Rio de Janeiro: Star shuttler P.V. Sindhu entered the women’s singles final to assure India of a second medal at the Rio Olympics while the Indian contingent suffered a blow with wrestler Narsingh Yadav being banned for four years over a doping offence.

Sindhu assured the country of at least a silver medal after thrashing Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara in straight games in the women’s singles badminton semi-final at the Rio Olympics here on Thursday.

World No. 10 Sindhu continued with her giant-killing spree as she made light work of the Japanese to register a 21-19, 21-10 triumph in the semi-finals and become the first Indian shuttler to enter the final of the Olympics.

However, the euphoria in the Indian camp turned into dismay later in the day when Narsingh’s dream of competing at the Rio Olympics came to an end with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upholding the World Anti Doping Agency’s (WADA) appeal against the clean chit given to him by the National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) in a doping violation case.

The ad hoc division of the CAS, which met here on Thursday to hear the WADA’s appeal against the clearance to Narsingh by the NADA, also slapped a four-year ban on the Mumbai wrestler.

“WADA filed an urgent application before the CAS ad hoc division to challenge the decision of NADA India to exonerate Narsingh Yadav following two positive anti-doping tests with methandienone on June 25 and July 5. The athlete asserted that he was the victim of sabotage (food/drink tampering) by another person. WADA requested that a four-year period of ineligibility be imposed on the athlete,” the CAS said in a statement.

“The CAS panel did not accept the argument of the athlete that he was the victim of sabotage and noted that there was no evidence that he bore no fault, nor that the anti-doping rule violation was not intentional. Therefore the standard four-year period of ineligibility was imposed by the panel,” the statement added.

With the CAS announcing its verdict, Narsingh’s campaign at the ongoing Rio Olympics has ended before it could start.

According to the official website of the Rio Games, the Mumbai grappler was scheduled to start his Olympic campaign against Zelimkhan Khadjiev of France in the qualification round of the men’s 74 kilogram Freestyle category on Friday.

The 26-year-old grappler also underwent his weigh-in on Thursday.

“It is very sad and unfortunate. We were hopeful until the last proceeding of the CAS that he will get through which unfortunately did not happen,” Indian Chef de Mission Rakesh Gupta told IANS after the hearing.

“It is really very sad because he had a real potential to clinch a medal.”

Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh called for a probe by the Central Bureau Of Investigation (CBI) into the whole affair.

“This should not happen to any sportsperson in the future. I demand a CBI probe into the entire issue so that this episode is not repeated in the future,” Brijbhushan told a television news channel.

“We feel sorry for Narsingh, this should not hapen to any athlete.”

But in the sports arena, India’s fortunes took a sudden turn for the better as Sindhu defeated World No.2 Wang Yihan on Wednesday, set up her semi-final clash with world No.6 Okuhara.

World No.10 Sindhu made light work of the Japanese to become the first Indian shuttler to enter the final of the Olympics.

With this win, the double World Championship bronze medallist improved her head-to-head record against reigning All England Open champion Okuhara to 2-3.

In the final, she will face two-time reigning world champion Carolina Marin of Spain, who beat defending champion Li Xuerui of China 21-14, 21-16 in the other semi-final.

Irrespective of the colour of the medal in the final on Friday, it will be India’s second medal in the Rio Games after wrestler Sakshi bagged a bronze medal in the women’s 58kg category.

Sindhu’s height and long reach gave her a lot of advantage against the pint-sized Okuhara, who also had her right thigh strapped.

Especially, Sindhu’s sharp cross-court game and half smash helped her get off to a fine start as she took the first game 21-19.

In the second game, Sindhu turned more aggressive and played a fearless game to stun the Japanese who looked short of ideas.

The 21-year-old Hyderabadi kept earning points, hitting one smash after another to enjoy a comfortable ride. As many as 10 points on the trot catapulted her to the final with a 21-10 win in the second game.

Afterwards, what followed was a screaming celebration from Sindhu and her camp.

“It’s historic day. I feel so proud. It’s a show of women power. Sindhu, Sakshi and even Saina all have shown great women power. I am keeping my fingers crossed for gold tomorrow,” International Olympic Committee (IOC) committee member Nita Ambani said.

