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Friday,
March 28, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Sultan shoots gold, Manavjit bronze Anand draws with Bareev Srinath
undecided about future Warne in midst of another controversy
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New coach doing a good job: Thorpe
BSF beat FC Kochin Parnita is Ladies Open champion Punjab lad enters final Beighton
Cup: CRPF in last 8 Kannan, Hemmes bow out
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Sultan shoots gold, Manavjit bronze New Delhi, March 27 None of the three Indian shooters could figure in the final round of the skeet event, which was won by Saeed Al Maktoum of the UAE with a total score of 148 while Nasser Al Attiya of Qatar pipped Zaid Al Mutairi of Kuwait to win silver in the tie-shoot after both the shooters finished at 147 points at the end of the final round. Amardeep Singh Rai of India finished 18th with a score of 115 (20, 25, 23 plus 23, 24) while Naveen Jindal finished 21st with a total of 110 (21, 23, 23 plus 19, 24) and Rao Inderjit Singh at the 22nd place, also totalling a similar score of 110 (22, 23, 21 plus 23, 21). Ranajit Nobis of India finished third in the trap event of the Men’s Quota Score (MQS) with a total of 103 (19, 22, 19 plus 19, 24) while the first and second positions were annexed by Mohsin Abdul Baset of Qatar and Victor Pidgayesvkiy of Kazakhastan. Baset totalled 107 while Victor had a score of 104. The focus, however, was on the men’s trap event, in which Anwer Sultan brought out his best when it mattered most to push down Manavjit Singh Sandhu to the bronze slot, though Manavjit had enjoyed a two-point lead, going into the final round. But Manavjit messed up his chances in the final round, when he missed three targets to record only 22 points while Anwer Sultan and Khaled Al Mudhaf shot 24 targets each to force a tie-shoot as all the three top shooters ended up on 142 points each. However, in the tie-shoot, Manavjit Singh missed his very first shot, and Khaled followed suit while Anwer held his nerve, hit the target, and pocketed the gold. Manavjit and Anwer Sultan had occupied the first two positions, in that order, with 73 points each after shooting 75 targets yesterday. Manavjit had scores of 23, 25, 25 while Anwer shot 25,23, 25. Khaled was placed third with scores of 23, 24, 24 to total 71. Manavjit kept up his good form when the battle resumed today morning to complete the remaining 50 targets of the qualifying rounds. Manavjit shot 24 and 23 to have a grand total of 120, which was two points more than Anwer’s total of 118, as he could shoot only 22 and 23 in today’s rounds. Khaled shot 24 and 23 to be on par with Anwer at 118 points. But Manavjit flopped in the final round and then in the tie-shoot while Anwer played it cool to anchor his second gold in the Asian Clay Championship. Mansher Singh, who had shot 70 yesterday, could not even qualify for the final round as Yousef Al Mannaei of Kuwait edged him out in the tie-shoot after they were tied at 115 points after shooting the last 50 targets of the qualifying round. An elated Anwer Sultan said he was under “pressure in the final round” as he was shooting with virtually new gear. The burden of being the defending champion put additional pressure on him. Anwer said his shooting kit was stolen last month in Italy and Rs 1 lakh in foreign currency, when he went there for a competition. He had to buy a brand new shooting gear and had problem adjusting to it in this competition, but he pulled it off with remarkable panache. “Whenever I shoot 24 in the final round, I shoot a medal too. In the last Asian Clay Championship at Bangkok too, I had shot 24 in the final round.” Anwer hopes that the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) would recognise his fine performance, and reward him with some cash prize. |
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Anand draws with Bareev Monte Carlo, March 27 Anand was in fact lucky to remain in the sole lead as it was due to the surprise victory by tail ender and “written off” veteran Ljubomir Ljubojevic that he now goes to a final round showdown with Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria with half a point more in his kitty. Ljubojevic sprang a major surprise in the blindfold against Peter Leko and bounced back from a nearly lost position to score his first victory in the tournament. Anand now has 13 points in his bag and is half a point ahead of Linares champion Peter Leko of Hungary and Topalov in the combined standings. Besides these three, only defending champion Alexander Morozevich of Russia is in with a chance for top honours in this $193250 tournament that has one blindfold and one rapid game in each round. Braingames champion Vladimir Kramnik set himself as the number one in the blindfold standings as he extended his lead to a full point over Morozevich in this section. The rapid section, however, is still open with Bareev leading the field with half a point margin over Anand and Leko. Anand played two uneventful draws with Bareev. The first duel was a Nimzo Indian defence in the blindfold and it appeared for some time that Bareev was in mood to take some risks. However, with a terrible score behind him in this section, the Russian decided against it and a few exchanges led to a level position. The peace was signed in 24 moves. The rapid encounter between the two lasted just one more move than the previous game and this time Anand did not get much out of his pet winawer variation as white against the French defence. Two pieces got traded quite early and Anand’s attack on the kingside did not really materialise.
