Eight-time champion suffer fifth successive defeat

London, Aug 7 : Belgium struck thrice to hand India their fifth consecutive defeat in the preliminary league of the Olympic men’s hockey competition here on Tuesday.

Goals by veteran Jerome Dekeyser (15th), Gautier Boccard (47th) and Tom Boon (67th) set up Belgium’s second win which lifted them to third position in the group with seven points while a winless India finished sixth without a point and will play for 9-12 positions, their worst-ever finish in the Olympics.

India’s league campaign thus ended on a sad note as the team failed to show any improvement even against a team that was considered the weakest of the six in the group, but Belgium showed that under Aussie legend Colin Batch’s coaching, they are a side making good progress.

For the fifth time in a row, India failed to display any kind of plan or panache to give hopes of a victory as they came up against a Belgian outfit that was better organised in the defence and very fast on the break.

India did enjoy a few moments of supremacy, but yet again the forwards were abysmal at the finish while Belgian goalkeeper Vincent Vanasch was simply unbeatable on the day, bringing off several great saves.

The major difference between the two teams were that Indians, as in the past, depended too much on individual skills that were plentiful but totally ineffective against the Belgians who combined better, both in the defence and attack.

Though India had the better of exchanges in the first-half, success eluded them. Belgian goalkeeper Vincent Vanasch had a few busy moments and came up with a couple of good saves while the upright too denied India.

However, it was Belgium who held the upper hand at the start as they troubled the Indian defence repeatedly with fast attacks, one of which saw Dekeyser slotting home from the top of the circle following a swift move down the middle.

As in the previous games, it was lax marking that allowed the Belgian forwards a lot of space to make their play and the Indian goal survived two penalty corners that were poorly executed.

At the other end, India managed to seize the initiative in the latter part of the first-half when they came up with some pleasing moves. However, once inside the striking circle, it was the same old tale of failure to finish.

Shivendra Singh saw his deflection come off the post and then Vanasch managed to get a glove to another attempt besides blocking a 21st minute penalty corner to frustrate India.

The trend continued on resumption with India unable to convert their second penalty corner as Vanasch, displaying quick-silver reflexes, deflected Sandeep Singh’s drag-flick.

The Belgians then retaliated with a counter-attack that ended with Boccard finding the boards with a reverse hit after a series of passes inside the scoring circle. The Indian defenders again were loose in their marking and goalkeeper Bharat Chhetri let the ball in between his feet.

The second goal effectively closed the match for India and though they tried hard, success eluded them. The Belgian citadel enjoyed slices of luck, especially in the last quarter when the desperate Indians applied pressure, but again to no effect.

Belgium effectively closed the match with a late strike as Boon sounded the boards with a reverse hit even as a backpedalling Indian defence was caught on the wrong foot. IANS

Kohli hits 68, Dinda takes 4

Pallekele, Aug 7: After a thumping 4-1 win in the ODI series, India continued their dominance over Sri Lanka as they thrashed the hosts by 39 runs in the one-off T20 match at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.

Chasing a modest 156, Sri Lanka were bundled out for just 116 conceding an easy victory to the visitors.

After blazing knock by in-form Virat Kohli guided India to 155/3, left arm pacer Irfan Pathan tore apart Sri Lankan top order while Ashok Dinda got rid of the tailenders to secure win for their team.

Pathan dismissed Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga and Mahela Jayawardene in quick succession to reduce 35/3 in five overs.

Pathan bowled out Dilshan (0) in the first over and then sent back Tharanga (5) in the third to reduce Sri Lanka to 18/2.

Jayawardene tried to rescue his side with some fiery strokes but Pathan struck again in the fifth over to end his challenge.

R Ashwin gave Sri Lanka fourth blow at the score of 68. On the second delivery of the 10th over, Ashwin bowled out Lahiru Thirimanne.

Angelo Mathews tried to rescue his side from the collapse but Ashok Dinda didn’t let him do that. Dinda then wrapped up Sri Lanka tail and finished with a figure of 4/19.

Earlier, Virat Kohli scored 68 off 48 balls with the help of 11 boundaries and a six to guide India to a decent total.

The batsman, who is in best of his form, came to bat after early dismissal of opener Gautam Gambhir in the second over.

Shaminda Eranga bowled out opener Gautam Gambhir to give India the first blow after visitors were invited to bat.