“I am very happy and as Indians we are all feeling proud, especially Indian girls. I think, for us it’s a big, big occasion to celebrate the power of our young Indian girls.

“We need to make India a multisport nation. All children should play all games and experience them. We have to, specially encourage Indian girls to play more and different games in India,” she added.

“I am humbled and privileged to be working in the International Olympic Committee.”

The only disappointment of the day was wrestler Babita Kumari losing 1-5 to Greece’s Maria Prevolaraki in the women’s Freestyle 53 kg 1/8 Final.

Babita struggled to find her feet in the first period after being pushed out of the safety zone and then the Greek wrestler took another two points to extend the lead further to 3-0.

The 26-year-old Indian managed to bag a point in the second period as Maria failed to make the most of the 30-second advantage.

Babita once again went for aggressive play but Maria turned it around to add two more to her score. From then on, things started slipping from the Indian’s hands as Maria displayed great defensive skills to hold on and beat the Indian.

Meanwhile, at the golf course, India’s Aditi Ashok continued to impress as she carded a second straight three-under 68 to be tied eighth after the second round of the women’s golf event.

The 18-year-old got off to a flying start on Thursday after getting a birdie on the par-five first hole before getting two more birdies on the par-three fourth and par-four ninth holes till the halfway mark.

In the back nine, she bogeyed the par-five 10th hole before picking her again with consecutive birdies on the 15th and 16th hole.

However, a bogey on the par-five 18th hole again gave her a 68 that took her total to six-under 136. She shared the eighth position with four other golfers.

The Bengaluru golfer was four strokes behind leader South Korean Inbee Park, who carded a second straight 66 to sit at the top.

Lewis Stacy of the US carded a stunning eight-under 63 to be one stroke behind Inbee.

Britain’s Charley Hull (66) and Brooke Hendersen of Canada (64) shared the third spot with identical totals of eight-under 134.

(IANS)

by Cricbuzz

Unhappy with a few wet patches, as they felt more work was needed, the umpires decided to schedule another inspection at 10:00 AM local time. The toss will take place at 10:10 AM with play scheduled to start at 10:30 AM conditions permitting.

Pitch Report:
“It has been raining heavily over the past few days and the pitch was under covers. There might be some moisture on the surface, the wicket looks tacky and batting should be difficult for the first hour, before easing out. It’s a bowl first pitch,” said Jeff Dujon.

Chasing 324 for victory, Australia were all out for 160, half-an-hour before the tea break

Sri Lanka on Wednesday defeated Australia by 163 runs in the final Test in Colombo to complete a 3-0 sweep in the three-match series. With the series win, India, which was placed second on the ranking list ahead of the series, moved to the top spot.

Chasing 324 for victory, Australia were all out for 160, half-an-hour before the tea break, succumbing to their third successive defeat against the hosts.

David Warner top-scored for Australia with a fluent 68. Rangana Herath (7/64) was the pick of the Sri Lankan bowlers, finishing with a 13-wicket match haul.

The teams now face off in a five-match one-day series beginning on Sunday in Colombo.

(Reuters)

Mumbai: India will play an international friendly match against Puerto Rico in Mumbai on September 3, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) announced on Thursday.

The match will be played at the Andheri Sports Complex here.

“We are pleased to announce an International Friendly against Puerto Rico on September 3, 2016, in Mumbai,” AIFF general secretary Kushal Das said in an AIFF release.

“As per the August FIFA Rankings, Puerto Rico are ranked 114. Playing against such an opposition will help us prepare well for the forthcoming Asian Cup UAE 2019 Qualifiers,” Das added.

National coach Stephen Constantine stressed that the best way to test growth is to “playing higher ranked opposition”. India are currently ranked 152.

“During my previous tenure in India, we regularly played higher ranked Teams. It’s the best way to test yourself. Puerto Rico are presently ranked 114 and we look forward to playing them,” Constantine stated.

“The pre-season training camp had its own benefits and they were visible even in the high altitude in our unofficial friendly match against Bhutan in Thimphu. But this will be an entirely different ball game,” he added.

India beat Bhutan 3-0 in a friendly match on August 14.

