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Bekele runs into history books Winner Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia runs in front of second-placed Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya during the men's 5000m final. — Reuters
Germany clinch hockey gold
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A rare double
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Football
Table Tennis
More to come, insists Bolt
BCCI to reward Olympic medallists
Not for the faint-hearted
Brazil eves take gold
LEFT ALONE: Vijender Kumar with his middleweight (75kg) bronze medal on Saturday. — AFP
And this too
Elsewhere...
Record 12 sixes by Marshall
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Bekele runs into history books
Beijing, August 23 The 26-year-old Bekele, who had won the coveted gold medal in the men's 10,000 m run earlier, made it a memorable Olympics by taking the honour in the 5000 m race with an Olympic record timing of 12m 57.82 secs. He emulated emulated female compatriot Tirunesh Dibaba's remarkable feat of claiming a rare long-distance double in these Games. It was the first long distance double gold by an athlete since compatriot Miruts Yifter's feat over the same events at the 1980 Moscow Games. Bekele, the world record holder in both the 5000m and 10,000m, saw off the challenge posed by Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge who finished second with a timing of 13:02.80 sec. Kenya's Edwin Soi took the third position with 13:06.22 sec. Hosts China continued their dominance by scooping up a few more gold medals to increase their overall tally while favourites Argentina lived up to their awesome reputation by taking the gold medal in men's football with a solitary goal win over Nigeria in the summit showdown. In the showpiece athletics event, where seven gold medals were decided today, Kenya's Wilfred Bungei achieved an impressive timing 1m 44.65 sec to take the honour in the men's 800 m event. Kenya's Nancy Jebet Langat won the women's 1,500 m final with a timing of 4min, 00.23secs. Ukraine's Iryna Lishchynska, third at last year's world championships, was second in 4:01.63 with compatriot Nataliya Tobias third 4:01.78. Norway's Andreas Thorkildsen won his second consecutive Olympic men's javelin title with a throw of 90.57 m. Doping controversies, meanwhile, continued to haunt the Games with Ukrainian weightlifter Igor Razoronov being kicked out of the Olympics for testing positive, thus becoming the sixth athlete to be caught for doping offence. In women's handball, Norway pulled off a major surprise by stunning champions Russia with a 34-27 scoreline to claim their country's first women's handball Olympic gold medal. Four-time world champion Julien Absalon of France won his second straight Olympic gold medal in men's mountain biking getting the better of countryman Jean-Christophe Peraud for the title. Earlier, Sabine Spitz of Germany took the women's title, leading almost from start to finish. Maxim Opalev of Russia won the gold medal in men's 500-m canoe single, giving him his third medal in the last three Olympics and first gold. Opalev paddled away from a tight field to win in 1 minute, 47.14 seconds. He took bronze four years ago in the Athens Games and silver in Sydney. — PTI
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Beijing, August 23 Germany added the Olympic title to the World Cup triumph two years ago, reinforcing their credentials as the sport’s foremost nation despite losing the number one ranking to Australia in June. Germany improved upon their bronze medal finish at Athens four years ago, when they beat Spain 4-3 in the play-off, to win their first gold since the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. It was two-in-a-row for coach Markus Weise, who had led the German women’s team to their maiden Olympic title in Athens before taking up the men’s job after Bernhard Peters switched to football. Spain lived up to their billing as the best team never to have won the Olympic gold as they faltered for the third time after losing finals to India in 1980 and the Netherlands in 1996. The Spanish strikers, led by the seasoned Santi Freixa, raided the rivals’ half through 70 minutes of gripping hockey, but could not get past the sturdy German defence that packed a powerful punch. Freixa, who had scored five goals in the competition, failed to convert three penalty corners as Germany built on their 1-0 win over Spain in the preliminary league. Meanwhile, Athens Olympic champions Australia won the bronze medal with a spectacular 6-2 win over the Netherlands earlier today. The