B E N N E T T, C O L E M A N & C O. LT D. | E S TA B LI S H E D 183 8 | T I M E S O F I N D I A . C O M | N E W D E L H I

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STUDENT EDITION

TODAY’SEDITION

➤From riddles to quizand mastering a new lan-guage and English gram-mar, your favourite DIYcorner has it all

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➤Check out all theactions from the soccerworld as Chelsea edgeout Villarreal to winSuper Cup

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➤ Want to take a breakfrom your online classes?Read what your friendssay about their schooldays

FRIDAY, AUGUST 13, 2021

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NEERAJ CHOPRA

Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has gained 14 places tobecome world number two in the latest world rankings afterhis sensational show in the Tokyo Olympics. The 23-year-oldathlete is only behind German athlete Johannes Vetter, who

has a 1,396 score, as per the latest updateissued by the World Athletics. Neeraj has a

score of 1,315 in men's javelin throwafter his Tokyo Olympics gold. The starathlete's historic golden throw in theOlympics has been listed as one of the

10 magical moments of athletics (trackand field) in the Tokyo Olympics by the

World Athletics.

GOLDEN BOY OFINDIA IS WORLD NO 2

PAGE 2

Neeraj Chopra created historyon August 7 becoming the

first Indian to win a goldin track and field in theOlympics. He threw thejavelin to a distance of87.58m to pick the yel-low metal at the Tokyo

Games.

Neeraj had 143,000followers on Instagram

before the Olympics butnow has a staggering 3.2million, making him themost-followed track andfield athlete in the world

Ahead of India's 75th Independence Day, the ministry ofhome affairs has directed states to ensure they do notuse plastic Tricolours at any function, as “plastic flags

are non-biodegradable and lead to loss of dignity of theNational Flag”. So, what are the rules governing the Tricolour.

TIMES NIE decodes the Flag Code of India 2002...

1Part I of theCode providesa generaldescription of

the National Flag.Among other things,it says that theTricolour “shall bemade of hand spun

and hand-wovenwool/cotton/silk khadi

bunting” and shouldcomprise three rectan-gular panels for thethree colours — saf-fron, white and green— of equal width.

FACTOIDFACTOID

Saluting the

2The ratio of thelength to the height(width) of the Flagshall be 3:2

3The Tricolour of450X300 mm sizeare intended foraircraft on VVIP

flights, 225X150 mm size formotor-cars and 150X100 mmsize for table flags

4Wherever the flagis flown, it shouldoccupy the positionof honour and be

distinctly placed

5The flagshould not bedamaged ordishevelled

and it should not beused as a “festoon,rosette or bunting orin any other mannerfor decoration".Further, it cannot beused as a covering ondesks or as a drapeand “shall not beallowed to touch theground or the floor ortrail in water"

DISPOSAL OF PAPER FLAGSThe Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act says that flags “madeof paper may be waved by people at public functions and importantoccasions". But it also lays down rules for how these flags are to bedisposed off after such events. “Such paper flags should not be discard-ed or thrown on the ground after the event. As far as possible, it should bedisposed of in private, consistent with the dignity of the Flag," it says,adding that “when the Flag is in a damaged or soiled condition, it shall bedestroyed as a whole in private, preferably by burning or by any othermethod consistent" with its dignity. (SOURCE: MHA)

JOIN US IN CREATING AWARENESS ON

THE MISUSE OFFLAGS MADE OF PLASTIC.SHARE YOUR VIEWS ATtoinie175@gmail.com

£1,850That's the price of a piece

of cake from the 1981 wed-ding of Prince Charles and

Lady Diana Spencer thatwas sold recently. It was

accompanied by a warningnot to eat it. The original

asking price of this 40-year-old slab of marzipan

and thick cream icingcrowned with the royal coat

of arms in gold, red, blueand silver was £300 to

£500. However, it garneredmore than the triple.

1Moyra Smith, whoworked at QueenElizabeth II's mother's

Clarence House in centralLondon, originally received thecake.

