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Beijing unfolds in style
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US shooter back from the dead
Tough opening bout for Lakra
Rowers keen to stay afloat
Johal vows to give his best
Anjali, Manavjit in action today
Gautam Gambhir (L) being watched by teammate Rahul Dravid as he raises his bat to acknowledge the crowd after scoring a half-century. — AFP
Sunil Gavaskar writes
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(L) Dinesh Kumar (81kg) would meet Algerian Abdelhafid Benchabla. Vijender (75kg) hits the ring with his first round bout against Jack Badaou of Gambia. * * * The humidity is really high, the temperature is really high. For us, it is more than normal. For China it is normal, for Korea it is normal — Dutch women’s hockey coach Marc Lammers * * * We are used to playing in this weather, the other teams are not. — Pak hockey player Saqlain Muhammad * * * 16,500 couples tie knot
Wedding bells chimed in perfect sync with the Olympic Games theme song as China's obsession with the number eight found unprecedented and different expressions here today. Soon after Beijing bagged the hosting rights to host the greatest extravaganza on earth, organisers decided it had to start at 08:08:08 p.m on the 8/8/2008 because the number eight is considered lucky in this land of million customs. Incidentally, those seeking to tie the knot also could not let go the auspicious moment as they made a beeline in the marriage registration office, seeking to enter the wedlock today. For the Chinese, eight in Mandarin is 'ba', which sounds like 'fa' or prosperity, thus triggering a craze to get that lucky date on marriage certificates. According to estimates, nearly 16,500 couple tied the knot in the capital only. 21 years in prison for rape A former Olympic sprinter from Trinidad and Tobago was sentenced to 21 years in prison after pleading guilty to raping a woman in a New York park. Prosecutors say 31-year-old Alvin Henry was dubbed the Lover’s Lane Rapist for secretly recording a woman having sex in the park with her boyfriend. They say he followed the woman and threatened to show the video unless she had sex with him. Henry was charged with attacking women in parks in Brooklyn and Queens. He admits one of his victims was a woman in Prospect Park in June 2007. He pleaded guilty on Wednesday. Henry was a member of Trinidad and Tobago’s 2000 Olympic 400-meter relay team. A defence lawyer said yesterday Henry got caught up in a lot of things after someone introduced him to cocaine to give him an edge while training. First in 56 years
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Beijing, August 8 A veritable architectural wonder of interwoven steel, the national stadium on the outskirt of the Chinese capital witnessed an ethereal ceremony studded with a heady concoction of tradition and technology and a dazzling display of a combination of man and machine. The three-and-a-half-hour show, witnessed by a capacity crowd of 91,000 people here and over one billion viewers on watching it on television, kicked off right at 8 pm local time. China has invested $ 43 billion on the Games, including $ 100 million on the opening and closing ceremonies. The Indian contingent, led by flag bearer Athens silver medallist Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, looked every bit proud. Congress President Sonia was accompanied by her MP son Rahul, daughter Priyanka, son-in-law Robert Vadhra and a grandson and a grand daughter, along with Sports Minister M S Gill, who appeared impressed by the proceedings. US President George W Bush and fellow movers and shakers of the world and commoners stood alike in awe as decks were cleared for a no-holds-barred battle among more than 10,500 athletes in 302 medal events over the next 16 days of fierce competition. The ceremony began with the beating of the ancient Chinese drum fou, followed by the display of Olympic rings and the Chinese national flag, as some 15,000 performers and thousands of fireworks gave the Games a sparkling start. With some 80 heads of states, including Bush, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak, present at the extravagant show, it was staged under a thick security blanket. — PTI
