G Rajaraman

Sports Communication Professional. Life-long student of Sport. Wildlife enthusiast.

[G Rajaraman @g_rajaraman]

Looking forward to what promises to be an engaging discussion on Indomitable and Limitless, sparked by physicist Kavita Pandey's collection of 11 short stories Adamya Asim ki Orr.

11:00 a.m., October 29, 2026

India International Centre, New Delhi

[G Rajaraman @g_rajaraman]

@dgaurav7 Sir. I just put out a starting point for discussion. I am sure thought leaders like you will bring your experience to the table and make the decision-makers see value in exploring introspection and learnings beyond a few hours.

[G Rajaraman @g_rajaraman]

India's sports leadership must consider revising its funding strategy for Asian Games teams and not replicate what's being done for Olympics. Reason: The largely different selection pathways.

It will erase the dividing line between 'haves' & 'have-nots'.
https://t.co/zjZLLUp45I

[G Rajaraman @g_rajaraman]

When a champion spends a morning with young athletes, he is presenting them with memories to last a lifetime & inspiring them to pursue excellence. Neeraj Chopra was at hand to see athletes between 7 & 15 years of age compete in the Delhi NCR UBS Athletics Kids Cup Finals in Rai.

[SABI HUSSAIN TOI @TOISH31]

EFI administrator seeks Rs 25 lakh in damages, serves defamation notice on Hangzhou Asiad gold medallist Chheda | More sports News - The Times of India https://t.co/XdNZTtLnXS

[G Rajaraman @g_rajaraman]

@sportstarweb Om Shanti.
A colleague in my first job, his capacity to read books beyond sport was fascinating indeed. His influence on the desk, even with veterans around, was palpable.

[Santhosh Kumar @giffy6ty]

Former national racing champion JD Madan who was paralysed waist down after a road accident in 2007 wins bronze medal (table tennis) in Para Asian Games. TN government to give 30 lakh as cash incentive #paraasiangames #Chennai #tamilnadu

[B R Sharan Kumar @Reddysharan]

Arrived Wins in Glory, Dies in Tragedy

By Tippu Sultan

Adhirajsingh Jodha-trained Arrived gave his owners a moment of glory in his farewell run, winning the gruelling 2800 metres Golconda St Leger, the last classic of the Hyderabad Monsoon Season on Monday. But the triumph was tragically short-lived. Having given his all to win the race, Arrived collapsed barely a furlong past the winning post and, despite being administered oxygen, could not be revived.

Death and glory sometimes go hand in hand in horse racing, a sport in which the line between triumph and tragedy can be painfully thin. It is a game fraught with risks for both the horse and the jockey who guides it. While the winner’s circle celebrates courage, skill and achievement, racing occasionally reminds us of its cruel side, when an animal that has given everything on the track pays the ultimate price. Arrived’s final performance was a sobering reminder of this harsh reality.

The progeny of Deauville was a gutsy performer who made 11 career starts, winning six times and finishing second on two occasions. He was a horse who earned his victories the hard way, often attempting to lead from the start and fighting to retain his advantage to the finish. Such tactics demanded enormous reserves of stamina and courage, particularly over staying trips.

The demands on horses can become even greater when the quality and depth of the available racing population are limited, leaving a few proven performers to shoulder a disproportionate share of the burden. Arrived had his fourth outing in 64 days, with all four runs over distances of 2000 metres and beyond. His previous appearance, over the same trip as the St Leger, had come just 29 days earlier.

There was no obvious sign of distress as Arrived crossed the winning post. Trevor Patel had ridden the four-year-old with determination, and the horse had fought relentlessly to preserve his lead. But a furlong later, he collapsed. Efforts to revive him proved unsuccessful.

It was a cruel end to a courageous campaign. Arrived had delivered his owners the glory they had hoped for, only for the celebration to give way to grief. His death leaves behind a painful reminder that, in racing, the thrill of victory and the agony of loss can sometimes occupy the very same moment.