2It was sold at the sameauction house in 2008for £1,000 to a private

collector in the wake ofSmith's death, who sold itagain for a profit.

3This cake was kept bySmith, with the clingfilm intact, in a cake tin

that was labelled ‘Handle withcare’ and dated July 29, 1981,the date of the wedding.

IN OTHER NEWS

T he Indian space programme suffered a serious setback on Thursday, as itsGSLV-F10 rocket failed midway in its

mission of putting into orbit the Geo-ImagingSatellite-1 (GISAT-1). Along with the rocket, the2,268 kg GISAT-1/EOS-03 communication satel-lite carried by the rocket was also lost. The 57.10metre-tall, 416 ton-Geosynchronous SatelliteLaunch Vehicle (GSLV-F10) lifted off from thesecond launch pad at 5.43 am.

‘WHO CALL ON EMERGENCY NODFOR COVAXIN IN SEPTEMBER’

A WHO official has said the agency’s assessment of made-in-IndiaCovaxin is at an advanced stage and a

decision on emergency authorisation for BharatBiotech’s vaccine is likely by mid-September.Covaxin is still to be authorised by Westernauthorities. A top vaccines’ official at the WorldHealth Organisation says the agency expects tomake a decision next month on an emergencyauthorisation for the Indian-made Covid-19 vaccine made by Bharat Biotech, a shot that has yetto be authorised by any Western regulatory authorities.

LATA MANGESHKAR, BIG B, SONUNIGAM SING FOR 'HUM HINDUSTANI'

H um Hindustani will witness 15 Bollywood personalities coming together to lend their voices for the first time for apatriotic soundtrack. Industry legends Lata Mangeshkar,

Amitabh Bachchan, Padmini Kolhapure, Anil Agarwal, Sonu Nigam,Kailash Kher, Alka Yagnik, and Shabbir Kumar have lent their voices forthe song. Next-gen stars like Shraddha Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha, ShrutiHassan, Tara Sutaria, Ankit Tiwari, Siddhanth Kapoor, and Jannat Zubertoo will be singing the song.

INDIA'S ATTEMPT TO HAVE ITS EYEIN THE SKY FAILS

The GSLV-F10 is a three stage/engine rocket. The core of the first stage is fired withsolid fuel and the four strap-on motors by liquid fuel. The second is the liquid fueland the third is the cryogenic engine.

‘SACH’ A CAMARADERIE!Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Mirabai Chanuwas left inspired after meeting legend SachinTendulkar on Wednesday. "Loved meeting@sachin_rt Sir this morning! His words of wis-dom & motivation shall always stay with me.Really inspired," the Indian weightlifter tweet-ed. "Equally happy to meet you this morning,@mirabai_chanu! It was wonderful talking toyou about your inspiring journey from Manipurto Tokyo. You've got places to go in the comingyears, keep working hard," Sachin Tendulkarreplied to Chanu.

Indepdendencedepdendencedendence

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SPECIALWEEKENDER ISSUE

A week-long celebrationof India’s Independence starts on ourwebsite from Monday, August 9

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STORIESCelebrate Indiawith us.Tell us what makes you a proud Indian

Can you describe India in 5 words or less?

Join the conversation on @TOIStudent on

Follow: #IDaywithTOIStudent

Take a walk through history with us, as we tell you theStory of India like never before…

CELEBRATING INDIA, OUR WAY

BOOKS,MOVIES,MUSIC

SYMBOLSOF

INDIA

SEPIAMEMORIES

MONUMENTS

ACTIVITIES,CRAFT &

DIYS

YOURVIDEOS

INFOGRAPHICS

INSPIRINGWORDSSPEECHES

EXCITINGEXPRESSIONS

THROUGHART

UNSUNGHEROES

FORGOTTENSTORIES

TERRIFICTRIVIA

QUIRKYQUIZZES

AND MUCH,MUCH MORE

Your newmobile setcould be madeof recycledproducts!

