won gold in a doubles kayak sprint. 
 
The Olympics begin on August 5. 
 
(AFP)

Their exclusion takes the number of Russians banned from taking part in Rio to 18 since Sunday after IOC decided not to issue blanket ban

Canoeing's governing body has banned five Russians, including a gold medallist and a five-times world champion, from next month's Rio Olympics after an explosive independent report revealed state-run doping across Russian sport. "We are clear that if you step out of line you won`t make the start line," International Canoe Federation secretary general Simon Toulson said, as canoeing became the latest sport to bar Russians from the Games in the fall-out over the roiling doping controversy. Their exclusion takes the number of Russians banned from taking part in Rio to 18 since Sunday when the International Olympic Committee decided not to issue a blanket ban on all Russian competitors, instead leaving it up to each sport to decide what to do. "The International Canoe Federation (ICF) has taken swift action to remove five Russian canoe sprint athletes from the Rio Olympic Games following the release of additional information naming those implicated by the McLaren report," the ICF said. "In each case the ICF will impose an immediate suspension pending further investigation making the offending athletes ineligible to compete at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games." The five were named as Elena Aniushina, Natalia Podolskaya, Alexander Dyachenko, Andrey Kraitor and Alexey Korovashkov. Korovashkov, a five-times world champion, won a bronze medal in London four years ago and Dyachenko won gold in a doubles kayak sprint. The Olympics begin on August 5. (AFP)

Five Russian canoers, including five-times world champion Korovashkov, banned from Rio

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