world number one Kookaburras, smarting from Thursday’s semifinal loss to Spain, took their frustration out on the Dutch by scoring three goals in the first nine minutes. The win bettered Australia’s 6-3 triumph over Pakistan in a similar play-off for the bronze at their home Olympics in Sydney in 2000. The Netherlands failed to win a medal for the first time in four successive Olympics, having won the title in 1996 and 2000 and a silver in Athens four years ago. The loss meant the veteran Dutch trio of Teun de Nooijer, goal-keeper Guus Vogels and captain Jeroen Delmee return home empty-handed from their fourth and final Olympic appearance. Field hockey was first played at the Olympics in the 1908 Games in London, but it was not until 1928 in Amsterdam that it became a regular medal sport. — AFP
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Di Maria gem gives Argentina gold
Beijing, August 23 Di Maria, guilty of a remarkable double penalty-miss in a group game against Serbia, broke clear of the Nigeria defence and clipped the ball over Ambruse Vanzekin in the 58th minute. Wilting in the searing heat, the Argentines survived a torrid half hour of Nigerian pressure to cling on for victory. The mid-day showdown at the Bird's Nest was a repeat of the 1996 final, which Nigeria won 3-2 to become the first African team to win the tournament. The Olympic soccer tournament is restricted to under-23 teams with each allowed to field up to three over-age players. The first half was played at walking pace and there were no clear cut chances before a much-needed water break on the half hour. Peter Odemwingie created Nigeria's first opening shortly afterwards when he broke down the left and sent a low ball across the face of the goal but Promise Isaac just failed to make contact. Di Maria then produced Argentina's first real effort with an out-swinging 25-metre shot which was turned away by Vanzekin. Vanzekin also had to be quick to dive at the feet of Sergio Aguero after he was set free by an incisive Lionel Messi pass after the restart. Messi then had a shot fisted away by Vanzekin before setting up the goal. The Barcelona player slipped a pass to Di Maria who broke clear on the halfway line and beat Vanzekin with an exquisite finish. Nigeria sprang to life as Victor Obinna had a shot saved by Sergio Romero and Nicolas Pareja saved Argentina by blocking Victor Anichebe's effort after Promise Isaac pulled the ball back from the byline. Argentina escaped again when an attempted clearance hit Ebenezer Ajilore and ricocheted centimetres wide of the post and an inswinging cross from Obinna was missed by two Nigerian forwards. Nigeria were agonisingly close when Anichebe's close-range effort was saved by Romero at the second attempt. In between, Messi was foiled by a last-ditch tackle from Apam Onyekachi. — Reuters
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Ma’s gold ensures Chinese clean sweep
Beijing, August 23 Ma pumped his arms in the air before burying his head in his towel and breaking into tears as the packed Chinese crowd, waving national flags, chanted his name. The victory seals China’s whitewash of the tournament in the singles competition after teammate Wang Liqin removed the last obstacle to the Chinese Wall, defeating Sweden’s veteran Jorgen Persson for bronze. Head coach Liu Guoliang hailed the grab in the men’s and women’s competition as a miracle and the result of complete dedication from his charges. “Because of the hard effort of the women’s and men’s teams these past few days, you can see only one coloured national flag rising up to the roof of the gymnasium, that is the miracle we have created,” he said. He also praised 28-year-old Ma for his fighting spirit especially when he suffered from poor form and devastating losses in recent years. “He has come through a lot of hardships and pain,” he said. — AFP
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More to come, insists Bolt
