Monday, August 23, 1999
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S P O R T | Monday, August 23, 1999 |
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Gillespie fashions easy Aussie
victory GALLE, Aug 22 — Australia began their reign as World Cup champions with a comfortable 51-run victory over a newlook Sri Lanka in the rain-truncated opening tie of the AIWA triangular one-day cricket tournament here today. Put in to bat, Australia withstood a superb haul of five for 28 by Sri Lankan skipper Sanath Jayasuriya after a long rain delay to reach 205 for nine in 43 overs and then bowled out Sri Lanka for 160 in 37.3 overs.  Australian batsman Ricky Ponting (left) looks at the ball as Sri Lankan wicket keeper Romesh Kaluwitharena tries to catch it during the limited over cricket match between Australia and Sri Lanka at Galle international cricket ground in Galle on Sunday. — AP/PTI
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Nash helps Kiwis clinch series ‘Black
Panther’ ready to pounce on Jones Agassi,
Kafelnikov in title clash Thorpe
pulls out of SA, Zimbabwe tour Nisha
leads good show by Indians Gullit
scoffs at rumours 12-member
team for world karate meet Croatia
move to top spot India
jrs take on Egypt Thorpe
smashes Perkins’ record Jayasinghe
fails to turn up |
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Gillespie fashions easy Aussie victory GALLE, Aug 22 (PTI) — Australia began their reign as World Cup champions with a comfortable 51-run victory over a newlook Sri Lanka in the rain-truncated opening tie of the AIWA triangular one-day cricket tournament here today. Put in to bat, Australia withstood a superb haul of five for 28 by Sri Lankan skipper Sanath Jayasuriya after a long rain delay to reach 205 for nine in 43 overs and then bowled out Sri Lanka for 160 in 37.3 overs, chasing a victory target of 212 after a run-rate adjustment for overs lost due to rain. Both teams had a point to prove, but their batsmen could not really come to grips with the fresh pitch that proved slow and made stroke-making more difficult after the 90-minute break due to rain at the Galle international cricket stadium. Wiry paceman Jason Gillespie spearheaded Australia with an early three-wicket burst for 26 runs from where the hosts found the going tough despite plucky efforts in the middle order which was without the experienced trio of deposed skipper Arjuna Ranatunga, Aravinda de Silva and Roshan Mahanama for the first time in many seasons. Gillespie, opening the attack as lanky fast bowler Glenn McGrath was rested for the tie, tore into the top order after Damien Fleming removed Jayasuriya (1). Gillespie dismissed opener Avishka Gunawardene (8), Stylish Marvan Atapattu (5) and Mahela Jayawardena (7). Courageous efforts by wicketkeeper Romesh Kaluwitharana (33), debutant Indika de Saram (24) and a 47-run seventh wicket stand between Upul Chandana (30) and Suresh Parera (26) raised mild hopes before Australia regained full control. Australia got off to a rousing start after Jayasuriya surprisingly decided to field first, with openers Adam Gilchrist (27) and Mark Waugh (28) adding 60 runs in just around 10 overs. Third paceman Suresh Parera removed Waugh and Gilchrist and fellow left-hander Darren Lehmann (26) went as two of the three run out victims to leave Australia at 110 for three in 23.1 overs when the heavens opened up. The run-rate slowed down further after the break and only cautious batting by Ricky Ponting (38) and a typically workmanlike unbeaten 42 from Michael Bevan pulled Australia to a fighting total. Jayasuriya, bowling in tandem with off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, had the tall Tom Moody and Ponting stumped with clever variation and bowled rival skipper Steve Waugh (6) with a superb arm delivery that beat the batsman all ends up. Set to make 212 for a victory to bounce back from the dismal World Cup performance, Sri Lanka were reduced to a pathetic 41 for four as Gillespie came on top. Once Fleming removed Jayasuriya, the top-order simply fell away and only Kaluwitharana’s aggressive methods with local player de Saram (24) raised some visions of Sri Lanka pulling it off. Australia: Sri Lanka: |
