SPECIAL COVERAGE
CHANDIGARH

LUDHIANA

DELHI


THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS
50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE
TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS
S P O R T S

Nadal tames his final frontier
New York, September 14
Rafael Nadal falls to his knees in celebration after his win over Novak Djokovic during their men’s singles final in New York World No 1 Rafael Nadal claimed a thrilling four-set victory over Serbia's third-seeded Novak Djokovic to secure his first US Open title and complete a career Grand Slam. Nadal had never won the title at Flushing Meadows, but on Monday he claimed a 6-4 5-7 6-4 6-2 victory in a match lasting three hours 22 minutes.

Rafael Nadal falls to his knees in celebration after his win over Novak Djokovic during their men’s singles final in New York on Monday. — AFP 

India has great potential for basketball: Justice
Troy Justice in Ludhiana The next Magic Johnsons, AC Greens or Kareem Abdul-Jabbars can be produced by India as the country has mammoth scope and talent as well in basketball. This is what Troy Justice, director, basketball operations, India, National Basketball Association, believes. 




Troy Justice in Ludhiana. Tribune photo: Himanshu Mahajan


Wrestler Sushil Kumar poses with his medal in New Delhi
Wrestler Sushil Kumar poses with his medal in New Delhi on Tuesday. Sushil defeated Alan Gogaev to win the 66-kg freestyle title in Moscow to become the first Indian to win a World Championship gold medal. 
Tribune photo: Mukesh Aggarwal


EARLIER STORIES

Sushil eyes CWG gold
September 14, 2010
The Annhilator
September 13, 2010
Clijsters outshines Venus
September 12, 2010
Final heartbreak
September 11, 2010
Federer sails past Soderling
September 10, 2010
‘Leading batsman played suspiciously in IPL’
September 9, 2010
Nadal rolls on as Wawrinka shatters hopes
September 8, 2010
I was tricked, blackmailed: Hameed
September 7, 2010
Now, Lankan player under ICC lens
September 6, 2010

Bigger, better shooting range ready, almost
New Delhi, September 14
A shooter at the Karni Singh Shooting Range. India biggest and one of the best shooting ranges, Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range, is all set to face the Commonwealth Games (CWG) starting from 3 October, though some patch work and finishing touches still needs to be given to the venue. The range, which is situated in Tughlakabad on the outskirts of the national capital, boasts of the best infrastructure and facilities and was built for the Asian Games in 1982. 

A shooter at the Karni Singh Shooting Range. A Tribune photograph

JP Atray tourney gets underway today
Chandigarh, September 14
Seventeen years ago when the idea of a cricket tournament in memory of former Haryana Additional DGP and cricket aficionado JP Atray was mooted, the organisers may not have imagined the event, now an annual affair, touching heights of popularity. Today, the tournament has carved a repute of being one of the leading tournaments of the country, being held under the aegis Punjab Cricket Association and has been recognized by the BCCI.

Chanu’s ‘B’ sample returns positive
Patiala, September 14
In what didn’t come as a surprise after various top Indian players failed their dope tests in the recent past, Indian weightlifter Sanamacha Chanu’s ‘B’ sample collected by NADA returned positive today for banned substance methylhexaneamine, her second offence after being caught at 2004 Athens Olympics. Chanu who had earlier faced two year ban might have to serve a life ban this time. Born on October 2, 1978, 31-year old, Chanu who competes in the 53 kg category originally finished fourth during these Olympics but was then tested positive for a banned substance and was disqualified. Ever since Chanu’s ‘A’ sample returned positive during trials for the Delhi Commonwealth Games, she had been pleading her case on the pretext that she had not even heard of methylhexaneamine.

MI lose again, semis chances badly hit
Durban, September 14
Mumbai Indians’ chances of making it to the Saurabh Tiwary semifinals of the Airtel Champions League took a big blow tonight, as South Australia Redbacks pulled off a massive chase to beat them by five wickets. Redbacks’ openers Klinger and Harris laid a solid foundation for the Australian side as they overhauled the IPL side’s total with three balls to spare. Earlier, Saurabh Tiwary smashed a whirlwind 44 as Mumbai Indians recovered from a shaky start to post a challenging 181 for seven against South Australia. Tiwary smashed one four and four sixes and added 32 runs off 28 balls with Ambati Rayudu (38) and starred in a 58-run fifth wicket stand with Kieron Pollard (36) to resurrect the MI innings after they were tottering at 47/3 in 7.3 overs.

