Chandigarh TT from Aug 7

Costa pips Gaudenzi for title

HP to frame new sports policy

Judo trials

Brazilian stuns Popov

EAST MEADOW (New York), Aug 3 (Reuters) — Fernando Scherer of Brazil helped end the Goodwill Games on a surprising note when he bested Russian great Alexander Popov for the gold medal in the 50 meter freestyle event.

Under the unusual goodwill games swimming format, the pair did not race against each other.

In the first meet yestereday, Scherer Equalled the fourth fastest 50 m ever, clocking 22.18 as the world team routed Germany, 85-37, to clinch the team gold medal.

Popov, double gold medalist in the 50m and 100m freestyles in both the 1992 and 1996 Olympics, could do no better than 22.27 sec in helping Russia to a 63-59 victory over the USA.

"The races were really competitive and it was mentally tough to swim," said Popov, who gained some consolation when he swam the second leg on the winning 400 m freestyle relay team that earned Russia the points it needed to defeat the USA.

Scherer also swam the opening leg of the world team’s winning 400 m freestyle against Germany, his time of 48.69 seconds was the fourth fastest ever.

Scherer, 24, who lives and trains in Florida, has his sights firmly set on the 2000 Olympics, where he aims to win his two specialities. At the 1996 Atlanta Games, he won the bronze in the 50 m freestyle and was fifth in the 100 m.

Denis Sylantiyev of Ukraine also put on a world-class performance for the world team, winning the 100m and 200m butterflies against Germany and capturing the gold medal in both events.

The men’s world team completed its competition at the Nassau County Swimming and Diving Centre with a 3-0 record, followed by Russia at 2-1 and Germany (1-2). The USA was blanked at 0-3.

The 21-year-old Sylantiev, world champion in the 200m butterfly, clocked 52.78 sec in the 100m and a games record 1:56.16 sec in the 200m. He previously set the Goodwill games mark of 52.52 sec in the 100m.

His time for the 200 butterfly was the fourth fastest in history and he was the fifth fastest ever in the 100m, earning him a bonus of for his two golds.

Germany won only one of 14 races against the world team, Stev Theloke taking the 100 m backstroke in 55.08 sec, well of his games record of 54.43.

For the second time in its three meets, the USA was denied victory by its failure to win the 400m freestyle relay, an event in which it had been traditionally invincible.

The Americans took a 59-56 lead into the relay, the final event on the programme, but Russia won by more than 3 1/2 seconds in 3:18.18 sec.

Kurt Grote won two gold medals for the USA, capturing the 100m and 200m breaststrokes.

Meanwhile, packaged television sport for a global cable audience has ensured the immediate future of the Goodwill Games in an era when even the name seems faintly anachronistic.

Entrepreneur Ted Turner invented the multi-sports event at the height of the cold war in the mid-1980s to provide direct competition for US and Russian athletes after successive Olympic boycotts.

The first games were held in Moscow in 1986, the second, and most successful in Seattle in 1990.

At the time of the Seattle Games, the Soviet bloc was already starting to crumble and the Cold War had ended by the time of the 1994 St Petersburg games.

Undaunted, Turner scheduled the 1998 Games for New York and at the start of the latest edition said the competition would next be staged in Brisbane, Australia, in 2001.

National Anthems resounded through stadium loudspeakers and medals were awarded in the 15 sport which made up the fourth Goodwill Games ending yesterday.

No serious sports statisticians, though, include Goodwill Games medals in their calculations and the games’ future depend on their ability to attract television audiences and sponsors.

Since St Petersburg, the Turner Broadcasting System has merged with Time Warner and the games have now become even more part of the entertainment industry.

Games’ president Michael Plant has said the organisers had expected to sell 3,50,000 to 4,000,00 tickets out of 6,00,000 total available seats.

Officials said final figures would not be known until at least the end of this week.

Plant said spectator attendance was as important as television audiences, although much of the evidence would suggest otherwise.

