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Boxers wrap up
campaign
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Tribune exclusive
Geeta loses in repechage too
Jamaica’s great relay stumble
Olympics briefs
New format encouraged match-fixing: Ponappa
Saina regains fourth place in world ranking
Luka finishes sixth in semis; out of final
China sweeps TT medals
Honest confession: Phelps pees in pool
Golden girl Trott lays claim to be new queen of the track
Chen, the diver, rocks
Tendulkar set for return
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Boxers wrap up
campaign
Paddy Barnes of Belfast, Northern Ireland, is a little man with lightning quick fists. He stands 5ft 4in in his socks, fights in the 49kg flyweight division - to achieve success in it, you need to have the body of a schoolboy, the muscles of a man. And speed, baffling speed. Barnes has got it all. What's more, he's got baffling speech too - a strong Irish accent made indecipherable by the rapidity with which his words are delivered.
To underhand him, you need to find an Irishman, who then needs to find a Belfast native. Thus are the words that Barnes speaks understood, but they're simple enough - they describe his friendship with the Indian he'd just vanquished, Laishram Devendro Singh. "I've sparred with him before... He trained with us in Dublin before he came here," says Barnes. "We became very good friends. He's a nice young man, and an excellent boxer. We're quite friendly with each other." They'd just gone hammer and tongs at each other in the quarterfinals late on Wednesday night, and the Irishman has prevailed 23-18; the Indian had come out shaking his head in dismay, saying "it's all wasted, it's all wasted". Barnes had assured himself of a bronze at least - to go with the one he got at Beijing 2008. Devendro, like the other Indian male boxers, will return home without a medal. Zero medals in seven categories - after they had been very confident of at least two. Devendro, the lightest of the Indians, was the last of the team left in the competition; he'd reached the quarterfinals with an impressive win over Mongolia's Serdamba Purevdorj, winner of the silver at Beijing 2008, seeded fourth here. He was upset with the result against Barnes. "I thought I'd done better in the first round (which he lost by two points)," he said. "Paddy did very well in the second, and I was again better in the third." Devendro admitted that he was fairly penalised for heat-butting Barnes in the second round, but added that the Irishman should have been penalised for clinching too much, too. Devendro was terribly upset immediately after the defeat on Wednesday; by today morning he had perked up a bit. He was off to roam in the shopping malls today, along with his good mate and teammate, Shiva Thapa. Devendro hadn't seen the replay of the bout yet, he was going to try to view it at leisure in the evening. A viewing would probably confirm to him that Barnes was a fair winner on Wednesday night. Overall, that's not the general view of the Indian boxing contingent about the scoring and results at London 2012. The most vocal of them is the Cuban coach, Blas Iglesias Fernandes. He stormed out shouting "it's a mafia, it's a mafia" after Vijender Kumar had lost in the quarterfinals to Uzbekistan's Abbos Atoev. In his rage, he was stuttering, completely incapable of saying anything else. But he's quite relaxed now and makes a case for his boxers. His hold on the English language is a bit tenuous but his words are definite. "Every time it is against Indian boxers," he says. "All the system is against (us). Really, the 81kg bout (Sumit Sangwan), it was one-sided for us but we lose. The 69kg bout (Vikas Krishan) we won against the American, they protested and the decision was reversed; 64kg (Manoj Kumar vs Tom Stalker of GB) was one-sided for us, the England boy had no place to go, but again we lose." "Then,