Beijing, August 23 The 22-year-old Jamaican set an unprecedented three world records in claiming gold in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay, and credited his success to his ability to race without feeling pressure. "A lot of guys came to me and said they've been inspired," Bolt told reporters. "I said to them 'you have to be relaxed'. We know we're capable of doing it. You've got to enjoy what you do. Bolt, who set world records of 9.69 and 19.30 seconds to win the men's 100 and 200 metres, ran the third leg of the Jamaican 4x100m relay squad that yesterday won a maiden gold in the event in 37.10sec, breaking the USA's 15-year-old record. "It might change my life, but I won't change," the Jamaican insisted. "I try and stay relaxed by messing around and not thinking too much about the race. "I don't allow people to put pressure on me. You might not be focused enough. When I enjoy myself I stay focused. "I'll still enjoy myself, I'm still young. I'll still train hard. I'll try to keep on top for as long as I can. Running is enjoyable. You have to enjoy what you do. I enjoy it, I love it. Sometimes you think about quitting at training because that's hard. Bolt's outgoing and refreshingly honest outlook has won over fans, pundits and other athletes alike. His signature Jamaican "To the world" dance performed during his victory laps, ending with him leaning back and pointing two fingers up into the sky, was widely anticipated by the 91,000-crowd at the National Stadium and has even been mimicked by other winning athletes. Bolt said it had come as no surprise that world records were broken at the Bird's Nest. "The track is fast. I said to Asafa (Powell) and my coach (Glen Mills) that anybody who wins is going to break the world record." And the Jamaican, who will go on to compete in the 100m in Zurich, 200m in Lausanne and 100m in Brussels before the end of his season, insisted there was more to come. "I don't know how fast I can go. I'm not really worried about that," he said. "I'm just looking forward to going on and doing better things. I hope to improve every year.
— AFP |
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BCCI to reward Olympic medallists
Mumbai, August 23 Abhinav Bindra would be given Rs 25 lakh and the other two — Sushil Kumar and Vijender Kumar — would be given Rs 10 lakh each. The meeting was chaired by BCCI president Sharad Pawar. The committee also decided that the BCCI would double its contribution to the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) to Rs 50 crore for the next three years. The BCCI also voted to pay the selectors of the Indian team from here on. The men's senior selectors would get an honorarium of Rs 25 lakh per annum while the junior selectors would be paid Rs 15 lakh while the women selectors would be paid Rs 5 lakh. The committee has also decided that no member of the selection panels should be allowed to hold office in either the BCCI or its affiliated units. The BCCI has also decided to introduce a monthly gratis scheme for female cricketers on the lines of those for male cricketers. Women who had played 10 or more Tests would be given Rs 15,000 per month and those who had turned out in five to nine Tests would receive Rs 10,000 each. The committee also decided to extend the monthly gratis scheme to the widows of Test umpires. The BCCI also decided to send a woman cricket coach to China as part of efforts to develop women's cricket there. The board also decided to donate cricket equipment worth $50,000 to that country. Windfall for affiliates: The 27 affiliated units of the BCCI which take part in domestic tournaments conducted by the BCCI are all set to reap a windfall following the huge revenue generated by the body through sale of telecast rights last season. Seventy per cent of the revenue generated would be distributed to the affiliated units with match staging associations gaining a bigger share than those who did not conduct them. Rs 47.77 cr sought from Dalmiya: The board has decided to ask Jagmohan Dalmiya to cough up over Rs 47 crore for alleged misappropriation of 1996 World Cup funds failing which it will drag him into a civil suit for recovering the amount.
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Not for the faint-hearted
Beijing, August 23 The Ukrainian bronze medallist had to be picked up by the rescue boat after fainting on the finish line. And the German silver medallist from another race spent several hours in hospital. With such short distances of 1,000 and 500 metres, canoeists and kayakers out on Lake Shunyi push themselves to exhaustion. After the second race of the day on Saturday, two of the medal winners had to be driven the short distance to the press conference because they could not walk. Spain's David Cal, who had entered as the C1 500 metre favourite, looked white and repeatedly threw up while collecting his silver medal, while Iurii Cheban of Ukraine fainted several times on the side of the lake after finishing third. On Friday, Germany's Thomasz Wylenzek was taken to hospital after collapsing following his silver medal-winning performance in the double. However it seems that a gold medal can override all pain. Russia's Maxim Opalev who won the gold over Cal and Cheban danced all the way to the press conference, waving his flag on the way.