Gambhir (6) was bowled out by Eranga on the fifth deliver of the second over with scorecard reading just 7.

Kohli then rescued the side from the early blow and shared 74-run stand for the second wicket with Ajinkya Rahane who made 21.

Rahane was the second Indian batsman to fall. He was dismissed by Jeevan Mendis.

Kohli’s dismissal came in the 17 th over. Eranga struck again to get rid of Kohli after his fine show. Raina remained unbeaten on 34 off 25 balls. Agencies

LEEDS, Aug 7: Kevin Pietersen enjoyed rare success as a bowler and Stuart Broad took five wickets, as England gave South Africa some anxious moments before the second Test ended in a draw at Headingley on Monday.

The result means South Africa go into the third and final Test at Lord’s on August 16 with a 1-0 lead, with England needing to win to prevent South Africa from taking over their number one place in the Test rankings.

South Africa-born Pietersen followed up a thrilling century in the first innings by taking the first three wickets with his occasional off-spin bowling, despite never having taken more than one wicket in an innings in 87 previous Test matches.

Broad then took five wickets in 37 balls before South Africa declared at 258 for nine, leaving England an improbable 253 to win in 39 overs. They made 130 for four before the players agreed to a draw with six overs remaining.

England opened the batting with Pietersen, who hit 149 in the first innings, and the star of the match hit three fours in the first over from Morne Morkel.

But he was caught at mid-on on 12 when he mistimed a drive against Vernon Philander without scoring any further runs.

Alastair Cook and Andrew Strauss tried to keep the scoring rate close to the required rate of almost six-and-a-half runs an over.

But the chase ended after Strauss hit a full toss straight back to off-spinner JP Duminy while on 22, Cook fell to Dale Steyn four short of his half-century and Matt Prior was run out for seven.

Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell batted together for an hour before the players shook hands shortly after 7:30 pm (1730 GMT).

An entertaining final afternoon did not seem likely on a rain-hit morning as Jacques Rudolph and Graeme Smith progressed serenely to an opening partnership of 120.

Play was twice interrupted by rain and only 21 overs were bowled, despite lunch being delayed by half an hour. Agencies

New Delhi, Aug 7 : Leading mobile handset manufacturer Karbonn Mobiles has signed up as the title sponsor of Champions League Twenty20 starting with the fourth edition of this marquee tournament due to be held in South Africa later this year. Karbonn Mobiles signed the deal today with ESPN STAR Sports, the commercial partners of Champions League Twenty20.  

As part of this deal, Karbonn Mobiles will have rights to on ground title sponsorship with all its entitlements. The tournament will now be called Karbonn Champions League Twenty20.  

Overall, the fourth edition of the Champions League Twenty20 will feature a total of 14 teams and 29 matches across four venues – Centurion, Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. The Group Stage will be preceded by a Qualifying Stage from October 9 to 11  featuring six teams. These teams have been equally divided into two pools, with each team playing the other two in its pool once. The top team in each pool, in terms of points, will then qualify for the Group Stage. Agencies

DUBAI, Aug 7: Veteran batsman Sachin Tendulkar and pace spearhead Zaheer Khan are both occupying 12th spot to be the highest-placed Indian cricketers in the latest ICC Test batsmen and bowlers rankings list.

While Tendulkar is the only Indian in the top-20 of the batting list, Zaheer has company in the form of spinner Pragyan Ojha, who held on to his 20th spot, in the bowling chart.

Meanwhile, England’s Kevin Pietersen has returned to the top 10 after smashing a century against South Africa in the second Test that ended in a draw at Leeds on Monday.

Pietersen’s knock of 149 in England’s first innings score of 425 not only earned him the man-of-the-match award but also provided him with a leap of seven places, which has put him in 10th position.

The latest rankings were released today after the conclusion of the Leeds Test and also incorporate performances from the Jamaica Test, which was won by the West Indies against New Zealand by five wickets on Sunday to seal a series win of 2-0.

In the bowlers’ table, South African fast bowler Vernon Philander has achieved a career-best ranking of third, as well as career-best rating after match figures of three for 98.

England now need to win the Lords Test, starting from August 16, to retain their number one position, while South Africa require a draw to move to the top.