Samsung Electronics has said that it will userecycled material in all of its new mobile prod-ucts by 2025, as the South Korean tech giant

vowed to minimise environmental impact. Samsungunveiled its new sustainable vision for the mobilebusiness, 'Galaxy for the Planet', on Wednesday,where the company also introduced new foldablesmartphones. To achieve its initial sustainabilitygoals, Samsung said, it will first try to incorporaterecycled material in all new mobile products andeliminate all plastics in mobile packaging by 2025.

The world's largestsmartphone vendor alsoplans to achieve zeropower standby con-sumption of smartphonechargers, aiming for areduction to below0.005 watts by 2025

Tricolour

02It’s not just a place where you get to learn Einstein’s Theory of

Relativity. It’s also a place where you can think beyond the classroom.Hence we say, SCHOOL IS COOL!

SCHOOL IS COOLFRIDAY, AUGUST 13, 2021

IF I WERE

A BOOK

As C S Lewis oncesaid, "Literatureadds to reality, itdoes not simply

describe it. It enriches thenecessary competenciesthat daily life requires andprovides; and in this re-spect, it irrigates thedeserts that our lives havealready become." Under-standing that literatureadds colour to the canvasof life, Delhi Public Schoolhas always given prece-dence to inculcating in stu-dents the love for literatureand reading.

As part of the LiteraryWeek celebrations, theschool conducted variouscompetitions in Sanskrit,Telugu, Hindi and English.

Refining the commu-

nication skills of studentsas well as to inculcate thehabit of reading and writ-ing in them, the LiteraryWeek featured severalevents including declama-tion, recitation and newsreading, with the primaryobjective to promote andfoster in children the love

for literature.On the day of culmi-

nation of the celebrations,Sonia Relia, an author, ateacher facilitator, a re-searcher and innovator,graced the occasion and ad-dressed the children aboutthe joy and importance ofreading.

Principal Padma JyotiTuraga also addressed theonline audience and moti-vated them to read and im-merse themselves in theworld of books.

The main attraction ofthe event was the glimpsesof the weeklong competi-tions. The vigour and fas-cination with which eachchild performed in theevent made the whole func-tion a success. The stu-dents also took the center-stage with some live per-formances and vibrant

compering.

IN THE REALM OF LITERATUREIN THE REALM OF LITERATUREIN THE REALM OF LITERATURE

The virtual literary fest wasconducted by Gitanjali De-vakul, Kukatpally with stu-dents displaying their cre-

ative side in a number of events.They took part in sing along sto-

ry, storytelling session using puppetryfrom junior wing and recitation com-petitions, cos play, audiophile, lyricalimprov, comic strips, creating bookcovers and illustrations on variousthemes.

The programme was held for allthe students from pre-primary to class

X. The five-day literary extrava-ganza was all about fairy tales

to various themes and storiesof famous authors like Saro-jini Naidu, Ruskin Bond, Rud-

yard Kipling, R KNarayan, RabindranathTagore, Sudha Murthyand many more. It was aweek of flurry and excite-

ment with children being fruitfully en-gaged in various aspects of literature.

The virtual event witnessed anoverwhelming participation of all thestudents, parents and grandparents.

Chief guest Madvi Chandra, di-rector, principal Gitanjali Devashala,also a writer, appreciated the effortsof students, parents and management

for taking an initiative in the literaryfest. She motivated children by stress-ing on why reading is important forall ages and at all times.

She also mentioned that parentsmust inculcate the habit of readingstories from childhood to enhance vo-cabulary and foster a love of literatureand writing.

One day when I was in class IV, the science class was

going on. The teacher was teaching something related to

reptiles. Suddenly, two girls sitting on the first bench

screamed loudly and told the teacher that there was a snake

near the bench. The teacher got so scared that she shouted,

left the book and ran out of the class! Everyone was standing

on their benches until a boy from class IX came forward to deal

with the ‘snake.’ He picked it up

and started laughing at us.

Everyone was surprised

when he informed that was

an artificial green stalk of a flower used in

SUPW project, which moved a bit with the wind.

Everyone was relieved and

laughed heartily.

