From the publishers of THE HINDU
VOL.26 :: NO.37 :: Sep. 13 - 19, 2003
Published Weekly
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From the publishers of THE HINDU VOL.26 :: NO.37 :: Sep. 13 - 19, 2003 |
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The Sportstar Published Weekly |
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News Update
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UNDOUBTEDLY long jumper Anju Bobby George's tryst with a World championship medal has catapulted her into an orbit all her own in the context of athletics in India.
The champion of championsPete Sampras was a class act, a pure one-off among the players of his generation. He symbolised sporting excellence at its apotheosis and his place at No.1 in the top 10 list of the last 30 years is indisputable, writes NIRMAL SHEKAR.
Sampras: retiring 'just feels right'It was veiled panic that Agustin Moreno believed he detected in the teenager across the net out on Court 18 of the National Tennis Center. It was fear.
The 2003 US Open officially brought to end the career of one of the outstanding tennis players of all time, Pete Sampras.
Greatness, pure and simpleSampras's win last year at the US Open was a postscript, an encore, almost with a purpose. To remind those of us who suggested he retire that we did not understand him still, how deep his talent and professionalism ran.
I doubt we will see anyone quite like Pete — Becker"I think, what an unbelievable ending last year, after everyone had written him off for probably two years, he is just so tough and just proved everyone wrong,
He grew up idolising LaverBegan playing tennis at age seven. Changed from a two-handed to one-handed backhand in 1987. Grew up idolising Rod Laver, and often watched tapes of him. Made U.S. Davis Cup debut in 1991 and has a 18-8 career record (14-7 in singles) in 14 ... Career titles SINGLES CAREER TITLES (64):
As the U.S. Open unfolded without the injured Williams sisters, here are some troubling thoughts for the other top players to ponder:
Pakistan crushes BangladeshJAVED OMAR scored a century, Habibul Bashar missed it by a whisker, Mohammad Rafique grabbed five wickets, Alok Kapali recorded a rare hat-trick and Bangladesh got its first ever innings lead in 23 Tests. PESHAWAR TEST Shoaib's best ever show HE termed the Peshawar wicket dead. He complained about hot weather, but in the end managed to bowl his best in 27 matches and cross the 100-wicket mark in Tests. Shoaib Akhtar, the Rawalpindi Express, enjoyed century-maker Javed Omar's wicket ... 'New Zeal' & the old Aussie enemy HOW come the eternal dilemma of V.V.S. Laxman is, overnight, the big worry of the Indian team itself?
SO soft-Scot.land did Our Manly Rahul (with his Vijetamer bride by his seat-belt side) that Dravid says he would like to go back.
IN India, there is a tendency to brand cricketers. This makes things convenient for a lot of people.
Planning, topmost on the agendaAS Shane Warne takes a break in England to avoid the unrelenting media invasion of the privacy of his family, you can be sure the Australian team's brains trust is planning for its 2003-04 home season.
They come more for fun than fareIs there so much wrong with the English game? We don't win all the Tests we should, so our World Cup record is scratchy, and we have too few world beating players; but the game is vibrant.
Russian Khorkina and the Americans strike goldTHE 37th World gymnastics championships, held recently in Anaheim, California, indeed had a special significance as it marked the 100th anniversary of the first ever international competition in the sport. WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS Realising a dream AS soon as Paul Hamm's feet settled into the thick blue mat beneath the horizontal bar, the audience at the Arrowhead Pond arena in Anaheim, California rose with a roar so loud that it shook the venue. Straigtening up, he thrust his arms ... WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS A perfectionist to the core SHE has always been a showwoman. And a perfectionist to the core ever since she took the world by storm in 1994. That the string of successes and the adulation of an ever-increasing tribe of fans has only motivated her to strive hard for more and ...
Tarango calls it a dayJEFF TARANGO, known for his 1995 Wimbledon walkoff, followed fellow-American tennis players Pete Sampras and Michael Chang into retirement at the US Open. After being ousted in doubles, the 34-year-old winner of 14 ATP doubles crowns announced ... Mali takes charge THE South African Cricket Board has elected its first-ever black African president. The 66-year-old Ray Mali, a former president of the Border Cricket Union in the town of East London, was elected at the United Cricket Board's annual general ...
A Dutch carnivalEVENTFUL in every sense of the term, the Silver Jubilee edition of the Champions Trophy, inarguably the most prestigious annual competition in the agenda of the International Hockey Federation, passed beyond the rim of the sylvan settings of the Wagener Stadium on August 24 into the recesses of history.
Veterans speak outTHE search for glory continues. A fourth place at the Champions Trophy may, or may not, reflect the true state of Indian hockey, but it has triggered off a debate among former players.