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Beijing, August 8 “I want to be the first ‘previous dead guy’ with a pacemaker to win a gold medal,” Erickson, 47, said in an interview with Reuters. “Actually, I’m shooting as well as I ever have.” He suffered a bifisicular block -- a malfunction to the electrical impulses to his heart -- that left him with no pulse, no breath and his face turning blue after collapsing about 1.5 miles into a vigorous 2-mile track workout. Erickson was brought back to life when two teammates, who by good fortune were paramedics, quickly started started resuscitating him. “I remember coming around the corner and everything started spinning,” he said. “I headed toward the grass because I figured I was about to fall. I was out, I was dead. The next thing I remembered was the ambulance getting there later on.” The 1.88 metre tall Texan relishes his second life. “I got a different focus after that,” he said. “I’m smarter now. My focus shifted to my family. I almost lost them. So now I try to spend more time with my family and do more family things.” Gone are the days when Erickson would spend 40 to 50 hours a week training; he shoots an average of 20 hours a week. “I really feel I’m on top of my game now,” Erickson said, pointing to a bronze and silver in two World Cup events this year. “Right now I’m on pace to win a medal.” — Reuters
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Phelps in quest for immortality
Beijing, August 8 The 23-year-old star has owned the 400 IM world record since 2002, and lowered it for the seventh time at the US Olympic trials in June. However, teammate Ryan Lochte has closed the gap on Phelps in the event since finishing more than three seconds behind his celebrated teammate at last year's world championships in Melbourne. At the US trials, Lochte notched the second-fastest time in history as he finished less than one second adrift. "They're all going to be hard," Phelps said of his ambitious programme that will call on him to swim at least 17 times as he pursues Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals set at the 1972 Munich Olympics. "I think one of the hardest will be one of the first, the 400 IM. It's the one I'm most excited to swim," he added. Phelps hinted this week that he believed he had found a little more in the 400 medley, in which Hungarian Laszlo Cseh and Italian Luca Marin are also likely medal contenders. "I've been working over the last few weeks to fine-tune a few things and hopefully improve the 400 IM." Coach Bob Bowman says having a rival like Lochte only spurs Phelps to a higher level. "That's what he does - rise to the level of competition," Bowman said. But Lochte would like nothing better than to spoil Phelps's eight-gold bid right out of the gate. "I wouldn't mind at all," Lochte said. "He's my friend. But if he doesn't do it, it means I did something right." Another American with her sights on a slew of gold medals in Beijing opens her campaign tomorrow evening's heats as Katie Hoff tackles the women's 400m medley. Hoff, the reigning world champion, will square off against Australian Stephanie Rice, who set a world record in the event at the Australian trials in March before Hoff wrested it back at the US trials in June. — AFP
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Beijing, August 8 Lakra, who became the first Indian pugilist to qualify for the Beijing Olympics by virtue of his exploits in the Chicago World Championship last year, will have to be at his best to tame his Uzebek counterpart in the ring when the duo meet at the Workers' Gymnasium on Monday. None of the boxers in the five-member Indian contingent got a bye in the first round either. Of the five-member contingent, Vijender (75kg) got a relatively easy draw and the Haryana boxer hits the ring tomorrow with his first round bout against Jack Badaou of Gambia. Badaou is the first boxer from Zambia to win a medal in an international event and he should not pose much problem to Vijender, who has raised expectations by beating Athens Olympics' welter weight gold medalist Bakhtiyar Artayev of Kazakhstan in the President's Cup in Chinese Taipei. Dinesh Kumar will also be in action tomorrow and he would meet Algerian Abdelhafid Benchabla in the 81 kg category. Among others, Jitender (51kg) meets Furkan Ulas Memis of Turkey in the first round, while Akhil Kumar (54kg) takes on Ali Hallab of France. Though the draw was far from what the Indian contingent would have liked, coach GS Sandhu said the mood in the camp was still upbeat. "This is Olympics