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Saturday,
August 11, 2001, Chandigarh, India   |
Kederis, Johnson clinch gold
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Seles ousts Testud in marathon tie ‘Ajay Jadeja is being missed’ Dangerous pitch:
no play on
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IPFA threat may hit NFL Football title for RCF AAG secretariat opens 6 cyclists among tainted sportspersons Soccer teams for Afro-Asian Games
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Kederis, Johnson clinch gold Edmonton, August 10 While there was no doubt the 28-year-old Greek had pulled off the double, the battle for silver and bronze left the judges with a nightmare as Jamaica’s Christopher Williams, American Shawn Crawford and Kim Collins of St Kitts all burst across the line together. After half-a-dozen looks at the photo finish the judge gave Williams the silver and Crawford and Collins the bronze as all three runners were clocked at the same time - 20.20 sec. Britain’s Christian Malcolm was fifth in 20.22 sec. The 200m title was thrown wide open even before the first heat when Olympic and world championship 100m champion Maurice Greene, Ato Boldon and Frankie Fredericks all pulled out with injuries. But Kederis insisted their absence made no difference. “Whether Maurice Green had raced or not I would have won,” said the Greek. “This victory means more to me than the Olympic title. It confirms my win in Sydney was no fluke. Let Boldon and Maurice try and beat me I am king of the 200,” he added. Hurdling legend Johnson rebounded from his Sydney Olympics failure and ended a four-year title drought by taking the 110m hurdles crown for the third time. Johnson, who beat Olympic champion Anier Garcia into silver, said it was more important to him than the 1996 Olympic title and made worthwhile his decision not to retire when he was in the depths of despair after losing his Olympic title in Sydney. “If people had said in 1997 I would not win a title till now I would have thought they were crazy,” he said. “This means more to me than Atlanta in 1996 because it is a statement to those who thought I was over the top that I am not and I am the man to beat once again,” he added. Johnson, who despite his titles believes he has failed to get the same recognition as other champions because he is not brash enough, got off to a superb start leaving Garcia trailing and despite cracking the final hurdle he just managed to stave off his Cuban rival. “I thought ‘Oh no’ this is like Sydney where I did the same thing and fell back from second to fourth,” he said. “However my momentum just kept me ahead of Anier,” he added. Garcia, who was seeking to add the title to his world indoor and Olympic crown, claimed it was the start that had cost him the race. “I needed just a normal start to win but I got a dreadful one,” he said. “Allen is a great competitor but I tried not to focus on that and run my own race. “However, in the end he was too good but I think this duel between us has many more twists to come,” he added. Dmitriy Markov became only the third man in history to clear 6.05 metres in the pole vault as the naturalised Australian won the world title. Yet a foot injury almost prevented the Belarus-born athlete from competing at all. “I was worried coming into the competition,” said the 26-year-old. “I spent 10 hours yesterday icing an injury on my foot, and another three hours today.” “I never expected to jump over six metres today,” said Markov, who became an Australian citizen in 1999, shortly before winning silver at that year’s World Championships. Markov won with his first-time clearance at 5.90 metres, as four other athletes could only clear 5.85m. He went on to clear a championship record of 6.05m at the second attempt and, watched by now-retired pole vault legend Sergei Bubka, failed in three attempts at 6.10m despite the crowd roaring him on. Aleksandr Averbukh of Israel won the silver medal thanks to his first-time clearance at 5.85m, beating Olympic champion Nick Hysong of the USA into third on countback. Germany’s Michael Stolle and Romain Mesnil of France finished fourth and fifth with the same height. Russia’s world record holder for the 20 km walk Olimpiada Ivanova became world champion after leading the race from start to finish. Ivanova set a championship record 1hr 27min 48sec, and finished the race before second-placed Valentina Tsybulskaya of Belarus had even entered the Commonwealth Stadium. Her 1hr 28min 49sec secured the silver medal. The race for bronze saw Elisabette Perrone of Italy forced to dip for the line to beat Norway’s Kjersti Platzer, clocking 1hr 28min 56sec. Ivanova, who was disqualified for testing positive for a banned doping substance after coming second in the 10km event at the 1997 World Championships, led from the gun. Her challengers fell by the wayside, often victims of the judges’ new yellow and red cards. In the space of five minutes around the halfway mark, Hongyu Liu, China’s defending world champion, Kerry Saxby-Junna, the 40-year-old Australian who has set 26 world bests during her career, and Yelena Nikolayeva, the most successful woman walker in history, were all pulled from the race. Also disqualified was Jane Saville, Australia’s Commonwealth 10km champion who had been disqualified when within sight of the gold medal at last year’s Olympics. When she received her third card, Nikoleyeva was just five metres down on Ivanova. Her elimination left her team-mate with a lead of 45 seconds over Tsybulskaya, from Belarus, with Perrone in third.