India start campaign today GALLE, Aug 22 (PTI) — India will have their task cut out against the formidable World Cup champions Australia in their opening tie of the AIWA triangular one-day cricket tournament here tomorrow. Led by batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar, India will have a point to prove against the Aussies as they set out to regain stature following the disappointing World Cup campaign where they failed to make the semifinal grade. India, missing deposed skipper Mohd Azharuddin, seasoned stumper Nayan Mongia and young seamer Ajit Agarkar due to injuries and given a scare after Tendulkar experienced a stiff back at Chennai two days ago, will be keen to atone for their defeat to Australia that upset their World Cup plans. India’s batting capitulation in the face of fiery bowling by paceman Glenn McGrath saw them go down by 77-runs in their opening Super Six tie at the Oval which eventually sent them out of contention for a last four berth and the victors all the way to the title. Australia will be a confident lot after their 51-run victory over Sri Lanka today and the Indians who watched the action at the picturesque Galle Cricket Stadium will be wary of the slowness of the pitch that could trouble their batsmen. McGrath, who was rested for today’s tie, is expected to be back, and the Indian batting will have a job on hands as bowling and tight fielding could make the difference. The Indian team, though denied a workout at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground in Colombo yesterday due to steady downpour yesterday, have reached here and will pray that weather does not play the spoilsport as it did in this new international venue in a one-day tournament last year. The tournament will provide the ideal opportunity for young wicketkeeper M S K Prasad as well as left-handers Amay Khurasia and Vinod Kambli, who would both be fighting to step into the slot left vacant by the absence of Azharuddin, yet to fully recover after undergoing shoulder surgery in June. Tendulkar has called for total commitment from his teammates and the tough opener would present an ideal platform for the Indians to come together as a team, especially with a long season ahead of them. Australians showed in their victory over Sri Lanka that they are as sharp as ever despite the six-week rest following a long grind culminating in the World Cup title win over Pakistan at Lord’s on June 20. Their fielding stood out and the win today should lift them to a much collected performance. Indian batting, led by Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid should sparkle in the given conditions but it would be interesting to watch whether the tail-enders begin to throw their weight behind scoring if situation calls for it. Tendulkar, whose first
17-month stint as skipper began in the island and ended
quite disappointingly when India failed to reach the
final of a four-nation event involving Australia and
Zimbabwe besides the hosts, will be determined to mark a
turnaround for what is generally expected the start of a
long reign at the helm of the Indian team. |
Nash helps Kiwis clinch series LONDON, Aug 22 (Reuters) — New Zealand, fired by a three-wicket burst from paceman Dion Nash, beat England by 83 runs in the fourth and final Test today to take the series 2-1. England, needing 246 to win, slumped from their overnight 91 for two to 162 all out shortly after lunch on the fourth day at the Oval. After reaching 123 for two at one stage during the morning session, England’s last eight wickets crashed for 39. Left-arm pace bowler Shayne O’Connor started the collapse by removing Graham Thorpe for 44. Nash then dispatched Michafi Atherton (64) and Mark Ramprakash (0) with consecutive ball’s before removing Alec Stewart for 12. Left-arm spinner Danifi Vettori and all-rounder Chris Cairns helped to wrap up the tail. The last three wickets falling for five runs after lunch. Scoreboard |
Hunter claims 1st of five planned gold SEVILLE (Spain), Aug 22 (AP) — The heptathlon competition was thrown into controversy at the World Championships today when officials disallowed a long jump by Britain’s Denise Lewis, denting her chances of overcoming leader Eunice Barber of France. Lewis’ jump was initially ruled a foul, then was judged legal and then was disallowed again. The British federation said it was considering lodging an appeal. Lewis, the European and Commonwealth champion, protested after judges deemed she had fouled. Lewis huddled with officials to view television replays of the jump, which appeared to indicate her foot had not touched the plasticene. The jump was then allowed at 6.64 metres. Barber posted a best jump of 6.86 meters. At that stage, Barber, who led Lewis by one point after yesterday’s first four events, was ahead by 73 points (5,119 to 5,046) going into tonight’s final two events, the javelin and 800 metres. But a few minutes