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STARRY AFFAIR
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Archers aim for history
Riaz wants to bury the ghost of Sydney
London
Diary
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The 30th Olympic Games will witness some of the biggest names from across the globe, fighting for the ultimate prize. Here’s looking at 16 sportspersons who will either be making history, or trying to defend their legacies LONDON, WORLD GETS READY FOR THE GAMES
Sport:
10-meter air rifle shooting India's first ever individual Olympic gold medal winner, Abhinav Bindra would be expected to strike gold yet again. Bindra won India a gold after a gap of 28 years. Oscar Pistorious
The South African double amputee will create history, on becoming the first amputee runner to compete in an Olympics. Popularly known as the 'Blade Runner', Pistorius runs on carbon-fiber blades.
Sport:
Diving The 17-year old diver became the youngest contestant to represent Britain at the 2008 Olympics. The teenaged diver has also won two gold medals at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. yohan blake Sport:
100m Yohan Blake hogged limelight as he stunned the world champion and countryman Usain Bolt in 100m and 200m dash during the Jamaican trials. It'll be interesting to see which of the two strikes gold when it matters the most!
Sport:
Long-distance running The Ethiopian long-distance runner holds the world record and Olympic record in both the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres events and is the reigning Olympic champion in both the categories.
Sport:
Long jump The Russian long jumper, who holds the country's junior record with 7.03 m, looks promising enough to earn her country a medal at the mega event. LeBron James Sport:
Basketball At Beijing in 2008, LeBron James helped USA win gold and yet again the focus would be on this Miami Heat forward. Saina Nehwal Sport: Badminton
Roger Federer Sport:
Tennis Roger Federer equaled the world record of 17 Grand Slams with a title victory in Wimbledon and would like to carry forward the winning momentum. neymar Sport:
Football With nearly 100 goals in three seasons for Santos, all eyes would be on 20-year-old Neymar as Brazil hopes for their maiden Olympic gold. Ryan Lochte Sport:
Swimming Six-time Olympic medal winner specializes in backstroke and individual medley. He has twice won the World Swimmer of the year award. Usain Bolt Sport:
100m, 200m and 4x100m relay Two back-to-back defeats from countryman Yohan Blake might have spiced up the competition but Bolt seems hardly worried. The injury scare from Monaco is the only concern for the defending champ who won the gold at Beijing.
Sport:
Swimming Having won eight medals at Beijing, and all of them Gold, no doubt all eye would be on this champion swimmer. Phelps has withdrawn from the 200 m freestyle. With just three more medals, Phelps can become the most celebrated Olympian. liu xiang Sport:
Track and Field Liu Xiang was everyone's favourite to win the gold in the 110 metre hurdles at the Beijing Olympics but unfortunately was forced to withdraw last moment after a false start and aggravation to an unrevealed injury, breaking more than a billion Chinese hearts. Mary Kom Sport:
Boxing (51 Kg) Mary Kom is the only Indian woman boxer who has qualified. Icing on the cake would be a podium finish.
Sport:
Swimming Rice won three gold medals in Beijing but has been forced out since then due to the shoulder injury.