Vijender... I, coach Sandhu watched the replay of his bout (75kg quarterfinal vs Abbos Atoev) point by point in slow motion. It was a close bout, it was not easy," he goes on. "But we no lose that bout," concludes Fernandes emphatically. Fernandes is now calm enough to appreciate the possibility that he's naturally biased in favour of his boys, and that it's possible he could be wrong. "Maybe we're wrong," he says. "But so many?! You remember Sumit? Sumit never lose his bout! Vikas never lose his bout. Vijender never lose his bout." India's acting chef-de-mission P.K. Muralidhar Raja agrees. "We definitely deserved at least two medals," he says. "Let anyone analyse the bouts of Vijender, Manoj, Sumit, Vikas and Devendro... At least two of these results should have definitely gone to us." That didn't happen, and India's hopes of a medal have been dashed; perhaps the only certainly among the Indian boxers was that little lady KC Mary Kom, and she didn't disappoint. Devendro's time will come, too. For one Barnes, who has sparred with him, who's fought and beaten him, definitely believes this. "He's very, very young," he says. "I'm older, and my defence was the key. But four years of experience, and Devendro would become a strong contender." Then, becoming startlingly comprehensible, Barnes cries out:
"Namaste!" Clearly, he's learnt his first, basic Hindi lesson well. The Indian men would need to learn a few lessons too when they analyse this performance. |
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Tribune exclusive
How did it feel after failing to defend your crown in the 800m? I am not disappointed. I have got a bronze medal so there is nothing to be ashamed of; what I am disappointed more in is the time. I do not know whether the expectations and environment got the better of me. I gave it all and I hope that people at home see that. I am proud to be on the podium. Given the expectation placed upon you, did you feel the weight of pressure going into your events? The pressure has been hard to deal with over the past four years. No other British swimmer has ever won two gold medals. Everyone else put that pressure on me. I didn't put that pressure on myself. Swimming is one of those sports, it's really hard to win a medal in. I can only do my best. What do you think of Katie Ledecky (USA), who won the gold medal in the women's 800m freestyle event? She is unbelievable and has got her whole career ahead of her. I definitely think she will break my world record at some point, but I am glad it is still on the board for now. How did you feel after winning bronze in the women's 400m freestyle? I did not expect to get a medal. It's a really tough race. The only disappointment is with the time, as I know it's slower that I swam in March. What was it like swimming in front of a home crowd? The crowd definitely helped me and lifted my performance and I can't wait to share the medal with them. A lot of people expected me to get a gold and the fact that I got that reception when I got out the pool (having won a bronze in the women's 400m freestyle event) is amazing. When you are swimming, are you aware of the crowd and their expectations? I do once it's finished. I love it when I have touched the wall, but before the race I don't notice anything. I don't ever really look up because you just have to stay so focused, but afterwards it's an incredible feeling. What is more important at the highest level - physical ability or mental strength? Confidence is something that is so hard to gain, but so easy to knock. Losing at the World Championships knocked me, but to have a second disappointment at the European Championship was worse. It became mental rather than physical, which is harder to overcome. If it's physical you can change what you are doing in training. But when it's mental nobody can help you apart from yourself. — PMG
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Geeta loses in repechage too
One short-circuit in the mind, one cute thought too many, one slight error – and it’s all over. These are emotions Geeta
Phogat, India’s 55kg freestyle wrestler, agonised over after she exited her first
Olympics.
