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| Monday,
July 30, 2001, Chandigarh, India   |
Hackett demolishes Perkins’ record
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 US rider Mike Jones flies through the air to win the Motocross Freestyle "Red Bull XFighters" competition in the Valencia Monumental bull ring on Saturday. Jones won with a series of 20 metre-long 12-metre high jumps ahead of Edgar Torronteras from Spain and French rider Xavier Fabre. — Reuters |
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India beat Japan, finish
5th
Laxman, Zaheer to stay for
1-dayers |
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Selectors to keep Sachin’s slot till August
10 Masakadza hits ton on
debut
Ramesh set to earn GM norm
Mukesh skipper for Azlan Shah
meet Chief coach shown the
door U-19 claim title
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Hackett demolishes Perkins’ record
Fukuoka, (Japan), July 29 Hackett slashed more than seven seconds off fellow Australian Kieren Perkins’ 1994 world record when he stopped the clock at 14 minutes 34.56 seconds in an amazing display of long distance swimming. Australia also won the women’s 4x100 metres medley relay, the final event of the programme, to finish on top of the medal standings with 13 golds, four silvers and six bronzes. Triple Olympic champion Inge de Bruijn raced to her third individual title with a clearcut victory in the 50 metres freestyle. The 27-year-old Dutchwoman, who won the 100 metres freestyle on Wednesday and 50 metres butterfly on Thursday, swept home in 24.47 seconds to win by nearly half a second. Sweden’s Therese Alshammar had to settle for her second silver of the championships behind De Bruijn in 24.88 while Germany’s Sandra Voelker was third in 24.96. Yana Klochkova clinched her second gold medal with a bold victory in the women’s 400 metres freestyle. The Ukrainian seized the lead from Alicia Bozon of France in the second 100 and held off a storming challenge from Olympic bronze medallist Claudia Poll to take the gold in four minutes 7.30 seconds. Poll finished second in 4:09.15 with Germany’s Hannah Stockbauer, winner of the 800 and 1,500 metres freestyle titles, third in 4:09.36. Ukraine won a second medal on the final day of competition when Oleg Lisogor eclipsed the favourites to win the men’s 50 metres breaststroke title. European silver medallist Lisogor touched in 27.52 to beat newly crowned world 100 metres breaststroke champion Roman Sludnov of Russia by 0.08. Sludnov took the silver in 27.60 and double Olympic champion Domenico Fioravanti of italy the bronze in 27.72, a mere 0.01 ahead of former world record holder Anthony Robinson of the USA. Italy’s Alessio Boggiatto won the men’s 400 metres individual medley in 4:13.15 seconds ahead of two Americans. Erik Vendt took the silver in 4:15.36 and Tom Wilkens bronze in 4:15.94. Hackett, who beat Perkins in Sydney last year to succeed him as Olympic champion, was inside world record pace all the way in the men’s 1,500 metres freestyle. He carved more than seven seconds off the old mark of 14:41.66 set by Perkins at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Canada. Hackett was silver medallist behind Ian Thorpe in the 400 and 800 metres freestyle but there was never any doubt about his gold in the 1,500 metres. Only two other swimmers in the eight-man final finished on the same length in the 50-metre Marine Messe indoor pool. “To take seven seconds off the record, I never expected that in a million years,’’ hackett said. I thought only Ian Thorpe could do things like that. “This is my event. It’s been my event for five years now. I wanted to prove to everyone that I could do it.” “I’ve been waiting for this moment for years.’’ Britain’s Graeme Smith, Olympic bronze medallist in 1996, held second place all the way and took the silver in 14:58.94, the first Briton to break 15 minutes in pool swimming’s longest event. Russia’s Alexei Filipets stayed close behind Smith throughout the race and took the bronze in 15:01.43. Australia finished the night with a great win over the USA in the women’s medley relay. Natalie Coughlin gave the USA a handy lead when she came within 0.02 of the 100 metres backstroke world record but Australia had hit the front by the time Petria Thomas handed over to Sarah Ryan for the final leg. Ryan just hung on to give Australia a narrow win in 4:01.50. The USA took the silver in 4:01.81 and China the bronze in 4:02.53. The Australians did not repeat the mistake which cost them the gold in Wednesday’s 4x200 metres freestyle relay when Thomas jumped into the pool to celebrate before the last team had finished the race and the team were disqualified.