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Archers aim for history
Never before in history have so many expected so much of athletes from India in the Olympic Games. That might sound like a bit of over-dramatisation, but it’s not untrue. The history of the modern Olympic Games dates back 116 years; it’s equally true that since the Indians started sending a contingent to the Games in 1920, India’s hopes are soaring like never before, with realistic medal hopes in several events. To begin with, the hopes would be deeply concentrated on the shooting contingent, which sees action at the Lord’s cricket ground on Friday. One might dismiss Friday’s action as only ordinary rankings rounds for both singles and team events, but this “only” is wholly misleading. On the basis of the rankings the seedings are made. This gains critical importance because it’s a knockout tournament, and your best chances of avoiding a strong team early lie in qualifying with a high score yourself. Rahul Banerjee didn’t hide his feelings regarding the importance of the qualifying round. “Everything depends on the ranking round!” he said. The Indian men see action at 9 in the morning, followed by the women at 1 pm. Let’s talk about the less fancied team, the men, first. The trio of Jayanta Talukdar, Tarundeep Rai and Rahul Banerjee, ranked No. 3 in the world, are contenders essentially in the team event. Individually, Tarundeep is ranked 18, Talukdar 19 and Banerjee 54. The team booked a ticket to London when they beat Australia in the semifinals in last Olympic qualification event Ogden, United States, last month. They left the qualification for a bit late, but it also means they come into the Olympics having already dealt with a now-or-never situation. Thus they ought to be steeled for the Olympian trial by fire, which takes place at the Lord’s cricket ground. Banerjee, like most Indian sports fans, is aware of the significance of Lord’s, where India’s previous major sporting engagement – first Test against England last July, the 2,000th Test match overall – ended in grief for the visitors. Banerjee knows Indian eyes would be on them because, simply put, it’s Lord’s. “People will be watching because it is at Lord's,” he said. “I have watched many Test matches that have been played here. We are really happy to be playing at the centre of Lord's.” The women would be equally happy, but they’re less vocal about it. They’re fancied more than the men, being ranked No. 2 in the world, only behind the extremely strong South Korean women. There are two most encouraging factors among the women. One, they benefit from the presence of Deepika Kumar, the ice-cool lady with the bow, who says doesn’t know what pressure is. Two, Deepika seems to be rising at the right time – she became the world No. 1 just five weeks, meaning her current form is all right. But don’t expect world No. 2 Ki Bo Bae of South Korea and No. 3 Fang Yuting of China to fall over and make way for Indian. Laishram Bombayla Devi (No. 48) and Swuro Chekrovolu (No. 46) combine with Deepika to make a potent trio, currently No. 2 in the world. Limba Ram, the Indian coach, has said several times over that Deepika is the key for India, and he did that here too. “I’m very impressed with her calmness,” he said. “She’s got to be the best prospect we have for a medal individually, and she’d be key in the team event too. ”History beckons them at Lord’s. Last year’s Test series was termed historic, and rightly so. Indian cricketers then fell on their faces then. Now the archers have a chance to add a bright spot to dismal history at Lord’s.
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Riaz wants to bury the ghost of Sydney
London, July 26 Riaz, who was member of the team in 2000 Olympics, said the Sydney Games remains his only regret in life. "It was a case of so near yet so far. If only we had beaten Poland. We were leading till a few minutes before the final whistle, but the match ended in a draw. Had we won it, we would have made it to the semi-final," said Riaz during an interaction here at the Games Village. Riaz said the Indian hockey team, eight-time Olympic champions, has failed to live up to the reputation in the past two decades."I don’t accept this view that hockey is on the decline in India. Yes, we have not lived up to the expectations, which millions of lovers expect from us, because we were eight-time champions," he said. Asked what prompted India's slide in international hockey, Riaz said: "Well, there are several reasons for the slide from the top. First, it is very difficult to stay at the top for very long. Take the case of Brazil, Argentina or even England in football. No team or Individual has been undisputed leader for long, it is against the law of nature." "Second, other countries have also come up. Earlier when we were dominating, some critics used to say that there is hardly any opposition, other countries are not interested in hockey. But when others started winning, they now say Indian hockey is on decline." A fine utility player, Riaz represented India for a decade (1990-2000). He played in two World Cups (1994, 1998), Olympics (1996, 2000) and Asian Games (1994, 1998). "Hockey is in my blood. I never thought of playing any other game. My father Mohammed Abdul Nabi played for the Railways and was an international referee. My younger brother Mohammed Nawaz played for junior