 |
|
|
Beijing Preview The Olympic Torch Weird & Strange
Welcome to Beijing |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Keeping cool will be crucial, says TT coach
Experience helps: May-Treanor
China clarifies it didn’t snub PM
No county cricket for Chawla: BCCI
Bradman-signed bats stolen
Sourav Ganguly rests during a practice session in Colombo on Thursday. — Reuters
Korea stand between India & title
Nanao best boxer, India bag 7 medals
|
|
Beijing Preview
Lucerne (Switzerland), July 17 Pistorius set a personal best time of 46.25 seconds to finish third in a field of able-bodied athletes at the Spitzen Leichtathletik meeting in Lucerne but was 0.70 seconds short of the 45.55 seconds qualifying standard for the Games. "I said at the start of the season that I'd be extremely happy just to be running times I was comfortable with, whether I made it to the Olympics or not," Pistorius said after soaking up loud applause from the Swiss crowd. "Tonight was certainly one of those times." The South African athlete, who successfully appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for his right to compete with able-bodied athletes, said he was still hoping to be selected for his country's 4x400 metre relay squad. "If you look at the individual time, it was always going to be a difficult task after only being back on the track for about nine weeks now, but there is still the relay.” "It's up to the (South African) federation but I know there are one or two guys hoping to make the squad who have not done as good as 46.25 this year so I'll just have to see when I get home.” "With enough practice, I could have run a 45 (a sub-46 second race)," added the 21-year-old. Pistorius was controversially banned from competing in January by athletics' governing body - the IAAF - who argued that the carbon fibre blades he runs on gave Pistorius an advantage over able-bodied athletes. Pistorius succeeded in having the ban overturned by CAS which criticised the tests carried out by the IAAF to measure the runner's performance levels. Following the announcement of the CAS verdict in May, the South African athletics federation agreed to extend Pistorius's qualifying deadline to July 17. Pistorius said on Wednesday that he expected to hear the final decision on the relay selections by Sunday. — Reuters
|
|
Keeping cool will be crucial, says TT coach
New Delhi, July 17 Sharath and Neha would be the only Indian representatives in table tennis in the Beijing Olympic Games starting August 8. "It's very important to be mentally strong, especially while you are participating in a big tournament like the Olympic Games. Pressure of this particular tournament is higher than that of others and the players should be able to counter it effectively," Yefremov told PTI. The Belarussian coach said the Indian paddlers would face strong competition from their Asian counterparts and a "good" draw would help tilt the balance in their favour. "Asian countries like Korea and China have some very good players who can throw out strong challenge to the Indian players.” "Besides, players from the European countries, including Belarus and Germany would be tough opponents for them. Yes, a better draw would certainly be helpful for them in Olympics," he said. On Sharath, who is currently in Spain for a special training programme, Yefremov insisted that the World No. 79 has a very good chance to make it to the pre-quarterfinal level. "Sharath has improved himself remarkably in the last few months, during which he has clinched some good wins against strong opponents as well. I think, he has a fair chance to figure among the last 16 players," Yefremov said. On Neha, Yefremov said a couple of international tournaments just before the Olympics would help her to perform well in the mega event. Neha, who is presently participating in the VW Golden Racket Table Tennis Tournament in Vietnam, should play more international matches to gain experience, according to Yefremov. — PTI
|
|
|
Washington, July 17 The affable Californian says that being 31 years old when she and Kerri Walsh travel to Beijing next month to defend their title will be an advantage and not a handicap. "Definitely experience helps," the American said. "It's taken me about six years to really figure it out, training-wise, what works best for my body.” "I don't do the same training as Kerri, Kerri doesn't do the same as me. Everybody's a bit different. It just takes a while to figure out what you need.” "But you do get better with age. Maybe a little slower. But experience in beach volleyball comes into play when you get in those tight matches when fatigue sets in. I'm a lot wiser." May-Treanor getting better in the sport is not welcome news for teams hoping to dethrone the defending champions in the sport, which has been at the Olympics only since 1996. Despite a shoulder injury to Walsh earlier this year and a new coach, the duo are steamrolling through the beach volleyball season and appear primed for another gold-medal run. May-Treanor, however, believes this year's tournament will be the most competitive since the fan-favourite sport entered the Games. Only the United States, Brazil and Australia have claimed the Olympic gold in either the men's or women's game. "Across the board, every country is getting better," she told a media gathering in Chicago. "There are a couple of German teams that are excellent. You have Brazil.” "You have three Chinese teams. Another USA team. Greece and Australia are excellent. It's really anybody's battle. And at the Olympic Games, that's what you want to see.” "Whether we're playing the 32nd seed or the second, Kerri and I have to be playing the best we can at all times." — Reuters
|
|
China clarifies it didn’t snub PM
Beijing, July 17 “As the host of Beijing Olympics, China welcomes heads of states, including Indian leaders to attend the relevant activities (Olympic opening ceremony),” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told a regular bi-weekly media briefing here. He was responding to a query on reports in a section of the Indian press that China had invited UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to the opening ceremony of Olympics, while ignoring the PM. “China attaches great importance to strategic partnership with India and exchanges with Indian leaders. The report is not in line with the fact and is not beneficial to our bilateral relations,” he said. He also said the heads of states and governments have been invited to the Olympic Games. “I would like to reiterate here that according to the IOC (International Olympic Committee) stipulation and the Olympic custom, heads of governments and states shall be invited by the Olympic Committees of their own countries and attend the Olympics as accredited distinguished guests. We respect the decision of the Olympic Committees” he said. — PTI |
