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Swimmers continue to make a splash
Body suits no hindrance: Pak swimmer
Sri Lanka series finally called off
Time not yet ripe for contract review: Chappell
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Shoaib named in one-day squad
Mithali’s knock goes in vain
Anand in fray for title
Indian cueists on song
Ludhiana B lads win hockey title
RCF get past Bassi FC
Johl finishes 9th
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Swimmers continue to make a splash
Colombo, August 20 Abeysinghe came home in 2:07.97 seconds, much ahead of Poncha, who took 2:11.33. India’s Rohit Havaldar had to settle for a bronze with a timing of 2:13.40. That apart, India continued their dominance claiming all other gold medals on offer at the Sugathadasa Stadium Swimming Pool. India have justified their billing as the regional swimming powerhouse, winning 12 of the 14 gold medals on offer so far, while the hosts have claimed the other two. India’s Fariah Zaman set a games record in the women’s 100m backstroke with a time of 1:09.05 seconds. Pakistan’s Kiran Khan was a close second in 1:09.76, while Shipra Mahajan added a bronze to India’s tally coming home in 1:11.79 seconds. Varun Divigikar became the fastest swimmer of the meet when we won the men’s 50m freestyle in 23.97 seconds. Pakistan’s Sikandar Khan (25.07) and Nazrul Islam of Bangladesh (25.41) had to be content with silver and bronze medals, respectively. The men’s 100m breaststroke saw Sandeep Sejwal victorious with a timing of 1:07.73 seconds, followed closely by Bangladesh’s Shahajahan Ali who came home in 1:08.08 seconds. Another Bangladesh swimmer, Mohammad Niaz Ali, claimed the bronze in 1:10.34. The gold medal in women’s 800m freestyle went to India’s Surabhi Tipri, who clocked 9:39.60 seconds. Compatriot Pooja Alva claimed the silver in a time of 9:41.93, while Sri Lanka’s Imara Fahim came third in 10:21.95 seconds. The honours in the women’s 200m individual medley went to V Tejaswini, who completed the race in 2:28.78 seconds. Sri Lanka’s promising teenager Mayumi Raheem added another medal to the gold and silver she won yesterday, coming second with a time of 2:30.98. Pakistan’s Rida Sabahat got the bronze in 2:51.18. The Indians completed their day in the pool by winning the gold medal in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay with the team of Arpana Magdum, Neeraja Balakrishna, Parita Parekh and Lekha Kamat coming home in 4:08.72 seconds. Shooters claim two gold
Indian shooters opened their medal count with a two-gold haul in the 25m sports pistol event here today. Anisa Syed claimed the individual top honours, while the Indians also picked up the gold in the team event. Anisa fired 749.6 to win the yellow metal, while two other Indians in the fray — Shilpi and Nausheen Fathima bagged the fourth and sixth places, scoring 734.8 and 718.3, respectively. In the team championship, India came up with a cumulative score of 1643, with Anisa leading the way by shooting home 553 out of a maximum possible of 600. Shilpi and Nausheen gleaned 546 and 544 points, respectively. TT eves enter final
Favourites India scripted a 3-0 victory over Pakistan to set up the title clash with Sri Lanka in women’s team table tennis. The first match saw Mouma Das overcome an initial stiff resistance from Pakistan’s Rahila Kashif before winning 13-11, 13-15, 11-5. Kashif’s defeat virtually ended Pakistan’s resistance as Poulami Ghatak and Shamini Kumaresan chalked out easy victories. Poulami accounted for Kanwal Iqbal 11-2, 11-2 and 11-6 before Shamini breezed past Ghalia Khursheed 11-2, 11-7, 11-1. In the other semifinal, hosts Sri Lanka crushed Nepal 3-0. Women shuttlers reach semis
India’s women shuttlers moved into the semifinals of the badminton team championship with a 5-0 whitewash of Nepal today. Trupti Murgunde gave India the lead with a 21-16, 21-7 thrashing of Sumina Shreshtha in the opening singles. BR Meenakshi made it 2-0 with a 21-7, 21-14 victory over Sara Devi. Young gun Krishna Deka Raja came down hard on Samthana Khaling, breezing past her 21-4, 21-3. In the first doubles match, Oli Deka and Aparna Balan found Sara Devi and Nary Thapa easy meat, winning the encounter 21-13, 21-5. Jwala Gutta, who won a golden double in the individual championship, and Shruti Kurien capped India’s dominance with a 21-5, 21-11 win against Sumina Shreshtha and Samthana Khaling in the fifth and last match.