"We are a broadcasting and a television company," he said. "The television part is certainly very important but not at the expense of the spectators.

The four-day athletics competition at the start of the games provided some excellent entertainment and a world record in the 4x400 metres relay by an American team anchored by Michael Johnson.

The Mitchel Athletic Complex on Long Island was a modest arena, well suited to a local or college meeting but hardly the venue for a major competition.

On selective television pictures, though, it suffered nothing in comparison with a world championships and the coverage was superb.

Athletes spoke directly to the crowd after their races via the television track interviewer and Jon Drummond, lead-off runner in the US 4x100 relay squad, was even interviewed before the race.

Golden double for Yin in junior meet

ANNECY (France), Aug 3 (AP) — Lili Yin of China claimed her second gold medal of the World Junior Championships when she won the 5,000 metres.

Yin, an 18-year-old from Liaoning province, lifted gold in the 3,000 m race on Thursday, and had little trouble in the 5,000 m, crossing the line in 15 minutes 29.65 seconds yesterday, on the final day, nearly five seconds ahead of silver medallist Faith Jemutai of Kenya.

On the final day of the junior games another Chinese athlete, Lan Lixin, won the women's 1,500 m race.

Lixin, the reigning Asian junior 3,000 m champion and the second fastest junior of all time in the 5,000 m, posted a time of 4:10.05, easily beating Yimenashu Taye of Ethiopia to second place.

In the men's events, there was a surprise in the 1,500 m as Morocco's Adil El Kaouch won gold ahead of Kenya's Benjamin Kipkurui, the African champion in 800m and 1,500 m.

Britain's David Parker won the javelin gold with a throw of 72.85 m.

The championships also ended with the unlikely result of the American men returning without a gold medal as Australia’s 4x400 m team imposed the first ever defeat on the USA in the event since the championships began in 1986, adds AFP.

Earlier, the 19-year-old El Kaouch, who is a protege of Moroccan 1500m world record holder Hicham El-Guerrouji, also doused the hopes of the highly-rated Kenyan Benjamin Kipkurui, who had to make do with silver despite saying that the French crowd would "see fire" from him in the event.

El Kaouch took out Kipkurui in the final 30 m after the Kenyan had gone for home with 150 to go. He had no answer to the Moroccan’s finishing speed.

"The Kenyan wasn’t that unbeatable and I ran a far better tactical race than he did," El Kaouch said.

Ethiopia claimed gold, when the reigning world cross country champion Million Wolde, who also paceset for compatriot Haile Gebrselassie’s recent world records in Hengelo and Helsinki, won the 5,000 m in convincing fashion.

The 19-year-old Wolde reacted to the presence of Kenya’s Kipchumba Mitei on the final lap by lengthening his stride and within a couple of seconds he was metres ahead — leaving the Kenyan to take silver. Morocco’s Ahmed Baday edged out Miel’s compatriot Kiyara Mamzee for bronze.

Britain had a share in both gold medal winners in the 100 and 110 m hurdles as Julie Pratt won the women’s event, after four false starts, and Latvian Stanislav Olijars, who is based in England, won the men’s title.

Pratt, who fell when seemingly poised for victory in the European championships last year, just held off China’s Hongwei Sun on the line. Both posted the same time but the 19-year-old British got the verdict in the photo finish.

Donald braces up for biggest test

CHELMSFORD, Aug 3 (Reuters) — South African fast bowler Allan Donald is bracing himself for the biggest and most important match of his 46-Test career — the series decider against England starting on Thursday.

"I haven’t experienced a more important build-up since our return to international cricket (in late 1991)," said Donald as he looked forward to the fifth and final Test at Headingley, Leeds, with the rubber level at 1-1.

"We desperately want to win the series but England, too, will feel they are on the verge of something huge — their biggest series win for more than a decade."

Donald, speaking while the touring team played Essex here yesterday, said: "We cannot afford to have a single negative thought in any of the 11 players’ minds in the whole build-up to the match.