This time, they remained safely on the pool deck. Reuters |
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India beat Japan, finish 5th
Edinburgh, July 29 India, who had finally qualified yesterday with a hard fought 2-1 win over Canada, had some more consolation today as they came back with a strong finish to end the tournament on a winning note. Argentina led 2-1 at the break and then by the 67th minute increased the lead to 5-2 before Spain struck in the last two minutes to reduce the margin to 4-5. For Lombi, it has been a brilliant tournament and he ended as the top scorer with 19 goals, a majority of them coming off drag-flicks in the penalty corners. Argentina scored through Almada and Lombi in the 3rd and 12th minutes to take a 2-0 lead before Spain reduced the margin in the 33rd minute through Edward Tubau. In the 44th minute, Carlos Retegui scored to make it 3-1 for Argentina. Fabregas reduced it to 2-3 for Spain. But in the 60th and 67th minutes, Lombi was right on target to pull Argentina away to a 5-2 lead. Spain fought back and in the 69th minute scored through Pol Amat off a penalty corner and then in the last minute off another penalty corner Quintana made it 4-5. Poland showed that they are a hockey power in the making when they thrashed Belgium 5-2 to clinch the bronze medal. Both the teams were 1-1 at the break before the Poles with some superb hockey in the circle pulled away for a big win. New Zealand booked the final ticket when they thrashed Canada 4-0 to clinch the seventh place. It was Belgium who stunned Poland with a goal in the 26th minute as Geens flicked in a penalty stroke beating goalkeeper Pobuta. Two minutes later, Poland equalised off a counter-attack when Tomascz Choczaj spun into the circle and neatly placed the ball past the keeper.
PTI |
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Nike spots another ‘tiger’ Chandigarh, July 29 With the Nike contract in her hand, Chandigarh-based Irina is raring to go. Her first slot is the Malaysia Ladies Open, followed soon after by the Singapore Ladies Open. And she is eager to improve upon her last year’s performance when she finished runners-up at Kuala Lumpur. The international lady golfer of recent years, Nonita Lal Qureshi has been instrumental in bringing about a confident change in Irina. A week’s stint under Nonita saw Irina improve upon her back swing. That was the only aspect that had been troubling Irina. After the week-long Delhi coaching, Irina continued practising the new back swing at the Chandigarh Golf Course under the watchful eyes of her mother and golfer, Madhu Brar. Nonita was impressed by the way Irina had improved her back swing. “She is going to go places”, was what Nonita had told Madhu Brar, when she saw her after her two-month practice. Irina looked very confident with her Nike cap and top as she talked to newspersons at the Chandigarh Golf Club. She is going all out to take on the might of the five-time champion of the Malaysia Open, Lim Ailan. And the way she has been shaping, it could be a tough time for the Malaysian champion. A sports apprentice with Indian Oil, Irina did very well in her studies. She is one of those rare sportspersons who combine studies with sports perfectly. So far Nike has sponsored the top three professional golfers, Tiger Woods, David Duval and Nick Price.” This contract could be the good luck charm for me,” feels Irina. And sitting next to her at the press conference was the local franchisee of Nike, Mr Gurmeet Singh Gill. Dr Ravinder Chadha, who was also present at the press conference, said the Chandigarh Golf Club would request Nike to arrange for an international coach so that Irina’s skills could be properly honed. Five-foot-eight-inch tall, Irina is a regular at the the club’s health club. She also does yoga regularly. All these have helped her in her concentration, so important in the game of golf. The one-year contract entitles her to complete kitting by Nike. She just has to name it and the sportswear is hers. The flying Sikh Milkha Singh congratulated Irina. He said from the very beginning he had seen in her the making of a top golfer. |
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Laxman, Zaheer to stay for 1-dayers Colombo, July 29 “They offered to stay back. Looking at the team situation in the tournament and considering their performances, we agreed since they are both big assets,” team manager A.N. Mathe told Reuters. Batsman Laxman, who has a swelling on his right knee, has been advised by the team physiotherapist to undergo surgery once the tournament ends. He is certain to miss India’s three-Test series against Sri Lanka which starts in Galle on August 14. Left-arm paceman Khan has an injured right shin. Both players were expected to return home today after India’s seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka yesterday gave the team an outside chance of reaching the final. Laxman hit an unbeaten 87 against Sri Lanka while Khan took two crucial wickets as India bowled out the hosts for a modest 183. It was India’s first win in the triangular tournament in their fourth match. Sri Lanka have three wins in four games and New Zealand have two, also from four. India must now win their remaining games to have a realistic chance of qualifying for the final on August 5. “There are three more days before the next match, and we are hopeful that, with physiotherapist Andrew Leipus’s help, Laxman and Zaheer will be better,” Mathe said. India’s next match is against New Zealand on Wednesday and they will be strengthened by the return of captain Saurav Ganguly after a one-match suspension. He is the only Indian, apart from Laxman, to have scored a half-century in the tournament. Ganguly was suspended by West Indian match referee Cammie Smith after umpires complained he had shown dissent when given out lbw to New Zealand paceman Kyle Mills on Thursday. Vice-captain Rahul Dravid led India to victory in his absence. “It was a good win, but we realise that it’s still just one win,” Dravid said. “The good thing is that we have not yet put ourselves out of the tournament. With a bit of luck, we could be dangerous for the others.”