— PTI
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Body suits no hindrance: Pak swimmer
Colombo, August 20 “I don’t think it pegs us back at all. In fact I think it allows you to swim faster,” says the 17-year-old. “It covers the whole body, fitting it like second skin. Australia’s champion swimmer Ian Thorpe, who popularised and wore it for the first time, is a standout example,” she told PTI in an exclusive interview. It was thanks to these skin suits that Pakistan could allow its women swimmers to compete at the international stage, as exposure of the body is a taboo in the country. “It was only after these full-length suits were introduced that we could start competing in international meets around six years ago. In fact, even back home we could not swim in the usual short swim suits.” Rubab made many heads turn when she set out to compete at the biggest world stage in the Greek capital by virtue of being a young Pakistani girl brought up in a strict Islamic environment. A head-turner otherwise as well — what with disarming looks and a charming smile — Rubab has had to content with pressure from within and without. But she appears to be coping up with it all well, having bagged a bronze in 50m freestyle in the South Asian Games here yesterday and all geared up to improve her performance further in the four individual events to follow. “When I started, swimming was a male bastion. But becoming the first swimmer from Pakistan at Olympics was a huge step. Now Pakistani women swimmers have improved their performances further in almost every international competition.” Rubab, whose personal best is 29.01 seconds in 50m butterfly which she clocked in Islamabad nationals, says competing outside the sub-continent especially in Europe does still attract a lot of attention, some of it unwarranted. “When we travel abroad as to Europe, we attract more attention because we come from a Muslim background and Islamic traditions,” she says. “But things are improving, people worldwide are accepting our participation. There are no longer those discomforting stares. Even in Pakistan, it does not feel uncomfortable. “Media has been covering our game and swimming has indeed got a boost. People’s perception to the sport is changing and more and more young girls are taking to the sport.” Being trained by a Chinese expert, Rubab is training her sights on bagging a medal for her country at the Doha Asian Games in December. “My coach is working hard with me. I am losing time at the finish, which I need to work on. I hope my hard work pays off at the Asiad,” she said. Rubab also supported Sania Mirza and said that those critical of her attire should look at her game and not what she wears on the courts. “One should look at her game and not her clothes,” the 17-year-old said. Sania, India’s top-ranked woman tennis player, has been criticised by Islamic clerics for wearing what they believe are provocative clothes unbecoming of a Muslim girl. — PTI |
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Sri Lanka series finally called off
Colombo, August 20 After six frustrating rain ruined days, the Sri Lankan Cricket Board officially decided to cancel the series after a meeting with the Indian team management late in the evening. Speculation that the series would be called off was doing the rounds since afternoon but the formal announcement was made by Sri Lankan Cricket Board media coordinator Samantha Algama in the evening. The Indians had been greeted with torrential rains since landing in this troubled capital city and were involved in just 16 minutes of cricketing action in the last six days. The two boards have tentatively decided to reschedule the series next year. “There is no point in going on with the series as the weather is showing no signs of improving,” a SLC official said. The three-match series was hurriedly organised after South Africa, scheduled to feature in a tri-nation series, pulled out citing security concerns following a powerful bomb explosion about 2 km from the team hotel on Monday. However, the inclement weather for the past few days ensured that the two teams were mostly confined to their hotel rooms. “There is no point in persisting with the teams going to the stadium everyday and coming back to the hotel without a ball being delivered, the official said. — PTI
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Time not yet ripe for contract review: Chappell
Colombo, August 20 “Coaching the Indian team is the biggest challenge in cricket and I have not only stood up to the challenges that comes with this job but also enjoyed,” Chappell told reporters. “I am indeed grateful to receive the affection of the millions of people who follow the game so closely in this country, and the loyalty and commitment shown by skipper Rahul Dravid and other players including seniors like Sachin Tendulkar. “And I believe that when the time is right, the BCCI and president (Sharad) Pawar will sit down with me and talk about it (his job as Indian coach),” Chappell said reading out from a prepared statement. Chappell chose to clarify his position following reports that he was one of the contenders to take over from John Buchanan as the coach of the Australian team after the World Cup. The 57-year-old former Australian captain was appointed by the BCCI for a two-year term in last May 2005 and a decision on extending the contract would be taken after the World Cup. Chappell said the past week or so had been frustrating with no cricket possible because of rain, and as all praise for the players for the way they had handled the situation. “It has not been