If England win the Test, it will finish on 121 ratings points, pushing South Africa behind Australia into third position on 114 ratings points. Agencies

Olympic diary

London, Aug 7: From being non-existent at the first modern Olympics to being nearly half of the total competitors in current edition, women athletes have come a long way and the London Games are surely abuzz with women power.

From the inclusion of women’s boxing and allowing women to be represented in every Olympic sport, to 16-year-old Chinese swimming sensation Ye Shiwen smashing the world record for both women and men, this edition of the greatest sporting extravaganza has the women in their element.

With nearly 45 percent female athletes, for the first time in the Olympics’ 116-year history, every competing nation has at least one woman athlete. Thirty-four nations, including the USA, sent teams with more female athletes than male.

International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge received a loud ovation at the Opening Ceremony when he noted the rising status of women in the Olympic movement, calling the 2012 Games “a major boost for gender equality.”

The confluence of positive events for women included the historic decisions of Saudi Arabia, Brunei and Qatar — the final three male-only holdouts in the Olympic world — to bring in at least one female athlete to the Games.

Amidst all the frenzy, Saudi Arabian female judoka, Wojdan Ali Shaherkani, hogged the limelight the most, even though she competed for just 82 seconds before being eliminated by her Puerto Rican opponent.

“Hopefully this will be the start of bigger participation for other sports also. Hopefully this is the beginning of a new era,” Shaherkani said after her historic bout.

The first Olympic events for women were held at the Paris Games of 1900. Of the 997 athletes, 22 were female, and they participated in tennis, golf, croquet, sailing and equestrian.

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Most African countries not in medal race

More than half of sub-Saharan African countries have never won gold, and many have never won a single Olympic medal. In the current edition of the Games South Africa with a total of four medals including three gold, is in an elite, and lonely group in its own continent.

A total of 39 African nations including Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Namibia, have never won a gold at the Games. Of those, 28 countries including Rwanda, Angola, Botswana and Chad have never won any medal.

In the current edition of the Games only South Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya and Egypt from the continent are on the medals tally.

Ghana, which was formed from the British colony known as the Gold Coast, has never brought home an Olympic gold.

“It’s been a long while since we last won a medal at the Olympic Games. In our history at the Olympic Games since 1952, we won four medals, three in boxing and one in the Olympic football event, way back in 1952,” Ghana team spokesman Erasmus Kwaw said.

For tiny Botswana, which has just two million people, the road to gold has also been elusive.

Among the European countries that are yet to get on the podium at the Summer Games include Andorra, Cyprus, Malta, Monaco and Montenegro.

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Physical disability could not rob them a podium finish

Although South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius was eliminated from the 400m, finishing last in his semi-final, nonetheless he created history by becoming the first double amputee to compete at the Games.

However, there have been physically challenged athletes before him who participated in the Games and even stood proudly at the medals podium.

American gymnast George Eyser won three gold medals for the vault, parallel bars and rope climbing at the 1904 Summer Olympics hosted in St. Louis, Missouri, United States.

Eyser lost a leg when he was a kid in a train accident, and competed wearing a wooden leg.

Hungarian water polo player Oliver Halassy won two golds and one silver in water polo competing at the Games from 1928 to 1936. He achieved this despite missing his left leg that had been amputated below the knee following a car accident in his childhood.

Other physically challenged players to compete in the Olympics include New Zealand archer Neroli Fairhall who was the first paraplegic competitor in the Olympic Games, American legally blind track and field athlete Marla Runyan, and South African amputee swimmer Natalie du Toit. Agencies

HYDERABAD, Aug 7: The enormity of her achievement has gradually started sinking in but for Saina Nehwal, who is ‘jumping with joy inside’, it still feels like a dream that she stood on podium, receiving an Olympic medal.

The Indian badminton queen, as she is known now in media, returned home to a rousing reception, following her historic feat in London Olympics, where she won a bronze.

“It’s just unbelievable, I am speechless. I am happy that I actually did what I promised and believed in. It is a dream to win gold but I am happy that at least I have a bronze and is the first Indian to win a badminton Olympic medal,” Saina, flanked by her coach Pullela Gopichand and father Harvir, said at a press conference after arriving from London.

Asked how it feels, having an historic Olympic medal around her neck, she said,”From outside, I am normal and Gopi sir is normal but inside I am jumping with joy.”

