Moscow, August 17
Usain Bolt completed yet another crushing sprint double on Saturday and hardly needed to extend himself to achieve it as he took his third successive world 200 metres title in the year's fastest time of 19.66 seconds - easing down.

Fellow Jamaican Warren Weir improved on his Olympic bronze by taking silver in a personal best 19.79 from lane eight while Curtis Mitchell won bronze for the United States in 20.04, just preventing another Jamaican podium sweep as he beat Nickel Ashmeade by a hundredth of a second.

Bolt, the world record holder with his 19.19 from Berlin four years ago, won the 100 metres last weekend having completed the sprint double twice at the Olympics and also in the 2009 world championships.

He was always in command from lane four on Saturday and halfway round the opening bend he loomed over diminutive British teenager Adam Gemili in lane five like an ocean-going liner swamping a dinghy, before disappearing into the distance.

After a slow start to the season when he was hampered by injury, Bolt has been on an upward curve in the last few weeks and his 19.73 in Paris six weeks ago was the fastest time of the year before Saturday's race.

American Tyson Gay, who ran 19.74 in June and was the last man to beat Bolt in a global 200 when he won the 2007 world championships, was unable to challenge him again in Moscow having failed a doping test.

After winning the 100 metres gold Bolt will hope to complete another hat-trick in the 4x100m relay on Sunday, when gold would draw him level with American trio Allyson Felix, Carl Lewis and Michael Johnson with eight world titles.

Shelly Anne Fraser-Pryce won the women's 100m/200m double in Moscow, cementing Jamaica's dominant position as the sport's sprinting superpower.

Uganda’s prison warden clinches marathon gold

Uganda's Stephen Kiprotich added the world marathon gold to his Olympic title on Saturday, again shutting out strong Ethiopian and Kenyan squads. The Ugandan prison warden clocked 2hr 09min 51sec around the streets of Moscow, with Ethiopian duo Lelisa Desisa (2:10.12) and Tadese Tola (2:10.23) claiming silver and bronze respectively.

It was Uganda's second world gold medal after Dorcus Inzikuru won the 3000m steeplechase at the 2005 worlds in Helsinki, and only the African nation's fourth medal ever. The 24-year-old, who placed ninth at the 2011 worlds in Berlin, caused a big surprise to win on the streets of London last summer but was some way off the pace on his return to the British capital for the London Marathon in April. But he timed his run to perfection in Moscow against a raft of more favoured opponents, although the Kenyan squad were missing double defending champion Abel Kirui, who was out injured.

Shkolina jumps high to pluck the gold

Svetlana Shkolina of Russia won the women's high jump at the World Championships on Saturday with a leap of 2.03 metres, beating Brigetta Barrett of the United States by three centimetres.

Olympic champion Anna Chicherova of Russia, who is also the defending world champion, shared bronze with Ruth Beitia of Spain. Both cleared 1.97.

Emma Green Tregaro of Sweden, who wore rainbow-colored fingernails during qualifying to show support for Russian gays and lesbians in the face of an anti-gay law, finished fifth in the final, with red nails. — Agencies

Rustenburg (South Africa), August 17
Cheteshwar Pujara led from the front with a fine knock of 140 as India A finished with 181/3 on the first day of the first unofficial Test against South Africa here today.

At stumps, Rohit Sharma was batting on 70 and Ajinkya Rahane was unbeaten on 11.

Pujara, whose innings lasted nearly four-and-a-half hours, played 205 balls and hit 17 of them to the fence. He was finally out late in the day, bowled by Wayne Parnell, when only six more overs had to be bowled before stumps.

Earlier, at tea, India were 147/2.

Pujara was on 70 at that stage, which included 10 fours and had come off 126 balls.

Coming in at 28/1, Pujara starred in a 66-run second wicket partnership with Murali Vijay (44). After Vijay fell for 44, Pujara then added 176 for the second wicket with Rohit Sharma.

Opener Shikhar Dhawan (11) took time to see off the initial phase after Pujara won the toss and elected to bat, but the Delhi batsman could not stay longer at the crease, getting dismissed by Simon Harmar.

Harmar induced an edge from the left-handed batsman to Reeza Hendricks at first slip. Dhawan had just one six to show in his 46-ball innings.

Vijay, however, looked in good touch right from the beginning. He started the proceedings with a cover drive off Parnell in the second over. He picked up another boundary off Andrew Birch in the 14th over.

The Tamil Nadu batsman gave a special treatment to Harmer as he plundered a four and a six in successive deliveries of one of his overs. The 29-year-old repeated his act in the 23rd over by Harmer when he first drove one through the covers and then swept another delivery to the boundary.