easy. The guys have been terrific, they have coped well and have remained remarkably focussed. In fact, that is one of the things that I have learnt from being with the Indian team,” he said. Chappell said the time away from the game had a positive side to it too. “We have had couple of experienced players talk to the players. It has been an experience for them to listen to what those former players had to say. The break has also been good in that they have been able to sit down and talk to each other about what has been happening in the recent past. So it hasn’t been a total disaster.” India have witnessed very brief action since they arrived here on August 10. Chappell said one of the fall-outs of the truncated series was that India couldn’t test itself against a strong team on conditions similar to the venues of next year’s world cup. The Australian great said Sachin Tendulkar, returning to competitive cricket from a five-month layoff following a shoulder surgery, might be frustrated more than the others but the off-days would give him that much time to recover. — PTI
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Shoaib named in one-day squad
Karachi, August 20 “Shahid is a fine batting prospect who has done well for the A side in recent months in two major tournaments.” Shahid, 21, scored consistently for the A side in the Eurasia Cup in Abu Dhabi and the Top-End series in Australia this year and also played against England last winter in Pakistan. Shoaib, who has not played international cricket since February, had a knee surgery in Australia and then broke down with a stress fracture of the ankle. Efforts were made to play him in the final Test at The Oval but Bari said the consensus was that it would be better for him to wait for the one-day series. The decision when to play Shoaib would be up to the team management, who are monitoring his fitness, he added. Shahid and Shoaib Malik, who also missed the Test series, will be join the team this week. The one-day series starts in Cardiff on August 30 and ends on September 10 at Edgbaston. Squad: Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, Shahid Yousuf, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Kamran Akmal, Imran Farhat, Shoaib Akhtar, Rana Naved, Rao Iftikhar, Mohammad Asif, Umar Gul and Danish Kaneria.
— Reuters
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Mithali’s knock goes in vain
London, August 20 Mithali scored 73 to help India reach 185 for six wickets in 50 overs. For England, Isa Guha picked up four wickets for 29 after the hosts decided to field at Arundel Castle Cricket Club. England reached 188 for five with four balls to spare, thanks to a 61-ball 47 by captain Charlotte Edwards after Jhulan Goswami and Amita Sharma troubled the hosts to leave them at 73 for 3 at one stage yesterday. Besides top-scorer Edwards, Taylor made 40 while Jenny Gunn scored an unbeaten
42. Karu Jain and Rumeli Dhar gave a good start to Indian women, adding 41 for the first wicket. But both fell prey to the medium pace of
Guha, before Laura Newton removed experienced Anjum Chopra. Hemlata Kala and Raj put on 84 for the fourth wicket but Guha struck again to knock out the two as India were
180-5. Mithali had scored a 52 in the first ODI at Lord’s but India had lost while the second match was abandoned due to rain. India can only level the five-match series with only two more matches remaining. Indian had beaten England 4-1 on home soil last year. The fourth match will be played at the Rose Bowl in Southampton on Thursday.
— PTI
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USA, Argentina record easy wins
Sapporo, August 20 Olympic champions Argentina blew out Lebanon 107-72 to win their second straight game, while Spain and Germany also improved to 2-0 in the 24-team tournament.
In Sapporo, Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade led seven US players in double figures with 26 points in a one-sided Group D contest. Houston Rockets centre Yao Ming scored 21 points but fouled out with about six minutes left as China were powerless to stop a surging US team and slipped to their second loss. Olympic champions Argentina clinically took apart Lebanon, led by 23 points from forward Walter Herrmann in Group A. Dirk Nowitzki took a back seat, meanwhile, as Germany overpowered New Zealand 80-56 to leave the Kiwis in trouble. Nowitzki had 11 points and eight rebounds in a comfortable Group B win over New Zealand’s Tall Blacks in Hiroshima that kept Germany on course for a place in the last 16. Pau Gasol went for 26 points and Rudy Fernandez added 21 for Spain in a crushing 101-57 victory over winless Panama. France bounced back from a first-day loss to Argentina by edging out Serbia & Montenegro 65-61 in a physical Group A clash. Olympic silver medallists Italy overcame sharp-shooting Slovenia 80-76 in a see-saw Group D game to improve their record to 2-0. Slovenia slipped to 1-1. Nigeria suffered a hangover after yesterday’s upset win over Serbia & Montenegro as they were beaten 77-84 by Venezuela in Group A. African champions Angola overpowered Japan 87-62 in Group B to record their second win and leave the hosts at 0-2. In Group C, Tiago Splitter scored 18 points as Brazil thrashed Qatar 97-66 to level their record after a shock loss to Australia. The Boomers were quickly brought down to earth with a 68-76 defeat by Turkey, while European champions Greece won their second straight with a 81-76 victory over struggling Lithuania. In Group D, Carlos Arroyo scored 29 points as Puerto Rico beat Senegal 88-79 to even their record at 1-1 and leave Senegal at 0-2.
