Daily Excelsior.........sports

2nd World Cup Chess Tournament
Sasikiran shocks
Anand in 2nd round

HYDERABAD, Oct 11: In a major upset, defending champion Vishwanathan Anand of India was shocked by compatriot grandmaster K Sasikiran in a ........more

Paes-Bhupathi win gold, India 5th in medals tally

BUSAN, Oct 11: India’s gold tally reached the doubles figures at the 14th Asian Games, elevating their standing on the medals table to fifth, with top seeds .........more

India take on South
Korea in hockey final

BUSAN, Oct 11: It is going to be a keen title contest as defending champions India take on former winners and host South Korea in their third back-to-back clash for the Asian Games Men’s Hockey Gold at Gangseo Stadium here tomorrow.. . ......more

Bhandari wins India’s
first medal in Taekwondo

BUSAN, Oct 11: Surendra Bhandari won India’s first medal in Taekwondo in the 14th Asian Games by clinching a bronze in the flyweight (58-kg) category........more

State Billiards, Snooker Championship from Oct 20

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 11: 12th J&K State Junior and Senior Billiards and Snooker Championship is going to be held at MA Stadium from October 20. The entries should be sent to Mr Mushtaq Ahmed, Joint Secretary JKBSA ............more

GHS Club lifts District Women Cricket Tourney

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

UDHAMPUR, Oct 11: Girls Higher Secondary Cricket Club Udhampur today lifted the trophy of District Women Cricket Tournament by defeating KV No.1 Udhampur in the final.

Batting first, Girls Higher Secondary Cricket Club made a total of 201 runs in .......more

Zaheer, Kumble strike
it rich as Windies follow-on

MUMBAI, Oct 11: Speedster Zaheer Khan and leg-spinner Anil Kumble ran through the West Indian batting line-up on the third day of the first cricket test here today, forcing the visitors to follow-on and placing India in a great position to push for victory............more

2nd World Cup Chess Tournament
Sasikiran shocks Anand in 2nd round

HYDERABAD, Oct 11: In a major upset, defending champion Vishwanathan Anand of India was shocked by compatriot grandmaster K Sasikiran in a second round match of the second World Cup Chess Tournament here today.

Deviating from the regular openings, the Chennai-lad surprised Anand by adopting the reti opening variation and caught the super GM, with an Elo rating of over 2700, on the wrong foot many a time to force a tactical supremacy and positional advantage which forced Anand resign after 53 moves.

In other matches of the day, Koneru humpy scored an emphatic win against D Stepovia of Russia while Indians Bhagyashri Thipsey, Swati Ghate and S Vijaylaxmi lost their respective matches.

After his maiden victory against Anand, and perhaps the greatest victory of his career, an elated Sasikiran said he benefitted from the errors made by the world champion.

"Anand was very unclear in his pawn sacrifices and he missed some very simple moves," the 21-year old said.

Another Indian in the fray, Surya Sekhar Ganguly defeated second seeded Alexander Morozevich of Russia in a Ruy Lopez opening. Though the russain tried to rip open Ganguly’s defence he could not succeed and surrendered after getting himself into a hopeless situation.

Anand, with half a point from two games, would still be in the reckoning if he wins at least two of his next three matches.

Playing a rare petroff defence, humpy emerged victorious against Stepovia, who tried to attack her kingside constantly. However, mid-game manouevres swung the advantage in favour of the Indian.

P Harikrishna’s prospects of moving to the next round suffered a serious setback when he lost to Alexander Beliavsky of Russia. How, the GM from Andhra Pradesh would have to win his next three matches to keep his hopes alive.

Fifteen-year old Teimour Radjabov (Azerbaijan) preaviled over Wato Kobese of South Africa in a Group B game involving slav defence to take his points tally to 1.5.

"I had a better positional advantage and employed tactical play to win the game," said Radjabov.

Brazilian Giovani Vescovi drew with Ivanchuk Vassily of Ukraine after 50 moves in a rarely placed scottish opening game.

In a group a match, Jing Chuan Ye of China settled for a quick draw after 11 moves against Macieja Bartilomeij of Poland while World Champion Chinese Chen Zhu, who lost her opening match against S Meenakshi of India, called truce after 16 moves against compatriot Pin Wang.