"We have already had a team meeting to reinforce that point. The strongest team, with the most belief, will probably win the series," Donald emphasised.

The great fast bowler was heartily praised by Michael Atherton in the England opener’s Sunday Telegraph newspaper column in which he relived the compelling hour of play on the fourth evening of the fourth Test at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, when Donald bowled as fast as he ever has but could not dislodge the batsman.

"It was the most intense 60 minutes I have experienced in a Test. Hansie (Cronje) asked me to give him five overs of all my worth, and I did. We exchanged looks and words, it was as hard as it gets. But he survived...somehow," Donald reflected.

The exchange at Trent Bridge changed in mood, tension and intensity after Atherton appeared to glove a bouncer from Donald to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher when he had scored 27 as England pursued a victory target of 247.

Atherton glossed over the issue in his column, other than to say: "It was short, quick and at me. I’ve got in an almighty tangle. Big, big appeal. Not out. He (Donald) looks upset. They all look upset...Somebody turned the radiator up — it’s hot out here! Abuse from the fielders between overs. To be expected. This is Test cricket. Give some back."

Donald bears no grudge, either with Atherton or with the umpires, although he is categorical that English official Merv Kitchen "had a couple of shockers that affected the course of the game".

Kitchen admitted in Midweek that he had made mistakes during the match and was considering his future at Test level.

Ironically, it is the third Test at Old Trafford, where England held out for a draw with the last pair together after following on 369 behind, that haunts Donald more than South Africa’s defeat in the fourth Test.

"I still kick myself when I think back to Old Trafford. We should have won that game. Still, it only makes me more determined to win at Headingley," said Donald.

"Conditions could well suit the faster bowlers, although the pitch has been quite flat sometimes in recent years. But whatever it looks like, and however it plays, I know this is my last tour to England and if we can win a five-Test series here I know I will probably be able to rest happy for the remainder of my career."

Thumping win for PSEB
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Aug 3 — Punjab State Electricity Board humiliated Himalayan Tigers, Himachal Pradesh, by six goals without reply on the second day of the North Zone Kalyani Black Label Federation Cup Football Tournament at the Sector 17 football stadium here today.

The winners led by three goals at the lemon break.

Playing under an overcast sky with a motley crowd in attendance, the Punjab powermen dominated the show from the kick-off till the final whistle. So complete was their hold over the proceedings that the action hardly shifted to their territory and goalkeeper Jatinder Singh was seldom tested throughout the stipulated 90 minutes of play. On the other hand, the Himachal team was under pressure continuously and the margin of victory for PSEB could have been more had it not been for some erratic shooting by the PSEB players. Right winger Gurdish Singh was the main culprit as he missed chances aplenty while acting in haste.

PSEB drew first blood as early as in the seventh minute when right half Parminder Singh capitalised on a goalmouth melee and shot home from close range giving the Himachal goalkeeper no chance.

Thereafter, PSEB continued to attack with renewed vigour. In the 22nd minute the hard working Kuldip Singh sent a neat pass to right winger Gurdish but the latter chipped over the horizontal with only the goalkeeper at his mercy.

Himalayan Tigers did carry out some forays through Kamal Kishore and Rupender Bali. Midway through the first half, Kamal raced down the right flank and sent a back pass to Rupender but the dependable left stopper of PSEB Manpreet Singh made a neat interception to thwart the move.

PSEB consolidated the lead in the 29th minute when right half Parminder Singh despatched a cross for striker Kuldip who, without wasting a second, turned around and shot home leaving the goalkeeper stranded.

Thereafter, PSEB missed two good chances and Gurdish was the culprit on both occasions. But he made amends for his lapses a minute before the breather when he volleyed home a cross by Kuldip from the left to make it 3-0 for his side.

In the second half, PSEB again started dictating terms but Gurdish failed to find the target once again when after dodging past a rival defender, he shot wide with only the goalkeeper at his mercy.

