Bolt storms to 100m victory, Farah wins 3,000m

July 25, 2015

London, Jul 25: Six-time Olympic champion Usain Bolt stormed to the men's 100 metres title at the Diamond League meeting at the Olympic Stadium here.

boltBritain's glittering star Mo Farah, competing in his first race at home since allegations of doping were made against coach Albert Salazar, won the 3,000m and received cheers as loud as those to Bolt from the boisterous crowd on Friday, reports Xinhua.

Bolt, who claimed three golds on the same track at the 2012 Olympics, powered home in a stunning time of 9.87 seconds, his best performance of the season. The Jamaican, running his second 100m race this season, had braved rain and headwinds to win the heat, also in 9.87 seconds, despite loosening the stride in the final metres.

"The heats were good, but the finals not so good. In the final I got a really bad start. I kind of lost focus for a minute and I lost my form but I got it back at the end. So it taught me a lot, these two races," he said.

"I wasn't looking for a specific time but I knew I could have gone faster if I had got the start I wanted. The key thing coming into this race was trying to get everything right on the track."

American Michael Rodgers finished second in 9.9 seconds while Bolt's fellow Jamaican Kemar Bailey-Cole was third in 9.92.

The 28-year-old Jamaican, who holds the 100m world record of 9.58 seconds, had not been in good form this season, registering his only 100m time of 10.12 seconds two months ago and putting his preparation for the Beijing World Championships in doubt.

He is now confident of adding more gold medals to his collection at the tournament in Beijing which will be held between August 22 and 30 at the iconic Bird's Nest.

"Anything is possible in Beijing, it's all about the effort you put in. My coach has been happy with my technique and my work but it's all about getting race-ready now," he said.

Later, Farah, who won the 5,000m and 10,000m gold medals here at the Olympics three years ago, won in seven minutes and 34.66 seconds.

"Today has helped because I can see my plans coming together. I got amazing support which was incredible. It meant everything to me. This is where I made my name and it changed my life to win and become Olympic champion," he said.

The men's 200m was won by Britain's Zharnel Hughes in a personal best of 20.05 seconds and his compatriot Laura Weightman upset the field to win the women's 1,500m in 4:06.09.

The United States bagged the two hurdles events with Jason Richardson winning the men's 110m in 13.19 seconds and Jasmin Stowers taking the women's 100m in 12.47.

The Americans narrowly missed a third hurdles title in 400m which was won by Zuzana Hejnova of the Czech Republic. American duo Georganne Moline and Cassandra Tate finished second and third respectively.

But Natasha Hastings added a third title to the US team, clocking a season best of 50.24 for the victory.

Olympic heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis-Hill of Britain finished fifth in 100m hurdles with a season's best time of 12.79 seconds.

Kazakhstan's Olga Rypakova won the women's triple jump in 14.33m, Italy's Marco Fassinotti captured the men's high jump by clearing 2.31m beating teammate Gianmarco Tamberi (2.28) and Qatar's Essa Mutaz Barshim (2.28) into second and third places.

Belgium's Philip Milanov won the men's discus throw with 65.14m.

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News Network
May 30,2020

St John's, May 30: The Cricket West Indies (CWI) on Saturday announced a temporary 50 per cent reduction in salaries and cricket funding across the entire regional cricket system, effective from the start of July due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic which resulted in the suspension of all the cricketing activities across the globe since March.

"This decision has been necessary in the face of debilitating economic challenges which have resulted from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. With no international cricket currently being played anywhere in the world, and with great uncertainty of when regular cricket activity will resume, CWI - like many other international sporting organisations worldwide - is facing a significant loss of income, whilst also being uncertain of the long-term impact of the crisis on our operations," the CWI said in a statement.

During Thursday's teleconference, CWI's Board of Directors received recommendations from the Financial Strategy Advisory Committee (FSAC). The FSAC was formed in April by CWI president Ricky Skerritt, to make recommendations on how CWI could best manage its resources in order to continue its core business over the next few months in view of the changing and uncertain economic environment created by the global pandemic COVID-19. These recommended measures followed close consultation with all stakeholders.