Meenakshi also drew against Arathie Ramaswami to take her points tally to 1.5. (PTI)

Paes-Bhupathi win gold, India 5th in medals tally

BUSAN, Oct 11: India’s gold tally reached the doubles figures at the 14th Asian Games, elevating their standing on the medals table to fifth, with top seeds Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi hogging the limelight and winning gold in the men’s doubles tournament here today.

Tennis took centrestage giving India three of the four medals — a silver and three bronzes — on the 13th day of the competition. The third bronze came in the men’s 58 kg fly-weight category in Taekwondo.

With this, India have overtaken Thailand and moved to the fifth position with a total of 30 medals — ten golds, nine silvers and 11 bronze medals.

Living up to expectations, Paes and Bhupathi clinched the men’s doubles tennis gold with a straight set victory over the South Korean pair of Chung Hee-Seok and Lee Hyang-Taik 6-2, 6-3.

In the semi-finals, the Paes-Bhupathi combine had defeated Kim Dong-Hyun and Kwon Oh-Hee of South Korea in three sets 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 to set up the championship clash.

Bhupathi, pairing Manisha Malhotra, later missed the second gold medal for India in tennis, going down in the mixed doubles to Lu Yen Hsun and Janet Lee of Chinese Taipei in a three set thriller 6-4, 3-6, 7-9.

The duo of Bhupathi and Manisha began the match well and took the first set 6-4 but went down in the second 3-6.

Earlier, in the mixed doubles semi-finals yesterday, Paes and Sania were ousted 6-7 (4-7), 5-7 by Taiwan’s Janet Lee and Lu Yen-Hsun. The men’s pair of Vishal Uppal and Mustafa Ghouse also settled for the bronze after they lost to the South Korean duo of seok and taik 4-6, 4-6.

As per Asian Games rules, both the losing semi-finalists are awarded bronze medals.

Surender Bhandari of Uttar Pradesh, won the bronze in the men’s 58 kg fly-weight category in Taekwondo after he lost to Behzad Khodadad of Iran in the semi-finals.

Kim-Dae-Ryung of Korea won the gold beating Khodadad 11-2 in the finals later in the day. The other highlight of the day was ace shuttler Pullena Gopichand’s cruising into the quarter-finals of the men’s singles Badminton competition. The former All England Badminton Champion Gopichand beat Boonsak Ponsana of Thailand 17-15, 15-6.

The two shuttlers went neck and neck till 15-15 in the first game. But the Thai could not keep his cool in the crucial moments and lost it.

Gopichand, who committed a number of unforced errors in the first set, lifted the final game by a few notches giving Ponsana no chance at all to stage a comeback.

The former All England Champion Gopichand will take on second seed Seung Mo Shon of South Korea tomorrow for a place in the semi-finals.

The only other Indian in the fray, Abhinn Shyam Gupta, had bowed out in the first round yesterday, conceding the match to Indonesia’s world champion Hendrawan 5-15 5-15.

India could not get another bronze when the women’s hockey team lost to Japan 0-2 and finished at the bottom of the four-nation tournament.

The Commonwealth Games champions’ fortunes took a nosedive as they squandered chances and failed to record a single win in the tournament.

For Japan, both the goals were scored by striker Sakae Morimoto, one in each half, in the 29th and 44th minute.

This was India’s second loss to Japan after going down 2-3 in the league phase.

In equestrian, India put up a dismal show to be placed at the bottom after the first round of the team show jumping event.

The team comprising Sudhir Ahlawat, Sandeep Dewan, Jaspal Massih and Sajjan Kumar had 61 penalty points to find themselves at the bottom of the table.

In tennis, the Indians carved out a 6-2 6-3 victory in just over an hour of magical tennis that Paes said reminded him of the Pair’s grand slam exploits.

The chemistry that still exists between Paes and Bhupathi was lacking when Bhupathi took court with Manisha Malhotra in the mixed doubles final. Bhupathi and Malhotra squandered two match-points to lose 4-6 6-3 9-7 to Yen Hsun Lu and Jent Whids Lee of Chinese Taipei. The Indians had to settle for silver after and two and a half hours of hard work.