It was in the 54th minute that PSEB added another goal following a move by substitute Kamaljit, whose pass from the right saw Parminder rising to the occasion and shooting home from handshaking distance (4-0).

Three minutes later it was the turn of Kamaljit to score and he found the target following a square pass by Sandeep Saini from the right.

With hardly six minutes to go for the final whistle, PSEB's Satnam Singh rounded off the tally through a solo effort when after racing down the right flank and beating a couple of defenders, he shot past the hapless Govind Thapa under the Himalayan Tigers' bar to make it 6-0 for his team.

Tomorrow's fixture: Youngster Club (Chandigarh) v YMCA (J&K).

Davenport subdues Williams, lifts title

PALO ALTO, California, Aug 3 (Reuters) — Top seed Lindsay Davenport roared back from a 0-3 third-set deficit in searing heat to claim a hard-fought victory over third seed Venus Williams in the final of the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford university.

In a seesaw battle between two towering, overpowering players, Davenport bore down late in the match to pull out a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 victory in two hours and 20 minutes yesterday.

The third-ranked Davenport, who beat Steffi Graf in the semifinals, was brimming with confidence after her victory in the all-American final and declared herself ready to make a run at the world number one ranking.

"I’ve been very consistent this year and maybe I should have won a few more tournaments, but if I play like I did this week, I feel my chance at number one is pretty good," said Davenport, who has won three of her 15 career titles in her home state of California.

"Hard courts are what I grew up on," said Davenport, who has a less-than-friendly history with Williams.

Last year, Davenport publicly criticised the teenager’s attitude, claiming Williams ignored a greeting and turned away from her. Williams denied the snub at the time and Davenport said their relationship has improved.

Davenport, 22, backed up her seeding in the 95-degree heat with explosive crosscourt returns and huge serves down the tee to frustrate her 18-year-old opponent, who was coming off an explosive victory of her own over Monica Seles.

Williams came out firing but squandered three break points in the second game, and it was Davenport who came up with the critical first service break to go up 4-3.

The 6-foot-3 Davenport ended the first set with her money shot, a blistering crosscourt forehand, and claimed an early break in the second when the 6-foot-2 Williams double faulted in the third game.

But Williams’s serve is fast becoming one of the most dangerous weapons on the WTA Tour.

After confounding Seles with a blazing delivery on Saturday, Williams smoked 15 aces against Davenport — previously unheard of in women’s tennis. But she also had control problems, landing just 50 per cent of her first serves in play and committing nine double faults.

Williams also has some physical difficulties, calling for the trainer while trailing at 1-2 and again at 3-4 for leg problems.

Williams came back and immediately broke Davenport to reach 4-4 and took the second set with another break, when the top seed dumped three shots into the net.

The speedy third seed rode that momentum to a 3-0 lead in the final set, but Davenport battled back, winning six of the last seven games and closing it out with a backhand missile down the line.

Andre Agassi annexes Mercedes Cup

LOS ANGELES, Aug 3 (AP) — Andre Agassi, blunting Tim Henman's 130 mph-plus serves with whipsaw returns, rolled through the Brit 6-4, 6-4 to win the Mercedes Cup, his eleventh consecutive match victory without dropping a set.

Agassi needed just one hour, 20 minutes yesterday to win his fourth tournament of the year and second in as many weeks. He'll rise two spots to No 11 in today's ATP Tour rankings.

"It's been a long road", said Agassi, who lost in the first round here last year when he failed to win any titles and plunged to a career-low 141st ranking. "I've climbed 130 spots this year and 11th more to go. I feel like I'm better than my ranking".

Agassi's victory streak includes one Davis Cup match. He hasn't lost since the second round at Wimbledon, where he and Henman were practice partners. They had never faced each other in a match until yesterday.