With the other runners lacking depth, Gold Empire was the only serious challenger, but his recent form offered little encouragement. The horse had beaten Arrived in the Kolkata St Leger, but was not at his best this time. Trevor Patel seized the initiative from the start, taking Arrived to the front and asking him to sustain the gallop throughout the gruelling trip.

The favourite responded gamely, though he began to tire towards the finish. Gold Empire, meanwhile, was left with an almost impossible task, but finished strongly to come within a length of the winner. Superstar, who had also faced the pair in Kolkata, was sluggish at the start once again but recovered to finish third ahead of High Command, who appeared unsuited to the distance.

Trainer Sreekant enjoyed a productive afternoon, saddling a brace of winners, one a heavily supported favourite and the other a long-priced outsider.

Ojas Maximus, who had won impressively on his previous outing, was strongly fancied to repeat the feat in the 1200 metres Kinnerasani Trophy, a race for horses rated 40 to 65. The market proved right. Jockey Akshay Kumar sent the favourite straight to the front, allowing him to travel comfortably before asking for an effort in the final furlong. Ojas Maximus responded by quickening clear for an easy victory over Dubai Touch. Sharanga ran below expectations, barely holding on to third place ahead of Miss Smiley Angel.

Sreekant’s other winner came in the opening event, the 1200 metres Nijinsky Plate (Div I), a race for horses rated 20 to 45. Costa Mesa was available at cramped odds, with the market virtually treating victory as a foregone conclusion. The favourite remained prominent until the final furlong but reportedly bled and faded out of contention.

Rajendra, ridden by H M Akshay, seized the opportunity, gathering momentum in the straight and powering clear for an easy win over Wildstar. Such was the confidence behind Costa Mesa that, apart from the favourite, the remaining runners were all available at odds of over 10 to 1. Rajendra made the market look rather foolish.

The lower division of the Nijinsky Plate produced another upset, with lesser-fancied Farsiris emerging triumphant. Mir Faiyaz Ali Khan’s trainee took charge early in the straight and surged beyond reach inside the final 100 metres for a comfortable victory.

Night Whisper finished strongly and threatened the winner, but had to switch towards the inside as Farsiris drifted out, eventually settling for second. Miri finished third.

Aquatone started as favourite before Konaseema displaced him in the betting. However, Konaseema’s challenge ended abruptly when she dropped apprentice jockey Vikram Singh near the 900-metre marker. The jockey was reported to have suffered a collarbone injury.

Akshay Kumar was again in the saddle when favourite NRI Triple Power lived up to her name in the 1400 metres Sandown Park Plate, a terms race for three-year-olds and over. Eight-year-old Black Onyx attracted enthusiastic support as punters hoped he could recapture his old form after a lengthy winless streak.

Black Onyx moved prominently into contention on turning for home, but his challenge was short-lived once Akshay Kumar brought NRI Triple Power with a powerful late run. The filly swept past her rivals and stretched away to win by an emphatic six lengths. Black Onyx finished second, with Decoy taking third place.

Imran Khan-trained Emperors Charm justified favouritism in the 1400 metres S S Cardmaster Memorial Trophy, a race for horses rated 20 to 45, but only after a determined battle. Trevor Patel had to summon every available resource to coax the favourite home against December Rain, a last-start winner.

Three horses were virtually in line inside the final 100 metres, but Emperors Charm found just enough to prevail by three-quarters of a length over December Rain. Una Paloma Blanca weakened in the closing stages to finish third.

[G Rajaraman @g_rajaraman]

The worst fears of the Equestrian community in India have come true. The International Equestrian Federation (FEI) has decided to suspend the Equestrian Federation of India for prolonged governance and leadership irregularity in the absence of elections.
https://t.co/d8aswjAkuJ

[Abhinav A. Bindra OLY @Abhinav_Bindra]

Throughout my sporting career, I questioned my coaches, challenged ideas and remained curious. Not because I lacked respect but because I wanted to understand, learn and get better. I worry that when athletes feel they cannot speak freely, something far more troubling happens over time. They slowly stop questioning even in their own minds. And when that happens we loose something essential to sporting excellence. We need athletes who question their own work, their coaches, the methods recommended to them and the structures they operate within. Not out of defiance but out of a genuine desire to improve. What some might consider indiscipline may, in fact, be essential to growth. There is a difference between an athlete who refuses to learn and one who refuses to stop asking questions. Sport must be wise enough to recognise that difference.