Harmer was also at the receiving end of Pujara when the Saurashtra batsman pulled him over square leg and then cut him through the point region in his consecutive overs.

Pacer Abbott too bled runs as both Pujara and Vijay picked up a boundary each off his overs.

Pujara then went berserk and cut Parnell through point and gully area before picking up another four at the point region. In the 35th over, he once again stole runs off Abbott when he flicked him to the fine leg region.

Birch gave the hosts the much-needed breakthrough when he had Vijay caught by Harmer at second slip in the 38th over. Rohit Sharma then joined Pujara in the middle and just before the drinks, the skipper sent Birch across the fine leg area for another four.

Sharma picked up his first boundary too against Birch when he drove him across the cover region. Pujara reached his half-century when he edged Birch for four. — PTI

India A 1st innings

Dhawan c Hendricks b Harmer 11

Vijay c Harmer b Birch 44

Pujarab Parnell 140

Rohit batting 70

Rahane batting 11

Extras: (b 3, lb 1, nb 1) 5

Total: (3 wkts; 90 overs) 281 Fall of wickets: 1-28, 2-94, 3-270

Bowling

Abbott 17 -7-43-0

Parnell 18 -6-47-1

Birch 19-5-42-1

Harmer 25-2-88-1

Duminy 5-0-26-0

Ontong 3-0-16-0

Elgar 3-0-15-0

Chandigarh, August 17
Three Indian shuttlers —PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal and Puarapalli Kashyap — making it to the quarterfinals of the World Badminton Championship is hailed as a new dawn for the bird game in the country but what about India’s performance in the doubles? Miserable.

The men’s doubles team of Tarun Kona/Arun Vishnu got a first round bye but in the very next round they bowed out 15-21, 21-13, 17-21 to the Indonesian pair of Alvent Yulianto Chandra/ Markis Kido. The other pair Pranaav Chopra/ Akshay Dewalkar too got first round bye but did not compete in the second round. The women’s pair of Aparna Bhasin/ Siki Reddy fared even worse, they could not go beyond the first round. The mixed doubles too did not inspired any confidence. Tarun Kona and Ashwini Ponnappa lost to Hirokatsu Hashimoto/Miyuki Maeda 18-21, 21-12, 19-21 in the first round itself. It is not for nothing that Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponappa feel slighted after pre IBL snub. Of course, there are inflated egos and misunderstandings on both sides but this is also a fact that doubles has always been a trouble for India. No wonder India has struggled in team events. Whether it is Thomas Cup, Uber Cup or Sudiraman Cup. The recently concluded World Badminton Championship was one testimony to India’s age old weakness.

“India has always had good singles players but we have not been able to produce good doubles players. For reasons unknown we as a nation do not focus on doubles. That’s why we struggle in team events,” said Vimal Kumar, former India player and a coach at Prakash Padukone's academy in Bangalore.

“While in Indonesia, Malaysia and other countries, budding shuttlers are segregated as singles and doubles players at the outset and are trained differently but here it’s only after the shuttler fails in singles that he is shifted to doubles,” said Pranav Chopra, India’s No.1 shuttler in doubles.

This has to change. Even coaching has to be changed. Doubles is a demanding event. Players need multi-feeding and specialized coaching. Even a coach needs to have good stamina to train doubles players. “Shuttlers who are on the verge of end of their careers have to be roped in to train the budding athletes. It is no secret that India does not have specialized coaches for the doubles event and a foreign coach here too is a must,” Vimal said.

The Indian Badminton League, touted to be the best thing ever to have happened to bird game in the country, can actually be a boon for doubles event if it provides more exposure, match practice to shuttlers and an attitude change in Badminton Association of India (BAI).

New Delhi, August 17
International Olympic Committee on Saturday refused to change its stance on barring charge-sheeted persons from contesting Indian Olympic Association elections, saying that entertaining IOA's objections would amount to undermining the Olympic charter.

IOC had sent the revised draft Constitution of the IOA which envisaged barring of corruption-tainted persons from contesting IOA elections. IOA had objected to this provision saying that Indian law would prevail on these matters.

However, IOC stuck to its stand. It also issued a veiled threat of possible action to the IOA, reminding it that it has been under suspension and so should act responsibly to meet the conditions requested by the world body.

"The IOC has never questioned the principle that till one is convicted one is innocent. However the IOC Code of Ethics clearly states that the Olympic parties (which include the NOCs) must undertake to respect and ensure the respect of the IOC Code of Ethics which says in particular that they must not act in a manner likely to tarnish the reputation of the Olympic Movement. The IOA (still suspended) must therefore act responsibly and must adopt a clear wording in its revised Constitution," IOC stated in its letter. "The wording of the proposed provision which reads 'The Law of the land will prevail in all affairs concerning Indian Olympic Association' cannot be accepted since this would leave aside and undermine the Olympic Charter and the IOA Constitution," said the letter written by IOC Director General Christophe De Kepper.