"It wasn't quite high quality tennis", said Agassi, who collected $ 45,000. He didn't play his best and I know I didn't. We were both feeling each other out early. Once I got the lead, I hit out a few more of my shots. I responded to some of his big shots well".

Agassi dropped serve just once against Henman, netting a backhand in the sixth game of the second set for a 3-3 tie.

But Henman double faulted in the next game — the second straight service game he lost on a double fault — to fall behind 3-4. Agassi won the match serving a love game with a backhand passing shot down the line.

"I don't think I played my best tennis", said Henman, whose semifinal finish at Wimbledon made him a hero in Britain. "To beat someone like Andre, you've got to play to the high level of your game".

Henman had eight aces, but negated them with seven double faults. Although he connected on 77 per cent of his first serves, Agassi often blasted returns to the corners or passed Henman at the net.

"I had him in trouble a couple of times and he came up with some big serves", Agassi said. "He was having to serve a high percentage of first serves with the way I was returning".

Agassi earned the only service break of the first set in the third game.Facing break point, Henman missed his first serve. Just before his second, a cell phone shattered the silence and Henman backed off in distraction.

He forced deuce with a backhand winner, but then sent a forehand wide and netted an overhead smash to lose the game.

"It's not the first time it happened", Henman said of the chirping phones. "It's not ideal, but it's going to happen wherever you play".

Agassi hasn't faced a single set point during his 11th match streak. He was even hotter earlier this year, winning 13 consecutive matches until losing to promising American Jan-Michael Gambill at Indian Wells in March.

"It's like letting something ride on the blackjack table", the Las Vegas native said. "If you let it ride, it gets bigger quicker".

Sub-committees on affiliation formed
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Aug 3 — The UT Cricket Association (UTCA) of Chandigarh has decided to carry on its cricketing activities on the one hand while at the same time it is making vigorous efforts to seek direct affiliation with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), according to Mr S.S. Bawa, general secretary of the association.

This was decided by the executive committee of the association .The committee decided that the UTCA will organise the second Inter-School Cricket Tournament for the Shivalik trophy at the Sector 16 Cricket Stadium from September 14.

The Inter-College Cricket Tournament for the Kapil Dev Trophy will be conducted from October 18 next while another tournament for the various cricket clubs operating in the city will be held from November 15.

The association , according to Mr Bawa, will also organise coaching camps for the upcoming cricketers of the union territory. It will also organise an exhibition match between the Adviser's XI and the UTCA XI on August 23 at the Sector 16 Cricket Stadium . Players above the age of 45 years will be invited to play in the match.

Meanwhile, the Governor of Punjab and the Administrator of the Union Territory of Chandigarh has released a grant of Rs 2 lakh to the association for the promotion of the game in the union territory.

While Mr Bawa did not spell out the steps taken by the association to get direct affiliation with the BCCI, it is learnt that sub-committees have been constituted by the executive committee to study ways and means how the association can get direct affiliation with the board.

As a first step the issue of affiliation of the UTCA has to be put on the agenda of the annual general body meeting of the BCCI. The annual general body meeting of the board is generally held towards the end of September.

Wills Masters to kick off PGAI tour
From Our Sports Reporter

NEW DELHI, Aug 3 — The 23-event Rs 2 crore on 18 courses and 100 rigorously chosen professionals under the umbrella of the Professional Golfers Association of India (PGAI) will start with the Wills Masters at the Classic Golf Resort (Gurgaon) on August 5.

Almost all leading Indian professionals will be seen in action in the four-day season's inaugural event, which concludes on August 8.

As the prestigious Rs 15-lakh prize tournament concludes, the Pro-Am contest will start on August 9. "Not traditional the Pro-am will be held after the main competition so that amateurs may have an opportunity to rub shoulders with champions on the tournament," said a seasoned campaigner.

The Wills Masters will be held on the 18-hole signature course designed by renowned golfer Jack Nicklaus. The course has been in an ideal condition in all aspects. "It should help participants give off their best if only rain does not play spoilsport," said one of the senior organisers.