Geeta fought two bouts on the day and lost both – first in the main draw, then in
repechage. Her loss to Canada’s Tonya Lynn Verbeek in the first round linked her fate to the Canadian’s – if Tonya got through to the final, all the wrestlers Tonya defeated in her group would get a chance to fight for a bronze medal in the repechage format. Tonya did reach the final, handing Geeta a lifeline. She now needed to win two bouts to win a bronze. But the anxious three-hour wait for the next bout ended in disappointment. Geeta lost quite comprehensively to Ukraine’s Tetyana
Lazareva, who put up a dominating performance. Tetyana, 31, got eight technical in the first round and one in the second. But it was her loss to Tonya, the world No. 2, that hurt more, because Geeta had come close to causing an upset. Tonya, 34 and winner of minor medals at both the Athens and Beijing Olympic Games, beat Geeta by two periods to one after the bout was tied 1-1 after two two-minute
periods. Geeta could not ignore an impulse to be clever at the end of the first period, in which she and Tonya were tied without points. In a draw of lots, Geeta picked up the right colour – she now held the advantage in the tie-breaker, or the “clinch”. With a grip on Tonya’s leg, Geeta had to attempt to topple her and
score. Geeta made a fatal mistake there. She’d worked very hard on this move in her preparation for London 2012, yet at the last moment she decided to go for a variation. “I made a mistake,” she said later. “I thought I’d use another technique, and when I did that, she moved her leg
back...” Geeta conceded a point from a winning position – that thought continued to haunt her. “If I’d won that period, I could have won the bout,” she said. “In most of these situations, the wrestler with this advantage in the clinch gets the point,” Geeta’s coach Om Prakash Yadav later said, shaking his head sadly. “In 80, 90 percent of these cases, you get the point.” In the second period, it again came to the tie-break, Geeta again got lucky with the draw of lots, and this time she didn’t make a mistake in the clinch. “I had made a mistake in the first round, and the second time I managed to get the point,” Geeta said. She won the period, and now the bout was equal at 1-1. In the decisive third period Tonya, who turns 35 next week, scored the winning points with a sudden grab at the Indian girl, bringing her down for three points. Geeta fought hard and got one point back, but the Canadian held on to take the bout. |
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London, August 9 "Look at Sardara Singh and the effort he puts on the field. Even when things have gone wrong for the team, he has played his heart out," says Nobbs, facing the enormous task of getting the team spirits up for India's last match which they need to win to avert a bottom place in the 12-team Olympic Games hockey competition. Nobbs acknowledged that his players had struggled in India's return to the Olympic Games after missing out on the qualification for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The coach said the Indian players had improved their fitness following an extended training programme, but they were unable to produce the game they were capable of. "Sardara is an exception. Thank God he's in this team and had played the game expected from someone representing his country," Nobbs said. "If only the other players had been inspired by seeing the effort he has put in," said Nobbs of the star mid-fielder, who made his Olympic Games debut soon after receiving a stinging blow just under his knee during India's tour of Europe before arriving in London. But he was back on his feet, training for the Olympic Games within a few days, and never allowed that injury to curb his domination of the midfield. Nobbs accepts that there is a huge difference in Sardara's game and those of several others in the team. As the team continued to suffer one defeat after another, Sardara made a comment that the Indian players seemed to be having some problem in mental conditioning for tournaments of this level. — PTI
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Jamaica’s great relay stumble
London, August 9 The 4x400 relay is always one of the most exciting and incident-packed events of the Games athletics programme and it lived up to its billing on Thursday. On a relatively thin schedule for the fans it became the focus of their attention and gave them plenty to shout about. Host nation Britain produced an impressive run as anchor Martyn Rooney eased up on the line to allow Trinidad and Tobago to pip them in a national record of three minutes, 0.38 seconds - both teams progressing with the same time. The crowd was denied the opportunity of seeing South African double-amputee Oscar Pistorius in action. Pistorius had controversially been listed to run the third leg, despite the risk of rivals tripping on his carbon-fibre prosthetic "blades" in the melee of the changeover. However, he was left a forlorn figure as second-leg runner Ofentse Mogawane collided with Kenya's Vincent Mumo Kiilu coming into the home straight, both men crashing to the floor. South Africa were advanced to final by jury of appeal even though they did not finish the race. Americans will start favourites for final with some fresh legs to come in but they will have to work this time in a spectacular Friday finale. — Reuters
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Sushil determined to give his best