and you cannot underestimate anyone. All are more or less of the same category," he told PTI. "Of course Lakra has got a tough job at hand but I don't think you have time in the ring to think about the opponent's status. He is upbeat and raring to go," he said. Sandhu, however, rued that none of the Indians got any bye. "Of course, we did not have luck on our side. We did not get a single bye, whereas the Japanese and Thai got more than one. It's sheer luck, or rather lack of it," he said. "Anyway, no point crying over spilt milk. It would have been good to get one but now that you don't have that, better to get on with the job at hand. "All of my wards would put their best foot forward. They have done well and worked hard and I think it would show here," he added. — PTI
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Rowers keen to stay afloat
Beijing, August 8 For the first time, India will be competing in two rowing events in the Olympics. And Rajputana Rifles Bajrang Lal is the most promising rower among the three who are here to represent the country. Coached by Dronacharya Awardee Ismail
Baig, the army men - Bajrang, Manjeet and Devender - are modest about their hopes, ''It is definitely going to be very tough but all that we can say is that we will give of our best,'' said Bajrang. The trio has trained on hard waters in Hyderabad, and that should make their job a lot more easier because in the pollution-free Shanghai Lake where the competitions is to be held as they will get a chance to race faster (it is hard to row on polluted waters which make the boats slower). Bajrang was of the view that given a bit of luck and favourable conditions, ''we will be able to meet the challenge of the Asians and the Africans,'' but added that he hopes to be at his best against the formidable Europeans and the hosts. ''National pride will be the main inspiration for all of us,'' said the 2006 Asian Games silver medallist. According to Manjeet and Devender, ''Olympic is a huge event, to take part in it is itself a great achievement.'' They said all three of them were fully aware of the tough task they have ahead, ''World's best rowers are here and we will row our hearts out. The Games are different proposition in terms of the high standards of competition.'' ''The Olympic experience will enrich us and we will go back as more mature rowers,'' they said adding ''We are humbled by the fact that we are representing our country at this level of competition.'' Ismail Baig was modest in his assessment saying it is going to be hard and tough, ''We achieved our first aim by qualifying for Olympics.
— UNI |
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Beijing, August 8 Johal is the highest ranked Asian (no 53) on the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) list (ahead of Chinas Zheng Peng who is 57) and made it to the Olympics on the basis of Unused Quota Positions (UQP) allotted by the Federation. This itself explains where Johal stands as far as the competition is concerned. He got into the Olympics due to several last-minute withdrawals. Johal participated in the Sail Melbourne International Regatta (Melbourne) and Finn Gold Cup (Victoria) earlier this year, finishing 35th and 57th, respectively, and those were not very encouraging showings. Despite his low ranking, his participation in the events in Australia helped him prepare well for the Olympics. And according to National sailing Coach Homi Motivala, ''Sailing is a sport where you have to constantly race against higher ranked opponents.'' Johal started with the Laser Class but last year he switched to the Finn category. In 2004 Athens Olympics, Sumeet Patel and Malav Shroff got the wild card entry but their performance left much to be desired as they were pitted against the world's best yachtsmen in the 49er class. India first participated in this discipline in the Olympics in 1972 Munich Games. After that Indians failed to qualify for Montreal (1976), Moscow (1980), Atlanta (1996) and Sydney (2000) games. — UNI
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Anjali, Manavjit in action today
When Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore shot his way to glory with that silver medal in Athens four years ago, he also raised the bar for fellow shooters and for the first time in Indian sports' history, onus would be on the nine-member shooting contingent to live up to the expectations.