The defending champion Jyoti Randhawa wears optimism that he will retain the title and bag the purse of Rs 2.49 lakh. But his task of retaining the title may not be all that easy as Vijay Kumar (Lucknow), Shiv Prakash (Kanpur), Arjun Atwal, Indrajit Bhalotia and Feroz Ali (all Calcutta), and Ali Sher, Gaurav Ghei, Vivek Bhandari and Arjun Singh (all Delhi) have been striving hard to gain the title.

Among the stars, Vijay Kumar, Randhawa, Atwal and Shiv Prakash are considered favourites.

India's leading amateurs Harmeet Kahlon and Digvijay Singh are among the 12 top amateurs who will be seen in action. This will be the basis for selecting the Indian team for the Bangkok Asian Games. Kahlon, who has already arrived here from Chandigarh, will camp in Gurgaon to attain the best form so that he earns his berth for the Indian team in the Asian Games.

In the tournament, one of the four majors in the PGAI calendar, 40 of the 100 odd participants would get a share of the prize money. The 40th golfer will get Rs 11,700, while each round's best golfer will get Rs 12,000.

Bindiya, Madhav best
From Our Sports Reporter

KHANNA, Aug 3 — Madhav Sund of S.D. Government College, Ludhiana, garnered 50 points and Bindiya Sareen of Government College for Women, Ludhiana, secured 48 points and were adjudged the best swimmers in group 1 among boys and girls, respectively, in the Ludhiana District Sub-Junior and Junior Aquatic Championship at the A.S. Model Senior Secondary School swimming pool here yesterday.

In the junior boys section, Government College collected 58 points and bagged the team championship while K.V.M. School with 45 points finished runners-up. In the girls section, Government College amassed 92 points and clinched the team championship. M.C. Club, Ludhiana, with 45 points stood second.

Sacred Heart Convent School got 96 points to win the team championship in the sub-junior boys section while Guru Nanak Public School finished second with 20 points. In the girls section, K.V.M. School pocketed 56 points to emerge winners followed by Guru Nanak Public School (27 points).

Results:

400 m freestyle (Boys-II): Anupam Gupta (KVM) 5:41.94 sec 1, Ajaypal Singh (DAV Ldh) 6:23.17 sec 2, Sukhjit Singh (AS Sen Sec Sch) 6:51.22 sec 3. (Girls II): Monika Vaid (MC Club) 8:41.41 sec 1, Sahila (KVM) 10:35.31 sec 2.

4x50 m freestyle relay (Boys-III) S.H. Boys Sch 2:30.57 sec 1, (MC Club-3:35.40 sec 2.

50 m backstroke (Boys IV): Mridul (SH Boys Sch) 50.18 sec 1, Jagreet Singh (AS Modern Sch) 1:04.95 sec 2, Karamvir Singh (Baba Ishar Sen Sec Public School) 1:06.69 sec 3. (Girls-IV): Vibha Babbar (SH Con School, 44.66 sec 1, Isha Sood (KVM) 48.65 sec 2, Gurmanpreet Kaur (KVM) 53.53 sec 3.

4x200 m ind medlay (Boys-II): Gurtarn Singh (SH Boys Sch) 3:01.80 sec 1, Ajay Pal Singh (DAV Pub Ldh) 3:05.85 sec 2, Anupam Gupta (KVM) 3:13.47 sec 3.

200 m freestyle (Boys-III): Arvind Puri (SH Boys Sch) 2:48.93 sec 1, Tej Karan Singh (SH Boys Sch) 3:05.06 sec 2, Sameer Aggarwal (MC Club) 4:08.65 sec 3. (Girls-III): Anisha Maheshwar (KVM) 2:49.53 sec 1, Sukhmandeep (GNPS) 2:50.40 sec 2, Sonam (KVM) 4:15.75 sec 3.