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Selectors to keep Sachin’s slot till August 10 Chennai, July 29 Cricket board sources said the five-member selection committee headed by Chandu Borde suggested picking up a 15-member squad for the series to be played between August 14 to September 2. Tendulkar, who is nursing a hairline fracture in his right toe, is to take a second bone scan on August 10 and in case he is ruled unfit for the series, a replacement can be named then, the sources said. The master batsman, who missed the triangular one-day series currently on in Sri Lanka due to the injury, is said to be feeling better now. The committee would discuss Tendulkar’s fitness with sports medicine expert, Dr Anant Joshi, before meeting in Mumbai to pick the team, the sources said. “If the star batsman is confirmed fit by August 2, Tendulkar would straight away be included for the tour. If not, the 16th slot would be kept vacant at least till August 10 and another player will be named in case he is ruled out for the tour,” the sources said. Three members of the team playing in the tri-series — V.V.S. Laxman, Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra are unlikely to find place in the Test team as they are suffering from injuries. BCCI Executive Secretary Sharad Diwadkar had on Thursday said that four to five changes are likely in the team which is playing in the one-day series presently.
PTI |
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Masakadza hits ton on
debut Harare, July 29 Masakadza, aged just 17 years and 354 days, achieved the feat on day three of the second Test against the West Indies. He reached his hundred with a textbook drive off the back foot through the covers off Reon King to wild cheers from the hundreds of schoolchildren ringing the boundary. Masakadza completed his century in five hours and 20 minutes, facing 255 balls and hitting 10 fours as Zimbabwe fought back from their first-innings collapse. They closed the day at 324 for four, with Masakadza on 115 not out, to lead by 108 runs. The previous record holder was Pakistan’s Salim Malik, who scored his debut century against Sri Lanka in Karachi in 1982 when he was 18. Zimbabwe began in the precarious position of 27 for one, with Mazakadza replacing Dion Ebrahim, who was out in the last over yesterday. Campbell immediately went onto the attack while his teenage partner was content to hold up the other end. When Campbell was caught in the slips to become Carl Hooper’s 99th victim in Tests, Mazakadza continued his assured progress, while Craig Wishart immediately went after the bowling. Wishart hit three sixes and 10 fours and he was on the brink of his maiden Test century when he was run out by wicketkeeper Courtney Browne. He was well out of his crease, thinking he had plenty of time to make his ground. Scoreboard Zimbabwe (1st innings): 131 West Indies (1st innings): 347 Zimbabwe (2nd innings): Ebrahim c Browne b Stuart 12 Campbell c Gayle b Hooper 65 Masakadza not out 115 Wishart run out 93 Whittall lbw b McGarrell 12 Extras
(b-4 lb-13 nb-10) 27 Total (for 4 wkts, 103 overs) 324 Fall of wickets: 1-27, 2-118, 3-287, 4-324 Bowling: King 17-6-39-0, Black 12-1-53-0, McGarrell 40-15-100-1, Stuart 16-5-50-1, Hooper 17-1-62-1, Samuels 1-0-3-0.
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Agassi sets up title clash with Sampras Los Angeles, July 29 Agassi advanced at the $ one million hardcourt event with a 6-7 (3/7) 6-3 6-3 victory, snapping Kuerten’s 15-match win streak, while fourth seed Sampras downed Belgium’s Xavier Malisse, 7-6 (7/4) 6-4. Agassi set the stage for his 31st career meeting with Sampras by handing Kuerten his first loss since Max Mirnyi beat him in the first round of the Tennis Masters Series event in Hamburg. Sampras is 17-13 all-time against Agassi, who has won three of their past four meetings, all on hardcourts. Sampras owns an 8-6 edge in finals matchups against Agassi, including a win over him in the 1999 final here. Without a title since claiming his seventh Wimbledon championship last year, Sampras is participating in his first tournament since losing to Switzerland’s Roger Federer in the fourth round at the All-England Club. Sampras reached only his second final of the year, having lost in March in three sets to Agassi in a best-of-five final at Indian Wells. Agassi seeks his third title of the year. “There were moments in our careers where he was beating me and I had to add a few things to my game,” Sampras said of Agassi. “He made me a better player because of that. I could get away with certain things against certain guys, but he was at another level. “He is by far the best player (I have faced). No disrespect to the players I have played over the years, but he always has that extra gear that all great players have, that he has especially. He always has brought out the best in me over the years. I was forced to play great. I had to play well because if I didn’t, it was going to be a long day.” Top seed Kuerten took the first set and looked strong before Agassi made his comeback. “It was a great first set,” Agassi said. “In the tie-breaker, I made a few careless errors. When you get down a set to ‘Guga’, he is so good, you have to step it up. “Fortunately I got my serve going, stepped up and got it. I just had to work hard, stay with it and get my chances.” Kuerten committed 36 unforced errors to Agassi’s 16 in the 1 hour, 54-minute match. The Brazilian took control of the first-set tiebreaker with a 4-0 lead and eventually closed it out when Agassi sailed a backhand wide, evoking cheers and chants from pockets of “Guga” fans. STANFORD (California): America’s Lindsay Davenport beat compatriot Monica Seles for the eighth consecutive time, winning 6-4 6-2 in the semifinals of the Bank of the West Classic. Davenport, who won this event in 1998 and 1999, will play Kim Clijsters in the final after the Belgian third seed outlasted American fifth seed Meghann Shaughnessy 6-3 2-6 6-1. “If I’m serving well, I know I can dictate and move her around the court,” said Davenport yesterday. “I have the advantage.” The 25-year-old Californian, seeded second, punished fourth-seeded Seles’s weak second serves and dominated the second set with her own first serve, repeatedly scoring winners or inducing weak returns that she would bury in the corners.
