An Indian magician who went missing after being lowered into a river while tied up with chains and ropes in a Houdini-inspired stunt is feared drowned, police said Monday. Chanchal Lahiri, known by his stage name “Jadugar Mandrake” (Wizard Mandrake), was lowered by winch into the river in Kolkata on Sunday in a yellow and red costume.
But the 40-year-old, his legs and his arms tightly bound, failed to emerge from the water, to the horror of onlookers including his family and team members. Rescue workers have been scouring the fast-flowing murky waters since Sunday but he was yet to be found, Syed Waquar Raza from the river traffic police told AFP. “We fear he drowned in the river,” he said.
Lahiri told AFP beforehand that he had successfully pulled off a similar stunt 21 years ago at the same venue in the eastern city. “I was inside a bullet proof glass box tied with chain and locks and dropped down from Howrah bridge. Then I came out within 29 seconds.” He admitted it would be tough to free himself this time. “If I can open it up then it will be magic, but if I can’t it will be tragic,” he said.Jayanta Shaw, a photographer with a local newspaper, witnessed Lahiri attempting the trick. He told the BBC that he spoke to him before the magician started his act.”I asked him why he risked his life for magic,” Shaw said. “He smiled and said, ‘If I do it right, it’s magic. If I make a mistake, it becomes tragic.'”The magician told him that he wanted “to revive interest in magic.”When Lahiri tried another stunt at the river in 2013, he was assaulted by onlookers who saw him escape from a locked cage via a door that was clearly visible.
He was beaten and punched and his long flowing golden-brown wig was pulled off by the crowd.Almost a decade earlier, he declared he would walk on the river waters but had to beat a hasty retreat when the act went wrong.Harry Houdini was a Hungarian-born American stuntman who became a sensation in the early 20th century with daredevil feats including escaping from a crate lowered into the East River in New York in 1912.
Paratriathletes Lauren Steadman and Alison Patrick have both won gold at the Buffalo City ITU World Paratriathlon Event, gaining automatic qualification for the Paralympics in Rio
Advertisement
Steadman, 23, won the PT4 category and has now qualified for her third Paralympic Games, having competed twice before as a swimmer. She said: “The top women weren’t here today so I planned to keep it steady and ensure that nothing went wrong. Meeting automatic qualification was the absolute priority. The swim was calm, the bike was a little hilly. Overall it was a great way to start the season!”
Alison Patrick, 28 from Dunfermline won the PT5 race for visually impaired athletes, guided by Nicole Walters. She finished more than three minutes ahead of Spain’s Susana Rodriguez and will look forward to her first Paralympic Games where she will line up against ITU world champion, Katie Kelly of Australia.
>>> BTF announce selection policy for Paralympics
There was also another gold from Ryan Taylor in the men’s PT2 event two silvers from David Hill (PT4) and Phil Hogg (PT1 ) and one bronze Melissa Reid won bronze in the PT5 category with Hazel Smith guiding..
Head coach, Jonathon Riall said that it was “a great start to 2016 with two more quota places secured for Rio and two athletes meeting automatic qualification.”
Steadman and Patrick will be automatically selected for Rio, however general selection for the rest of the team will take place following the ETU European Championships at the end of May and the conclusion of the ITU World Paratriathlon Event Series in June.
Related:
Paratriathlon: the ultimate guide
Britain’s pioneering approach to elite paratriathlon training
Commonwealth Games to host Paratriathlon for first time
2016 Buffalo City ITU World Paratriathlon Event results
Paratriathletes Lauren Steadman and Alison Patrick have both won gold at the Buffalo City ITU World Paratriathlon Event, gaining automatic qualification for the Paralympics in Rio
Advertisement
Steadman, 23, won the PT4 category and has now qualified for her third Paralympic Games, having competed twice before as a swimmer. She said: “The top women weren’t here today so I planned to keep it steady and ensure that nothing went wrong. Meeting automatic qualification was the absolute priority. The swim was calm, the bike was a little hilly. Overall it was a great way to start the season!”
Alison Patrick, 28 from Dunfermline won the PT5 race for visually impaired athletes, guided by Nicole Walters. She finished more than three minutes ahead of Spain’s Susana Rodriguez and will look forward to her first Paralympic Games where she will line up against ITU world champion, Katie Kelly of Australia.
>>> BTF announce selection policy for Paralympics
There was also another gold from Ryan Taylor in the men’s PT2 event two silvers from David Hill (PT4) and Phil Hogg (PT1 ) and one bronze Melissa Reid won bronze in the PT5 category with Hazel Smith guiding..
Head coach, Jonathon Riall said that it was “a great start to 2016 with two more quota places secured for Rio and two athletes meeting automatic qualification.”
Steadman and Patrick will be automatically selected for Rio, however general selection for the rest of the team will take place following the ETU European Championships at the end of May and the conclusion of the ITU World Paratriathlon Event Series in June.