L ADITHI, class IX,

Sri Guru Datta

High School,

Hyderabad

Science topic comes to life!

Green Day was cele-brated with great zealand enthusiasm by

the students from the pre-primary wing of GangesValley School. The studentsalong with their teacherstook on eco-friendly roles intheir pretty green attires.

The classrooms’ themewas green. All possible

green coloured objects fromthe child's immediate sur-roundings were brought tothe classrooms. Studentslearnt to identify and recog-nise green fruits, vegetables,

leaves, and trees. Story-telling, rhymes, and hands-on activities were organisedlaying emphasis on recog-nising the colour.

The children ended theday with a mock fancy show.Green Day was a practicallearning experience for thechildren which they en-joyed.

All about the colour greenOn the occasion of Inter-national Self-Care Day,Delhi School of Excel-

lence, Attapur invited their school counsellor,Shivani Wadhwa, to give a live talk with thetagline 'Check your Battery', as a way to pro-mote the importance of self-care in our dailylives.

Taking nutritious diet, therapeutic exer-cises, setting boundaries in a social commu-

nity and making time foroneself, and loving self, werea few salient points that

were discussed. Shivani answered queries ofthe attendees during the open forum.

Parents and teachers were also advised onself-care techniques, maintaining a gratitudejournal and applying the 5-4-3-2-1 countdowntip. Students promised to work on their selfwith love and care.

Importance of self-care

Making the best out ofwaste has been a partof human life since the

early ages. It was the humancreative mind that gave birthto this idea of using unwant-ed material in a useful way.

In today's world recyclinghas an important place. Thereare a lot of things around thatare labelled as dump. But theirony is that most of the dumpcollected is useful for others,

if recycled. Hence utilizing thebest from unwanted things hasbecome a generic necessity ofevery human's life.

School education plays asignificant role in nurturingthe value of environmentalprotection and conservation

among children through cre-ative craft activities like 'Bestout of Waste'.

An 'Happy Hour Activity'was conducted for the studentsof the primary wing to show-case their creativity. It helpedto enhance not only creativi-ty and presentation skills ofthe students but made themrealize the importance of re-cycling and reusing waste ma-terial available to them.

BEST OUT OF WASTE

MY BEST FRIEND

The time with you, was the best I knew

The day we met, just went on like a jet

For that beautiful smile, I could go miles and miles

And the time we had, drives me crazy and mad....

She's my best friend or call her a boon

She's pretty and prettier than the moon

Sometimes she acts like goon

All I want to say is hope I meet u soon

You are my hope, you are my shine

You are my only crazy life line....

You filled my life with happiness and light

You're my best friend and you're always right

SHRUTHIKA, class IX D, Delhi Public School, Nacharam

THE ULTIMATE BEAUTY

The burning sun

The black birds

The inert river

The buzzing bees

The vibrant flowers

I see and I wonder,

I listen and think,

I smell and get delighted,

I think and wonder,

What can be learnt from this creation of the supreme?

The light, warmth and punctuality of the sun

The discipline, and happiness of the birds

The teamwork of the bees, The helpful and graceful river

The fragrance of those flowers enlightening the nature

And what about me?, A human! In nature

Enjoying each and every aspect of this beauty without

any effort!

We are so blessed to have this amazing world with

wonderful moments!!!!

EESHANVI, class VI C, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavans Public

School Jubilee Hills Hyderabad

Ganges Valley School

Hyderabad

Delhi School of Excellence

Attapur

Niraj Public School

Ameerpet

Delhi Public School

Nadergul

Gitanjali Devakul

Kukatpally

If I were a book I would wait for the person who owns

me to read. I would like to be a book from any of

the Harry Potter series, but mostly part V. I would

go around with the owner in his bag, to school, home or

the library. Sometimes he would lend me to his friends

to read and I will be happy to see and meet new people

and places. I would go to his bookshelf and sit there with

other books. I would sit on his desk and enjoy with my

friends. I would have a peaceful and comfy life as a book.