"The following (or similar) wording shall therefore be considered: 'The Indian Olympic Association shall be governed in accordance with the IOA Constitution, the Olympic Charter and the Law of the land'. "As per the IOC provision, the constitution would prevent any person charged by a Court in India for any serious criminal/corruption offense (whose situation would therefore tarnish the reputation of the Olympic Movement) from being eligible for election within the IOA," it said. — PTI

Abhinav Bindra lauds IOC directive

Top shooter Abhinav Bindra has welcomed IOC directive which bars tainted personalities from being part of the IOA. “I am extremely pleased that the IOC is willing to clean up Indian sports," Bindra said. “All of us would like to have officials who care about Indian sports and put athletes foremost in their minds," he said. Bindra was part of sports ministrys' delegation which visited the IOC headquarters in Lausanne with an aim to get the suspended India back into the Olympic fold. Earlier in the week, the IOC had sent the revised draft of the IOA constitution which contained that chargesheeted individuals will not be allowed to contest IOA elections. — Agencies

New Delhi, August 17
Top shooter Abhinav Bindra has welcomed International Olympic Committee's (IOC) directive which bars tainted personalities from being part of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

"I am extremely pleased that the IOC is willing to clean up Indian sports," Bindra was quoted as saying by a TV channel Saturday.

"All of us would like to have officials who care about Indian sports and put athletes foremost in their minds," said India's only individual Olympic gold medallist .

Bindra was part of sports ministrys' delegation which visited the IOC headquarters in Lausanne with an aim to get the suspended India back into the Olympic fold.

Earlier in the week, the IOC had sent the revised draft of the IOA constitution which contained that chargesheeted individuals will not be allowed to contest IOA elections. The IOA replied by saying that Indian law does not bar chargesheeted from seeking power in India's top sporting body. — IANS

Cincinnati, August 17
The world's top two tennis players, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, both suffered shock defeats Friday, while Rafael Nadal stormed back to beat longtime rival Roger Federer at the Cincinnati Masters.

Number three Nadal booked a spot in the semi-finals by rallying past Federer, with the Swiss player saving four match points in a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 loss. The pair have met a total of 31 times, with Nadal winning 21 of those.Federer suffered only his second loss in the last five editions in Cincinnati.World number one Djokovic fell 7-6 (7/5), 3-6, 7-5 to unseeded John Isner as the Serb's attempt to set another tennis record ended in defeat.

Had Djokovic beaten the American he would have kept alive a bid to become the first man to win all nine Masters 1000 titles in his career. Two-time champion Murray was eliminated 6-3, 6-4 by Tomas Berdych, leaving the Scot to head for New York and his US Open title defense, beginning August 26, with plenty to work on.

BRIEFLY

Chennai
Ajay Jadeja may play for Haryana in Ranji season

Ajay Jadeja hit a valuable 37 to lead Haryana to a 62-run victory at the Buchi Babu cricket tournament in Chennai. “I read somewhere that I am making a comeback. When did I quit to make a comeback? I have been playing for the last 25 years," Jadeja said. Doubling up as coach-cum-mentor, the 42-year-old has not ruled out captaining the side in Ranji season.

New Delhi
Azhar asked to coach J&K

Former Indian skipper Mohammad Azharuddin has been offered to coach Jammu and Kashmir team this Ranji season. The former batsman is yet to confirm. “We still haven't reached the final decision," Abdullah said. Azhar’s secretary Mujeeb Khan said, “He hasn't decided whether to take it or not. But he is seriously considering it." However, reports suggest that the former India star cannot return without BCCI's permission since the ruling has been challenged.

Bangalore
Erase records of fixers, says Sir Richard Hadlee

Legendary New Zealand cricketer Richard Hadlee said that players who are involved in fixing should not only be banned but their records should also be erased. “People have to be made examples of and clearly banned, even take it a step further, even have your records erased for life in the game, I think that is the most severe penalty that can happen even more than going to jail is to have your record erased from the game, if it needs to go to that stage then players are going to think twice before they,” Hadlee said.

Nanjing, China
Indians win 2 bronze on first day of Youth Games

M Kavita Devi and T Lalchhanhima opened India's medal account in the 2nd Asian Youth Games with a bronze medal each in girl's judo and boy's weightlifting respectively on the first day. Kavita (44kg) beat Karchayeva Aida of Kazakhstan. Lalchhanhima (56kg) won bronze with a lift of 228 (100 in snatch; 128 in clean and jerk). Vikas Kharb (55kg) lost to Sithisane Soukphaxay of Laos in first round. — PTI