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Srinath undecided about future Bangalore, March 27 The experienced speedster, who played in all the 11 matches and captured 16 wickets for an impressive average of 23.06 in the World Cup, hinted that he would like to take his time on deciding his future. “I need to go back home and give a serious thought (on retirement)”, Srinath told reporters shortly after reaching his hometown alongwith vice-captain Rahul Dravid. Unlike the other members of the Indian team who returned home to a tumultuous welcome in Mumbai on Tuesday, there were not too many fans nor mediamen to greet the two stars as they made a quiet entry into their hometown. The 33-year-old Srinath, who had come out of retirement at the behest of captain Sourav Ganguly, said it was a “satisfying” experience for him and the team but “it was unfortunate that we could not win the World Cup”. Dravid, who also played a key role in his new number five batting position, said the team was disappointed to lose in the final to Australia. “We are disappointed, we played good cricket till the end but full credit to the Australians. They played very well right through the tournament”, he said. “They (Australians) have been very good and they proved that in the final”, he said.
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Warne in midst of another controversy Durban, March 27 Warne was sent home during the tournament, to be found guilty of using a banned substance right at the start of the tournament. Returning here to take part in an event Wednesday that involved many schoolchildren in the large Indian area of Phoenix, community leaders rejected Warne’s participation because they believed he was no longer a role model for children. Durban’s deputy mayor Logie Naidoo did not attend the event, and other community organisations, including some fighting large-scale drug abuse among the community in Phoenix, have called on Warne to go home. Although Naidoo said he had chosen to attend another event instead, he still told the Daily News: “I have a question over whether Warne is a suitable role model for our young people. “Suppose from a purely cricket development point of view he might be inspiring to children but, given the recent drugs debacle, I think there are many people who would have a problem with his visit.” Naidoo felt that the organiser of the event, young South African Indian mobile phone magnate Julian Kisten, might have been better off inviting such cricket greats as Sachin Tendulkar or Sourav Ganguly of India who could serve as better role models for young children. “I am not sure whether Shane Warne is trying to make up for what he has done,” Naidoo said. “But I can confirm that I have turned down the invitation.” Phoenix activist Sulosh Pillay told the Daily News that Warne has been exposed as a person who had taken drugs. “We at Phoenix have our own problems with drugs and Warne cannot help us. He should stay at home.” Warne was to have been the main attraction at a promotion organised by Kisten’s company Cell-Tech, playing with children from a number of schools in Phoenix at a local shopping centre and signing autographs for them. He earlier attended a breakfast at a leading hotel. But even education authorities here and a prominent local psychologist said the choice was a wrong one, especially since Warne had been banned for 12 months after failing dope tests. The Australian claims he had been unwittingly given the substance in a water loss tablet by his mother. Charles Dlamini, superintendent general at the KwaZulu-Natal department of education, said his department did not know about the event and would not have supported it. “I will look into it but, as it is the result of a private initiative, I am not sure there is anything that we can do about it,” Dlamini told the Daily News. Devi Rajab, a psychologist and the dean of student development at the University of Natal, thought it “very strange” that a sportsman with tainted record should be invited to address impressionable children who idolized cricketers.