N V JOSHIKA, class VI B, Army Public School, Bolarum

WHITE MAGIC: MANYA GADALAY,

class V D, DPS Mahendra Hills

POISE: T VARNIKA,

class VII A,

The Global Edge

School, Madhapur

EQUAL RIGHTS:PAHEL JOSHI,

class VIII A,

Gitanjali

Devshala

PLANET FOR ALL:MADIHA, class X,

Springfields

International School

Step-1 Step-2

Step-6Step-5

NFECITNIOa. faction b. fraction

c. effect d. infection

NALTYASa. analyst b. nasty

c. nasal d. nascent

EERGLINa. eerie

b. earring

c. glint

d. leering

Answers: 1) d, 2) a, 3) d

Answer: London Eye

Quiz time

Norah Burke, whoonce lived in India,relates the story of agirl and a crocodile.Complete these state-ments on 'The BlueBead' (from 'TreasureTrove') by choosingcorrectly.

1 Sibia, 'in all her life',was marked for

A) Ease B) Grief

C) Joy D) Work

SIBIA SAVES THE DAY!

1) D. Work 2) B. Marigolds 3) C. Crêpe

4) C. Scarlet 5) A. Birmingham 6) B. Adornment

Idiom-etricsSURYAKUMARI DENNISON, teacher, Aavishkar Academy, Bengaluru

TRIVIA

In the old days, when dwellings oftimber and thatch caught fire,they would burn relentlessly and

quickly go up in flames. Therefore,'to get on like a house on fire'describes the instant liking betweentwo people and their rapidly devel-oping relationship. Surprisingly, wefirst hear of this simile in the 18thcentury. One would expect it to dateback earlier, to the Great Fire ofLondon, 1666.

Editorin the making

Include some of these headlines to make a story and give it a title. Mail the story to us at toinie175@gmail.com.The interesting one will be published in theedition. Watch out for this space!!!

ciao!

hallo!hello!

hola! Learn a

Work sheetQ:1 How will you ask for drinking water?

Q:2 You had your meal. How will you askfor a bill?

Q:3 How will give approval for a compli-mentary treat?

Q:4 How will you ask for a menu at the hotel?

FRENCH

1) Je voudrais de l’eau.Meaning: I would like some water.

2) L’addition, s’il vous plaît. Meaning: The bill, please.

3) La carte/le menu, s’ilvous plaît.Meaning: The menu/fixed-pricemenu, please.

4) oui, avec plaisir” MEANING: Yes, with pleasure

5) Donner uncoup de main MEANING: To give a knock of hand

1)Je voudrais de l’eau 2) L’addition, s’il vous plait3) oui, avec plaisir”4) La carte s’il vous plaît

“Life is short, but there is always time enough for courtesy.”

RALPH WALDO EMERSON, POET 03WIZARD’S CORNERFRIDAY, AUGUST 13, 2021

CLICK HERE: PAGE 3 AND 4

SEJAL ANJARIAeducator,

Zebar School ForChildren, Ahmedabad

Step-3 Step-4

It is Europe's tallest cantileveredobservation wheel, located on thebanks of the famous riverThames. It opened to the public in2000 as the world's tallest Ferriswheel. It celebrated its 20thbirthday in March 2020 withsome of the pods offering anexperience of the city.

2 On clay bowls, Sibiaplans to paint

A) Roses B) Marigolds

C) Petunias D) Sunflowers

3 Not mentioned in thestory is

A) Silk B) Satin

C) Crêpe D) Cotton

Draw the easy way

4 The colour of 'lal-lal-beeges' is

A) Crimson B) Maroon

C) Scarlet D) Vermilion

5 Tin-trays come from

A) Birmingham B) Manchester

C) Newcastle D) Sheffield

6 Sibia longs for ..........................

A) Admiration B) Adornment

B) Adulthood C) Adventure

SURYAKUMARI DENNISON, teacher, Aavishkar Academy, Bengaluru

The alarm wakes me up.Ouch, time for online class-es, as I open up my laptop,the TV blares in the back-