Saurabh Tiwary




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Nadal tames his final frontier

New York, September 14
World No 1 Rafael Nadal claimed a thrilling four-set victory over Serbia's third-seeded Novak Djokovic to secure his first US Open title and complete a career Grand Slam. Nadal had never won the title at Flushing Meadows, but on Monday he claimed a 6-4 5-7 6-4 6-2 victory in a match lasting three hours 22 minutes.

The Spaniard is now just one of seven men to have won the career Grand Slam. He had previously won the French Open five times, Wimbledon twice, and the Australian Open once. He also won Olympic gold in Beijing.

Nadal joins Roger Federer, Andre Agassi, Roy Emerson, Rod Laver, Don Budge and Fred Perry in having swept the board. He also becomes the first man since Laver in 1969 to win the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open in the same year. "More than what I dreamed," is how Nadal described it on court.

"I worked a lot all my life, (through) difficult moments, to be here. I never imagined have (all) four Grand Slams," The Washington Post quoted Nadal, as saying. Meanwhile, Djokovic admitted that at the moment Nadal is the best player in the world, and said that he absolutely deserves the title. — ANI

Factbox on the Spaniard:

Born: June 3, 1986.

Naturally right-handed Nadal switched to being a left-handed player after his coach noted it would give him a huge advantage on court.

Turned pro in 2001.

NINE SLAMS: French Open 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010; Wimbledon 2008, 2010; Australian Open 2009; U.S. Open 2010

In 2005, became first man since Mats Wilander in 1982 to win French Open on debut.

In 2009, beat Federer in the final of the Australian Open but was beaten for the first time at the French Open.

In 2010, he won the French Open for the fifth time and Wimbledon for the second. Finished the year by winning his first U.S. Open title, becoming just the 7th man to win all four grand slams.— Reuters

The Magnificent seven

FRED PERRY (Britain) (8 titles) - Australian Open: 1934; French Open: 1935; Wimbledon: 1934, 1935, 1936; U.S. Open: 1933, 1934, 1936.

DON BUDGE (U.S.) (6 titles) - Australian Open: 1938; French Open: 1938; Wimbledon: 1937, 1938; U.S. Open: 1937, 1938.

ROD LAVER (Australia) (11 titles) - Australian Open: 1960, 1962, 1969; French Open: 1962, 1969; Wimbledon: 1961, 1962, 1968, 1969; U.S. Open: 1962, 1969.

EMERSON (Australia) (12 titles) - Australian Open: 1961, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967; French Open: 1963, 1967; Wimbledon: 1964, 1965; U.S. Open: 1961, 1964.

ANDRE AGASSI (U.S.) (8 titles) - Australian Open: 1995, 2000, 2001, 2003; French Open: 1999; Wimbledon: 1992; U.S. Open: 1994, 1999.

FEDERER (Switzerland) (16 titles) - Australian Open: 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010; French Open: 2009; Wimbledon: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009; U.S. Open: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008.

NADAL (Spain) (9 titles) - Australian Open: 2009; French Open: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010; Wimbledon: 2008, 2010; U.S. Open: 2010.

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India has great potential for basketball: Justice

The next Magic Johnsons, AC Greens or Kareem Abdul-Jabbars can be produced by India as the country has mammoth scope and talent as well in basketball. This is what Troy Justice, director, basketball operations, India, National Basketball Association, believes. While talking to The Tribune’s Akash Ghai, Troy, who has been in the country for several years, is confident that the newly-launched league, Mahindra NBA Challenge Community Basketball League, will go a long way in producing and promoting the talent in near future.

Q: How come the NBA has mulled over starting the league for amateur basketball players in the country?

A: I have been in the country for past several years on the job. I observed that the game was popular here as many youngsters could be seen playing it in schools and centres. But here, India has tournament system, which is not sufficient to cater the talent and promote the game. So with the backing of Basketball Federation of India, we took our initial step by launching the league, firstly in three big basketball hubs, Ludhiana, Mumbai and Bangalore.

Q: What are the major highlights of the league and what major changes it will bring in the game here?