|
No county cricket for Chawla: BCCI
New Delhi, July 17 South Africa-born wicket-keeper Nic Pothas, former Proteas pacer Nantie Hayward and former Australian all-rounder Ian Harvey are the ICL cricketers playing for Hampshire and the BCCI is keen to ensure that contracted players like Chawla are not seen in the same mix as the 'rebels'. “Piyush Chawla will not be going (to Hampshire) because there are a few ICL players in that team,” BCCI secretary Niranajn Shah told cricketnirvana.com. Chawla was due to replace another ICL player, former Kiwi fast bowler Shane Bond in the team. Interestingly however, the BCCI allowed stylish middle-order batsman VVS Laxman to sign up with another English county side Nottinghamshire who also have three ICL players. When this was pointed out Shah said, “Even Laxman will be asked not to go to Nottinghamshire.” Laxman was supposed to join Nottinghamshire at the end of the Test series in Sri Lanka next month. The BCCI and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) are locked in a dispute over the presence of ICL players in county cricket. ‘Asif tested positive for nandrolone’Lahore: Controversial pacer Mohammad Asif had tested positive for nandrolone, his lawyer Shahid Karim said today. “The substance is nandrolone. He is really shocked by the development and we are seeking a 'B' sample test,'' Karim told Zee TV. — UNI
|
|
Sydney, July 17 Shop manager Graeme Flesfadar told AFP the bats were part of a rare set of memorabilia and were irreplaceable. Thieves had clearly targeted them specially. “They knew exactly what they were after. They didn’t touch the till,” he said, saying the set was being kept for his children. “It was being put aside for my kids. I just want it back. Money is not going to replace it.” Darwin police official Gavin Kennedy said it would be hard to sell the items within Australia without being caught and expressed optimism the thieves would be tracked down. — AFP
|
|
Colombo, July 17 India, who last played a Test against South Africa at home in April, took advantage of a sunny day here and got into some rigorous practice to shift into the five-day mode ahead of the first match, beginning on June 23. The match will be India’s only warm-up game before the three-Test series against the hosts beginning July 23. India is likely to field their senior players for the match as many of them have not played for a while as they were not part of the recent Asia cup in Pakistan. Virender Sehwag, who will in all probability, open with Gautam Gambhir tomorrow at the Nondescripts Cricket Club (NCC), kept the mediapersons on the alert by his thumping shots despite being separated by the nets and a wired fencing. Spinner Harbhajan Singh, who returned to the national team after serving a five-ODI ban for slapping Sreesanth during an IPL match, was the cynosure of all eyes during the net session. Pace spearheads Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma also underwent strenuous workouts under the supervision of bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad. Sri Lankan Board team, however, was taking it easy on a Buddhist function day today and Jehan Mubarak will lead the side in the three-day fixture. Their 12-man squad includes four players who are likely to figure in the first Test. They are fast bowlers Dilhara Fernando and Chanaka Welagedera and batsmen Chamara Silva and Upul Tharanga. The match will be especially crucial for Tharanga, who is on a comeback trail after an ordinary run of form since the start of 2007, which resulted in his exclusion from the national team. Tharanga Paranavitana and Sachithra Senanayake, the two Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) players, would be the reserves. Paranavitana-led SSC to the Premier League Championship title, and was the top-scorer in the 2007-08 season with 893 runs at 74.41. Offspinner Senanayake has taken 65 wickets from 12 first-class matches at 16.69. — PTI
|
|
Junior Asia Cup
Hyderabad, July 17 The hosts are the only side in the eight-nation tournament to have maintained a clean slate, winning all four matches without any fuss, and need to stretch the winning streak by just another match to defend the title. It has largely been a smooth ride for India who brushed aside Japan 2-0, tamed Malaysia 3-1, blanked Singapore 6-0 before edging out last edition's runners-up Pakistan 3-1 in yesterday's violence-marred semifinal. For them, drag-flicker Diwakar Ram has been a revelation, scoring with amazing regularity. Against Pakistan too, Diwakar struck a brace that made all the difference in the high-voltage tie. Diwakar leads the goal scorers tally in the event, slamming home eight penalty corners, even though India can still do better in this department. India managed five penalty corners in their opening game against Japan but converted just two and it was the same story against Malaysia. Against Singapore, they forced as many as 13 penalty corners but only three resulted in goals and against Pakistan, they managed four out of which Diwakar converted two. Another heartening factor for the Indians is that its forwardline, comprising Gurwinder Singh Chandi, Roshan Minz and S.V. Sunil, seems to have got its mojo back. South Korea, on the other hand, has had a decent outing in the eight-nation tournament with three wins and one draw. In the group stages, they won two and drew the match against Pakistan and last night, they outplayed Japan 4-2. Gill flays TV channels
New Delhi: With the ongoing Junior Asia Cup hockey tournament going largely unnoticed, a miffed sports minister M.S. Gill today lashed out at the public broadcaster Doordarshan for ignoring the event, while lamenting that the private channels too have got their priorities wrong. Gill said though a large number of public wanted to see the ongoing eight-nation tournament in Hyderabad, Doordarshan hardly sounded interested because “it would not fill their coffers”.