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Wayward India fall to South Korea Kuala Lumpur, August 10 Earlier, Germany beat England 2-1 to finish the six-team round-robin league with 15 points to top the field. South Korea, with 13 points, were placed second. India will now fight for the 5-6 place against Malaysia on August 12. The nippy Koreans outlasted the Indians in a high voltage fast paced encounter and led 1-0 at half time. While the Koreans converted even half chances that came their way, Indians gifted away some good chances and two virtual sitters in the fag end of the came and that proved fatal for them. For the winners - who had also beaten Indian in the Sydney Olympics 2-0, the Utrecth World Cup 4-3 and in last year’s edition of this tournament 5-4 - Seok Kyo Shin (31st), Song Sueng Tae (36th) and Won Kon Yeo (54th) scored a goal each. Both the teams earned five penalty corners each but while Koreans converted one India failed to make use of any of them. From the very start Koreans played a very fast game and they maintained the pace throughout the 70 minutes. Indians first tried to match their rival’s pace but soon realised their limitations and tried to slow down the game but failed. Koreans made their intentions clear from the very start as they twice raided the Indian defence in first five minutes but Dilip Tirkey was swift enough to clear the attacks. The Olympics runners-up played their hit-and-run game to the perfection. With lightning speed they attacked the Indian defence and gave an amazing displaying of running back to defend their citadel. The Indians tried to mark their rivals but their
strategy failed as the Korean players kept on shifting their positions. They did not play conventional style hockey and relied more on speed and stamina. They did not play for the gallaries and released the ball at the earliest. The winners dominated the game most of the
time, though Indians also made some good moves but fumbled at the crucial moments. After Koreans wasted their first penalty corner in the 12th minute, Indians countered with skipper Mukesh Kumar
spearheading the attack supported by Daljit Dhillon. The former world champions, however, never looked very
threatening as compared to their rivals, who, with sudden burst of attacks, rattled the Indian defence. Indians earned their first penalty corner in the 21st minute but Jugraj Singh could not make use of it. The forwards tried to make slow moves but though
they managed to get past the centre they were mostly foiled near the 25 yards and whenever they managed to breach that line Koreans tend to obstruct them in the circle resulting in the penalty corners which Indians failed to convert.
UNI |
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Gopi crashes out Bandar Seri Begawan (Brunei), August 10 The victory helped the Indonesian Open champion maintain an all-win record in group C and proceed to tomorrow’s semifinal against Chen Hong, the Chinese No 1. Hong scripted a similar comprehensive 7-5, 7-2, 7-3 win against Malaysia’s Ong Ewe Hock. The other semifinal will be between China’s Xia Xuanze, ranked ninth in the world and former world No 1 Roslin Hashim of Malaysia. While Xuanze blasted top seed Peter Gade 7-3, 7-1, 7-0, Hashim upset world champion Hendrawan of Indonesia 7-1, 5-7, 8-6, 7-0. The tall Indonesian Open champion Mainaky was totally dominant against a rival ranked just one rung below him in the International Badminton Federation rankings. It was a heartbreaking loss for Gopichand, who was beaten by the same opponent just two weeks ago in Jakarta. The Indian had come with a different gameplan here as he moved well and looked positive. The world No 7 also showed glimpses of the touch that fetched him the All-England crown just five months ago as he made his opponent run around the court to go into a 5-3 lead in the opening game.
PTI |
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Seles ousts
Testud in marathon tie Manhattan Beach, August 10 “Sandrine and I always play marathon matches,” said the sixth-seeded Seles, who improved her career mark to 9-3 against the tenth seed. “Both of us have similar styles and we’re huge competitors. It just seems we bring out the best in each other in these long matches.” In the feature night match, second-seeded Lindsay Davenport of the USA won the last four games of the first set, and four of the last five in the second, to defeat Daja Bedanova of the Czech Republic 6-3 6-3 in 62 minutes. The victory set up a meeting against seventh seed Elena Dementieva who beat French teenager Virginie Razzano 6-4 6-4. Seles, who lost to Venus Williams in the finals of the Acura Classic last week, will meet younger sister Serena, the two-time defending champion and fourth-seed in Friday night’s feature quarter-final clash. “Obviously I have huge respect for her game,” said Seles, who trails 0-3 in the head-to-head series. “She’s a very powerful player from both sides and serves well. It’s going to be another one of those hard-hitting matches.” Earlier in the day, third-seeded Belgian Kim Clijsters defeated hard-serving Australian Alicia Molik 7-6 6-3 to set up a quarter-final clash against Nathalie Tauziat. The fifth seeded Frenchwoman came through an erratic match against 11th seed Jelena Dokic of Yugoslavia to post a 6-0 0-6 6-2 victory in 62 minutes. “It was OK,” said Clijsters following the 71-minute victory. “I was not at my best but it’s hard to play against Alicia. It’s hard to get into a rhythm on her serve, but I’m happy that I won and happy I could raise my level throughout the match.” The tournament 12th seed Amy Frazier of the USA also advanced, brushing aside wildcard entry Wynne Prakusya of Indonesia 7-5 6-3 in a little over an hour. Prakusya was a last minute replacement for the injured Russian star Anna Kournikova.