Saina, the 22-year-old Hyderabadi, said the success story has just started and much more will be achieved in future.

“When I was standing on podium, I started crying, I thought of all the hard work I have put in all these years. It gave me inspiration. It’s just the beginning and will win many more medals,” she said.

Saina also did not forget to mention about the people, who have all contributed in her success story.

“I was an ordinary girl but because of many people, I am a champion today. First I want to thank Gopi sir, then my dad, without whom I am nothing. The co-players who have played with me and all those who congratulated me.”

She said the bronze she won in London will motivate her to be the best in the world and get a gold in the 2016 Rio Summer Games.

Saina said she has made a lot of sacrifices but the result of all the hard work is much bigger. “There is nothing bigger than standing on podium with an Olympic medal. That’s life for me,” she said while responding to a question as to how she plans to compensate all the sacrifices she has made to reach this stage of her career.

Asked how she looked at her future, she said,”It depends how you progress. I played a 33-years old (Tine Baun of Denmark) in London (in quarter finals). As long as I am winning, I will continue.”

Although the game of badminton brought only one medal from the London Games, Saina said that the Indian players are fast becoming a force.

“Last time (Beijing Games) I played quarterfinals, this time I have a bronze, Kashyap played quarterfinals, Jwala and D Viju played good match. I think the team is getting strong for the next Olympics,” she said. Agencies

London, Aug 7: The spotlight will be on the diminutive M C Mary Kom as she attempts to create history by becoming the first Indian to reach the final of the boxing event of Olympic Games when she takes on Nicola Adams of Great Britain in what promises to be a high-voltage contest on Wednesday.

The five-time world champion Mary has already assured at least a bronze medal for India, which means that the country has recorded its best-ever medal haul in the mega event.

India has already won one silver, two bronze and assured of a bronze, which is better than the one gold and two bronze medals they won in the Beijing Games four years ago.

The only other Indian pugilist who has kept himself in the medal hunt is Devendro Singh who will clash with Paddy Barnes of Ireland in the men’s fly weight (49 kg) category at the ExCel Arena tomorrow.

Interestingly, both Mary and Devendro hail from Manipur and know each other well and it would be a huge fillip to the sport in the strife-torn state if they progress further in the event.

Women’s boxing has been introduced for the first time in the Olympics and Mary, who has always taken part in the 48 kg category where she has excelled, had to increase her body weight to be eligible to take part in the 51 kg category in the Olympic Games.

As she herself disclosed, she has trained with taller and stronger boys in the build up to the Olympics to be able to counter her opponents in the event, marred by several controversies and dubious judgments.

The Indian pugilists have often being in the receiving end of the debatable judgments and some of their appeals have been rejected by the authorities.

Vikas Krishan had the misfortune of seeing his result being overturned in favour of his American opponent Errol Spence after he was given four penalties in a controversial bout. Krishan won the bout but later the American was adjudged the victor much to the dismay of the Indian contingent. Agencies

LONDON, Aug 7: India’s star pugilist Vijender Singh crashed out of the middleweight category as he lost by 13-17 to Uzbekistan’s Abbos Atoev in the quarterfinal at the Excel Arena on Monday.

The Beijing Games bronze medallist wasn’t really impressive during his last eight bout against an opponent whom he had beaten 7-0 in the Asian Games final at Guangzhou two years back.

A defensive boxer by nature, Vijender stayed in his shell a tad too long giving Atoev a chance to make inroads, which proved to be decisive in the end.

Atoev’s left and right hook combination also fetched him more points than the Indian’s right hooks that occasionally landed on spot.

In the first round, it was even-stevens as both boxers were locked at 3-3. However, in the second round, Vijender rattled Atoev with a lethal left hook but the Uzbek came up with a few solid counter punches as he won the round 7-5.

The two-point cushion proved good enough as the winner started the third round with a bang as his right hook landed flush on Vijender’s face to help him consolidate his lead.

He held onto it as he scored another seven points in the third round and clinched the issue with a 17-13 scoreline ensuring atleast a bronze medal. Agencies

London, Aug 7: India’s triple jumper Renjith Maheshwary crashed out of the London Olympics, failing to qualify for the finals with a ‘No Mark’ at the Olympic Stadium here on Tuesday.

