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Milestones not on Hackett’s mind
Walker Perez is Ecuador’s hero
Fading Massu hopes to retain gold
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PICK OF THE DAY
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BCCI rejects ECB’s offer
Thanou included in Greek team
IPL: BCCI losing friends
Dalmia CAB chief
Jagbir not in race
Jitendra, Suman win titles
Wrestlers confident of good show
India begin campaign against Afghanistan
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Masked competitors Japanese athletes may don masks made for construction workers to cope with air pollution during the Beijing Olympics, a doctor affiliated with the Japanese Olympic Committee said on Tuesday. More and more athletes from around the world are considering wearing face masks for the Games, despite official promises of clearer skies in Beijing and warnings that pictures of masked competitors could embarrass host China. ''Our previous research shows the amount of dust in the air is high in Beijing, and that may affect some of the Japanese athletes,'' Takao Akama, the committee's medical adviser, told Reuters. Marathon runners and bicyclists might not be the only ones who opt to use the masks. ''Some athletes are sensitive, so we have decided to have those pollution masks ready for any member of the Japanese Olympic team who would like to use one,'' said Akama, a physician at Waseda University in Tokyo. Koken Ltd, the company that makes the mask, has supplied the committee with 500 industrial-strength masks, designed for use on construction sites.
Pullout threat over absent coach Italy's former pole vault world champion Giuseppe Gibilisco has threatened to pull out of the Beijing Olympics because his coach has spent too much time with Yelena Isinbayeva. Gibilisco, who was cleared of doping accusations in May after a long battle, shared coach Vitaly Petrov with the women's world and Olympic champion. However, the 29-year-old said he was behind in his preparation because Petrov had been going to various meetings around the world with the Russian. "I was working together with Isinbayeva and everything was going well but I did not expect Petrov to go away and not return," Gibilisco, who won bronze in Athens four years ago, told Tuesday's Gazzetta dello Sport. "Now I have asked Italy coach Nicola Silvaggi to find a solution as the Games are soon here and I have even thought of pulling out.”
DO You KNOW
And this too * Emil Zatopek of Chechoslovakia is the only man to win gold metals in the 5000 meters, the 10,000 meters, and the marathon in the same Olympiad. What an accomplishment! * Communist China entered its first games in 1984-Los Angeles.
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Milestones not on Hackett’s mind
Kuala Lumpur, July 29 ''I'm focusing one day at a time, I'm not thinking about the historic side, a lot of people are concentrating on that,'' Hackett, the double 1,500 metres freestyle champion, told reporters at Australia's holding camp in Malaysia today. ''It's a big thing, if it happens, it happens, if it doesn't, it doesn't. Life goes on. ''I'm focused on what I can do with my preparation and how to best execute my races.'' Hackett's preparations were given a major boost nine days ago in Brisbane when he carved almost two seconds off his own world record in the short-course 800 freestyle. He said the competition was fiercer than ever before, which was why he was now in better shape than at the last two Games. ''I'm swimming faster than I was back then, I've just got to get up and do it,'' he said. ''I've got to swim a lot faster than Sydney and Athens, especially because the standard has picked up, there's so much depth now. ''There are so many guys swimming fast, so many people who stand out. I don't know who my number one rival is, I can see them all improving.'' The 28-year-old admitted he had earned a reputation for pre-race jitters but said he was now a different swimmer, able to cope with the pressures of the world's fastest-improving sport. ''In Sydney, I put so much pressure on myself to win that first gold medal, I wanted it so badly, my lifelong dream, one shot as a host nation, with a home crowd.
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Walker Perez is Ecuador’s hero
Quito, July 29 He was featured on a postage stamp and commemorative coin in honour of his 1996 Olympic gold in Atlanta and is often invited for lunch with the president. The lanky, 33-year-old Perez, the only Ecuadorian to have won an Olympic medal, is training for the Beijing Games in what could be his last competition. After finishing fourth in the last two Olympics, Perez is back on top of his game, winning his third world championship for the 20-km walk last year in Japan. ''I believe above everything else that this is a sport of great suffering, a sport in which the winner is the one willing to suffer the most,'' Perez told Reuters. ''I love this sport...to be able to overcome my weaknesses.'' Hernan Astudillo, the sports editor of Cuenca's El Mercurio daily, calls the walker ''a national star set to win what will be his last glory''. Perez is one of only 25 Ecuadorean athletes who will participate in next month's Beijing Olympics. Many of them lack funding from national athletic federations struggling to keep afloat. Perez, whose mother supported the family by selling vegetables on the streets, started training in athletics in order to pass a routine physical education examination in the eighth grade. — Reuters |
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Fading Massu hopes to retain gold