— Reuters |
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Brazil eves take gold
Beijing, August 23 Brazil defeated the Americans three sets to one to complete the
Olympic tournament undefeated. The final match went 25-18, 18-25, 25-13,
25-21. The USA has never won a gold medal in the event. They won the
silver medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Games before the bronze in 1992.
China defeated Cuba 3-1 earlier in the day for the women's bronze medal.
— AP |
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IOA officials miss Vijender’s medal presentation
Beijing, August 23 The IOA sources, however, said the absence was not deliberate because the two officials were scheduled to attend another medal presentation according to the organisers. However, Vijender was cheered by other four boxers of the team, chief coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu, Cuban coach B.I. Fernandes and physio Heath Matthews. Vijender flag-bearer for closing ceremony
Vijender Kumar, India's first Olympic boxing medal winner, will be the flag-bearer of the Indian contingent at tomorrow's closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, an IOA official today said. The Bhiwani pugilist won a bronze medal in the 75kg category event, which made him the national hero. Army marksman Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore was India's flag-bearer during the spectacular opening ceremony of the Games on August 8. "We have decided to give the honour to Vijender," IOA spokesman Sandeep Mehta said.
— PTI |
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China blocks Wang Dan from Hong Kong visit
Exiled student leader and dissident Wang Dan has been denied permission by China to travel to Hong Kong for a trip during the Olympic games, several rights groups in the city said. Wang, who is now exiled in the US, had applied unsuccessfully for a visa at the Chinese consulate in Los Angeles for a trip to Hong Kong where he was invited to attend a forum organised by several religious and human rights groups. Wang who now travels using US travel papers, had held a valid Chinese passport up until 2003, but Chinese authorities have repeatedly refused to renew it since “We had hoped to have Wang here to exchange his views with local students,” said Reverend Chu Yiu-ming, the chairman of Homecoming, an advocacy group for exiled Chinese dissidents. “We feel great regret at this ... it is absurd that his request was rejected,” he added. Wang, who has a PhD from Harvard, was one of the most visible leaders of the student-led democracy movement in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in 1989. Hacker found proof of He’s age The man who exposed the fact that a Chinese gymnast was under-aged and participating in the Beijing Olympics, has said he did it during his spare time, and added that he liked to find things on web servers that were never meant to be found. Thirty-three-year-old computer security consultant Mike Walker said he made his discovery after toiling for several hours without success. Last Tuesday, as he tried to dig up more information about Chinese gymnast He Kexin, he redefined the parameters of his Google Hack and hit the jackpot. On Google’s cache he found evidence of a record of He Kexin’s birth on a spreadsheet belonging to the General Administration of Sport of China - the country’s peak sports body. But the data had been removed. On the Chinese search engine Baidu, he went one better. ‘No MLS, no baseball’IOC president Jacques Rogge took in some of the final-day action before baseball is dropped from the Olympic programme on Saturday and hinted the sport could not be back until Major League players were allowed to take part. “We have (Roger) Federer, (Rafael) Nadal in tennis, LeBron James in basketball,” Rogge told MLB.com. "We have the best cyclists. Ronaldinho is here in football. “We want these guys at the Games. We’re not saying it should be an entire Major League team, but we want the top athletes here at the Olympics.” Rogge made a brief appearance at Wukesong Field to watch the U.S. beat Japan 8-4 in the bronze medal game and indicated the International Olympic Committee was prepared to play hardball with MLB over the problematic issue of major leaguers in the Olympics. MLB has flatly rejected any proposal linked to the league shutting down for the Games while the IOC has made it clear it wants the world’s best on the Olympic diamond if the sport is to have any chance of returning to the line-up. Baseball and softball were both chopped from the Olympic programme in 2005 and will not be played at the 2012 London Summer Games. Becks for handover ceremony
Football superstar David Beckham will kick the handover ball on Sunday at the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics when China passes on the reins to Britain for the 2012 London Olympics. London officials revealed plans and the details of the eight-minute slot, which includes cyclists Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton and Shanaze Reade. Also performing at the ceremony will be musicians Jimmy Page, Leona Lewis, and singer Beyonce Knowles. Three dance groups - the Royal Opera House, street dance theatre group Zoo Nation and CandoCo, a contemporary dance company of disabled and non-disabled dancers - will also put up a show, reported the China Daily. London’s gig at the closing will start with a symbolic red London double-decker bus driving around the Bird’s Nest chased by Hoy, Pendleton and Reade on their bikes. When the bus slows down near a symbolic bus stop, the three groups of dancers will surround it.