A grand team effortTHE boys took a solemn pledge at a nondescript hockey stadium in Poland. To uphold the pride and prestige of the National flag. News had just filtered in of India having lost to Pakistan in the play-off for the third place in the Champions Trophy in Amsterdam.
TOMMI MAKINENFOUR-TIME world car rally champion Tommi Makinen has been fined in New Zealand for failing to stop for police while driving 99 kilometres an hour in a 50-kmh speed zone. Makinen, 39, who drives for the Subaru World Rally team, was on his way ... DON BRADMAN THE baggy green cap cricket immortal Don Bradman wore on Australia's 1948 tour of England, including his final Test innings, will go on tour around the nation during India's tour Down Under starting in November. The cap, which sold at an ...
Thumping win for Humpy "YOU'VE just gifted me the gold." Koneru Humpy could've said so to Zhao Xue on that wet August afternoon in the northern Kerala city of Kozhikode ASIAN WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP A rare occasion UNLIKE the numerous World age-group championships, the World junior meet is a very prestigious tournament. The World junior champions have often gone on to do exceptionally well at the senior level. Some World junior champions such as India's ... ASIAN WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP A boost to the sport AN elderly lady, who was staying at Taj Residency and who had just come back after her evening walk, wondered aloud: "Has some film actress come here?" She could not make out why so many cameras were flashing and why there was such a big crowd ...
'The best news I have ever heard'NISHA MOHOTA had a dream. Ever since she was a little girl who fought bitterly on the chessboard with her elder sister in their Kolkata home, she dreamt of being India's first Woman Grandmaster (WGM). A good samaritan NISHA MOHOTA dedicates her WGM title to a man about whom she knew nothing till two years ago. Kumar Ramachandran, a software professional in his 40s, didn't know much about Nisha either until he read a small paragraph about her in The ...
'I want to improve my rating'WHEN Nisha Mohota went to bed in room No. 5 at Hotel Taj Residency in Kozikode on the night of August 19, she was only an International Woman Master. Or so she believed.
Cricket Association of Bengal triumphsTHE Cricket Association of Bengal clinched the MRF Trophy for the KSCA All India invitation tournament in Bangalore. Helping the Bengal cause was the inexperience of its opponent, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) XI. In the final, ... 
Jaideep asserts supremacyTHERE are a number of big names in amateur golf too. Shiv Kapur, Keshav Misra, Gagan Verma, Simarjeet Singh, Jaideep Patwardhan, Manav Das and former cricket star Kapil Dev, all play the game very seriously. All these amateurs, along with a ... 
An eye-openerTHE Federation Cup body-building championship held in Bangalore on August 18, was an eye-opener for many casual spectators. There was a virtual stampede at the venue, Guru Nanak Bhavan, with fans occupying every nook and corner of the auditorium, ... 
TVS Racing all the wayIT was Team TVS Racing all the way in the K-1000 motorcycle rally, which was held at Bagepalli on August 17. In the overall positions, four of the top five slots went to Team TVS. G. Prasad was adjudged the champion with a penalty time of 1:1739. ...
Getting it wrongWHEN WALES' Mark Hughes made an expensive mess of his tactics in Belgrade against Serbia-Montenegro, it was neither the first nor the last time that a manager, international or otherwise, had so to speak been hoist with his own petard.
Serena to adopt Tyson's approachThe 21-year-old American, sidelined from the US Open tennis championship after a left knee surgery, expects to reclaim her dominance of women's tennis by adopting a "Mike Tyson approach". Citing the former heavyweight boxing champion's ... 
Errol Stewart retiresFORMER South Africa wicketkeeper Errol Stewart announced his retirement from cricket at the age of 34. "It's all about finding time to play and work," Stewart, a Durban banking executive, said. "But the fact that I can no longer play for South ...
RAHUL DRAVIDINDIAN Test batsman Rahul Dravid said he hopes to play with the Scottish Saltires for another season. The 30-year-old joined the National Cricket League team earlier this year and has collected three centuries and two half-centuries in nine ... ANDREW BURNS AUSTRALIAN swimmer Andrew Burns has been banned for three months for testing positive to a banned stimulant, Australian Swimming Inc. (ASI) said. Burns, a 20-year-old member of Australia's national swim squad, returned a positive test result to ...
Moses to returnATHLETICS legend Edwin Moses confirmed he is making a comeback to the 400 metres hurdles at the age of 48 with an initial aim of qualifying to run in the trials for the US Olympic team for Athens. The former world record holder, and two-time ...
JELENA DOKICTENNIS star Jelena Dokic wants fans who ogle Anna Kournikova to start loving the sport's sex symbols for their skill with a racket as much as their looks. The 20-year-old blonde beauty begged fans to look beyond such poor-playing cuties as ... |
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