Related:
Paratriathlon: the ultimate guide
Britain’s pioneering approach to elite paratriathlon training
Commonwealth Games to host Paratriathlon for first time
2016 Buffalo City ITU World Paratriathlon Event results
The panelists, including Nicole Sapstead (CEO UK Anti-Doping), Kelly Sotherton (Olympic medalist) Wendy Martinson OBE (nutritionist to elite sport) and Chris Fisher, Head of Healthspan Elite (a supplier of high-quality vitamins and supplements) debated the use of performance enhancing drugs in athletics and the issues facing the sport ahead of the Rio. Panel members discussed the alternatives for athletes looking to gain a competitive edge, through nutrition, training and education.
Advertisement
The clips include comments from Kelly Sotherton (who discusses openly witnessing an athlete doping at an event), the criminalisation of doping and the nutrition and education alternatives for athletes in all sports.
The panelists, including Nicole Sapstead (CEO UK Anti-Doping), Kelly Sotherton (Olympic medalist) Wendy Martinson OBE (nutritionist to elite sport) and Chris Fisher, Head of Healthspan Elite (a supplier of high-quality vitamins and supplements) debated the use of performance enhancing drugs in athletics and the issues facing the sport ahead of the Rio. Panel members discussed the alternatives for athletes looking to gain a competitive edge, through nutrition, training and education.
Advertisement
The clips include comments from Kelly Sotherton (who discusses openly witnessing an athlete doping at an event), the criminalisation of doping and the nutrition and education alternatives for athletes in all sports.
See some clips from the discussion below and let us know your thoughts
Julian was a formidable athlete, breaking and holding British triathlon records back in the 1990s, and forging a path for British athletes at Ironman Hawaii.
Advertisement
“He was not just a formidable cyclist but an all round swimmer, cyclist and runner and always had a smile and time to talk before or after he’d raced. I will miss him” says Mark Kleanthous, another stalwart of the UK tri scene.
Alongside his successful property developing, Julian was also instrumental in the creation of the Southampton Tri Club, with his amusing, insightful and colourful columns for 220 during the nineties entertaining our readers for many seasons. Below are some of Julian’s first words for 220 back in 1989, where he details his newfound love of multisport.
‘The 1989 Swindon Biathlon was my first-ever duathlon after my first season in triathlon. I remember spotting Richard Hobson who was the “star” and thinking he was twice my size and appeared to have all the kit. I rode in trainers. I recall an indoor transition and quite a buzz about the place. Coming from cross country running this felt like the big time; people watching and prizes!
‘I was completely unknown and ran with Hobbo. I beat him out of transition because of my trainers. I think it was an out and back course and I got caught on the way home, a few other runner types were quickly over hauled; a very young Julian Bunn and this guy called [Mike] Trees who had run a 4min mile or nearly. Hobbo led off bike and I took second. It was a massive surprise to me and everybody there. I loved it.
‘Why did I love it? Atmosphere, Exciting, Buzz, Cool. I was young cocky student and the girls and beer and everything was perfect. I did number two at Leicester meeting Dave Bellingham – mad as a hatter. I had almost learned to cycle and won the race from Steve Meads. Never won much at running, got the bug now, found something that I was half decent at.’
And half decent at multisport Julian would prove to be. He’d go on to win the UK Iron-distance classic The Longest Day on numerous occasions, and would hold the British Iron-distance record for 13 years after his 8:15:21 finish at 1995’s European Iron-Distance Championships in Detern. A year later, he recorded the then fastest British time at Ironman Hawaii after a 8:54:53 minute finish on the lava fields of Kona.
Advertisement
Look out for more tributes to Julian later this week. 220’s thoughts are with his wife, family, friends and the countless athletes he inspired in triathlon.
Julian was a formidable athlete, breaking and holding British triathlon records back in the 1990s, and forging a path for British athletes at Ironman Hawaii.
Advertisement
“He was not just a formidable cyclist but an all round swimmer, cyclist and runner and always had a smile and time to talk before or after he’d raced. I will miss him” says Mark Kleanthous, another stalwart of the UK tri scene.
Alongside his successful property developing, Julian was also instrumental in the creation of the Southampton Tri Club, with his amusing, insightful and colourful columns for 220 during the nineties entertaining our readers for many seasons. Below are some of Julian’s first words for 220 back in 1989, where he details his newfound love of multisport.
‘The 1989 Swindon Biathlon was my first-ever duathlon after my first season in triathlon. I remember spotting Richard Hobson who was the “star” and thinking he was twice my size and appeared to have all the kit. I rode in trainers. I recall an indoor transition and quite a buzz about the place. Coming from cross country running this felt like the big time; people watching and prizes!
‘I was completely unknown and ran with Hobbo. I beat him out of transition because of my trainers. I think it was an out and back course and I got caught on the way home, a few other runner types were quickly over hauled; a very young Julian Bunn and this guy called [Mike] Trees who had run a 4min mile or nearly. Hobbo led off bike and I took second. It was a massive surprise to me and everybody there. I loved it.