Santiago, July 29 Massu, always at his most fired-up when his country's pride is at stake, believes the Olympics can inspire him to a revival. ''I'm not at my best at the moment and I'm not afraid to say it,'' he told Reuters in an interview. Asked if he ruled himself out of challenging for another gold, he said: ''No, not at all, it would be a wonderful dream to win another medal for my country. I haven't lost the confidence that I can repeat what I did before.'' Massu clinched Chile's first gold medal in Olympic history when he and Fernando Gonzalez won the men's doubles in Athens. The following day, the 28-year-old won the singles as well to set off more wild celebrations around the South American nation. World number one Roger Federer backed the suggestion that Massu should be given a wild card this time. ''He's the defending champion -- if he doesn't get one any more, I don't know who will get one,'' Federer, who goes to Beijing as top seed, said during the French Open. Massu won the last of his five ATP titles at Costa da Sauipe in Brazil in 2006 and was runner-up in Vina del Mar, his home town, in 2006 and 2007. He finished last year in the top 100 for the ninth season in a row before his indifferent form slipped to dismal this season. ''I've been through this many times before, though on a smaller scale,'' said Massu. ''But I'm fine, just getting on with my training, and the problem will be solved by winning one, two or three important games. ''If I win a tournament, I'll be back up to 80th and everything will be forgotten.'' He added: ''I'm under a lot of pressure but there are players who perhaps are under more pressure than me. For example, Roger (Federer), who is nearly 27 and for whom this will be the last Olympic Games where he is at his peak. ''There are other players who will be at their last Olympics and need this title to make their careers more important.'' Massu was just as optimistic of repeating his doubles win with Gonzalez, even though the pair are not playing any warm-up tournaments together. ''It's not a problem, Fernando and I have known each other since we were 10,'' he said. ''When we played at Athens, we didn't arrive with too many games under our belts...I think a week is enough. ''It would be ideal to play more regularly but the calendar doesn't allow it.'' —
Reuters |
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BCCI rejects ECB’s offer
London, July 29 BCCI vice-president and Indian Premier League Commissioner Lalit Modi has conveyed India's decision to England and Wales Cricket Board Chief Executive David Collier, who had sent the invite. India's refusal to take part in ECB's Twenty20 initiative came a day after the BCCI made it clear that it would go ahead with its own version of the Champions League in India and was prepared to leave out teams from England if it did not agree to the terms and conditions. The BCCI replied on Monday saying that, though it wished the ECB all the best with its tournament, it was not in a position to accept the invitation. — PTI |
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Thanou included in Greek team
Athens, July 29 The IOC has warned Thanou that she would face a disciplinary review to examine her eligibility for the Games if she was named in the squad. Thanou, the 2000 Olympic 100 metres silver medallist, and fellow sprinter Costas Kenteris were banned for two years after missing a drugs test on the eve of the 2004 Athens Games. Today the Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC) officially entered Thanou as Greece's 100 metres representative in Beijing. — Reuters |
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IPL: BCCI losing friends
Colombo, July 29 The offer by England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) of a tour of England next summer, which would fetch the latter £2 million, is a reflection of such closing of ranks. Also, the ECB’s silence regarding the amendment of the outcome of the 2006 Oval Test - which Pakistan had earlier forfeited - to a draw means the Pakistan Cricket Board is now obliged to return this favour. In an informal meeting between the English and Sri Lankan cricket officials here last night, discussions took place on how to ensure that Sri Lanka’s tour of England next summer proceeds with a full strength touring side. In effect, Sri Lankan players contracted to sides in the Indian Premier League (IPL), a subsidiary of the BCCI, will be persuaded to abandon these teams mid-way through the tournament in order to be available for the Tests and ODIs in England. No player can take part in IPL’s T20 competition without a “no objection” certificate from his board. SLC can, therefore, withhold permission to such participation. However, the Sri Lankan cricketers applied pressure on the chairman of SLC, former captain Arjuna Ranatunga, by submitting to the country’s President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, that the visit to England be cancelled to enable them to wholly participate in the 2009 edition of IPL. The cash-strapped SLC is now overseen by a Sri Lankan government appointed “interim committee” headed by Ranatunga, who is determined to undertake the trip unless the Sri Lankan government orders to the contrary. President Rajapaksa, it is learnt, does not wish to be seen to be interfering, but has instructed Ranatunga to explore compensation for the aggrieved players. A leading industrial house in Sri Lanka has been requested to come up with a package; and the concerned cricketers may also be remunerated for promoting tourism in Sri Lanka while in England. The influential Ranatunga is reported to be particularly infuriated with the IPL. He is said to have told friends, “When I am good, I am really good; when I am bad, I can be really bad.” This can be interpreted to be a warning to the BCCI that it is in danger of losing a friend in ICC forums because of the workings of the IPL. |
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Dalmia CAB chief
Kolkata, July 29 Dalmia has regained the “CAB throne” after a gap of 18 months. The Dalmia group also won all the office-bearers seats. Dalmia defeated Mukherjee by a margin of 12 votes. For the posts of vice-president, treasurer and other office-bearers, most of the Dalmia group candidates won with a substantial margin of votes. After the election results were declared, Mukherjee conceded his defeat gracefully and congratulated Dalmia. He assured that he would extend all help and co-operation to the newly elected CAB body for the improvement of the cricket in Bengal. Dalmia also thanked Mukherjee and said he would always seek his help and advice for the CAB’s development and the improvement of Bengal cricket. Incidentally, Prasun Mukherjee, a former Calcutta police chief, was Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s candidate in the last election and the Chief Minister was then instrumental in Dalmia’s defeat. But this time, because of his pre-occupation in urgent political activities, the Chief Minister could not give any attention to the CAB elections. But his rival Subhas Chakraborty, the state sports minister, supported Dalmia. |