Anjali, along with young Avneet Kaur, would kick off India's 10m air rifle campaign tomorrow at the Beijing Shooting Range Hall, while Manavjit and Mansher Singh will feature in the men's trap qualifying rounds. Samaresh Jung too will be seen in action in men's 10m air pistol, hoping to get back his mojo that earned him the moniker of 'Goldfinger' in the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, winning seven medals, including five gold. Manavjit admitted he has not set alight the range this year so far, but felt his word work would not go in vain. "Of course I'm not coming into the Olympics with big wins behind but I have put in my best efforts and have my fingers crossed," said the lanky marksman. "I trained in Italy for quite a while and have been practising here since the last 10 days. I did all I could and think all would depend on how I fare on the day of competition," Manavjit added. Coach Sunny Thomas, meanwhile, was happy to see both the women shooters hitting the bull's eye on a regular basis. — PTI
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Beijing, August 8 Badminton:
Anup Sridhar vs Marco Vasconcelos (Portugal) Sania Nehwal vs Ella Diehl Karachkova ( Russia) Boxing:
Vijender (75 kg), Dinesh Kumar (81 kg) Shooting: Manavjit Sandhu, Mansher Singh (trap), Samresh Jung (air Pistol 10m) Avneet Kaur Sidhu (Women’s Air Rifle 10m) Swimming:
Sandeep Sejwal (100m Backstroke) Yachting: N S Johl (Heavy wt Dinghy (finn) Open event) Rowing:
Bajrang L Thakur (Single Sculls), Devender Khandwal, Manjeet Singh (Double Sculls) Judo:
Khumujam Tombi Devi (48kg).
— UNI |
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Mendis torments India again
Ashis Ray
Colombo, August 8 Only the consistent Gautam Gambhir did justice to the conditions with an elegant 72, while the relentless Ajantha Mendis registered his second five-wicket haul, this time at a cost of 56 runs, to boost his tally to 23 in his first five innings in Tests. The spirited Ishant Sharma, however, rattled the top of Malinda Warnapura’s leg stump to reduce the hosts to 14 for one at stumps. The last vestige of grass visible on the eve of the match had disappeared by the morning, rendering the pitch even easier for batting. As long as openers Virender Sehwag and Gambhir were in harness, runs flowed at seven an over. The former sounded the extra cover fence with even less use of his feet as usual. Then, a stinging straight drive from him injured debutante Dhammika Prasad on his follow through, demanding attention. Off the very first ball after the stoppage, Sehwag flirted with one that left him a shade outside off-stump to present a regulation catch to the wicketkeeper. Rahul Dravid looked organised, but became the fast-medium exponent’s next victim, as he played across to be leg before wicket - a reference to the TV official reversed the field umpire’s decision. And Sachin Tendulkar played down the wrong line to be almost identically dismissed. In his case, a review upheld Mark Benson’s verdict. Sri Lanka’s gamble with a raw paceman in such a crucial tie had certainly paid off, with Prasad’s first three scalps being a trio who average over 50 at the highest level of the game. Sourav Ganguly saw off Prasad’s threat, albeit after uncomfortably top-edging a hook over the keeper’s head, to tackle the spinners with greater authority. He back cut the deceptive Mendis for four; and thereafter stepped out to pummel Muttiah Muralitharan for a six to long off en route to a stylish 35. But the local hero extracted his revenge when the Bengal batsman neither quite left nor played at an off-break to be caught at slip. The 36-year-old swished his blade in disgust as he retreated to the pavilion. In five innings in this series, the famous four of the Indian middle order have recorded a solitary 50. The scorer of this, VVS Laxman, also squandered his opportunity with Prasanna Jayawardene’s lightning stumping off Mendis. Gambhir was, in fact, Mendis’ first success, when a rejected lbw was amended on appeal. The elegant Delhi left-hander peppered the fence with an array of 10 boundaries. He worked Prasad away off the legs as well as cover drove him off the front foot, before rocking back to square drive him. And glanced and pulled the innocuous Chaminda Vaas to fine leg and midwicket respectively as well as once walking down the track to peerlessly straight drive him. He followed such enterprise with an exquisite cover drive