Renjith, India’s sole male representative in the event, was shown the red flag in all three of his attempts as he each time over-stepped his take-off.

The Indian was the only contestant in the event not to register a jump.

Renjeth, thereby, failed to make even a single mark and finished last in the event.

Benjamin Compaore of France topped the qualification list with a jump of 17.06 metres.

Mayookha Johny, India’s sole woman triple jumper, too failed to qualify for the finals Friday. She finished a dismal 22nd overall with a best effort of 13.77 metres, which she got in her first attempt. IANS

London, Aug 7: The outstanding Kirani James added an Olympics gold to his fast-growing resume by racing to a personal best time to win the men’s 400 metres in dominating fashion at the London Games here on Monday night.

The 19-year-old clocked 43.94 seconds - a new national and Caribbean record - as he brushed aside his field to storm to the finish unchallenged, CMC reports.

In the process, James became Grenada’s first Olympic medallist and the first non-American to break the 44-second barrier in the history of the event.

The victory also added to James’s capture of the World title in Daegu last year and confirmed his status as the best quarter-miler on the planet, just weeks before his 20th birthday.

“I am very happy and very proud for my country and everyone that is associated with my country,” James beamed. “There is no word to describe the feeling right now. I am very proud of the time and very happy to win the gold medal.”

In the field, which included five Caribbean runners, James got off to an impressive start and had things his own way on the backstretch to emerge as the early favourite.

He entered the straight in front and accelerated over the last 50 metres to leave the field fighting for the other two medal placings.

In the end, James won by more than half of second as Luguelin Santos, the recently crowned World Junior champion of the Dominican Republic, took the silver medal in 44.46.

Surprise package Lalonde Gordon of Trinidad and Tobago, who only qualified for the Olympics in June, took bronze in a personal best 44.52.

James illustrious career now includes winning the NCAA title twice, the World Youth 200/400 double in 2009 and World Junior 400m title in 2010.

Veteran Chris Brown and Demetrius Pinder, both of the Bahamas, finished fourth and seventh in 44.79 and 44.98 seconds respectively. IANS

Hyderabad, Aug 7: Disheartened by a streak of losses last year, Saina Nehwal wanted to stop playing badminton, revealed Pullela Gopichand, the London Olympics bronze medallist's coach.

"Saina came up to me the day after she lost to Tine (Baun) in Denmark. (She was) crying (and) her eyes (were) swollen, she came to me and said 'Bhaiya it is not happening for me. We need to do something. She said if this continues I will not play," Gopichand told reporters.

India's chief badminton coach recalled that he was shocked to see her.

"I promised her that we will win an Olympic medal. The same day I made calls to my dad, mom and my wife and said I want to fulfil my promise (to Saina)," the former All England champion said.

Gopi spoke about the sacrifices he and Saina made over the months. There were no movies, no late night television and parties for the coach as he wanted to be available at his academy at 4.30 a.m. every day.

Gopi thanked Saina for winning the medal.

"I am really fortunate that though I didn't win a medal in my playing time, I won a medal in my life time," he said adding that all his goals in life have now been achieved.

Gopi called Saina one of the greatest sportspersons.

"She has done better than all of us. She is phenomenal. The greatest thing is she is young. There are many years to go," he said.

He told the 22-year-old Saina to plan for 2020, by which time she would have competed in another eight All England, about six world championships, two Olympics, two Commonwealth two and as many Asian Games.

Saina won the medal after Wang Xin of China pulled out of the bronze medal play-off due to a knee injury. IANS

Bolt gets through prelims in a breeze

LONDON, Aug 7: Usain Bolt opened defense of his Olympic 200-meter title with a comfortable win in the opening round on Tuesday, easing up over the final 80 meters to finish in 20.39 seconds.

The Jamaican, who won the 100 meters on Sunday night in an Olympic-record 9.63 seconds, will race again on Wednesday in the 200 semifinals. The final is on Thursday.

Bolt was in the first heat of qualifying, with teammate Yohan Blake and American Wallace Spearmon racing later.

However, the sprinter  has said defending the 100m title at the London Olympics was just a step forward to cement his place as a track legend, and added that he needs to defend his 200m title as well at the Games to achieve his lifelong dream.

There was no time for partying after another historic sprinting landmark, Bolt had promised on Sunday. Not when he was still only half way through the door marked ‘Legend’.