later, after the athletes had already left the track, Lewis’ jump was disallowed. She was given a best jump of only 6.20m, leaving her 214 points behind. The difference of 141 points could be crucial in deciding the gold medal. “The jump was first flagged as a foul,” said British team spokeswoman Jayne Pearce. “Then she (Lewis) queried it. If she queries it, the judges have to record it. But the field judge said it was a definite foul. That’s why 6.20 came up (on the result sheet). UK athletics is now looking at it and deciding whether to protest on what they see.” Sprint queen Marion Jones and her husband C.J. Hunter turned the opening day of the World Athletics Championships into a family affair. Hunter got the first of five planned family gold medals by winning his first ever shot put title with his last throw of the competition on Saturday. His wife, looking for a record four gold medals at the championships, looked set for the 100m title when she ran the fastest 100m of the season despite having false started and then getting a slow start. The 23-year-old clocked 10.76 sec. Now the former North Carolina basketball star is only two races away from the first of the gold medals she has set her sights on. The 30-year-old Hunter, whose first name is Cottrell but prefers to be known as C.J., won the title in the last round depriving German Sven Oliver Buder of the gold and leaving the 33-year-old with a second successive silver medal. Ukrainian Aleksandr Bagach, who was stripped of the title two years ago after testing positive for the stimulant ephedrine, took bronze. Hunter threw 21.79 m to go pass Buder who was on 21.42. Bagach heaved 21.26 m. But the first gold of the championship went to Russia’s Ilya Markov, who defied the searing Spanish heat to win the 20 km walk. Jefferson Perez of Ecuador was second with Mexico’s Daniel Garcia taking the bronze. In other events, Lars Riedel, bidding for his fifth consecutive world title, was among those qualifying for the men’s discus final. The reigning Olympic champion had only the day’s fifth best throw (64 metres). Virgilijus Alekna of Lithuania, ranked No. 1 in the world last year, led the qualifiers with a throw of 65.86. Also advancing were world record-holder Juergen Schult and US teammates Anthony Washington and Andy Bloom. But John Godina, who lost his world shot put title yesterday, failed to qualify in his second event. His best effort was only 62.27, leaving him in 16th place. Jamaica’s Deon Hemmings ran the fastest time (54.27) in the heats of the women’s 400-metre hurdles, followed by Sandra Glover-Cummings of the USA (54.47). Defending champion Nezha Bidouane of Morocco also advanced to the semifinals with the fourth fastest time (54.64). America’s Stacy Dragila equalled Australian Emma George’s world record of 4.60 m to win the women’s pole vault — the first time the event has been in the championships. Anzhela Balakhonova of the Ukraine took the silver with Russian-turned-Australian Tatiana Grigorieva the bronze. George was eliminated after failing three times to clear 4.35 m. The Australian’s pre-championship programme had been thrown into chaos last month when she missed the mat during training in Switzerland last month. Although she was not seriously injured she was unable to fully train for several weeks. Maurice Greene, the world’s fastest man, looks set to break his own world record after a blistering performance in the 100 m quarter-finals. Greene, who is nicknamed the Kansas Comet and is the defending champion, clocked 9.91 secs. His world record, set in June in Athens, stands at 9.79 secs. Greene has now run 23
sub-10s sprints in only two years. |
‘Black Panther’ ready to pounce on Jones SEVILLE (Spain), Aug 22 (AFP) — Fiona May, Italy’s 1995 long jump world champion, has never minced her words. Going into tomorrow’s world championship long jump final, she has also shown that she is no respecter of reputations. “I am not afraid of Marion Jones,” the 29-year-old Englishborn athlete proclaimed. May, who has been dubbed the ‘Black Panther’ in Italy, is not the first long jump specialist to cast doubt on the 23-year-old American’s ability to win the world title and remain on course for a record four world crowns here. May, though, has been more polite than German veteran Heike Drechsler — who described Jones as “an amateur”. May, who is an Olympic silver medallist and took bronze in the 1997 World Championships, said Jones still had a lot to do to become a champion. “She’s obviously a good athlete, but she’s still inexperienced,” May said. “She