Two bronze medals also came India’s way for their team’s semi-final appearances in men’s doubles and mixed doubles.

Vishal Uppal and Mustafa Ghouse took the bronze medal in men’s doubles after having lost to South Korean duo of Hee Seok Chung and Hyung Taik Lee in the semi-finals yesterday.

Paes and Sania Mirza also got bronze for progressing to the last four of mixed doubles where they lost to Chinese Taipei’s Lee and Lu yesterday.

Paes and Bhupathi, who received vociferous support of a sizeable number of Indian fans, were never really stretched by the South Koreans.

The Indian pair turned the heat on straightway by breaking their rivals in the third and fifth games to wrap up the first set 6-2 and take control of the proceedings.

They maintained the momentum in the second set also, forcing a break in the very first game and then provided the finishing touches by breaking their opponents again in the ninth game to win 6-3.

"This is one gold that I will cherish for a long time," Paes said after the win.

"Our experience of having played together for seven years helped overcome the pre-tournament concerns... Once the games started, we gelled well," said Paes after the win.

"It was not an easy match. The opponents were of top quality... It was a matter of keeping our standards high," Paes said and immediately set his sights on the next Olympic Games at Athens in 2004.

"With my passion for the Olympics I definitely want to be in Athens," said the star player who already has an Olympic bronze won in the singles event in Atlanta’96.

Bhupathi, however, failed to claim a double, losing the thrilling mixed doubles which he and Malhotra should have won comfortably.

In a match with fluctuating fortunes, the Indian and Chinese Taipei pairs shared the first two sets to go into the decider.

Bhupathi and Manisha had no difficulty in wrapping up the first set but their rivals staged a brilliant comeback by taking the second, capitalising on a few unforced errors by the Indians.

In the decider where there is no tie-break, both the teams played their hearts out as they went neck and neck till 7-7 before the Chinese Taipei players turned the table on the Indians. The Indians enjoyed two break points leading 6-5 in the third set but they squandered them and had to ultimately end on the losing side. (AGENCIES)

India take on South Korea in hockey final

In the two semi-finals played in contrasting styles yesterday, India outmanoeuvred traditional rivals and seven time winners Pakistan in a nerve-wracking nail-biter 4-3 while the hosts beat Malaysia 2-0 in a relatively pale encounter.

India have played South Korea ten times in the Asiad since Tokyo in 1958 and won on seven occasions. Their only loss was in the final at Hiroshima eight years ago. The two split-point games were in 1986 at Seoul and in the pool preliminary here last week.

However, South Korea have a better record against India this year, winning in the Kuala Lumpur World Cup and the Champions Trophy at Cologne (Germany), besides drawing 2-2 at Amstelveen in Holland at the Rabobank four-nation tourney.

Despite this record, India will start as favourites to retain the crown largely due to their outstanding display in the semi-final.

Indian coach Rajinder Singh, a gold medallist at the Moscow Olympics, said the team was highly charged and motivated. "The boys have begun cautiously, beating Hongkong in the opener without frills and fancies and are now on a steady improvement," he added.

The Indians beat Japan convincingly 3-0 before playing a 1-1 draw against the hosts in their last pool game.

Coach admitted that it will be tough against the hosts but hoped that the team will peak in the crucial tie. A victory in the final will give India an automatic berth, as continental champions, for the next Olympics at Athens. However, the tenacious Koreans will not let that happen easily. Though both countries have two titles apiece under their belt, the Koreans will be seeking revenge after being stroked out in the sudden death final at Bangkok in 1998.

They have a well-knit squad with skipper Kang Keon wook leading from upfront. Their two star strikers Kim Kyung Seok and Hwang Jong Hyun have perfect Cohesion and have been in good nick as team mates for Gladbacher Hockey Club in the German Bundesliga. They will also rely on the old warhorse song Seong Tae with his crafty stickwork, deft dodges and scoring abilities.

The team is also well equipped with a strong midfield presence where Yeo Woon Kon and Kim Jung Chul have executed their roles to perfection. Their rock like defence and penalty corner set pieces are marshalled by sweeper back Shin Seok Kyo, supported by Kim Yong Bae and backed by custodian Kim Yoon who has conceded only two goals so far.