“The 100m is just one step in the door. But now there’s the 200m. I have to defend this one too; that’s what’s going to make me a legend. I’m looking forward to it,”  Bolt said. Agencies

LONDON, Aug 7: American Jennifer Suhr foiled Russian Yelena Isinbayeva’s bid for a historic hat-trick of women’s pole vault titles by claiming a nip-and-tuck Olympic competition in rainy conditions on Monday.

Suhr eventually claimed gold after registering a best of 4.75 metres having come into the competition at 4.55m.

Cuban Yarisley Silva claimed silver with 4.75m, a failed effort at her opening height of 4.45m see her cede the podium-topping spot on countback.

Defending two-time Olympic champion Isinbayeva, also the world record holder with a massive 5.06m set in 2009, took bronze with a best of 4.70m.

The Russian had sailed over 4.65m to settle her nerves.

She passed at 4.55m after botching her first effort, and watched on as Silva and then German Silke Spiegelburg both cleared 4.65m at the first time of asking, while Suhr confidently opted out and another German, Martina Strutz, also went straight to 4.70m after one fail 5cm lower.

The silver medallist in Beijing four years ago, Suhr then cleared 4.70m with aplomb while Spiegelburg brought the bar crashing down on her first effort.

Isinbayeva and Silva came hurtling down the runway to clear the height convincingly, but Strutz failed and went out.

Speigelburg had no choice but to up the ante and opted to sit out 4.70m, as light rain started to fall, with the temperature around 17 degrees Celsius (64F).

Isinbayeva sat on the sidelines, head covered and focused, but it made no difference as the quartet left in competition all fluffed their first attempts at 4.75m.

Suhr cleared the height at the second time of asking, with only two women - Isinbayeva and Suhr herself having made the height at the Olympics before, in 2008.

Silva followed suit to match the Cuban national record but Spiegelburg crashed out to just miss a podium placing.

Isinbayeva then failed but in one last shot of gamesmanship went up to 4.80m.

The 30-year-old got nowhere near, leaving Suhr and Silva to battle it out for gold, now in driving rain that hampered their grips on the bar and made it difficult for any traction on a slick track.

Both Suhr and Silva failed three times at 4.80m, but Silva’s previous indiscretion at 4.45m counted, and the US team was left to herald an unexpected gold.

Isinbayeva’s bronze meant she failed in her bid to become the first woman in history to win an individual athletics discipline three times at the Olympic Games (although Veronica Campbell-Brown will also have a chance to do this later in these Games in the women’s 200m).

The Russian, also a two-time world champion, is the only woman to have cleared five metres or better, which she has done indoors and outdoors on eight occasions.

She has broken the world record 28 times (13 indoor and 15 outdoor), culminating in her current world record of 5.06m set in Zurich three years ago, but her long years of dominating the event now seem truly over. Agencies

London, Aug 7: Russia’s pole vault queen Yelena Isinbaeva said on Monday the bronze she won at the London Games was a sign she must shelve her plans to retire.

Isinbaeva, a double Olympic champion and 28-time world record setter, came off a subpar season and sixth place at the 2011 world championships to clinch third place in Monday’s Olympic final, which was won by America’s Jenn Suhr.

“I think this bronze tells me ‘Elena, don’t quit’, as I planned to quit after London,” the 30-year-old superstar said.

Isinbaeva could be persuaded to continue because the next world athletics championships are on home soil in Moscow. “I don’t know about Moscow. Of course I will be there anyway. I’d like some rest but for now I don’t know anything. I am just glad the Olympics are finished as it was so stressful.”

As for the bronze, which she took with a best effort of 4.75 metres, far below her world record of 5.06, Isinbaeva said: “It is like a gold medal for me. It has been a lot of things in the past which have been disappointing for three years.” Agencies

LONDON, Aug 7: World champions Australia outplayed Pakistan 7-0 today to ease their passage into the semifinals of the Olympic Games men's hockey competition, while The Netherlands also stormed into the last four stage with an all-win record after spiking South Korea 4-2.

The Australian victory dashed Pakistan's hopes of making the semifinal after 12 years, while the second semifinal spot from the Group A still has two contenders in hosts Great Britain and 2008 Olympic silver medallists Spain, who clash later in the day.