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Jagbir not in race
New Delhi, July 29 "I was never in contention for the post. The reports were mere a speculation. If the ad-hoc committee approaches me, then also I will regretfully say no to them," Jagbir said. Jagbir's name had crept up after the IOA-appointed ad-hoc committee said that it will meet Olympians and technical experts of the game to prepare a roadmap for the sport and shortlist the names of coaches for the senior side, vacant since Joaquim Carvalho's resignation. — PTI |
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Jitendra, Suman win titles
Chandigarh, July 29 There was fight in the women’s singles where Suman Gupta overpowered Manju 11-5, 6-11, 11-9 to pocket the title. T.S.Dhaliwal, SDM, Samana, distributed the prizes. Other results: Men’s singles (above 50): Jawahar Bhandari(Ldh) b R.S. Phul(PSEB) 11-5, 11-6. Men’s singles (above 40): Inderjit Singh(DCW) b Amarjot Singh(PSEB) 11-9, 11-9. |
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Wrestlers confident of good show
Patiala, July 29 Sondhi is the chief coach of wrestling at NIS. Another coach from Delhi, Jasvir Singh, will also accompany the wrestlers during their training schedule. Sondhi is delighted with the performance of these players in recent tournaments. Sushil (25), and Rajiv (27) are employed with the Railways and Yogeshwar is working with MTNL. All of them have bagged medals for India in various international meets. Sushil was presented the Arjuna Award in 2005. He has won many gold medals in Asian and Commonwealth Championships. He has participated in the Athens Olympics. He qualified for the Beijing Olympics during the World Championship in Baku. Yogeshwar qualified for the Olympics after winning a gold medal in the 2008 Asian Championship that was held in Jeju, Korea. Rajiv Tomar was awarded the Best Wrestler in India title. He also has the titles of Bharat Kesari and Rustam-e-Hind to his credit. He had booked his ticket for the Olympics during a qualifying tournament in Switzerland. On being asked about the facilities they were being provided, the wrestlers said the facilities were average. “An air-conditioned hall is a must for us as the weather is very hot. There are even chances of injury because due to the sweat, the grip weakens and it gets slippery. Moreover, we find it difficult to cope up with the temperature when we compete outside India because all the halls are air-conditioned.” An interesting thing is that these players have brought their own wheat and they get their meals cooked separately. This is just to be sure that there is no adverse affect on their health and there are no chances of anyone mixing anything in their food because nowadays, doping is a very sensitive issue. As far as medal hopes in Olympics are concerned, they are very hopeful. “We are doing our best and putting in maximum effort. We are sure to win a medal this time and make the nation proud.” “We want the media to cooperate with us and make people aware of our achievements so that others get inspired. Only media can help in the equal uplift of all games,” they added. |
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India begin campaign against Afghanistan
Hyderabad, July 29 After the Nehru Cup win last August, which was the country's first major title in 23 years, India has not done anything extraordinary with disappointments in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers against Lebanon and the SAFF Cup debacle last month in Colombo where India lost to Maldives 0-1 in the final. A win for India in the eight-nation tournament here, the continent's tier II competition, will see them qualify for the 2011 Asian Cup and a ticket to be in the big league once again after 1984 when India made it to the elite-competition though they made an exit in the group stage. For a country which does not play international football quite frequently, this tournament is seen as an opportunity to revive the fortunes of a "sleeping giant" and Bob Houghton's charges will have to come out firing to prove that they belong to the elite Asian stage. India, whose under-20 team lost to Nepal in the knock-out quarterfinal stage in the first edition of the tournament in 2006 in Bangladesh, are the second highest ranked side at 153rd after formidable North Korea who are ranked 94th in latest FIFA charts. Group A opponents and defending champions Tajikistan and Turkmenistan are at 154th and 158th respectively. Besides North Korea, Sri Lanka (161st), Myanmar (164th) and Nepal (177th) are the other three teams in Group B. —
PTI
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Kuala Lumpur, July 29
Santiago, July 29
Patiala, July 29
From selling newspapers on the streets to help his family make ends meet, Jefferson Perez grew up to become a champion walker and a hero in Ecuador. H Astudillo, sports editor, Cuenca's El Mercurio, calls the walker ''national star set to win what will be his last glory''.
Teofilo Stevenson, the Cuban boxer turned down an offer of $5 million
from American promoters to turn professional and fight the then world
heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali. “What is $ five million against
five million Cubans who love me?” asked Stevenson. Stevenson won the
first of his record three Olympic golds in heavyweight boxing event at
Munich in 1972. Stevenson was born in Puerto Padre , Cuba. Stevenson
might have won a fourth gold medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic
Games, but the Soviet Union boycotted the Games. Cuba followed the
Soviet’s lead, and Stevenson was deprived of the chance to earn a
fourth gold. During his career as a boxer, he won 302 fights and lost
only 22.