(IANS)

Rio de Janeiro: Star wrestler Sakshi Malik brought an end to India’s long wait for a medal at the ongoing Rio Olympics, clinching bronze in the Women’s Freestyle 58kg category even as the Indian challenge in other disciplines continue to falter.

The 23-year-old from Rohtak overturned a 0-5 deficit in a hectic second round to script an 8-5 victory over Aisuluu Tynybekova of Kyrgyzstan in the bronze medal bout at the Carioca Arena 2 here on Wednesday.

It was a rousing display of fighting spirit and never-say-die attitude from the Indian.

Aisuluu was clearly the superior wrestler in the totally one-sided opening round, displaying impressive strength and technique to take five points and open up a formidable lead.

But Sakshi — who has previously shown a knack of staging strong comebacks — was a totally transformed grappler in the second round, taking eight consecutive points to send the sizable number of Indian fans in the stands into wild delirium.

Sakshi, who had also finished on the podium at the 2015 Asian Championships, created history by becoming the first Indian female wrestler to clinch an Olympic medal.

Kaori Icho of Japan won the gold medal in the category while Russia’s Valeria Koblova — who had defeated Sakshi in the quarter-finals — took the silver.

Eight-time African champion Marwa Amri of Tunisia took home the other bronze medal in the category.

Icho also created history by becoming the first-ever wrestler to win four Olympic titles. She is also the first female in any sport to win gold at four Olympics in an individual event.

Earlier, Sakshi had crashed out of contention for the gold medal after a one-sided 2-9 loss to Valeria in the quarter-finals.

Sakshi, who trailed 0-1 after the first period, made a comeback in the initial minutes of the second period to go 2-1 up.

She, however, failed to maintain the lead as the Russian overpowered her with some incredible moves to take an unassailable 9-2 lead in the dying minutes.

But with Valeria later making it to the final, Sakshi qualified for the repechage round for a shot at the bronze medal.

She started her bid for the bronze in superb fashion by defeating Orkhon Purevdorj of Mongolia 12-3 in the Repechage Round 2 to move within striking distance of a medal.

Sakshi’s medal capped another day of heartbreaks for India including an unfortunate injury to Vinesh in the women’s 48kg Freestyle category that forced her out of the competition.

Vinesh had sustained what seemed to be a serious knee injury during her bout against Sun Yanan of China in the quarter-finals.

The Haryana grappler, one of India’s best bets for a medal, had received a bye in the opening round. She then started her campaign on a rousing note with a dominant 11-0 thrashing of Alina Emilia of Romania in the pre-quarterfinals.

The 21-year-old was leading 1-0 against the Chinese grappler at the time of her injury.

The match was immediately stopped to allow medical attention to Vinesh. After the Indian physio declared that Vinesh will not be able to continue, Sun, who was leading 2-1, was declared the winner by injury.

Vinesh, who got her injured knee wrapped and put in a brace, was taken away on a stretcher. She was then shifted to the Athletes Village where a clinic has all the facilities for medical test. However, she had to wait about an hour for the MRI, since the machines were busy with other athletes.

Later, doctors said Vinesh’s injury was a “ligament tear” and no fracture was seen.

“She will recover from the injury in about two weeks, but for her to start wrestling will take about six weeks at least,” the Chief Medical Officer of the Indian contingent in Rio, Pawandeep Singh Kohli told IANS.

The doctor said she sustained the injury when her opponent in the wrestling match caught her foot and turned it sharply, putting pressure on the knee. “It’s an agonising pain when a ligament tears,” he said. A brace has been put on her leg. She will be examined after two weeks and then advise given on future course of treatment.

The other events on Wednesday witnessed a by now familiar pattern of Indians producing brave efforts only to fizzle out in their respective disciplines.

The day started with Srikanth going down after a valiant fight to two-time defending champion Lin Dan of China in the quarter-finals of the men’s singles event of the badminton competition.

Five-time world champion Dan edged out World No.11 Srikanth 21-6, 11-21, 21-18.

With this win, the 32-year-old Chinese legend took a 3-1 head-to-head lead against the 23-year-old Indian shuttler.

In the semi-finals, Dan will face his long-time rival and Malaysian veteran Lee Chong Wei, who crushed Chinese Taipei’s Tou Tien Chen in a dominating 21-9, 21-15 victory.