The winner of the Great Britain-Spain encounter will be the other semifinalist from the group, while a draw will take the home team ahead.

Australia, who were held to two draws in the preliminary league by Argentina and Great Britain, finished with 11 points from five matches and the runaway triumph almost assured them of the top spot in the pool.

Hosts Great Britain can catch up with Australia on points if they beat Spain, but Australia now have a 12 goal advantage over Great Britain on goal-difference and even an injury-hit Spanish side can prove a tough side to outplay by such a huge margin.

Christopher Ciriello scored twice in Australia's goal fest that left the Pakistan defenders stunned.

Ciriello came into the frame after Liam de Young opened the Australian account with a penalty corner conversion in the second minute and Mark Knowles placed a penalty stroke past Pakistan goalkeeper Imran Shah a minute later.

Ciriello's two goals came in the space of five minutes, first scoring on a penalty corner in the 29th minute and then firing in a field goal in the 34th to give Australia a 4-0 lead at the interval.

Needing a victory over Australia in their last league outing to make the semifinals for the first time since the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Pakistan were never in the hunt today.

Pakistan went to concede three more goals in the second session as Russell Ford (42nd minute), Jamie Dwyer (48th) and Glenn Turner (70th) made entries in the scoresheet.

The Netherlands, who were bronze medallists in the 2010 World Cup in New Delhi, continued their winning spree, but had to ward off a late South Korean charge which brought them within one shot of an eqauliser before they conceded the last goal when caution was thrown to the wind.

The Dutch were already assured of a semifinal place, but they went after the victory to storm into the semifinals with an all-win record, similar to their women's team which is the defending champion here.

The Netherlands duly took their points tally to 15, but in the process dashed Asia Cup champions South Korea's hopes of making the semifinals.

The defeat meant the Koreans were left on six points from five outings while Germany, with nine points from four matches, will take the second place in the group.

The result of the Germany-New Zealand match will not affect the top two positions, but a New Zealand victory can propel them in the pool standings.

Dutch penalty corner striker Mink van der Weerden, who has proved an able replacement for injured corner ace Taeke Taekema, opened the account with a rasping drag-flick into the top corner of the goal in the 17th minute.

Valentin Verga slammed the board with a firm shot from the top of the box in the 26th minute and Roderick Weusthof converted a penalty stroke that was awarded when a defender blocked him inside the striking circle in the 47th minute.

South Korea retaliated strongly and Nam Hyun Woo began their rally with a penalty corner conversion in the 53rd minute, but a minute later he was carried off the pitch on a stretcher.

Lee Nam Yong then proved his mettle with another stinging penalty corner shot that made it 2-3 in the 62nd minute.

Going all out for an equaliser, the Koreans suffered from a counter-attack two minutes later as Billy Bakker found himself infront of a unmanned goal in the 64th minute and duly placed the ball inside. Agencies

London, Aug 7: Britain’s Alistair Brownlee slogged to Olympic gold in the men’s triathlon Tuesday, with his brother Jonny taking the bronze.

Brownlee, the reigning world champion, becomes the first Briton to win the swim, cycle and run event.

He takes Britain’s gold medal haul to 19, equalling the Beijing total with several days of competition remaining.

The 24-year-old finished the course around London’s Hyde Park in one hour, 46 minutes and 25 seconds, 11 seconds ahead of Spain’s Javier Gomez, who took the silver.

Jonny Brownlee, 22, clocked 1:46:56 for bronze, overcoming a 15-second time penalty in the process. IANS

London, Aug 7: Singapore won the bronze medal in table tennis women’s team event of the London Olympic Games on Tuesday, beating South Korea 3-0. This is the second bronze medal Singapore won in table tennis in London. Feng Tianwei won the bronze medal in women’s singles six days ago.

Feng beat South Korea’s Kim Kyung-Ah (11-8, 11-9, 4-11, 13-11) in the opening match. Her teammate Li Jiawei continued the winning streak, defeating South Korea’s Seok Ha-Jung (11-5, 11-8, 6-11, 11-8).

Wang Yuegu/Li secured the bronze medal for Singapore after beating South Korean pair Dang Ye-Seo/Seok (11-9, 11-6, 6-11, 11-5).

China will compete with Japan in the women’s team final in the afternoon.