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‘Ajay Jadeja is being missed’ Chandigarh, August 10 Here are some excerpts from the interview: Q: What is the reason of our poor performance in the final of the recently concluded Coca Cola Cup against Sri Lanka? A: The team failed to live up to their standard in all departments. Moreover Sachin’s absence made a lot of difference. Our young batsmen should learn to stay at the wicket and win matches for the team. Their attitude should not be to perform only to secure their position in the team. Q: What are your comments on the overall performance of the team in the triangular series at Sri Lanka? A: Our boys were unlucky not to win the toss in most of the matches which forced them to bat in the second session when the wicket becomes slow and turning. Bowlers have dominated this series due to the condition of the wicket at Premdasa Stadium. Harbhajan Singh bowled extremely well and shall be an asset to the team in the forthcoming series. Rahul Dravid was the most consistent batsman. The other batsmen played inconsistently which led to the poor performance of the team. Q: Do you feel that absense of Azhar, Jadeja has affected the performance? A: Azhar is at the fag-end of his illustrious career but Jadeja’s absence has certainly made a lot of difference Jadeja can win matches with his brilliant batting, unlike our new batsmen who are very inconsistent. Moreover Jadeja is known for his leadership qualities and for motivating the team members. Q: What are your comments about Dilip Vengsarkar’s statement that the team selection is not on merit? A: Senior players should avoid issuing such statements without any genuine reason. I feel selectors are doing a good job by giving an opportunity to young players, specially the all-rounders. Amay Khurasia’s selection raised certain eyebrows amongst cricket lovers due to his attitude, specially in the World Cup matches and his fielding standard. Q: What do you feel about captain’s involvement in the selection of the team? A: The captain’s suggestions should be given preference, but the selectors should not surrender to his likes and dislikes. Q: What are the chances of the Indian team in the forthcoming series? A: Cricket lovers should not get disheartened with our recent defeat against Sri Lanka because as such winning/losing will continue in future and no drastic changes should be expected. The forthcoming tour of South Africa during October, 2001, on fast and bouncy tracks will certainly give an upper hand to South Africa. Our batsmen will face an uphill task adjusting on such wickets. After this tour the team is certainly going to win the series against England and Zimbabwe teams. The reasons are quite obvious — the return of the Sachin Tendulkar and Anil Kumble, advantage of the home wickets which are helpful to spinners. Moreover the poor performance of the England and Zimbabwe teams against Australia and West Indies recently will affect their performance. |
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Dangerous pitch:
no play on third day Colombo, August 10 The umpires ruled the pitch was not fit for playing after a few balls from Dinusha Fernando rose dangerously when India resumed at their overnight total of 281 for five. Captain Saurav Ganguly consulted coach John Wright before declaring the innings at the same score after that over following which umpires Lalith Jayasundara and Gamini Silva inspected the pitch and declared it unfit for play. The match was declared a draw. The Sri Lankan side had made 326 in their first innings. This was the only practice game ahead of the first Test between India and Sri Lanka starting in galle on August 14. Brief Scores: Sri Lanka Board XI: 326 India: 281 for 5 (S.S. Das 72, S. Ramesh 63, S. Ganguly 74 not out, S. Dighe not out 25, D. Fernando 2-68).