London: The spotlight is on wrestler Sushil Kumar to fetch India a medal in the London Olympics as he now remains the main hope for the country, and the 2008 Beijing Games hero says he is determined to give his best. India's campaign in London Games is nearing an end with only wrestling and a couple of athletics events left and Beijing Olympics bronze winner Sushil carries the country's hopes of a gold medal. "In my category, there are few wrestlers with whom I have not wrestled so far," said the 29-year-old from Delhi, who is competing in the men's 66kg freestyle category on August 12. "But this is the Olympics. You will have to be prepared for anything. People back home have lot of expectation, not only from me, but from other wrestlers as well. This is a very good sign," said the 2010 world champion. With his bronze in Beijing four years ago and a rich haul of medals in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, the profile of wrestling has risen and Sushil said he and his four other colleagues were ready to give their best. "You will not find Indian wrestlers wanting. We are determined to give our best. But then, it is sports, nothing can be predicted for sure," said Sushil. — PTI
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Cricket
Mumbai, August 9 The selectors will also pick the final squad for the World Twenty20 Championship in Sri Lanka in September and Yuvraj Singh, who is training at the NCA after recovering from a rare germ cell cancer, is in contention for a spot. "It will depend on the fitness certificate that he will get from the NCA," a selection committee source told PTI. The first Test against New Zealand will be held in Hyderabad while the second match will be played at Bangalore from August 31. "There are two schools of thought on Laxman. One is that we should groom a youngster before the series against England, while the other wants to give Laxman a chance to play at home," the source said. Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and coach Duncan Fletcher will be attending the meeting. Incidentally, this will be India's first Test series after their 0-4 drubbing during at the hands of Australia, earlier this year. Tendulkar, who decided to take a break from the recently concluded limited overs series in Sri Lanka, will be fresh and raring to have a go at the New Zealanders, who had a forgettable Test series against the West Indies. The series will also be important as it will be the start of Team India's journey without a man responding to the name of Rahul Dravid. Talented India A captain Cheteshwar Pujara, who has long been touted as Dravid's ideal replacement, is likely to get a long rope to prove his worth in Test cricket. — PTI
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New format encouraged match-fixing: Ponappa
New Delhi, August 9 Despite winning two out of their three matches in Group B, Ponappa and her partner Jwala Gutta failed to progress to the quarter-finals amid allegations of match-throwing by other teams. "The round-robin format was ridiculous. It brought about a very bad side of the game. The format encouraged match-throwing. I hope the format changes (in the next Olympics)," Ponappa said. "Because of the format it was predecided who will play whom (in the knock-out stage). Japan was the top side in our group. Everyone expected them to win against Chinese Taipei. But going into their last match, Japan knew they had to lose against Chinese Taipei to avoid China. "It made things easier for Chinse Taipei who needed a win against Japan. And that's what happened... Japan played China only in the final," she claimed. The 22-year-old shuttler from Bangalore said that they were heart-broken after coming to terms with the fact that the new format robbed the duo a place in the knock-out stage, which according to her was the saddest moment of her short career.
— PTI |
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Saina regains fourth place in world ranking
The 22-year-old Hyderabadi had clinched the bronze in the women's singles after her opponent Xin Wang conceded the third-place play-off match at the Wembley Arena in London. Saina swapped places with Chinese Shixian Wang, who missed out of a London berth after Olympic champion Li Xuerui made a phenomenal run to edge past her to the world number three position in May. Only three players from a country qualify for the Olympics. The Indian has 76331.7444 points to her kitty - 300 more than Shixian. Saina was ranked fifth in the world since March but her highest ranking remains second, which she had achieved after winning a hat-trict of tournaments - India Open Grand Prix, Singapore Super Series and Indonesia Super Series - in 2010.
— PTI |
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Luka finishes sixth in semis; out of final
London, August 9 After that there was no hope for Luka — she struggled towards the end of the race. Caster Semenya won the second 800m semifinal in 1:57.67, her season best, from Arzhakova (1:58.13) and Jepkosgei (1:58.26). Earlier, India's Tintu Luka qualified for the women's 800m semifinals in the Olympic Games after finishing third in one of the heats. Luka clocked 2:01.75secs to finish third in heat number two behind reigning world champion Mariya Savinova (2:01.56) of Russia and Alice Schmidt (2:01.65) of United States. Rudisha wins 800m gold in record time
Kenya's David Rudisha stormed to 800 metres gold in a world record time at the London Olympics on Thursday to cap four years of dominance of two-lap event. The 23-year-old scorched in one minute 40.91 to beat record mark of 1.41.01 he set back in 2010. Nijel Amos of Botswana won silver in 1.41.73, while bronze went to Timothy Kitum.