— Reuters
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Anand in fray for title
Mainz (Germany), August 20 With the scores tied at 3-3 in the eight-game contest, the stage is set for a nail-biting finale, reminiscent of the 2003 edition when the Indian came back from behind three times against the world’s top-rated woman chess player Judit Polgar to eventually clinch the match on the final day. In the Ordix Open being played simultaneously, Chess 960 junior champion P Harikrishna showed tremendous fighting spirit to win all five games on the opening day.
— PTI
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Indian cueists on song
New Delhi, August 20 The team, also including former world champion Pankaj Advani and national champion Manan Chandra, was in stupendous form at the Gateway Ballroom in Doubletree Hotel. Chandra, who registered two breaks of 53 and 74, scored a 28-70, 73-64, 86-36 win over Fung Kwok Wai, while Advani, notching up a break of 47, thrashed Chan Kwok Ming 49-21, 114-5, 83-12 to give India a 2-0 lead. Merchant thumped Lin Tang Ho 65-5, 64-24, 103-0 to complete the formalities in the third and final match. India A face USA A in their next league match. The Indian team of Rafath Habib, Siddhartha Rao and Aditya Mehta overwhelmed Japan 9-0 in their second Group B league match. Mehta constructed a fine break of 68 against Yusuke Tanaka, while Habib stamped a blitzkreig 76-2, 110-34, 87-21 victory, aided by two breaks of 42 and 50, against Yusuke Tanaka. Siddhartha Rao trounced Shimon Tauchi 80-19, 22-0, 61-1 and Mehta beat Tetsuya Kuwata 99-9, 69-49, 83-13 (breaks of 68 and 46). After getting past Canada, Indian Seniors defeated Ireland 6-3. They are next up against New Zealand. Geet Sethi defeated Joe Delaney 55-56, 95-4, 64-73, Devendra Joshi beat Brendan Cooney 74-4, 62-31, 67-58 and BVS Murthy won against Tony Thorpe 26-43, 48-24, 71-1.
— PTI
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Ludhiana B lads win hockey title
Bhaini Sahib, August 20 Ludhiana won the verdict 9-8 to clinch the title. The final was decided through sudden death rule since the regular period and the tiebreaker failed to produce any result. The encounter began on fast pace with the Ludhiana B players initiating the moves. But Ropar boys managed to wade out their way into the rival’s territory midway through first half. Amit Kumar and Jalwinder Singh weaved a good move and pierced through the opponent’s defence, which resulted into a penalty corner. However, they failed to capitalise on this chance. Immediately, Ludhiana players made a counter attack and forced a penalty corner. Bachhittar Singh scored a goal off a rebound to put his side ahead 1-0. Buoyed at this success, they went all-out and made repeated attacks on Ropar’s citadel. Their pressure tactics bore results in the 23rd minute when Gurpreet Singh converted another penalty corner to read it 2-0. After changing ends, Ludhiana added another goal through Malak Singh in the 56th minute 3-0. Trailing by three goals, Ropar lads reorganised themselves and unleashed the onslaught on their opponents. They reduced the margin in the 58th minute through a field goal scored by Amit Kumar. He struck again in the next minute and then in 63rd minute, which levelled the score 3-3. As the match remained unresolved during the stipulated period the tiebreaker rule was applied and the two teams were tied at 8-8. During the sudden death, Ludhiana B lads kept up their composure and scored the all-important goal, which sealed Ropar’s fate.
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RCF get past Bassi FC
Chandigarh, August 20 RCF made a promising start when Amandeep scored the first goal in the opening minute itself. Three minutes later, another goal by Kularjit saw RCF bolstering the lead to 2-0. After being under pressure for a long spell, Bassi FC managed to pull one back through Samuel Masih in the 21st minute. In the second division, International Football Club, Phagwara, beat Sikh National FC, Banga, 1-0 at Phagwara with Amarjit scoring the all-important goal. In another match played at Mahilpur, hosts Mahilpur FC routed Harcharan SC, Hoshiarpur, 5-0 today.
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Johl finishes 9th
Sanya (China), August 20 Johl was the best among the six Indians who made the cut. SSP Chowrasia finished tied 15th. Rahil Gangjee and Gaurav Ghei also figured in the tie for the 15th place. Harmeet Kahlon slipped to tied 32nd while Digvijay Singh (75), who started the tournament with a four-under card, ended tied 47th.
— PTI
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