Bolt regains world 100 metres crown in Moscow

August 12, 2013

Bolt_regainsMoscow, Aug 12: Jamaican sprint star Usain Bolt lifted track and field out of the doping doldrums as he reclaimed his world 100m title in emphatic style on Sunday.

Bolt clocked a season's best 9.77 seconds in heavy rain at the Luzhniki Stadium, with American Justin Gatlin claiming silver in 9.85sec and Nesta Carter, also of Jamaica, taking bronze in 9.95sec.

Athletics' credibility had again been called to account in recent weeks, notably after American sprint rival Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell tested positive for drugs.

Once again it was Bolt, the powerfully-built 26-year-old world record holder in both the 100 and 200m, who came to the rescue, at least in the short term.

The sole blot on the Jamaican's copybook since winning treble gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics was a false start two years ago in the Daegu worlds that saw now-injured teammate Yohan Blake take the blue riband title.

"I am happy but I wanted to do better," said Bolt. "My legs were sore after the semi-finals, I don't know why, but the world record wasn't on so I came out just to win.

"Back in Jamaica, they do not expect less than that from me. They always expect me to dominate."

The race itself was "classic" Bolt in front of a Luzhniki Stadium that was far from being a sell-out in stormy weather.

Modestly, but safely, out of the blocks, Bolt's head and shoulders remained low as he drove into the opening metres.

While his reaction time might have been slower than all but one other in the field, he soon reeled in the opposition.

Come the 50 metre mark and Bolt pushed his huge frame through his renowed transition phase, head coming up and long legs pumping, teeth gritted and eyes on the big screen beyond the finish line.

He moved past Gatlin on his left and had a brief look over at Carter on his right before putting on the after-burners.

In the build-up to the evening session, the "Bolt effect" could be seen in the crowd, as one of sport's biggest names once again proved his worth as an athlete and main drawcard for a track and field meet.

The sparsely-populated stadium had filled out and excitement grew as the race approached.

With Bob Marley blazing over the tannoy, television cameras picked out each racer, but played on Bolt in lane six, dressed in black and green shorts and the yellow and black singlet of the Jamaican team.

To the delight of the crowd, he mimed getting out a portable umbrella as heavy rain started to fall, drawing laughter and applause.

As the starter called them to the blocks, Bolt put a finger to his lips to hush the crowd, briefly crossing himself and looking skywards as the television zoomed in and his picture was broadcast on the big stadium screen.

The race didn't even last 10 seconds but the gold saw Bolt also move within touching distance of equalling American sprint legend Carl Lewis' record of eight world gold medals.

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Agencies
August 1,2020

Colombo, Aug 1: Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has expressed his interest in playing the inaugural edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL), scheduled to start from August 28.

Pathan is among 70 foreign players to have shown interest in playing the LPL, ESPNcricinfo reported.

It is believed that Pathan has taken permission from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to take part in the competition. 

BCCI doesn't allow active players to participate in other T20 leagues but Pathan announced his retirement in January this year.

Former swashbuckling all-rounder Yuvraj Singh also played in a foreign league last year. He played for Maratha Arabians in the T10 League in Abu Dhabi.

According to ESPNcricinfo, Pathan will now be put in a player draft unless one of the five franchises choose him to be a marquee player. The details of the draft, and the franchise owners, are yet to be finalised and announced. 

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is also waiting on some government clearances even as it decides on franchise owners. The five franchises will represent Colombo, Kandy, Galle, Dambulla and Jaffna.

On Monday, SLC Executive Committee granted approval for the tournament.

"The 23 match League will be played on the four international venues of R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, Rangiri Dambulu International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium and Suriyawewa Mahinda Rajapakse International Cricket Stadium. Five teams named after the cities of Colombo, Kandy, Galle, Dambulla and Jaffna will participate in the League," SLC said in a statement on Monday.

Sri Lanka has controlled the spread of COVID-19 better than many other cricket-playing nations.

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News Network
July 23,2020

New Delhi, Jul 23: With one year to go for the Olympic Games to begin in Tokyo on July 23, 2021, Indian women's hockey team skipper Rani Rampal on Thursday said the side has performed well against top teams in recent times and can do the same at the Olympics.

The Indian team has competed well against top teams in the recent past and has registered memorable victories at the FIH Series Finals and the FIH Olympic Qualifiers last year.

"We have competed against top teams in the recent past and we have shown that our team has the capability of winning a medal and making our country proud at the Olympics. We have a good group of experienced players, who are guiding the junior players very well. Our team has been getting better with each tournament we have played and we will definitely improve our game even further in the next one year," said the 25-year-old said in a statement.

Speaking about her participation at the Olympics, Rani said that the experience will help her make better decisions at the Tokyo Olympics.

"It was great to be a part of the Olympics in Rio. We made history by qualifying for the tournament after 36 years. It was a great feeling to be playing at the biggest of stages. Even though we didn't register the best of results, I have certainly learned a lot by playing the Olympic Games matches in 2016. I am sure all the players, who played in the 2016 Olympics, will make much better decisions on the pitch at the Tokyo Olympics, based on their experience in Rio," she said.

The Tokyo Olympics will be held from July 23 to August 8, 2021, while the Paralympics will take place from August 24 to September 5, 2021.  

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News Network
April 12,2020

Mumbai, Apr 12: Always eager to share his vast knowledge and experience, cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar has interacted with 12,000 doctors on sports injuries.

In his over two decade long illustrious career, Tendulkar suffered many health issues, the most prominent being the tennis elbow injury.

The veteran of 200 Tests and 463 ODIs, got to know through one Dr Sudhir Warrier, an orthopaedic surgeon, that several young doctors across the country were utilising the lockdown time to effectively gain knowledge on sports injuries through live webinars.

A session on sports injuries was held on Saturday and Tendulkar, knowing that his experiences will help these doctors, volunteered to be a part of it.

Tendulkar, accordingly, interacted with around 12,000 doctors, who attended the session.

It is reliably leanrt that the 46-year-old legend said he was grateful to the medical fraternity for their service.

During the session, the young orthopaedic doctors got to know how the requirements and treatment outcomes of athletes are different from regular patients, sources said.

Dr Warrier moderated the session with Dr Nitin Patel, physiotherapist, who has worked with Indian cricket team and IPL franchise Mumbai Indians.

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