can talk all she wants about doing this and that in the event and come along and win a Grand Prix but here you are dealing with three jumps to make the last eight and then another three after that with the added pressure that it is a world final. “You have to perform at 100 per cent in all six jumps — because if you don’t you are going to get eaten.” Despite her outspokenness, May, who qualified on her first jump with a season’s best of 7.04m while Jones had to wait until the second round to make it through, has also been described as a poker player. “She wouldn’t be someone I would want to play poker against because you never know what she has in reserve,” a close acquaintance of May said. May certainly played her cards right when, in 1994, she decided to give up representing Great Britain after they offered her a derisory 500 pounds subsidy to help her train. She instead moved to Italy to marry Italian pole vaulter Gianni Iapichino. The elegant economics graduate, who earns 70,000 pounds annually as captain of the Italian women’s team, has found the Italian way of life much to her liking. “I have been completely swept off my feet by their culture and the standard of living,” she said. “Now I think in Italian, dream in Italian and even swear in Italian. “I am so integrated there now that I always take my pasta and parmesan away with me — along with a portable expresso machine,” she added. May, who has given up an attempt at the triple jump title here, may not be paid the appearance fees that Jones can command but she is embraced everywhere she goes in her adopted home city of Florence. Jones admits that she can pop down to the local shops and not be recognised. Tomorrow, May will be
hoping to become known worldwide as the athlete who
prevented the American superstar from making a title
sweep. |
Agassi, Kafelnikov in title clash WASHINGTON, Aug 22 (DPA) — Defending champion Andre Agassi and top seed Yevgeny Kafelnikov won semifinal matches yesterday to set up a duel for the Legg Mason tennis classic title and the coveted number 2 seed at the upcoming US Open. Agassi shook off a 90-minute rain interruption and the big serves of compatriot Todd Martin to post a 6-4, 6-2 victory into today’s final. Earlier, Kafelnikov blunted the charge of Germany’s Nicolas Keifer to capture their semifinal match, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3. The French Open champion and world’s number 3, Agassi has been on form in Washington, where he has won four times in nine appearances. The 29-year-old has not lost serve all week and has not come close to dropping a set. Agassi pressured Martin’s serve from the first game when Martin had to fight off five break points before finally holding. But the tall fourth seed, ranked seventh in the world, finally succumbed to Agassi’s piercing returns in the eighth game when he dumped a backhand volley into the net. Martin lost his serve in the third game of the second set that ended just before showers forced a 90-minute delay. The lanky Davis Cup veteran had two chances to break his opponent at 2-1 when they returned to court but Agassi tightened his game and went on to close out martin with a second service break for a 5-2 advantage. Agassi had 12 aces and just eight unforced errors for the match, which took more than three hours to complete. “If he converted those two break points it could have made the night a lot more difficult,” Agassi said of the return to court after the rain. He said he was looking forward to playing Kafelnikov and gaining a measure of revenge after losing to the Russian in straight sets at the Canadian Open in Montreal two weeks ago. “Tomorrow’s a new day. Hopefully I can play like I did today. He was en fuego (on fire) in Montreal”, Agassi said. Kafelnikov, in his first Washington appearance, will seek to take the title from Agassi and amass enough points to be assured of gaining the number 2 seed at the US Open beginning August 30. The winner today cannot overtake world number 1 Pete Sampras before the Open, but the second seed would avoid meeting Sampras before the Grand Slam final. A second seed spot would be especially important for Agassi since he has lost to Sampras three consecutive times this summer, including at the Wimbledon final where he was swept in three sets. In an afternoon match,
Keifer, the sixth seed and world number 16, failed to
convert three break chances in the first game then
allowed the world number two Russian to capture a 3-0
lead. Kafelnikov took the set in 35 minutes as Keifer
pushed a backhand wide on a break point at 2-5. |