ground. "UK government to rewardthose who lose weight!..." Myfather chuckles. "If only we werein the UK. You would start earningmore than me, as I know “ Expert-approved ways to boost your kid’simmunity." My mother glares fromthe kitchen, and points to a newsheadline in the daily tabloid—"Gutsy Satish Kumar shows truevalour...". As they continue theirbanter, I shake my head, barelymanaging to stifle my laughter. Asonline classes get over, my fatherwants me to read the TOI studentarticle, “ From UP village, shestands tall: scores perfect 100 %in class XII”. A 'ding' from mymobile draws my attention."Instagram makes accounts forusers under 16 private bydefault..." a pop-up reads. And Ithank god, at least someone cameto their senses.

2

NUMBER SERIES

What is the greatest possiblelength that can be used tomeasure exactly the followinglengths 7m 3m 85cm 12m95cm?

1. 15 CM 2. 25 CM

3. 35 CM 4. 42 CM

1A long rope has to be cutto make 23 small pieces.If it is double folded tostart with how manytimes does it need to becut?1. 11 2. 17

3. 98 4. 44

3The least number, whichwhen divided by 12, 15, 20and 54 leaves in each casea remainder of 8 is:

1. 504 2. 536

3. 544 4. 548

Answer : 1 Answer : 4

FAMILY BANTER

The headlines: 1) 17 candidates score 100 per-centile in JEE-Mains

2) #ThankYouHeroes, says Barbie

3) Neelakurinji flowers bloom inKerala after 12 years

4) Gold-dusted India glitters withNeeraj’s win

5) Street foods you can eat whilemaintaining weight

And thewinner is...AJITESH

VISHWANATHclass XI, Laxman Public School,

Hauz Khas, New Delhi

(Choose the idiom that best suits the situation)

Priya was not happy at her new school. The wealthygirl felt that she was grander than everyone else,and considered it below her dignity to get to know

her classmates. 'Nobody talks to me,' Priya complainedto her parents. 'My dear,' said her mother, 'I'm sure thatif you stop acting superior and looking down on others,you will soon make lots of friends.'

A) Flog a dead horse

B) Look a gift horse in the mouth

C) Get off one's high horse

Quiet Arjun was spending time with hisoutgoing cousin, Rakesh. Although thetwo were very different, they thor-

oughly enjoyed each other's company.

Answer : 3

WEAVE A STORY WITH HEADLINES

Answer: C

A) Bring thehousedown

B) Get onlike a houseon fire

C) Put one'shouse in order

Answer: B

Q1:Which country will host

the 2021 Commonwealth

Youth Games?a. Dominica

b. The Bahamas

c. Dominican Republic

d. Trinidad and Tobago

Q2:Which country won the

gold medal in men’s ice

hockey at the 2020 Tokyo

Olympics?a. Great Britain

b. Czech Republic

c. Belgium

d. Canada

Q3:Which Indian football

player is known as

“Captain Fantastic”?a. Sunil Chhetri

b. Bhaichung Bhutia

c. I M Vijayan

d. Pradip Kumar Banerjee

Q4:Who won the first-ever

gold medal in the history

of the Commonwealth Games?a. Roger Bannister

b. John Landy

c. Gordon Smallacombe

d. John Cooper

Q5:Which cricketer got the

most wickets in a single

Cricket World Cup tournament?

a. Mitchell Starc

b. Glenn McGrath

c. Mohammed Shami

d. Zaheer Khan

Q6:Sergio Agüero will foreverbe remembered for scoring

the last-minute goal that won

Manchester City the title in 2012.Who set up that goal?a. Edin Dzeko

b. Mario Balotelli

c. David Silva

d. Yaya Touré

Q7:Which sport’s referencebook is “Wisden”?

a. Tennis

b. Badminton

c. Golf

d. Cricket

Q8:Which English team hasbeaten a Spanish side in a

European final this century?a. Chelsea

b. Arsenal

c. Liverpool

d. Middlesbrough

Q9:Which boxing punch style isa quick, straight punch

thrown with the lead hand from theguard position?a. Cross

b. Jab

c. Hook

d. Uppercut

Q10:Who among the followingwas the first black Formula

One World Champion in history?a. Felipe Massa

b. Jensson Button

c. Lewis Hamilton

d. Fernando Alonso

Photo: REUTERS

QUIZ TIME!