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Gambhir fit to play
Colombo, August 23 Although India made heavy weather of the second ODI before scraping through by three wickets, the tourists will once again be banking on their batting prowess to seize the lead in the five-match series. The pitch at the Premadasa Stadium is expected to be full of runs in the initial overs and India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni would heave a sigh of relief as his in-form opener Gautam Gambhir has recovered fully from a stiff neck and is expected to open with Virat Kohli, who displayed a gutsy performance in the last match. Moreover, Indian batsmen can also take some consolation from the fact that only one batsman - Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawarrdene - from either side has managed to cross the half-century mark in the first two ODIs, whereas the Premadasa wicket is a traditional ODI pitch that offers runs for the batsmen and purchase for the spinners. Another heartening news for India is that middle-order batsman Subramaniam Badrinath has been a revelation during the last match and has displayed ample maturity in his debut game to pull his side out of trouble. If not for Badrinath's gutsy and patient unbeaten 27, India could have tasted their second defeat in the series. However, what remains a matter of concern for Dhoni is his deputy Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma's inconsistent form. Though Yuvraj showed signs of regaining his explosive form, hammering the Lankan XI bowlers to score a blistering 172 in the lone practice match ahead of the series, he could only manage 43 runs in the first two ODIs. Unlike the batsmen, it was heartening to see the performances of Indian seamers. Left-arm pacer Zaheer Khan and Munaf Patel have been on song after returning to the side and are being ably supported by Praveen Kumar who bowled well in the second match. However, Harbhajan Singh-led spin department is yet to prove their mettle in the series so far, compared to the deadly Lankan spin duo of Ajantha Mendis and Muttiah Muralitharan. Athough Lanka looked a much better side in the entire series starting from the Tests, skipper Mahela Jayawardene has a thing or two to worry about, especially the form of his top order. The top order is yet to fire in the series, leaving a daunting task at the hands of middle-order. But inspite of the scenario, Jayawardene is against making drastic changes in the squad. — PTI Hours of play 2.30 pm to 6 pm and 6.45 pm to 10.15 pm.
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Record 12 sixes by Marshall
Toronto, August 23 The Caribbean batsman's incredible feat destroyed a 12-year-old record as he eclipsed Sanath Jayasuriya's record of 11 sixes set in 1996. Shahid Afridi had equalled Jayasuriya's record after six months when he scored fastest one-day century. Marshall butchered Canada's bowler and set up a 49-run triumph in the first Scotiabank Canada Cup ODI triangular series being played at King City yesterday.
— PTI |
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Pietersen inspires English win
Leeds, August 23 Brief scores: England: 275 for 4, 50 overs (Pietersen 90 not out, Flintoff 78, Kallis 2-25) South Africa: 255 all out, 49.4 overs (Kallis 52, Harmison 2-43, Pietersen
22-2).— Reuters |
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Bhupathi-Knowles enter final
New Haven (US), August 23 They have set up a title clash with fourth seeds Marcelo Melo and Andre Sa of Brazil.
— UNI |
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The first athlete in 28 years to clinch
long- distance running double
The Spanish silver medallist could not help throwing up on the podium. The Ukrainian bronze medallist had to be picked up by the rescue boat after fainting on the finish line. And the German silver medallist from another race spent several hours in hospital.
With such short distances of 1,000 and 500 metres, canoeists and kayakers out on Lake Shunyi push themselves to exhaustion.