Thorpe pulls out of SA, Zimbabwe tour LONDON, Aug 22 (AFP) — Batsman Graham Thorpe has decided to pull out of England’s upcoming tour to South Africa and Zimbabwe to spend some time with his family. The 30-year-old Surrey left-hander said: “I have not taken this decision lightly and know exactly what it means. By giving up my place in the team I am letting someone else in and I may never get back”. “But I have a young family and they come first. I need to achieve some balance in my life,” he told the Mail newspaper today. Thorpe will miss the five-Test series against South Africa in order to spend more time with his wife Nicola, two-year-old son Henry and six-month-old daughter Amelia. But he will make himself
available for the one-day internationals that follow
against South Africa and Zimbabwe. |
Nisha leads good show by Indians NEW DELHI, Aug 22 (PTI) — India’s Nisha Millet rewrote the national record in landing the 400m freestyle bronze in the girls’ group I as the hosts claimed 14 medals on the opening day of the 13th Asia Pacific Swimming meet here today. The 17-year-old Nisha clocked a superb 4 minutes 29.72 seconds after Shikha Tandon timed 4:35.11 earlier to win the silver in the girls group II final. India’s best woman swimmer went one better by bagging the silver in her pet 100m backstroke event. Shikha broke Nisha’s mark of 4:37.11, but could own it only for an hour before the Bangalore-based swimmer stormed to make it to the medals rostrum in style. India finished the day with seven silver and as many bronze medals to be placed 10th overall while favourites Chinese Taipei led the table with a grand splurge of 13 gold, 11 silver and 15 bronze medals. Thailand proved the surprise package as they finished the day second with a fine haul of seven gold, two silver and two bronze while China, taking part only in the lower age groups, showed their incredible depth claiming 5-4-1 to stand third. Bengal lass Rajshree Chakrabarty led the Indian efforts with a heist of one silver and three bronze medals while M Usha bagged a silver and bronze — both in the women’s section. The other Indians to figure among medals were Rakhi Mehra (silver —women’s 100m backstroke), Shruti Shrivastava (silver — group II girls - 1 metre spring board diving), Suparna Paul (bronze — group II girls — 1m spring board), Ishani Ghosh (silver — women’s 3m spring board) and Shweta Gogtay (bronze — women’s 3m spring board). Hong Kong’s Tsai Huis Wai, who landed a golden double by claiming the 100 m backstroke and 200 m individual medley and a silver in the 100 m butterfly in girls group I and Lin Chi-Chan of Chinese Taipei, who also claimed a double in the women’s 100 m freestyle and 200 m individual medley, shared the spotlight on the opening day. Tsai Hius Wai edged out Millet 1:05.22 to 1:08.57 to claim the 100m backstroke. Two meet records were bettered on the first day at the Talkatora swimming pool. Hong Kong’s Kong Kon Kay accounted for the first in the 100m butterfly in girls’ group I — 15 to 17 years — in the very first event of the day. Kay won in 1:03.39 to take 0.60 seconds off the pervious mark of China’s Yan Feng Meng, set in 1995 at Colombo to push Tsai Chin-Ning of Taipei to second in 1:06.33. Denyse Tan of Singapore came third (1:07.12). Lin Chi-Chan of Taipei accounted for the other meet mark in claiming the women’s 400 m freestyle. Chi-Chan won in 4:27.25 to sink the old mark of 4:31.20, set by Robyn Lamsam of Hong Kong at Pusan, South Korea, in 1996. Among the top winners were Wu Nien-Pin of Chinese Taipei who hoisted two gold medals in the 100m butterfly and 200m individual medley in boys group I, and Tachikittiranan Pilin of Thailand, who won the 100m butterfly and 400 m freestyle silver in girls’ group I. Nisha stroked strongly in the final lap to erase the national mark in the 400 m freestyle, finishing behind Thais Cherdchuriyasub Tanatpo (4:28.03) and Tachakittiran Pilin (4:28.20). Like Nisha, the race was a surprise for everyone. The Indian was pushed to 5th place after the second lap and stayed there for two more laps before she pulled to fourth place. Nisha was neck-and-neck with Chang Yi Chen of Chinese Taipei for the fourth place going into the final lap but came up with a strong finish to level with Pilin and Tanatpo with 10 metres to the finish. But Tanatpo proved stronger of the three as she not only pulled away from Nisha but also edged past her compatriot to take the gold. Rajshree Chakrabarty proved the other star for India claiming a silver and three bronze in the women’s section. The Bengal girl claimed