at the expense of Mendis to hoist his half century off a mere 58 balls. But with the specialists fast deserting him, he was compelled to curb his fluency. Parthiv Patel shaped more responsibly than Dinesh Karthik, but his request for a re-look at being adjudged lbw was also fruitless. That there was nothing sinister in the track was reinforced by the last wicket pair of Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan (32) adding 51 runs . Scoreboard India (1st innings) Gambhir lbw Mendis 72 Sehwag c P. J’wardene b Prasad 21 Dravid lbw Prasad 10 Tendulkar lbw Prasad 6 Ganguly c M. J’wardene b Murali 35 Laxman st P. J’wardene b Mendis 25 Patel lbw Mendis 13 Kumble b Mendis 1 Harbhajan c Vandort b Murali 3 Ishant not out 17 Zaheer st P. J’wardene b Mendis 32 Extras (b-1, lb-8, nb-5) 14 Total (all out, 80 overs) 249 Fall of wickets: 1-51, 2-92, 3-102, 4-151, 5-155, 6-190, 7-195, 8-196, 9-198, 10-249 Bowling: Vaas 12-1-44-0, Prasad 17-0-82-3, Mendis 28-4-56-5, Murali 23-3-58-2. Sri Lanka (1st innings) Vandort not out 3 Warnapura b Ishant 8 Vaas not out 0 Extras (b-1, lb-2) 3 Total (1 wkt, 8 overs) 14 Fall of wicket: 1-14 Bowling: Zaheer 4-1-9-0, Ishant 4-2-2-1.
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What a debut for Prasad!
India-Lanka Test series
India's batsmen better start playing a bit of carrom if they are to start guessing correctly which way Ajantha Mendis is going to turn the ball.
He once again captured five wickets to send India reeling after they had won the toss and elected to bat. Gautam Gambhir is the only batsman who seems to have figured out which way the ball is going to spin and it is not just Mendis, but that magician Muralitharan whose 'doosra' is also confounding the Indians. The Indians are not just having problems with spin but debutant Prasad's sharp deliveries also had them in trouble. There can be a tendency to relax when the new-ball bowlers come on since in the minds of the Indian batsmen, the danger is perceived from the spinners, and therefore there is sometimes a desperation to try and score off the seamers before the spinners can come along. But just as in the heyday of the West Indian speed attack, Vivian Richards and Larry Gomes coming on to give a bit of rest to the quickies picked useful wickets as batsmen tried to put some runs. The Sri Lankan seamers also are taking some prized scalps. Dravid and Tendulkar both fell leg-before wicket to Prasad who would be over the moon with the wickets of two of the world's technically correct batsmen. Of course more than the two out-of-touch batsmen, the Lankan would have been happier getting the dangerous Virender Sehwag out. What a debut for Prasad! Both Ganguly and Laxman would be cross with themselves for having got out after doing all the hard work in getting set staying at the crease for some time but when a batsman is out of form, these things do happen, that's why the wise old coaches say that when in form, do not ever gift your wicket away and get as many runs as you can. Ganguly did just that last year when he hammered a double against Pakistan, but even he would be happy to settle for half that score in this series. Parthiv Patel's comeback wasn't happy for him but if he makes up for it behind the wicket then he will have justified his selection. In any case, he has been chosen primarily for keeping and any runs that he gets in front will only be a big bonus. Ishant Sharma who started the rout in the second innings of the second Test has given India the breakthrough with the important wicket of the in-form Warnapura and India will be looking for him to keep coming at the Lankans with short sharp bursts and give them a chance of winning the
series. — PMG |
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In action today
Chisato
Fukushima will become the first Japanese woman to run in the Olympic 100
metres for 56 years when she races in Beijing. Fukushima, who follows
Ayako Yoshikawa’s appearance in the 1952 Helsinki Games, equalled the
national record of 11.36 seconds in April to achieve the “B”
qualifying standard and was selected in July. “I’ve been given this
chance, so if I can I want to help in the advancement of women’s
sprinting by breaking the Japan record and making it out of the first
round,” the 20-year-old said. “I’m suddenly in this situation, so
it’s tough to get used to. I didn’t think I would be chosen but I
set a goal of making the Beijing Olympics.”
Beijing, August 8