India will need to re-run their semi-final thriller against the Koreans, even though the rivals play an entirely different ballgame. Unlike mimicking the Asian style or adopting a European approach, they have invented their own brand - one characterised by speed, control, hard running, supreme fitness and ironclad teamwork.

The ageing but agile mercurial striker Dhanraj Pillay will again be the dangerman and if given some open space, will undoubtedly create havoc with any opposition. The fluency and flow coupled with the presence of mind that he and the other forwards — Gagan Ajit Singh, Deepak Thakur and Daljit Singh Dhillon — have displayed can catch the best opposition on the wrong foot.

Midfielders Ignace Tirkey and Bimal Lakra have matured into seasoned campaigners and cover the central and left portions of the pitch, but Viren Rasquinha and Jugraj Singh will have to play with something extra determination to stop the korean forays from the right. With the deep defence well served by Captain Dilip Tirkey, Kanwalpreet Singh and goalkeeper Devesh Chauhan in good form, it could well be party time for India here tomorrow.

Rajinder Singh, however, was bit worried about his players inability to convert penalty corners. "We are having problem with stopping the ball. We need to convert the penalty corners.

"In this level of competition when country’s prestige is at stake, you just can’s afford to miss even a half chance," the coach added.

He said all the players are fit and "I am hopeful that they will give their best to retain the title."

Singh agreed that Dhanraj Pillay is going to be the main schemer and lynchpin in the forward line. "I think pillay is going to be marked, so we have to have different strategy."

"We have been playing against koreans and we know their hit and run tactics. My players can counter the rival’s game plan," he added.

The coach pointed out, "our defence and mid-field has functioned well and hopefully they will click again in the final. Forwards have done their job to take the team to the final and it is up to them to retain the gold also."

He admitted that Korea is a "problem team" but hastened to add that no team gives up easily in the final at this level of competition. "We have to be ready for any eventuality."

Pakistan will meet Malaysia for the bronze play-off earlier. They have not won the title since Beijing in 1990 and finished third at Hiroshima and Bangkok thereafter.

They had scored a handsome 6-1 win in their last meeting in the preliminaries and will be looking forward to rounding off their Asiad show with an equal, if not bigger margin.

In the Manchester Commonwealth Games this year, too, after suffering a humiliating 7-1 rout against New Zealand in the semi-final, they had crushed South Africa 10-1 for the third spot. (UNI)

Bhandari wins India’s first medal in Taekwondo

BUSAN, Oct 11: Surendra Bhandari won India’s first medal in Taekwondo in the 14th Asian Games by clinching a bronze in the flyweight (58-kg) category here today.

The 17-year-old Bhandari’s achievement is all the more creditable as the Government had not cleared the taekwondo team.

Bhandari won three rounds before losing to Behzad Khodadad of Iran in the semi-finals to finish with the bronze.

Earlier, the youngster from Uttar Pradesh trained by two Koreans fought his way into the semifinals scoring superb wins in the preliminary rounds before losing to Khodadad in the semi.

Bhandari showed his class against Kumar Bahadur Karki of Nepal in the second round winning the three-round bout 3-0.

He faced a stiff challenge in the third round against Hamood Aqlan of Yemen and had to fight hard before winning on technical superiority.

Both the fighters were tied 3-3 at the end of the three rounds before Bhandari was declared the winner. After taking the first round 3-0, the Yemenese won the second with a 2-0 scoreline and the third round ended in a 1-1 tie.

However, in the semi, Bhandari despite showing lot of thrust in his kicks conceded three points in the first round itself to the Iranian.

Bhandari, egged on by the Indian team members, tried a waiting game and also scored a point towards the end of the second round with a kick.

But Khodadad settled the issue in the next round scoring another point. The young Indian can, however, take heart from the fact that he did not concede any minus points in any of his bouts and also proved his fighting qualities.

With the Government not clearing the ten member squad including three women, the Taekwondo Federation of India paid from its own pocket for the participation of the team trained by two Koreans Dong Hyun Kim and Hong Jo Kim.

The Chef De Mission of the Indian contingent, Jagdish Tytler, could not clarify whether the team was cleared by the Government. (PTI)