silver in women’s 400m freestyle with a time of
5:00.96, way behind Lin Chi-Chan who broke the meet
record. M Usha (5:09.85) finished third. |
Gullit scoffs at rumours NEWCASTLE, Aug 22 (AFP) — Beleaguered Newcastle United manager Ruud Gullit hit back at speculation over his future in the wake of three successive defeats. As reports of new job offers and imminent sackings continued to circulate on the eve of the English premiership clash with Wimbledon, the Dutchman gave his critics both barrels. “I haven’t resigned, my mother hasn’t got chicken pox, I haven’t bought a house, I haven’t been offered a job with the national team, I haven’t been offered a job in America, I’m still here, my wife is okay, my daughter is okay, the groundsman is okay, everybody at Newcastle is okay,” was Gullit’s sarcastic response to the rumours. “There have been so many things written about me, I think everybody has forgotten the issue that we have lost three games.” “That’s a very bad start for me and the club and we are trying to do everything to turn it around. That’s the only issue I want to talk about,” he warned. “The rest has nothing to do with me, nothing to do with football, and I want to be judged on my ability as a coach, not on the other things. That’s fair. “It’s a bad scenario and I realise that. But I’ve had worse in my life.” “I’ve lost three games and I want to be criticised about that, and of course I’m unhappy about that. “I take all the blame. That’s my position. That’s why I say criticise me for the defeats I’ve had. I can take that because I’m disappointed myself and I’m going to work and do everything within my power to put it right.” Gullit insisted the support of the fans was as strong as ever. “I’d like to thank people on the street that have been very, very supportive to me,” he said. “It looks like I have even become more popular than I was before.” Gullit refused to
comment on talk of a rift between himself and skipper
Alan Shearer, but it is clear that the relationship
between the two key men is less than warm. |
12-member team for world karate meet NEW DELHI, Aug 22 (PTI) — India is sending a 12-member team to the 4th World Karate Championships in Hannover, Germany, from August 26 to 29. Coach C.S. Sai Kumar will lead the Indian squad, being invited to any martial art world championships for the first time. About 72 countries are taking part in the biggest-ever martial art event, S. Srinivasan, Indian director of World Karate Association, said in a release here. The team comprises seven karatekas from Maharashtra, two each from Delhi and Assam and one from Goa. The team is leaving for Germany tomorrow. The four-day world championships is open to all major karate styles and will have black belt competition in free sparring (full contact), point fighting (sport karate), traditional forms (katas) and oriental weapon, he said. Delhi’s Khanni Kohli of JD Tytler School and Kiran Sethi of Delhi Police are participating in 50 kg and 60 kg categories, respectively. Kohli, current national champion in his category (u-16), has also won the gold medal in 1998 nationals in Solapur, Maharashtra. Team: Ratnakant Wanjare,
Chadrajit Pawar, Yashwant Bhilare, Shashikant Pawar,
Avinash Waghmare, Sangeeta Suresh, K. Pendase (all
Maharashtra), Khanni Kohli, Kiran Sethi (both Delhi),
Krishna Mahato, Manish Kumar Nath (both Assam), and
Vinaya Krishna Gaude (Goa). |
Croatia move to top spot ZAGREB, Aug 22 (AP) — Croatia scored a goal in each half to beat Malta 2-1 and moved atop group 8 in its bid to qualify for the European Championship finals. Mario Stanic headed in the first goal from a corner kick in the 34th minute while Zvonimir Soldo doubled with almost duplicate forceful header in the 55th minute. David Carabott pulled the Maltese within a goal by slamming in a goal in the 61st minute, but the visitors failed to create any further opportunities. Croatia suffered a serious setback in the opening minutes when captain Zvonimir Boban was carried out of the field on a stretcher with a stomach injury. The loss disrupted the
fluidity in midfield for the home side which also had to
cope with poor finishing by their strikers who were
missing a clinical touch. |