[G Rajaraman @g_rajaraman]

I met @anandasjayant at a new place and in a new role today. The Uparashtrapati Bhavan. And as an author.
Vice-President CP Radhakrishnan released her book, Dancing with Joy. The book promises to be an inspirational account of her dancing journey and her battle with cancer.

[G Rajaraman @g_rajaraman]

A Verditer Flycatcher caught my eye this morning. A lifer as the birders would say.

[G Rajaraman @g_rajaraman]

We are hearing a cacophony, backed by spreadsheet evaluations, beginning to blame athletes in the wake of the Asian Games. That only bids to shield Target Olympic Podium Scheme leadership from its own accountability by citing funding for elite athletes.
https://t.co/4v7a2o9o0U

[Dr. Samir Parikh 🇮🇳 @dr_samirparikh]

Silence isn’t always quiet. Sometimes it sounds like “I’m fine.”

This #WorldMentalHealthDay, listen beyond words. Challenge stigma. Encourage help-seeking.

HEAR THE SILENCE.
Listen to what isn’t being said.

[G Rajaraman @g_rajaraman]

@timesnowsports @kannandelhi Thank you

[Times Now Sports @timesnowsports]

Candid, lucid and eye-opening, Maverick Jaspal: The Man Who Changed Indian Shooting offers a glimpse into the life and legacy of a trailblazer in Indian shooting.

Maverick Jaspal, penned by two veteran sports journalists @kannandelhi and @g_rajaraman , is a compelling account of a man who left an indelible mark on Indian shooting.

Read the review by @Sudipta_Writes 👇

🔗https://t.co/jMisEpaeYg

[G Rajaraman @g_rajaraman]

Based on the Asian Games outcomes, if India has to get four to 10 gold in LA28, much work has to be done between now and July 2028 so that India’s athletes are primed to mount a challenge to win multiple gold medals across disciplines.
https://t.co/VLbhVxPhse

[Bob Bowman @coach_bowman]

I've been on a pool deck for most of my life.

And the question I get asked more than any other is some version of "What does it take?"

People usually expect me to say talent.

Honestly, almost none of it is talent.

Most of it comes down to having a plan and sticking to it on the days you don't feel like it.

It's what you do on an ordinary Tuesday morning, when nobody is watching and the Olympics feel a hundred years away.

I've been lucky to coach some remarkable people.

Michael Phelps, Léon Marchand, Summer McIntosh, and a lot of athletes whose names you may never know, who worked every bit as hard.

One of those groups was a men's team at Arizona State that couldn't score a point at nationals.

Nine seasons later, they won the program's first national title.

Very different athletes, and the system underneath was the same.

I've been coaching Olympians for nearly 40 years, and I've learned a few things about what makes a champion and how you become one.

Now I want to share them with you.

And I'll tell you some of the stories I've picked up along the way. A few funny ones, a few I've never really told.

Like the infamous pair of goggles I stepped on. Or the number Michael kept seeing in his dreams, and where it ended up.

But none of this is only for swimmers.

So here's my promise to you.

I'm going to give you the same systems, the same way of setting goals, and the same daily standards I've used with Olympic champions.

Proven at the highest level in the world, and built so you can apply them to whatever you're chasing.

Whether you're a student, a parent, building a company, or just trying to get better at something hard, the process is the same.

You decide what you want. You make a plan. And then you do the plan, every day.

That's how you become a champion in your own life.

I'm glad you're here.

— Coach Bowman

[G Rajaraman @g_rajaraman]

Indian Olympic Association President announces wrestler Sujeet Kalkal and archer Kumkum Mohod for the Raja Randhir Singh Award and the Jaspal Rana Award respectively as the best Indian athletes in the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games.

[G Rajaraman @g_rajaraman]

@gauravkalra75 @kannandelhi Hope you like how we have attempted to keep Jaspal Rana’s legacy alive.