50m butterfly (Boys-V): Preet Apinder Singh (GNPS) 47.10 sec 1, Nikhil Sunil (SH Boys Sch) 59.87 Sec 2, Vibhor Mandepi (KVM)-1:00.46 Sec 3.

50m freestyle (Boys-I): Madhav Sund (Govt Coll Ldh) 28.09 1, Sanat Gupta (KVM) 30.25 sec 2, Gagan Singla (A.S. Coll Khanna) 32.10 sec 3. (Girls-I): Bindiya Sareen (GC for Women) 34.59 sec 1, Sukriti Khanna (DAV Ldh) 38.10 sec 2, Mandeep Kaur (GC for Women) 41.50 sec 3.

50m freestyle (Boys-II): Gurtarn Singh (SH Boys Sch) 30.06 sec 1, Ajaypal Singh (DAV Ldh) 30.34 sec 2, Chandanjit Singh (SH Con Sch) 35.70 sec 3.

100m backstroke (Boys-III): Arvind Puri (SH Boys Sch) 1:37.57 sec 1, Tej Karan (SH Boys Sch) 1:44.47 sec 2, Rohan Kapoor (MC Club) 1:44.95 sec 3. (Girls III): Amisha Maheshwari (KVM) 1:39.72 sec 1, Sukhmandeep (GNPS) 1:45.28 sec 2, Sonam (KVM) 2:56.61 sec 3.

50 m freestyle (Boys-V): Preetapinder Singh (GNPS) 42.06 sec 1, Nikhil Sunil (S.M. Boys Sch) 45.34 sec 2, Vibhor Mandepi (KVM) 47.52 sec 3. (Girls-V): Sharuti Arora (MC Club) 1:19.90 sec 1, Amarjit (Radha Vatika) 1:25.31 sec 2, Kriti Ahuja (KVM) 1:29.25 sec 3.

100 m breaststroke (Boys-I): Kamaldeep Singh Cheema (GGN Public School) 1:22.15 sec 1, Deepak Chatley (AS Sen Sec Schook Khanna) 1:34.25 sec 2, Harsimran Singh Sekhon (SH Boys Sch) 1:37.32 sec 3. (Girls-I): Bindiya Sareen (GC for Women) 1:34.31 sec 1, Roop Kamal Grewal (GC for Women) 1:47.15 sec 2, Sumati (R.S. Model Sch) 2:07.00 sec 3.

Italy hails Pantani for winning Tour de France

ROME, Aug 3 (Reuters) — Marco Pantani restored pride in Italy’s sporting prowess by winning the Tour de France, making up for the disappointing display by the country’s World Cup soccer team.

President Oscar Luigi Scalfaro lost no time in congratulating Pantani for becoming the first Italian to win the race in 33 years.

"Congratulations and many thanks from the Italian people for giving Italy this exceptional triumph", Scalfaro said in his message to Pantani yesterday.

Deputy Prime Minister Walter Veltroni called the result a "great personal victory" for the 28-year-old from Cesenatica on the northeast Adriatic coast.

"It’s a long time since an Italian cyclist has been able to carry off such an important success as this, winning the Giro d’Italia and the Tour", Veltroni said.

One centrist politician called for Pantani to be given Italy’s highest honour as "Cavaliere" of the republic, similar to France’s Legion d’Honneur bestowed on the national soccer team after becoming World Cup champions.

Prime Minister Romano Prodi, commenting before the last stage of the Tour in yesterday’s Corriere Della Sera daily, put the secret of Pantani’s success down to his mamma’s cooking.

"I ask him to build towards future triumphs by continuing above all to eat the 'piada' his mother made him almost from the day he was born", Prodi wrote in the daily.

FC Kochin emerge SZ champions

KANNUR, Aug 3 (PTI) — The young FC Kochin outfit, the country’s first professional club, kept their reputation intact by handing over a 2-0 defeat to State Bank of Travancore (SBT), Thiruvanathapuram, in the final of the South Zone Kalyani Black Label Federation Cup Football Tournament at the Jawahar Stadium yesterday.