ANSWERS: 1. d. Trinidad and Tobago

2. c. Belgium 3. a. Sunil Chhetri

4. c. Gordon Smallacombe 5. a. Mitchell Starc

6. b. Mario Balotelli 7. d. Zaheer Khan

8. c. Liverpool 9. b. Jab 10. c. Lewis Hamilton

Sergio Agüero

After a rapturous re-ception and raucousunveiling to the public

on Wednesday Lionel Messitook part in his first sessionat Paris Saint-Germain’sCamp des Loges training fa-cility on Thursday. The 34-year-old former Barcelonaplayer has been on downtimesince winning the CopaAmerica with Argentina inJuly, and started his first PSGrun-out with simple physicalexercises. “I’ve been out of ac-tion for around a month andI need to get physically ready.I hope to be ready as soon aspossible, because I can’t waitto play,” Messi said at his un-veiling at the Parc des Princesstadium on Wednesday.

He is unlikely to make hisdebut for PSG soon, and cer-tainly not this weekend whenMauricio Pochettino’s teamplay Strasbourg in Ligue 1. “Ican’t tell you when my firstgame will be but I can tell you

I’m dying to get started,” hesaid. “I want it to be soon.”Messi arrived in France onTuesday before penning atwo-year contract with the op-tion of a third season.

The club also revealed onThursday it had paid a sign-ing on bonus to the player inPSG’s own virtual currencywhich it calls $PSG Fan To-kens. “The coins are there tocreate a link between the fansand the club,” the club said. AFP

Photo: AP

Kepa Arrizabalaga was the unlikely

hero as Chelsea started the new

season as they ended the last with a

European trophy by beating Villarreal

6-5 on penalties after a 1-1 draw to

win the UEFA Super Cup in Belfast

India’s medal count at the Rio Par-alympics stood at 4 (2 gold, 1 sil-ver and a bronze) but that num-ber _according to star highjumper Mariyappan Thangavelu

_is likely to go up significantly at theupcoming edition in Tokyo to be heldfrom August 24 to September 5. “I ex-pect our Paralympic contingent to bag

medals in double digits,” the 26-year-old from Salem told TOI. In-

dia is sending its largest-evercontingent _ 54 members _ forthe event. Mariyappan willbe India’s flag-bearer at theopening ceremony. He isscheduled to leave for Tokyolate on August 18.

Quality over quantity Mariyappan, who won gold in the T-42 highjump category at Rio, believes the Covid-19 pandemic has made him work evenharder on his endurance levels. “The em-phasis of my training, in the last one year,has been to raise my endurance levels. Ear-lier, I would be able to do about 400m ofrunning during training sessions but thathas increased to almost 1200m now. Theemphasis has been mainly on qualityrather than quantity. Also, earlier I wouldconcentrate only on my preparations buttoday I study the opponents ahead of atournament,” said Mariyappan who wasbestowed with the Khel Ratna last year.

After his feat at the Rio Games, in

2016 Mariyappan endured an ankle in-jury on his right leg and underwent asurgery related to that in 2018. “It wasinitially tough when I resumed my train-ing regime. I wanted to go full throttlebut had to gradually increase my work-load and not rush into it. I became moreconscious about how I should train af-ter going under the knife,” said Mariyap-pan, who won bronze at the 2018 Para-Asian Games that was held in Jakarta.He qualified for Tokyo Paralympics af-ter winning a bronze medal in the WorldPara Athletic championships at Dubaiin 2019. Mariyappan has been trainingwith his long-time coach Sathya-narayana in Bengaluru in the tune-upto the Paralympics.