Wednesday also witnessed Tintu Luka finishing sixth in her women’s 800 metre heats despite clocking her season’s best timing.

In track and field, Tintu was the lone Indian athlete in action on Wednesday.

She started off well but her strategy backfired to finish with a timing of 2:00.58 minutes in Heat 3. Tintu finished overall 29th in the qualification round.

The qualification round was topped by Canada’s Melissa Bishop followed by Marina Arzamasova of Belarus and Habitam Alemu of Ethiopia at the second and third spots respectively.

In the women’s golf event, India’s Aditi Ashok carded an impressive three-under 68 to finish tied seventh after the opening round.

The 18-year-old got off to a flying start after getting a birdie on the par-four second hole before getting two more birdies on the par-five 10th and par-three 14th holes to get a 68 in a flawless round.

The Bengaluru golfer shared the spot with Lexi Thomson of the United States, Britain’s Charley Hull and the Spaniard Azahara Munoz.

Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand set the pace with a six-under 65 as she enjoyed a one-stroke lead at the top over the South Korean duo of Inbee Park and Seiyoung Kim.

It was an eventful round for Ariya, who got an eagle on the par-five fifth, alongside seven birdies against a double bogey on the par-three fourth and a bogey on the par-four 11th.

(IANS)

Rio de Janeiro: India’s shuttler Kidambi Srikanth will face an enormous task of beating two-time Olympic gold medallist and five-time world champion Lin Dan of China in the quarter-finals of the men’s singles event at the Rio Olympics here on Wednesday.

World No.11 Srikanth stunned World No.5 Jorgensen 21-19, 21-19 in 42 minutes at the pre-quarters stage. And the stakes will be high as Srikanth will aim to prove that he has really come of age.

At Rio, Srikanth has joined Parupalli Kashyap, who was the first Indian men’s singles player to reach the quarter-finals of the Olympics at the London Games in 2012.

World No.3 Dan is considered as the most successful shuttler in history. The 32-year-old Chinese has completed the “Super Grand Slam”, having won all nine major titles in the badminton world: Olympic Games, World Championships, World Cup, Thomas Cup, Sudirman Cup, Super Series Masters Finals, All England Open, Asian Games, and Asian Championships — becoming the first and only player to achieve this feat.

Many feel that Dan is past his prime but the left-hander remains the strong opponent that he used to be. Moreover, having the experience of wriggling out of crunch situations will be in his favour.

On the other hand, the 23-year-old Guntur lad has won 2014 China Open Superseries Premier after beating Dan 21-19, 21-17 in the final, thus becoming the first Indian male shuttler to win a Superseries Premier title.

It will be the fourth meeting between them with the Chinese dominating twice, but Srikanth had an upper hand at the last meeting at the 2014 China Masters.

On his way to the quarter-finals, the Indian topped Group H by registering easy wins against Munoz Lino of Mexico and Henri Hurskainen of Sweden, setting up a clash with Dane Jan O Jorgensen in the pre-quarters.

By virtue of his exceptional defensive skills, the Dane gave a tough time to Srikanth but it was the Indian who managed to clinch the well-fought battle with some body-line smashes.

After the pre-quarterfinals in the last two World Championships and the Asian Games, Srikanth has taken a good step forward, and it remains to be seen how well he tackles the extra attacking and rock solid defence of the God of badminton, Lin Dan.

(IANS)

Jamaican icon 3-peats; Canadian sets personal-best time of 9.91 seconds

by Benjamin Blum, CBC Sports

Usain Bolt completed a historic three-peat, winning gold in the 100-metre final Sunday in Rio. Canada’s Andre De Grasse captured bronze.

Bolt won the race in 9.81 seconds, followed by American Justin Gatlin at 9.89 and De Grasse at a personal-best 9.91.

De Grasse out-leaned Yohan Blake at the finish to reach the podium, edging the Jamaican by 2-100ths of a second.

“I’m feeling pretty good right now, I can’t complain,” De Grasse said after the race. “To be able to race against Usain and Gatlin, being a part of the same race as them and being a part of history today in Rio, it was a great feeling for me and I just have so much to learn from that race.”