PTI
Sachin ruled out of Test series Mumbai, August 10 |
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IPFA threat may hit NFL Chandigarh, August 10 The IPFA
president, Mr Vijay Mallya, in a strongly worded letter, has accused the AIFF of not implementing the charter of demands as agreed upon last year. If the federation fails to honour its commitment, the IPFA will have little choice but to boycott the high-profile National Football League (NFL) scheduled to kick off in December,2001,said Mr Mallya while presiding over a meeting of the association at Mumbai on August 8. The
IPFA, which is more or less a parallel body with as many as nine top clubs under its
umbrella, came into existence last November following a revolt prior to the commencement of the fifth edition of the National Football League. It put forth its
demands, which included running the NFL on professional lines with improved facilities and a share in the revenue Although the AIFF chief, Mr Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi, initially sounded tough saying that “football is not cricket and if anybody wants to be Kerry Packer of football, his dream will not be fulfilled,” he had to buckle under pressure and opt for an honourable solution. Mr Mallya’s subsequent election as Vice-President of the federation was,
therefore, hardly surprising. Mr Mallya’s latest threat cannot be dismissed lightly. The liquor
baron, who sponsors some of the top Kolkata outfits, has the backing of Mr Anand Mahindra of Mumbai’s Mahindra United, Mr Subhash Chandra and Mr Shivanand Salgaocar of Goa’s Salgaocar Sports Club besides other top industrialists deeply involved in affairs concerning Indian football. In case the IPFA goes ahead with the
threat, the sixth edition of the National Football League will be reduced to a farce as nine out of 12 clubs, who are members of the IPFA and represent the cream of Indian football, will opt out of the competition. They include East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, Churchill Brothers, FC Kochin, Vasco, Salgaocar, Mahindra United, Tollygunge Agragami and JCT. At the Mumbai meeting,where the functioning of the All-India Football Federation came under scathing criticism, the IPFA reportedly expressed strong displeasure over the travel arrangements for the clubs participating in the National League. The IPFA has decided to serve an ultimatum on the AIFF regarding its demands. If the AIFF fails to act, boycott of the sixth edition of the National Football League may indeed be a reality, in which case Indian football will be the biggest loser. |
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Football title for RCF Margao, August 10 Both the teams were locked goal-less in full time as well as in the extra time and the deadlock had to be resolved via tie-breaker. For RCF Mohammed Ikram, Devinder Singh, Jasvinder Singh and Jaspal Singh converted the spot kicks. Manjinder Singh’s attempt was saved by the goalkeeper. For Central Railway Asif Jamal, Dauzy Godinho and Arshad Ansari converted the spot kicks. Shanta Kumar Panicker and Sadanand’s shots sailed over. Though Central dominated the proceedings with major share of exchanges, RCF’s defence stood like a rock and never allowed the Central Railway forwards to penetrate throughout the regulation and extra time of the match.
UNI |
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AAG secretariat opens New Delhi, August 10 The AAG secretariat will accommodate the officials of the continental sports federations of Asia and Africa, as well as the Afro-Asian Games council office, and the Afro-Asian Games organising committee offices, besides all the sub-committees of the organising committee. Ms Uma Bharati said a media facilitation desk would also start functioning from the secretariat block. She said the secretariat will facilitate close coordination with the various offices and functionaries of the Afro-Asian Games. More than 2500 sportspersons and officials will converge in Delhi in November for the biggest sports meet, the inaugural Afro-Asian Games, to be held from November 3 to 11, India will be hosting after the highly successful conduct of the 1982 Asian Games. The Afro-Asian Games will feature eight events — athletics, boxing, hockey, shooting, football, swimming, tennis and weightlifting. The minister was satisfied with the progress of work on the games front and was hopeful that the infrastructure would be ready by the deadline set by the government — September 30. There is hectic activity at the Sports Authority of India and the Afro-Asian Games secretariat to put everything in place well on time, though the recent rains have put a temporary break in the work for relaying the athletic and hockey turfs. |
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6 cyclists
among tainted sportspersons Patiala, August 10 CFI secretary general J.S Grewal, admitted that six top Indian cyclists have tested positive for taking nandrolone, an anabolic steroid, during the 1998 and 1999 Senior National Cycling Championships. The six cyclists are international Gurnam Singh of Railways, K. Chitra of Kerala, Jeeta Ram and Jefferson Singh, both of Railways, Inderkumar Singh of Manipur and Zorawar Singh of Services. Mr Grewal, said that the moment SAI officials intimated the names to the CFI, a one-year ban was clamped on all the six riders with a warning that in future if any of the riders again tested positive, he or she would be debarred permanently by the CFI from taking part in future meets. |
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Soccer teams for Afro-Asian Games New Delhi, August 10 Mr Randhir Singh also announced that 23 top sports officials from Asia and Africa would attend the technical committee meeting of the Afro-Asian Games council to be held in Delhi on August 17 and 18. The delegates will visit the competition venues on August 17, and the Olympic Council of Asia and the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa will meet the continental federations representatives on August 18.
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