Tokyo Olympics concluded on August 8 but the city will remain in focus thanks to the

Paralympics to be held from August 24 to September 5

The Spaniard, who has lost his placeas number one since joining theclub for a world record fee for a goal-keeper in 2018, was introduced latein extra-time as a substitute for theshootout by Thomas Tuchel. Kepa

famously refused to be replaced by formerChelsea boss Maurizio Sarri in a League Cup fi-nal defeat to Manchester City two years ago. Butthis time he rewarded his manager’s faith withsaves from Aissa Mandi and Raul Albiol. “It wasnot spontaneous,” said Tuchel who explainedthe plan had been hatched in the FA Cup last sea-son. “We talked about it with the goalkeepers af-ter the first cup game against Barnsley. It’s fan-tastic how Edouard (Mendy) accepted it. Thereis proof that Kepa is better in this discipline.They’re team players. Edouard does not showthe pride to not step off the field. He was happyto do it for the team and take this for the team.”

Rise of Tuchel ■ Chelsea’s win over Manchester City in Por-to to lift the Champions League for a secondtime in May was the culmination of a mete-oric rise in Tuchel’s first five months incharge. The German has bemoaned havingto manage a 42-man squad during pre-seasonand could soon have even more firepower tocall on with Romelu Lukaku expected to com-plete a return to Stamford Bridge later thisweek for a club record £97 million ($135 mil-lion). But the depth of resources available toTuchel was on show early on. Euro 2020 fi-nalists Mason Mount, Ben Chilwell, ReeceJames and Jorginho all had to settle for aplace on the bench after their late return topre-season training, but Chelsea still had fartoo much for the Europa League winners inthe opening half hour.

Ziyech in good form

■ Hakim Ziyech had a bittersweet evening ashe continued his fine pre-season form into com-petitive action with the opening goal. MarcosAlonso fed Kai Havertz down the right and fromthe German’s low cross, Ziyech swept home.However, the Moroccan was forced off before

half-time in a sling by a shoulder injury. In starkcontrast to Chelsea’s haul of now 20 trophies inthe nearly 20 years since Roman Abramovich’stakeover transformed the club, Villarreal’s Eu-ropa League final victory over Manchester Unit-ed in May secured their first ever silverware.After an overly cautious start from Unai Emery’smen, going behind forced the Yellow Submarineout of their shell and they were unfortunate notto be level by half-time. “I am proud to repre-sent Villarreal, our project and the Spanishleague,” said Emery. “We knew how to compete.”

Chelsea’s flawlesspenalties

■ Mendy scampered from his line to denyBoulaye Dia a debut goal before Villarreal

twice hit the woodwork either side of thebreak through Alberto Moreno and GerardMoreno. Villarreal were the dominant forcein the second-half as Chelsea physically fad-ed after their flying start. Tuchel turned tohis bench to stem the tide as Mount, Jorgin-ho and Andreas Christensen were introduced.But the Spaniards finally got their deservedequaliser when Moreno played a clever one-two with Dia before firing high past Mendy.Neither manager would have welcomed anextra 30 minutes just days before their re-spective league campaigns kick-off. Chelseahad the better of extra-time as ChristianPulisic fired inches wide before Sergio Asen-jo produced a fine save to deny Mount. Asen-jo also gave Villarreal a dream start to theshootout by saving from Havertz. But Chelseawere flawless with their next six spot-kicksto allow Kepa to take centre stage. AFP

Chelsea’s goalkeeper KepaArrizabalaga saves the final shotduring the penalty shootout of theUEFA Super Cup soccer matchbetween Chelsea and Villarreal

Kepa has the best percentage at saving

penalties. The analysing guys and

goalkeeping coaches showed me the data. We

spoke to the players and told them this could

happen when we play in knockout games.

THOMAS TUCHEL, Manager Chelsea

Mariyappan poses with his gold medal at the Paralympics in Rio Paralympics 2016

MESSI BEGINS HISTRAINING WITH PSG

Messi poses with his jersey after the press

conference of Paris Saint-Germain

Photo: GETTY IMAGES