De Grasse, from Markham, Ont., finished 1-100th of a second faster than the time he posted to win bronze at the 2015 world championships and equalled earlier Sunday in the 100 semifinals.

He is also the first Canadian male athlete to win a medal in Rio. Canada’s first 12 medals were won by women.

“I’m shaking,” Canadian 1996 Olympic champion Donovan Bailey told CBC Sports’ Scott Russell after the race. “This is great for track and field in Canada.”

Bolt enters Olympic pantheon

If there were any doubts, it took less than 10 seconds — 9.81, to be exact — for Bolt to erase them.

On a muggy Sunday night in Rio, the Jamaican superstar became the first person to capture three straight 100-metre titles at the Olympics.

The 6-foot-5 sprinter overcame his typically slow unfurling from the blocks, gradually worked up speed, caught American Justin Gatlin with 40 metres left and was celebrating — pointing at his chest with his thumb — before he crossed the finish line.

“Bolt just had that extra gear and I tried to go with him, it was tough but I know now I just need to work harder for next year and be more prepared,” De Grasse said.

“After having an up and down season with injuries this year,I can’t complain about the bronze medal. This is the best shape I’ve ever been in [and] I came away with a personal-best.”

As for the Olympic icon Bolt, he had nothing but praise for the Canadian medallist.

“He came through again,” Bolt said. “He’s going to be good, he runs just like me, I mean he’s really slow at the blocks but when he gets going, he gets going.”

“I think he can improve his start much better than me because he’s shorter so he will get better at the start if he works on a few things.”

The next one?

De Grasse’s Olympic debut comes on the heels of a changing of the guard in sprinting.

With Bolt and Gatlin’s futures uncertain, the Canadian’s bronze medal could be a golden opportunity going forward.

“We were just having some fun,” De Grasse said about his post-race encounter with Bolt. “Me and Usain met back in January, we did a lot of things together.”

“He feels like I’m the next one, and now I’m just trying to live up to it.”

De Grasse has plenty of confidence on the track, but credits his mother Beverley for pushing him to succeed.

“She’s everything,” De Grasse said. “Without her I don’t know even know if I would even be so motivated to do this sport.”

“I feel like I’m capable of doing it, my next Olympics I’m looking forward to it but as of now I’m just trying to get ready for my 200 and just sink it all in.

Duisburg: The Indian U-17 football team defeated German U-17 Bundesliga Youth League’s second division club Rot Weiss Oberhausen 4-1.

The Indian team got off to a flying start at the Sports School here on Sunday as they scored in the fourth minute of the match, according to an All India Football Federation (AIFF) release.

Abijit Sarkar tapped home a cross from the left flank to hand India the lead.

After conceding the goal, the German players counter attacked and dominated ball possession.

In the 13th minute they equalised.

But in the 37th minute, the Indians took the lead when Aniket Jadhav poked a routine corner kick scenario home.

India went into half time leading 2-1.

The second half was totally dominated by India as they scored in the 73rd minute through Sanjeev Stalin and 85th minute through Jitendra Singh to seal the match.

(IANS)

Toronto: Minutes after completing a 6-3, 7-5 ATP Toronto Masters final win over Kei Nishikori for his 66th career title, Novak Djokovic had already shifted his focus to the Rio Olympics.

The world number one, who claimed his fourth Canadian title with a command performance over Asia’s top player lasting less than 90 minutes, will waste no time in heading south to Brazil for the weekend start of the Summer Games.

“It’s the biggest event in the history of the sport, so to be part of it is already a huge privilege and honour that I will cherish, as I did in Beijing and London Olympic Games,” said the holder of a leading 30 Masters 1000 trophies.

“I had an honour of carrying the flag for my country in London 2012, one of the most unique and unforgettable moments of my life. So I look forward to that, honestly, just being part of it.

“I’m approaching the Olympic Games as any other tournament. I’m trying to respect the same kind of preparation and routine that I have with my team and that I have respected for so many years.

“It has worked well for us this week and as most of the other weeks the last couple of years.”

Djokovic lifted his game in Canada as the week progressed, sweeping to the title without the loss of a set and dispatching challenges from Gael Monfils in the semis followed by Japan’s Nishikori.