FC Kochin opened its account in the 22nd minute through star striker Chantan Abu Jomo, who played as a medio, while nippy striker Najeeb, who had earlier fumbled a couple of chances, sealed the fate of the match in the 33rd minute.

Despite SBT’s defeat, both FC Kochin and SBT have qualified for the final round, scheduled to begin on August 19.

In the next round, FC Kochin will take on Mohun Bagan in Calcutta, while SBT will cross swords with Salgaocar in Mumbai.

SBT, the former Kerala state champion, had only themselves to blame as their striker V.P. Shaji and C.V. Sunny messed up a number of chances from inside the penalty area, either driving over the horizontal or straight to keeper Ali Abubacker, who showed good reflexes under the FC Kochin bar.

On one such occasion, he leapt high into the air to gather Sunny’s header, which would have entered the cage.

Chandigarh TT from Aug 7
By Our Sports Reporter

CHANDIGARH, Aug 3 — The Bhavan Hawk's fourth Chandigarh Ranking Table Tennis Tournament will be conducted under the aegis of the Chandigarh Table Tennis Association (CTTA), at the Sector 23 TT Hall here from August 7 to 9, according to a press note of Bhavan Vidyalaya, Sector 27.

Competitions in cadet boys and girls (under-12 years), sub-junior boys and girls (under 14 years), junior boys and girls (under 17 years) and men and women (above 17 years events) sections will be organised during the three-day tournament.

Entries close on August 5 with the Principal, Bhavan Vidyalaya, Sector 27, Chandigarh or with Mr A.P.S. Singh, TT coach.

Costa pips Gaudenzi for title

KITZBUEHEL (Austria), Aug 3 (Reuters) — Weary third seed Albert Costa struggled to clinch his eighth ATP title with a bland 6-2, 1-6, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, defeat of Italian Andrea Gaudenzi in the Generali Open final.

Costa recorded his maiden tournament win here in 1995 and has never lost a match at the Tyrolean Alpine resort.

The Spaniard took a little under three hours to pick up his second title of the year after Hamburg in a see-saw battle that rarely caught fire. He admitted it was not one of his best days.

Both players started slowly on a gloriously sunny day with seventh seed Gaudenzi the first to drop serve in the second game.

At 3-1 the Italian changed raquets, fought off four breakpoints and took the Spaniard's serve in the following game. But a series of unforged errors by Gaudenzi gave Costa the set 6-2, after breaks in the sixth and eighth games.

The second set went clearly the way of Gaudenzi, who also lost to Costa in the 1995 Kitzbuehel quarter-finals, with breaks in the first, fifth and seventh games for 6-1.

Costa claimed the third set 6-2, but the 23-year-old, who now leads the head-to-head between the pair 5-2, looked tired in the fourth which he lost 6-3 after dropping serve at 3-1.

Costa took advantage of sloppy play by Gaudenzi in the final set to wrap up victory.

HP to frame new sports policy
From Our Correspondent

HAMIRPUR, Aug 3 — The Himachal Pradesh government will have a new sports policy in near future. This assurance was given by Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal to Bhupinder Singh, president of the HP NIS-Trained Coaches Association and the chief coach of the Himachal Pradesh Amateur Athletic Association, who met him at Shimla recently.

Mr Bhupinder Singh said here today that the state government would formulate a high-level committee regarding suitable changes to be made in the state sports policy. Representatives of various sports organisations and coaches would also be made members of the proposed committee, as per assurance given by the Chief Minister.

Judo trials
From Our Sports Reporter

PATIALA : Trials to select the Punjab team for the Sub-Junior National Judo Championships scheduled to be held at Mumbai from August 21 to 23, will be held at the indoor stadium at Hoshiarpur on August 9, according to a press release of the Punjab Judo Association. Players born before August 21, 1988, and after August 21, 1984, are eligible to take part in the trials.