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Ramesh set to earn GM norm Biel (Switzerland), July 29 Yesterday was a welcome rest day for the 108 players vying for a total prize fund of 43000 Swiss francs with 7000 francs being the winner purse. After the end of the fifth round Ramesh is in joint lead alongside IM Arizmendi Martinez of Spain and the two will meet in the next round.
PTI |
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Mukesh skipper for Azlan Shah meet New Delhi, July 29 Mercurial striker Dhanraj Pillay was expectedly left out after he failed to attend the camp for probables in Jammu due to an alleged threat to his life by a militant outfit. Pillay, who was suffering from a knee injury, also missed two of the three coaching camps earlier and was omitted out of the World Cup hockey qualifiers currently being held in Edinburgh (Scotland). Four players have been picked from the squad for the World Cup qualifiers in Scotland including Devesh Chauhan Dileep Tirkey, Bimal Lakra and Daljeet Singh Dhillon. Team Goalkeepers: Bharat Kumar Chettri and Devesh Chauhan. Defenders: Bikramjeet Singh, Anurag Raghuvanshi, Dileep Tirkey and Juvraj Singh. Midfielders: Sukhbeer Singh Gill, Bimal Lakra, M.K. Prakash, Paramjeet Singh, Ignis Tirkey, Mukesh Kumar (capt), Sabu Varki, Deepak Thakur, Tejbeer Singh, Parminder Singh, Baljeet Singh Chandi and Daljeet Singh Dhillon. Coach: Baldev
Singh. PTI |
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Chief coach shown the
door Patiala, July 29 The camp of 19 fencers, comprising of 12 men and 7 women, is being held at the NIS here in preparation for the Senior Asian Fencing Championship slated to be held at Bangkok from August 3 to 9. The camp for 30 probables, selected earlier by the FAI, commenced at the NIS on July 19 and trials to select the final team were held on July 21. The Association had designated Hemjit Methai as the chief coach. However, on July 23, FAI did a volte face and issued orders that Deban Singh of Karnataka will be the coach incharge of the squad and will be assisted by Mohit Ashwani. Interestingly, Mohit took part in the trials and was declared the winner in his event. However, FAI, for some inexplicable reason, in stead of selecting Mohit for the Bangkok-bound squad dropped him and designated him as assistant coach to Deban Singh. Despite being considered to be an experienced coach, FAI did not consider it fit to even designate Hemjit as the assistant coach, a move that has raised enough eyebrows among the campers. Hemjit, when he was undergoing his Diploma in Sports Coaching at the NIS last year, had doubled up as both the teacher and the taught as the NIS authorities had started the one year course for the first time. Once the NIS authorities decided to go ahead with the course, a search for a qualified coach, who would also act as a teacher, began in right earnest. However, when the search ended in vain the authorities asked Hemjit to act both as the teacher and the taught. Meanwhile FAI has decided that 19-member team will be accompanied by five officials — Dr B.K. Singh as manager, Mr T.K. Balasubramaniun as the joint manager and director, Mr Mohit Ashwani and Mr Deban Singh as coaches and Mr Sanjay Pradhan as referee. |
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U-19 claim title Chamba, July 29 Under-19 won the toss and Jalpa in to bat. Jalpa made a solid start. Their first wicket fell at 50. Shanu batted well and scored 47 runs, but the rest of the batsmen could not face Abhisek and Deepak. Jalpa team was all out for 125. In reply Under-19 reached the target by losing five wickets. Amit batted very well and scored 40 runs. Brief Scores: Jalpa: 125 all out, Sunil 13, Shanu 47, Dinesh 14, Sachin 14, Abhisek 3 for 27, Deepak 3 for 31, Umesh 2 for 20. Under-19 Team: 126 for 5, Sushant run out 15, Amit 40, Parshant 23. |
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