India jrs take on Egypt BERLIN, Aug 22 (PTI) — The Indian junior team was in fine nick winning all their friendly matches including one against hosts Poland, as they open their campaign in the Eight-Nation International Hockey Tournament (under-21) in Poznan against Egypt tomorrow. The Indian team, which reached Poznan on Tuesday after playing friendly matches against Holland and Belgium at Amstelveen, the Netherlands, defeated three of the teams participating in the week-long tournament. Centre-forward Prabhjot Singh was in top form scoring a brace each in India’s 4-0 and 6-2 victories against Scotland and Poland respectively. While Asad Khan and Gursevak Singh added one each in the match against Scotland, the two along with Len Aiyappa and Bipin Fernandes struck one goal apiece in the match against Poland. Both Scotland and Poland are in pool B along with South Korea and England. India, Germany, Belgium and Egypt are in pool A. India swamped the Belgium under-21 team 7-0 in a friendly clash in Amstelveen before coming to Poznan. They, however, were thrashed 0-5 and 1-6 by Holland, who are not taking part in the Poznan tournament. Fancied Germany meet Belgium in the first match of the tournament tomorrow. India play Belgium and
Germany on August 25 and 26, respectively, in their other
two league matches. |
Thorpe smashes Perkins’ record SYDNEY, Aug 22 (AFP) — Australian Ian Thorpe broke the men’s 400 metres freestyle world record by almost two seconds at the Pan Paciffic Swimming Championships here today. The 16-year-old Sydney swimmer broke compatriot Kieren Perkins’ world record in winning the final in 3 min 41.83 sec. Perkins set his record of 3:43.80 at the world championships in Rome five years ago. Teammate Grant Hackett was second with South African Ryk Neethling third in the final. Thorpe kicked away from early leader Hackett during midrace and stormed away to win. The giant teenager had been knocking on course to break the record for some time and came within 0.05 sec off Perkins’ mark at this year’s Australian championships in Brisbane. Thorpe beat Hackett with
the last stroke in the 400m freestyle final at last
year’s world championships in Perth. |
Jayasinghe fails to turn up SEVILLE (Spain), Aug 22 (AFP) — Sri Lankan sprinter Susanthika Jayasinghe’s 100m hopes at the World Athletics Championship finished here yesterday when she failed to turn up for the 100m quarter-finals. She easily qualified for the race when she finished third in her heat in the morning. It was a bitter blow to the Sri Lankan who caused a furore even before she arrived in Spain. Team officials were angered when she claimed shortly before flying into the Seville that she feared her compatriots might try to spike her food. Jayasinghe, who tested positive for a banned steroid, was banned in April last year, but her suspension was lifted four months later after a local hearing. However, the International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) was unhappy over the inquiry and referred her case to an arbitration panel. The IAAF said Jayasinghe was free to compete in the World Championships. IAAF spokesman Giorgio Reineri said because Jayasinghe’s doping case could not be reviewed before the world championships, which start this weekend, she was free to compete. The hearing, which was
due to be held in April, was put off following
representations by Jayasinghe’s lawyers, on the
basis that they were keen to produce fresh material
before the arbitration committee. |
Actress fails in bid for glory BLOOMFIELD (New Jersey), Aug 22 (AP) — Actress Geena Davis lost her bid to be an Olympic archer, but she said she loves the challenge and will try again in four years. “I think I did
well. I was very happy,” Davis said yesterday after
finishing 24th out of 28 women competing in the US
Olympic trial semifinals. |
H
Piccadily XI triumph CHANDIGARH, Aug 22 (BOSR) — A fine spell of bowling by Arun Tuli who bagged four wickets for just four runs thus enabled Piccadily XI in beating High Court XI by 126 runs in the Major Sandeep Sagar Memorial Cricket Tournament being played here at the Gursagar Grounds today. Brief scores: Piccadily XI; 214 for nine in 30 overs (M.P. Singh 58, Jaswant Rai 24 n.o., R.P. Singh 22, Rakesh Jolly 21, Vineet Jain 20, Deepak 20, Vikram Sharma 2 for 35, Hemant Bassi 2 for 32, Sanjeev 2 for 37, Sandeep 2 for 40) High Court XI: 88 all out (Ashish Sharma 21, Arun Tuli 4 for 4, Ajay Sikka 2 for 18, Vineet 2 for 32). Solan badminton SOLAN, Aug 22 (FOC) — The District Badminton Championships for men, women, boys and girls will be held at the local badminton hall from August 26 to 29. Entries close with Mr
Des Raj Sharma, Upper Bazar, Solan, Mr Jitendra Vaidya,
badminton coach or Dr Virendra Mohan, Dharampur, by
August 25, according to Mr Manoj Bhakru, secretary,
District Badminton Association. |
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