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Rubin, Capriati to clash in semis Miami, March 27 Rubin will meet Jennifer Capriati today after top seed and defending champion Serena Williams has played third seed Kim Clijsters of Belgium. Capriati defeated Meghann Shaughnessy 4-6, 7-6, 6-4 earlier yesterday. The 12th seed delivered another confident display of power and accuracy as she swept past former Wimbledon runner-up Henin-Hardenne, who said her game was well below its usual standard. The Belgian was on target with only 42 per cent of her first serves and said she felt lethargic during the match. Rubin raced into a 4-0 lead in the first set and took her foot off the pedal only once, allowing Henin-Hardenne a solitary break point at 5-3. In the second set, Henin-Hardenne continued to struggle with her serve and Rubin broke again to lead 3-2. In the final three games, the American conceded only one point as she returned serve with deadly precision. “I played so bad at the beginning of the match, it was hard to start at 4-0,’’ Henin-Hardenne told reporters. “I felt without energy, without power. Maybe I was a little nervous, I just couldn’t play as I wanted.’’ This is Rubin’s best performance here since she lost the 1996 final to Steffi Graf. She beat eighth seed Amelie Mauresmo of France in the fourth round earlier this week. “I’ve been getting better each match as the opponents have got tougher,’’ Rubin said. “Tonight, I felt quicker and that I was rushing her. Fifth seed Carlos Moya wore his lucky sleeveless shirt again to end the winning run of American wild card Robby Ginepri in a thrilling three-set quarter-final at the Nasdaq-100 Open yesterday. The Spaniard won 6-7, 6-3, 7-6 after a searching examination from the 20-year-old Ginepri, who left the $ 3.25 million hardcourt tournament with the consolation of a place in the world’s top 50. Moya has become a fashion icon here with his blue and white vest, and said he would wear it again in his semi-final against 13th seed Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand, who defeated unseeded American Todd Martin 6-3 6-7 7-5. “I haven’t lost yet wearing it and, as long as it gives me luck, I’m going to keep wearing it,’’ he told reporters. The match against Ginepri, who also reached the last eight at Indian Wells earlier this month, was a see-saw battle between two of the tournament’s hardest hitters. Moya dropped the first set after leading 4-1, and also going 5-2 up in the tiebreak. But he hit back to break Ginepri’s serve in the second game of the second set. The decider went with serve until the tiebreak. Ginepri forced three mini-breaks in the tiebreak to lead 4-2, the only time there was more than a point in it until Moya’s spectacular overhead volley set up two match points at 6-4. He needed only one, with Ginepri returning a fierce forehand into the net. Moya said: “It was a tough match and I made it even more complicated because I should have won that first set. I was 4-1, double-break up, a 99 per cent chance of winning the set. “I didn’t play my best match here but I kept fighting and gave it my all and it paid off.”
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New coach doing a good job: Thorpe Sydney, March 27 The 20-year-old swimming marvel has expressed disappointment in his times at the world championship trials, while fully supporting the abilities of his coach of six months Menzies. Thorpe has won the 200m and 400m freestyle finals, events in which he holds the world record, and dead-heated for first in the 100m final. But such is the expectation that each time Thorpe dives into the pool he will claim another world record, that it is considered a ‘failure’ if the Australian superstar doesn’t achieve it, such is ‘Thorpedo’s’ overpowering reputation. The world’s greatest swimmer admits to being a “little frustrated” by not swimming as fast as he would like, but he has refused to blame 30-year-old Menzies. Thorpe clocked up 17 world records under long-time mentor Doug Frost before he surprised the swimming world late last year by announcing a shift to Menzies. Thorpedo said he had expected the significant changes he had made to his training programme with Menzies would take 12 months to reap dividends. “I’ve allowed a little bit more time. Whatever anyone else wants to do it doesn’t really concern me so much,” Thorpe said today. “I’ll have trained with Tracey for almost 12 months when it comes to the (July) world championships in Barcelona, so I think my body will have had a chance to adapt to the programme.” Thorpe said he had no doubt Menzies, little known on the international stage before his much-publicised split from Frost, was doing a good job. “I think she knows she’s doing a good job or at least she’s hoping that she’s doing a good job,” he said. “I can assure you that she is.” Menzies, who used to work under Frost in his training pool in southern Sydney, believes Thorpe is trying too hard to prove that their working relationship is working and needs to relax. “I really feel for him at this meet because he’s trying to make it happen for me instead of just for himself ... and he’s not relaxing,” Menzies said. “Ian’s been very protective of me ... he really wants it to work and it is working. “We’ve got a really good partnership. It will come and we’ve just got to be patient.” Swimming rival and friend Grant Hackett has been talking to Thorpe this week, trying to get him to lower his demanding expectations. Hackett, who has spent most of the past five years competing in Thorpe’s giant shadow, said: “I had a talk to him, I said to him: ‘Look, you can’t expect to swim well every time’. ‘You’ve taken the standard so high. You can’t expect to be improving every single meet.’ “You’ve got to put everything in perspective.” Australian Swimming high performance director Greg Hodge described Menzies’ decision to try new things with one of the world’s greatest athletes as a courageous one. “We know that Ian’s doing a lot more cross-training out of the pool with his yoga and his work on the sand hills and his strength training,” he said.
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BSF beat FC Kochin Thiruvananthapuram, March 27 The only goal was scored by striker Ouseph in the ninth minute, when he struck home a superb 40 yard long ranger, past an onrushing goalkeeper Shibu Shanmugham. BSF dominated the first half and controlled the pace, but could not sustain the tempo in the second half. Two FC Kochin players and one from BSF were shown yellow cards. FC Kochin, who were demoted from the first division, had included three players from Ghana. However, this did not yield the desired result. The Kochi team had only themselves to blame for the defeat, as they missed three chances in the fag end of the game. BSF also let go a number of chances, with Ouseph missing the target in the 15th and 20th minutes of the second half.