“The overall sensation (of Rio) is not going to be the same as the other tournaments, because it’s Olympic Games,” he said. “Of course you represent your country.

“You get to feel that you’re part of something much larger than just the tennis event. I look forward to that.

“I’m going to try to extract that positivity out of that huge attention and energy that will be directed into the Olympic Games and hopefully put myself in a position to battle for a medal.”

Djokovic won a bronze medal in Beijing and just missed the podium in London, losing to Argentina’s Juan Martin Del Potro in the bronze medal match.

Sunday’s title erased memories of a third-round Wimbledon upset loss a month ago to Sam Querrey.

“Everything in life happens for a reason. The fact that I have lost in the first week of Wimbledon allowed me to have a week more of the time with my family and just the quality time off the tennis, thinking about other things, recharging my batteries, and then coming in here with plenty of motivation to do well.

“I couldn’t ask for a better start to the hard court season, and hopefully I can keep going in the right direction.”

Djokovic won his seventh trophy this season. “It has happened many times in my career where I would start a tournament still feeling a little bit uncomfortable on the court and finding my rhythm, and then in the end of the tournament I find that proper comfort level with shots, with the way I feel, with mental attitude.

“My two best performances arrived in semi-finals and finals — the right moment for me.

“That gives me a lot of confidence that I will try to carry into Rio.”

North Sound: Star off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin starred with a seven-wicket haul as India defeated West Indies by an innings and 92 runs on the fourth day of the first Test at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium here on Sunday.
Ashwin decimated the West Indies’ middle and lower order after lunch to boast figures of 7/83. This was India’s biggest margin of victory outside the sub-continent.

The Chennai off-spinner made good use of the conditions to extract appreciable turn from the pitch and was helped along by some poor application by the West Indies batsmen.

Carlos Braithwaite, who remained unbeaten on 51, was the highest scorer among the hosts.

Coming together with the hosts toterring at 132/8, Braithwaite and Devendra Bishoo (45) engaged in a desperate battle with the Indian bowlers as they sought to postpone defeat.

The duo displayed copious amounts of patience and application — qualities sadly missing in their top order colleagues — to frustrate the Indian bowlers for a long time and forge a 95-run partnership.

Bishoo even hit Ashwin over the mid-wicket boundary for a six a couple of overs before tea to offer some much needed cheer to the home crowd.

However, the hosts’ heroic resistance suffered a rather tame end shortly after tea. Bishoo fell agonisingly short of a half-century when he offered a relatively tame catch to Cheteshwar Pujara at midwicket while trying to hoick a delivery by Ashwin.

Shannon Gabriel lasted all of three deliveries before being outfoxed by an Ashwin delivery that spun in sharply to hit the stumps as the visitors celebrated a well-deserved victory.

Earlier, the West Indies continued their battle during the rain-shortened morning session.

Opening batsman Rajendra Chandrika and Samuels forged a 67-run stand following the dismissal of Darren Bravo early in the morning.

The match was halted due to rain half an hour before the end of the first session, forcing an early lunch, as the West Indies, who were on Saturday bowled out for 243 in their first essay, were battling to avert an innings defeat.

Resuming the day at 21/1, the West Indies received a big blow in the first over of the day when left-handed overnight batsman Bravo edged an away-moving delivery from pacer Umesh Yadav to wide third slip fielder Ajinky Rahane, who dived low to his left to pluck a brilliant catch.

It was just the start the Virat Kohli-led visitors wanted and the wicket further boosted their confidence.

However, the home batting duo of Chandrika and Samuels came out with strong resistance to deny India any more wickets at the Sir Vivian Richards stadium.

While Chandrika was all about doggedness and determination as he played 84 deliveries for 22 not out, Samuels, 35, showed the way for the West Indies with attacking intent.

Samuels took the attack to the opposition and hit 11 boundaries among the 85 deliveries he faced.

Indian pacer Ishant Sharma tested him early with rising deliveries but he fended them with determination — twice spanking them through the covers for fours.

Indian bowlers also made the fault of bowling much outside the off stump as Samuels and Chandrika found them comfortable.

Samuels produced an off-drive and a punch towards the covers of Mohammed Shami and later punished Ashwin with three fours in a single over, making the best use of experience and feet movement.

(IANS)