"Cricket is the beating heart of our region for many individuals, communities, and economies. This pandemic is hurting every West Indian and this decision to cut staff and player incomes has been a very difficult one to make; one that will impact so many members of the cricketing family around the Caribbean," Skerritt said.

"This business continuity plan, unfortunately, requires all stakeholders to make a huge sacrifice, but I am confident that it won't be long before CWI will be in a position to ensure that the sport we love can restart and be enjoyed once again by the thousands of cricket fans across the region and diaspora," he added.

CWI has kept staff, players, umpires and coaches on full-pay since the outbreak of COVID-19 and have tried our best to avoid any cuts for as long as possible. CWI hopes that these temporary measures will only be in place for not more than three to six months. These measures will also include a 50 per cent reduction in funding for Territorial Boards, Territorial Board Franchises and WIPA, as well as a 50 per cent cut in all retainers and allowances for Directors and Executive management.

Earlier in the day, CWI gave its approval for a 'bio-secure' Test tour to England.

West Indies were first slated to play three Tests against England in June, but the original starting date of the series was pushed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is looking to go ahead with the series against West Indies in July and then the Three Lions will play three Tests against Pakistan.

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News Network
April 28,2020

New Delhi, Apr 28: IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore's Director of Cricket Operations Mike Hesson returned to New Zealand on Tuesday after being stranded in India for over a month amid the nationwide lockdown to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ex-New Zealand player and coach had arrived in India on March 5 for the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League but was stuck in the country after the lockdown was imposed and all flights were suspended.

"What a wonderful sight after spending over a day on a bus to get to Mumbai airport. The staff on @FlyAirNZ were simply outstanding on our return to New Zealand," Hesson tweeted.

He also thanked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the New Zealand Embassy in India, New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

"Special thanks to Down pointing backhand index @NZinIndia @MFATNZ @narendramodi @jacindaardern #repatriationflight #india #NZ" he added.

To stem the spread of the coronavirus outbreak, India and New Zealand had announced lockdowns in their respective countries last month, alongside travel restrictions, forcing the 45-year-old to stay in Bengaluru.

While India remains in lockdown till May 3, New Zealand eased its stringent measures on Tuesday.

The IPL, which was originally scheduled to get underway on March 29, has been suspended until further notice due to the pandemic.

The cornavirus outbreak, that originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has infected over 30 lakh people across the world while killing more than two lakh.

All sporting events, including the Tokyo Olympics, have either been cancelled or postponed.

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News Network
June 22,2020

Zadar (Croatia), Jun 22: Grigor Dimitrov took to Instagram to announce that he has tested positive for coronavirus. The tennis star was one of the players who took part in the Adria Tour with the likes Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem among others.

Taking to Instagram, the player wrote: "Hi Everyone-I want to reach out and let my fans and friends know that I tested positive back in Monaco for Covid-19. I want to make sure anyone who has been in contact with me during these past days gets tested and takes the necessary precautions. I am so sorry for any harm I might have caused. I am back home now and recovering. Thanks for your support and please stay safe and healthy."

He also urged those who had come in contact with him over the last few days in Monaco should also get tested for the deadly virus.

Meanwhile, World no.1 Djokovic reached the final of his exhibition tournament in Zadar, Croatia, after easing through the round-robin group stage on the first day. This is the second stage of the Adria Tour with Austrian Dominic Thiem winning the first leg in Belgrade, Serbia.

Djokovic started by saving three set points in his 4-3, 4-1 win over fellow Serb Pedja Krstin. He then beat home favourite Borna Coric 4-1, 4-3 in front of several thousand fans at the Visnjik tennis complex.

The tournament in Zadar is being played on red clay over two days. In the other group, Russian Andrey Rublev is in pole position to advance into the final after wins over 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic and Serb Danilo Petrovic. He faces German star Alexander Zverev in the final round robin match on Sunday who stayed in contention after beating Cilic 4-3, 0-4, 4-3.

Djokovic''s own inconsequential final group match is against Croatian Dino Serdarusic who replaced Grigor Dimitrov after the Bulgarian pulled out of the tournament with sickness following his opening 4-1, 4-1 loss to Coric.

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