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Parnita is Ladies Open champion Chandigarh, March 27 Sruthi Reddy played another good round of nett. 65 and laid claim to the Air-India Challenge Bowl and Ell Ess Trophy. Madhu Brar, playing her usual steady brand of golf played to her handicap and claimed the Bawa Gill Trophy, Seniors Trophy and finished runners-up in the Air-India Challenge Bowl. Mrs Sahi won the Rani Jagdish Kaur Cup and Neelu Chopra laid claim to the Meters & Instruments Trophy. Kanika Minocha won the Junior Cup. The results: Grewal Salver: Parnita Garewal 247, Dimple Minocha 265.
Air-India Challenge: Sruthi Reddy 191, Madhu Brar 217. Bawa Gill Trophy (13-24 handicap) gross:
Madhu Brar 265, Gurbrinder Johl 282. Rani Jagdish Kaur Cup (13-24 handicap) nett:
Dalbir Sahi 223, Sheena Sekhon Sekhon 226. Meters & Instruments Trophy (25-36 handicap) gross:
Neelu Chopra 296, Gaitri Singh 304. Ell Ess Trophy (25-36 handicap nett): Sruthi Reddy 191, Kiran BM Singh 217.
Lady Governor’s Cup for Seniors: Gross — Madhu Brar 265; Nett — Kiran BM Singh 217.
Junior Trophy: Gross — Kanika Minocha 281, Suleen Kaur 299; Nett — Sruthi Reddy 191, Jaskirat Kaur 232. |
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Punjab lad enters final Patiala, March 27 In the epee team event, the host’s quartet of Parambir Singh, Vikramjit Singh, Narinder Singh and Manmeet Singh put up a splendid show to down Karnataka 15-8. Both Parambir and Manmeet, employees of Punjab Police, are coached by NIS coach Hardeep Singh, who is also in the police department. An important feature of the Punjab men’s team, which is on course to bag the overall title, is that it comprises some formidable fencer’s of Punjab Police. Karamjit Kaur of the hosts entered the final of the epee individual event by easily beating E.Geeta Devi of Manipur 15-3. The Manipuri girl was confident and upbeat after her commendable performance yesterday in the semifinal of the foil individual event when she thrashed Chalarama Hari of Kerala by a wide margin of 15-2. However today, Karamjit Kaur skillfully managed to keep the favourite at bay before going in for the kill. In the sabre individual event for men, N. Holland of Manipur downed Shashi Dass of Karnataka 15-9 and set up a title clash against Chingsomba of Manipur who beat Rashid Ahmed of J&K by an identical margin. |
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Beighton
Cup: CRPF in last 8 Kolkata, March 27 CRPF, winners of four championship this season, went ahead in the 9th minute thorugh a field goal from centre half and captain Tanveer Jamal following a solo effort.
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Kannan, Hemmes bow out Kolkata, March 27 Italian Alessandro Da Col set up a semi-final clash with Mylnarik, while Naoki Arimoto of Japan will clash with Uruguyan Marcel Felder in the other semis. In the third match of the day, lone Indian Vijay Kannan lost 0/6, 6/3, 4/6 in a hotly contested affair to Japanese Naoki Arimoto. Arimoto began in a whirlwind manner winning the first set 6-0 with three breaks. He repeatedly played his dropshots with loads of backspin to defeat Kannan who preferred playing from the baseline. In the second set Kannan was in his elements and broke the Japanese in the very first game but lost serve again in the third game. However, with the help of some very fine down the line groundstrokes he was able to braek Arimoto in the seventh and ninth game again to regain parity of one set each. However, Arimoto was able to break Kannan in the fifth game of the third set with a superb crosscourt winner to take the set 6-4 and wrap up the match. Earlier, top seed Fred Hemmes lost his service on the 10th game of the second set, after taking a one set lead, when he was serving for the match and eventually had to concede the match to Allesandro Da Col as he had to retire with a pull in the left hamstring and dehydration. Hemmes began on a promising note winning the first game 6/4. But Da Col showed his mental resilience when he fought from one break down in the second set to break back Hemmes in the 10th game and eventually take the set in tie breaker 7/6(7-5). But just after the commencement of the third set Hemmes retired completely dehydrated by an unforgiving sun and a bad hamstring setting up Da Col’s date in the semis. Meanwhile, playing in court no three Zbynek outsmarted spirited Dutch Jasper Smits to reach the semis in three sets. In a match marked with powerful serve and volley game Mylnarik defeated Smit 6-4, 6-7(7-4), 6-3. In fact after losing the second set in tie breaker 6/7 (7-4), Mylnarik excelled with superb baseline returns to take a 5-0 lead in the third set, before Smit pulled back three games ina row to make it 5-3. However, Mylnarik clinched the deciding rubber 40 love with one ace to take the match.
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