A: The league is especially designed for India and it is meant for budding amateur players, targeting the players of 14 to 17 years age group and 18 years and above section. In our next step we will include sub junior category in the league. Our objective as well as the main highlight of the league is to rope in more and more basketball players and provide the mammoth opportunities to showcase their talent and hone their skills. One can term it as a grass root and community-based league.

Q: How do you find the initial response?

A: Just overwhelming. You see over 120 teams were registered for the Ludhiana leg only. Here we have to shortlist the teams to the number of 80. Even a team from Jammu came to participate. The response was similar in Mumbai and Bangalore. In fact, the tremendous response in the first step has boosted our morale manifold.

Q: How much funds does the NBA plans to spend on Indian players?

A: For amateur players, our investment will be our expertise, time, quality training and special clinics for the players. For the funds, we have tied up with big companies here. On the suitable time, we will also start professional league here.

Q: What are the biggest challenge you face here during your mission?

A: Our mission is to make basketball the number two game after cricket in this country within five years. The biggest challenge in the way is infrastructure. You see, even in the city like Mumbai, there is no indoor basketball court.

Q: You have been to China for the same purpose, what you find the major difference between the two top Asian countries?

A: Again infrastructure. We (the NBA) have spent almost 20 years in China so far. There they have developed the required infrastructure very rapidly and the result is in front of everyone.

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Bigger, better shooting range ready, almost
Himani.Chandel
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 14
India biggest and one of the best shooting ranges, Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range, is all set to face the Commonwealth Games (CWG) starting from 3 October, though some patch work and finishing touches still needs to be given to the venue. The range, which is situated in Tughlakabad on the outskirts of the national capital, boasts of the best infrastructure and facilities and was built for the Asian Games in 1982. However, it has undergone a complete revamp for the CWG events.

“I have been practicing here since past many years. It is above anybody’s expectations. This new look of the range is absolutely amazing. I have been to many foreign events but this range stands out in terms of facilities,” said Mairoj Khan, one of the shooters in the Indian contingent of the CWG. However, the some areas of the range are still being worked upon. The organizers are busy completing the beautification work, which is facing the bad weather and consistent rains. The work includes clearing the undergrowth and the area near the trap shooting range. The surroundings of the ranges consist of rocky soil with lots of rocks and pebbles seen in the front of the shooting area. “These rocks will be removed and the area will be beautified with plants,” said Randhir Singh, Vice Chairman of Orgainsing Committee (OC). The work on the broadcasting compound is also still being undertaken.

“It was very difficult task to bring out this venue in the present form as it required days of hard work. The range has been raised from scratch. We held the first test event in February which was quite successful. Abhinav Bindra, the Olympic gold medalist, was here some days ago for practice. He said that this is far better than what he saw in Beijing,” said Manjeet Singh Goindi, the Venue Commander of the Range.

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JP Atray tourney gets underway today
Akash Ghai
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 14
Seventeen years ago when the idea of a cricket tournament in memory of former Haryana Additional DGP and cricket aficionado JP Atray was mooted, the organisers may not have imagined the event, now an annual affair, touching heights of popularity. Today, the tournament has carved a repute of being one of the leading tournaments of the country, being held under the aegis Punjab Cricket Association and has been recognized by the BCCI.

Initially the tournament used to involve 8 teams but today as many as 16 teams play the event every year. Like every year, many top teams of the country like Air India, Income Tax, BPCL, Indian Railways, India Cement, Relaince and ONGC would vie to clinch top honours in the 17th edition of the tournament.

“We are satisfied with the growing popularity of the tournament. I feel proud with the fact that MS Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Ashish Nehra, Avishkar Salvi, Vikram Rathore are some of the players who found a place in the Indian team immediately after performing well in the our tournament,” said Vivek Atray, the main organsier and son of late JP Atray .

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Chanu’s ‘B’ sample returns positive
Gagan K. Teja
Tribune News Service

Patiala, September 14
In what didn’t come as a surprise after various top Indian players failed their dope tests in the recent past, Indian weightlifter Sanamacha Chanu’s ‘B’ sample collected by NADA returned positive today for banned substance methylhexaneamine, her second offence after being caught at 2004 Athens Olympics. Chanu who had earlier faced two year ban might have to serve a life ban this time. Born on October 2, 1978, 31-year old, Chanu who competes in the 53 kg category originally finished fourth during these Olympics but was then tested positive for a banned substance and was disqualified. Ever since Chanu’s ‘A’ sample returned positive during trials for the Delhi Commonwealth Games, she had been pleading her case on the pretext that she had not even heard of methylhexaneamine.