— PTI |
|
New Delhi, July 17 Amritraj, who hit headlines after reaching the finals of the Hall of Fame Championships in Newport the previous week, toppled his American opponent, placed 60 rungs above him in ATP rankings, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in a gruelling opener, spanning over two days. The Indian also stormed into the quarterfinals of the doubles event along with his American partner Lester Cook after easily defeating Artem Sitak and Roman Borvanov in straight sets. The Indo-American duo beat Russian-American pair 6-3, 6-1 in the first round match. Meanwhile, the Indian challenge ended in the singles event of the Euro 30,000 ATP Challenger event in Manchester with the defeat of Purav Raja in straight sets. Raja, who entered the event as a qualifier, lost 4-6, 4-6 to second seed Pavel Snobel of Czech Republic in the first round. However, Raja entered the doubles quarterfinals along with Japanese partner Gouichi Motomura after defeating the Italian pair of Massimo Dell'Acqua and Enrico Iannuzzi 6-1, 6-4. Indian Davis Cupper Harsh Mankad had a mixed day in the field as he was knocked out of the singles event but advanced to the doubles quarterfinals in the euro 30,000 Manchester Trophy Challenger tournament in England today. Mankad's singles campaign met with a disapponting end when he lost 0-6, 3-6 to Czech Republic qualifier Cakl Tomas in the first round of the grass court event. But he, along with National Champion Ashutosh Singh, seeded fourth in doubles, stormed into the last-eight stage after a convincing 6-3, 6-2 win over Russian Pavel Chekhov and Niels Desein of Belgium in the opening round. Paes-Bhupathi ousted
Indianapolis (USA): Top seeds Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi could not recreate their old chemistry and crashed out of the Indianapolis tennis championship with a first round defeat. The 'Indian Express' pair failed to hold their nerve in the match tie-break and went down to the Canadian duo of Daniel Nestor and Frederic Niemeyer 4-6, 6-3, 10-12 in one hour and 25 minutes. The result is bound to disappoint Paes and Bhupathi's innumerable fans who are expecting an Olympic medal from the duo. After surrendering the first set, Paes and Bhupathi bounced back to snatch the second and draw parity. In the match tie-break, the Indian pair was trailing 6-9 before they went on to level the score and, in fact, lead 10-9. Nestor and Niemeyer, however, were not ready to throw in the towel and won the next three consecutive points to get past their opponents. Sania-Anna lose
New Delhi: There was simply no end to Sania Mirza's misery in the WTA Bank of the West Classic tennis tournament as after her misadventure in the singles event, the Indian ace made a first round exit from doubles as well. Sania and her Russian partner Anna Chakvetadze were brushed aside by unheralded Czech pair of Eva Hrdinova and Vladimira Uhlirova 6-3, 6-4 in the tier II $600,000 event at Stanford, USA. Sania had earlier crashed out of the singles event with a straight-set defeat at the hands of British qualifier Anne Keothavong.
— PTI |
|
Nanao best boxer, India bag 7 medals
New Delhi, July 17 Nanao and and fly weight pugilist Sunil Kumar were the gold medalists at the meet for India, while K. Roshan Singh bagged the country’s lone silver in the feather weight category, the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF) said in a statement here. V. Durga Rao (54kg), Aman (60kg), Balwinder Beniwal (64kg) and Sanbeer (69kg) bagged the bronze medals to round off a fourth-place finish for India in the meet. The event was competed by 183 boxers and India had sent two teams -- India A and India B -- comprising 23 pugilists. Hosts Cuba had fielded 14 provincial teams in the competition and other prominent teams in the event included Brazil, Holland, Venezuela and Mexico.
— PTI |
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
DO You Know?