— Reuters
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China sweeps TT medals
London, August 9 Even other Asian nations, where the sport is as popular, cannot reach the same standard as China. The most notable statistic is that China have now won 24 of the 28 Table Tennis gold medals on offer after delivering a second successive clean sweep in London. Li Xiaoxia and Zhang Jike won the women's and men's Singles respectively, beating compatriots Ding Ning and Wang Hao in their finals. The haul was completed as their two Team entries - the women's was comprised of Li, Ding and Guo Yue and the men's Zhang, Wang and Ma Long - also sealed the ultimate prize. Following Beijing 2008, when China scooped every Singles medal on offer, the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) reduced the amount of players countries could enter into the Singles to two. The change mattered little as a maximum haul of four golds and two silvers was delivered by China in London. It seems Dimitrij Ovtcharov may be the man most likely to break the
pattern. — Reuters |
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Sahana bows out
London, August 9 The 30-year-old athlete sailed over the bar at the first attempt with a 1.80m leap but failed in her endeavour to clear the 1.85m mark in all her three attempts and got eliminated. The Bangalore-based athlete had earlier made it to the Games with a leap of 1.92m at the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships in Hyderabad on June 23, which erased the meet mark of 1.91m held by Bobby Aloysius of Kerala since 2004. The best clearance in the event was by Uzbekistan's Svetlana Radzivil, who topped Group B with her season's best of 1.96m. Apart from Svetlana, four others - Belgium's Tia Helle, USA's Chaunte Lowe, Russia's Svetlana Shkolina and Irina Gordeeva - made it to the finals from this Group with a clearance of 1.93m.
— PTI |
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Honest confession: Phelps pees in pool
London, August 9 Ryan Lochte admitted in a post-Games interview that peeing in the pool is common practice among swimming's elite. Lochte made the admission in a radio interview with Ryan Seacrest, going so far as to say it was "automatic" when he got in the water. "Of course. We always do," he said when asked if he had ever relieved himself in the pool. "I think there's just something about getting into chlorine water that you just automatically go." Lochte and Phelps were both gold medallists in London, with Phelps finishing the event with six medals to become the most decorated Olympian of all time with 22 medals.
— Reuters |
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Golden girl Trott lays claim to be new queen of the track
London, August 9 Initially targeting Rio 2016, Trott has outpaced her planned schedule by a mere four years, first to form part of the triumphant women's team pursuit squad on Friday and then to shine equally brilliantly on an individual level four days later. A keen trampolinist at school, Trott began concentrating on cycling in her late teens and picked up a European Championship track title in 2010 before becoming youngest CWG participant.
— Reuters |
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Chen, the diver, rocks
London, August 9 The defending Olympic champion blitzed her rivals in last night's first round and it was more of the same again in the last 18 as she scored 407.25. Closest rival Benfeito from Canada was 47.35 behind, with 16-year-old Australian Brittany Broben third. While the points from this morning do not carry through to the final, it is hard to see Chen, who won her third Olympic gold in the Synchronised 10m Platform last week, being caught. Despite that, Chen said: 'It was so-so.
— Agencies |
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Rebecca "Becky" Adlington, the British freestyle swimmer won two gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Games in the 400 m and 800 m, breaking the 19 year-old world record of Janet Evans in the 800 m final. Adlington was Britain's first Olympic swimming champion since 1988 and the first British swimmer to win two Olympic gold medals since 1908.Ion an exclusive interview she talks about her bronze medals in the women's 400 m and 800 m freestyle events at the Olympics in London, and more.
Rebecca "Becky" Adlington, the British freestyle swimmer won two gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Games in the 400 m and 800 m, breaking the 19 year-old world record of Janet Evans in the 800 m final. Adlington was Britain's first Olympic swimming champion since 1988 and the first British swimmer to win two Olympic gold medals since 1908.Ion an exclusive interview she talks about her bronze medals in the women's 400 m and 800 m freestyle events at the Olympics in London, and more.
New Delhi, August 9