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MI lose again, semis chances badly hit

Durban, September 14
Mumbai Indians’ chances of making it to the semifinals of the Airtel Champions League took a big blow tonight, as South Australia Redbacks pulled off a massive chase to beat them by five wickets. Redbacks’ openers Klinger and Harris laid a solid foundation for the Australian side as they overhauled the IPL side’s total with three balls to spare.

Earlier, Saurabh Tiwary smashed a whirlwind 44 as Mumbai Indians recovered from a shaky start to post a challenging 181 for seven against South Australia. Tiwary smashed one four and four sixes and added 32 runs off 28 balls with Ambati Rayudu (38) and starred in a 58-run fifth wicket stand with Kieron Pollard (36) to resurrect the MI innings after they were tottering at 47/3 in 7.3 overs. Electing to bat first, Mumbai Indians had a disastrous start as they lost opener Shikar Dhawan (2) in the second over with the scoreboard reading just 3.

Sachin Tendulkar (20) tried to breakfree and clobbered a six and a couple of fours to accumulate 14 runs off Daniel Christian's first over to take MI to 31 for one in 5 overs. But left-arm spinner Aaron O'Brien dismissed Tendulkar in the last ball of the next over to leave Mumbai tottering at 35 for two.

Trying to accelerate, Tendulkar stepped out of his crease and swung hard, only to see his stumps all over the surface. Silent all this while, Ambati Rayudu (38) then smashed O'Brien straight over his head for a six but the spinner bounced back to caught and bowl J P Duminy (3) in the third ball of the eighth over.— PTI

Brief Score:

Mumbai Indians: 181 for 7 in 20 overs (Tiwary 44, Rayudu 38, Pollard 36; O'Brien 2/49) Redbacks: 182 for five in 20 overs (M Klinger 50, DJ Harris 56; Malinga 2/22). 

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 BRIEFLY

Indian archers confident
KOLKATA:
Indian archery team, comprising Jayanta Talukdar, Dola Banerjee and Deepika Kumari, is confident of producing good results in the Archery World Cup Grand final in Edinburgh to be held on September 18 and 19. The trio will leave for United Kingdom on Tuesday along with coach Purnima Mahato. — PTI

B’desh squad for NZ series
DHAKA:
Bangladesh have left out injured opener Tamim Iqbal and former captain Mohammad Ashraful for a one-day series against New Zealand in Dhaka next month, the cricket board said on Tuesday. — AFP

Latif may resign soon
KARACHI:
Pakistan's former captain Rashid Latif has decided to step down as wicketkeeping coach in the Pakistan Cricket Board after being issued a showcause notice for speaking about the raging spot-fixing and betting scandal on a television show. — PTI

Squash WC to be held in India
NEW DELHI:
Following the successful conduct of PSA and WISPA events in recent times, India has been awarded the 2011 World Cup hosting rights by the World Squash Federation (WSF). — PTI

Diaby, Vermaelen injured
LONDON:
Arsenal will have six first team players missing for their Champions League Group H opener at home to Braga on Wednesday after Abou Diaby (pic) and Thomas Vermaelen were both ruled out through injury. Midfielder Diaby damaged his ankle in the Premier League victory over Bolton Wanderers on Saturday while central defender Vermaelen is still nursing a knock to his Achilles tendon sustained while playing for Belgium last week. — Reuters

ICC’s anti-corruption measures
Cape Town:
The ICC on Tuesday termed the recent spot-fixing allegations involving Pakistani players as a "warning" and said it will recommend a wide-ranging and, if necessary, independent review of the current anti-corruption measures to maintain the integrity of the sport. In a statement issued after a meeting of International Cricket Council's Chief Executives' Committee (CEC) here, ICC CEO Haroon Lorgat (pic) said the governing body would try to engage governments in its bid to tackle curruption in the game. — PTI

Gill promises Rs 10 lakh to Sushil
NEW DELHI:
Sports Minister MS Gill on Tuesday announced a cash award of Rs 10 lakh for World Championship gold medallist wrestler Sushil Kumar and hoped the grappler will continue with his fine form in next month's Commonwealth Games as well. — PTI

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