India," said Riaz.Riaz said Olympian and famous forward Mohammed Shahid was his hero."At home, hockey was the main topic of discussion. We used to hear about big players and father wanted me to emulate Shahid and I became his fan." "I first went abroad with the junior team to play in the WC qualifier in Malaysia in 1992. In 1994 I went to Australia with the national team and was declared Man of the Series against Australia. That was huge. It boosted my morale and gave me the confidence that I can take on any player of the world. Till now I have sustained that confidence," he said. Riaz said 1998 Bangkok Asian Games was the highest point in his career. "1998 Games was the highest point of my career. We won gold in Asian Games after 32 years," he said. Riaz said: "It is the fittest squad from India in the recent times. There has been a tremendous improvement. " — PTI
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London
Diary You feel dwarfed when you stand next a tower of power like Michael Phelps – or even a 17-year-old girl called Missy Franklin. The American sensation is likely to become a household name by the end of the Olympics – she’s going for six gold in London and might make it a perfect six. By the poolside, she’s an imposing sight – six-feet-one, 75kg, quick as a fish. She gives the journalists visiting the swimming stadium a friendly grin, but we’re wary of trying to engage her in a conversation as she’s focused on training. Her reason for taking up swimming seems weird – her mother was afraid of the water, so she tried to ensure her daughter wouldn’t be. Missy Franklin was taught swimming when still a baby. Chaos on streets
The news hasn’t been too good lately. Londoners, poor devils, have been complaining about their little, narrow streets being strangulated by the special Olympics vehicles-only lanes; the armymen at the security posts are ostensibly cheerful, but they’re hardly cheered by having to play gatekeepers because of shortage of security personnel; transport is chaotic; media people are still reporting having to walk for up to an hour to reach the main press facility. The volunteers seem unaware of the fact that there are buses for the media. It’s no patch on the Delhi Commonwealth Games, though – Indian organizers do chaos like no one else. The weather is possibly the only source of good news. The Brits love discussing the weather, especially when it’s something positive, like the rainless few days they’ve had here. The good news spills on to the arena and the stadiums, and everyone’s glad that rain would stay away from today’s opening ceremony. Indians abroad
Amitabh Bachchan did part of the Olympics Games torch run today, in an instance of India displaying its soft power once again. Also part of the flame run today was LN Mittal, the NRI billionaire whose non-profit group is to nurture Indian sportspersons. More India connections would be on display during the opening ceremony – the groundbreaking TV show Goodness Gracious Me is going to feature in it. Ajitpal absent
Ajitpal Singh, the Indian chef-de-mission, had failed to reach London by Thursday and it’s becoming increasingly likely that he’d not come at all. It’s learnt that he’s been suffering from back trouble – possibly spondylitis – and has been advised by doctors to not travel. |
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Narsingh to be made DSP by Maha govt
Mumbai, July 26 State Home Minister R R Patil signed orders to this effect today, Home department officials said. The file related to his appointment now awaits a formal approval from Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, they said. Yadav, who won the gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, is now in London as part of the Indian Olympics' team. Patil had taken the initiative of honouring Yadav earlier but the concerned file was gutted in the Mantralaya blaze last month, the officials said. Besides, Pankaj Shirsat, who was captain of Indian Kabaddi team, will also be made DSP, they said. — PTI
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Never before in history have so many expected so much of athletes from India in the Olympic Games. That might sound like a bit of over-dramatisation, but it’s not untrue. The history of the modern Olympic Games dates back 116 years; it’s equally true that since the Indians started sending a contingent to the Games in 1920, India’s hopes are soaring like never before, with realistic medal hopes in several events.
You feel dwarfed when you stand next a tower of power like Michael Phelps – or even a 17-year-old girl called Missy Franklin. The American sensation is likely to become a household name by the end of the Olympics – she’s going for six gold in London and might make it a perfect six. By the poolside, she’s an imposing sight – six-feet-one, 75kg, quick as a fish. She gives the journalists visiting the swimming stadium a friendly grin, but we’re wary of trying to engage her in a conversation as she’s focused on training.
Abhinav Bindra
Sport:
400m and 4x100 m relay
Tom Daley
Darya Klishina
Saina Nehwal created history when she became the first Indian to win the World Junior Badminton Championships. The shutler who is currently ranked number 3 by the Badminton World Federation also won the Indonesia Open over higher-ranked Chinese Lin Wang and is a strong contender to win India a gold in London.
Michael Phelps