‘Why did I love it? Atmosphere, Exciting, Buzz, Cool. I was young cocky student and the girls and beer and everything was perfect. I did number two at Leicester meeting Dave Bellingham – mad as a hatter. I had almost learned to cycle and won the race from Steve Meads. Never won much at running, got the bug now, found something that I was half decent at.’
And half decent at multisport Julian would prove to be. He’d go on to win the UK Iron-distance classic The Longest Day on numerous occasions, and would hold the British Iron-distance record for 13 years after his 8:15:21 finish at 1995’s European Iron-Distance Championships in Detern. A year later, he recorded the then fastest British time at Ironman Hawaii after a 8:54:53 minute finish on the lava fields of Kona.
Advertisement
Look out for more tributes to Julian later this week. 220’s thoughts are with his wife, family, friends and the countless athletes he inspired in triathlon.
With a fairly low alcohol content of 3.6%, each 330ml bottle is said to boast 33% fewer calories (92.4) than a regular brew, 85% fewer carbs (1.65g) and 95% more protein, with a bumper 21.8g per bottle. So, most importantly, how does it taste?
Advertisement
BrewDog’s Dead Pony Club, Moor Beer Co’s Revival, Bath Ales Spa and a handful of others aside, we rarely trust beers of a sub-4% alcohol content, reminding us of that mild stuff they drink in the West Midlands and Manchester or barbecue lagers like Carling.
Like BrewDog and co., Barbell Brew does have plenty of taste. This provides plenty of hoppyness yet tastes decidedly – and disconcertingly – sweet (said by Muscle Food to derive from the added protein), putting it closer to a fruit beer (or a glass of squash) than hoppy classics like Sierra Nevada Pale.
At £15.95 for a six pack it certainly doesn’t come cheap either, with the £2.65 per bottle tag putting it above many top-end independent brews on the market.
For us personally, a beer is a reward. We’d rather have a bottle of something we enjoy and cherish, instead of thinking about amino acids and how much protein we need. So bring us a Beavertown any day, and a bowl of cashews and beef jerky to provide the amino acid hit.
But if you’re serious at cutting the carbs, compared to the ‘lite’ (i.e. weak and devoid of taste) beers from Coors, Miller and Michelob, you could do worse in the taste test then Barbell Brew.
With a fairly low alcohol content of 3.6%, each 330ml bottle is said to boast 33% fewer calories (92.4) than a regular brew, 85% fewer carbs (1.65g) and 95% more protein, with a bumper 21.8g per bottle. So, most importantly, how does it taste?
Advertisement
BrewDog’s Dead Pony Club, Moor Beer Co’s Revival, Bath Ales Spa and a handful of others aside, we rarely trust beers of a sub-4% alcohol content, reminding us of that mild stuff they drink in the West Midlands and Manchester or barbecue lagers like Carling.
Like BrewDog and co., Barbell Brew does have plenty of taste. This provides plenty of hoppyness yet tastes decidedly – and disconcertingly – sweet (said by Muscle Food to derive from the added protein), putting it closer to a fruit beer (or a glass of squash) than hoppy classics like Sierra Nevada Pale.
At £15.95 for a six pack it certainly doesn’t come cheap either, with the £2.65 per bottle tag putting it above many top-end independent brews on the market.
For us personally, a beer is a reward. We’d rather have a bottle of something we enjoy and cherish, instead of thinking about amino acids and how much protein we need. So bring us a Beavertown any day, and a bowl of cashews and beef jerky to provide the amino acid hit.
But if you’re serious at cutting the carbs, compared to the ‘lite’ (i.e. weak and devoid of taste) beers from Coors, Miller and Michelob, you could do worse in the taste test then Barbell Brew.
For the first time ever four branches of multisport are coming together in one world championship, the ITU Multisport World Championship Festival, which will take place August 18-27 2017 in Penticton, British Columbia.
Advertisement
The 10-day event will see 5,000 athletes compete in four separate World Championships – duathlon, aquathlon, cross triathlon & long distance triathlon.
“For the first time, athletes can compete in more than one multisport world championship race in one convenient location, which is an idea we’ve had a great response to, both from cities and from age group athletes,” said ITU President and IOC Member Marisol Casado.
“Penticton will set the stage for the future of the event. We are very confident in the team’s ability to deliver an exceptional experience that will set the bar of this festival very high.”
All four competitions will start and finish in the heart of Penticton, with the epicentre being along the beachfront of Okanagan Lake and Okanagan Lake Park. The spectator friendly courses will feature a variety of terrain and include some of the area’s many vistas, wineries and landmarks, as well the downtown area, with a stadium finish at each race.
And as well as the races there will be plenty to keep the crowds entertained with concerts, street dance, parade of nations, kids races and awards presentations.