Singapore won the silver medal in women’s team events at Beijing 2008. IANS

London, Aug 7 : Dominican athlete Felix Sanchez won his second gold medal on Monday night at the 2012 London Olympic Games in the 400-meter hurdles.

This was the comeback of “Super Felix” who dominated the race with immense authority, and though injuries had weighed him down for several years, he had now returned in great form to win with a season-best time of 47.63 seconds.

The US-born athlete triumphed with a show of force that hasn’t been seen since his best times when he was crowned world and Olympic champion and won all his races on the international circuit.

Sanchez was in top form, stayed in the lead and in the final stretch pulled away from a tiring Puerto Rico’s Javier Culson, who paid dearly for his early effort and dropped back to take the bronze with a time of 48.10 seconds following the surge of the American Michael Tinsley, who took the silver with a time of 47.91.

Super Felix, world champion at Edmonton ’01 and Paris ’03 and gold medalist at the 2004 Athens Olympics, never gave up over the years, and even when injuries kept him from doing his best, he healed time after time and confirmed it on the magic evening.

With this victory he mirrored the success of Angelo Taylor of the US, who also won two Olympic titles eight years apart - Sydney 2000 and Beijing 2008 - and finished fifth on Monday. IANS

London, Aug 7: China’s Feng Zhe won the Olympic gold in the men’s parallel bars here on Tuesday.

Zhe, the 2010 world champion who also took team gold with China, scored 15.966 for an impeccable routine with a high difficulty level of 7.0.

Marcel Nguyen from Germany took silver with 15.800 points for 6.8 difficulty mark. This was his second silver at the Games after the 24-year-old took a surprise second place in the men’s individual all-around.

France’s Hamilton Sabot won the bronze medal, awarded 15.566 points for performing a programme with 6.7 difficulty.

Japan’s Yusuke Tanaka could only manage eighth after going into the final in the lead on the back of a strong qualifying routine. IANS

London, Aug 7: Dorian van Rijsselberge of the Netherlands won the Olympic windsurfing medal race Tuesday, clinching the regatta gold he had already guaranteed in style.

Van Rijsselberge coasted to first place after winning six of the first nine races, topping the standings in the RS-X sailboard class.

Nick Dempsey of Britain took the silver, with Poland’s Przemyslaw Miarczynski winning bronze.

It may the last Olympic appearance of windsurfing, with kite racing bidding to replace it in Rio de Janeiro in four years’ time. IANS

Rio de Janeiro, Aug 7: Brazilian medal hopeful Marilson Gomes admits he is “fighting to control his anxiety” ahead of Sunday’s Olympic marathon.

Gomes knows he must keep his emotions in check before the 42.195 km event through the streets of London.

“To compete on the last day of the Olympics is special, even more so because this is the event that officially closes the Games,” Gomes said. “Athletes always need to contain their anxiety no matter where they compete but at the Olympics it’s even harder to do because of the extra importance.”

Gomes, 35, is a two-time winner of the New York City Marathon and was a gold medallist in the 10 km event at last year’s Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Favourites to take gold Sunday are Wilson Kipsang (Kenya), Ayele Abshero (Ethiopia), Emmanuel Mutai (Kenya), Dino Sefer (Ethiopia), Getu Feleke (Ethiopia) and Ryan Hall (USA). IANS

London, Aug 7: Sprint legend Usain Bolt has admitted to being under pressure to defend his men’s Olympics 100 metres title in London.

Shortly after storming to victory in a new Olympic record 9.63 seconds at the London Games Sunday, Bolt said he had been worried and had discussed his strategy going forward with coach Glen Mills, CMC reports.

“I was really under a lot of pressure,” Bolt said during the mixed zone interview. “He (Mills) said ‘don’t worry I knew where you went wrong and we know what we have to do so as long as you fix the back problem you will be ok’.”

Bolt said he had worked really hard to correct the back problems he had experienced and which had hampered him during the Jamaica Olympic Trials in June.

Then, he was twice beaten by training partner Yohan Blake, raising doubts about his ability to defend his Olympic sprint titles.

Bolt also said even on arrival at the Olympic Stadium for the start of the 100m race he was still a bit concerned but said after the penultimate round his confidence improved.

“I was slightly worried because I wasn’t racing but after I ran the semi-finals I felt smooth, I felt great, so it was no worry after that. I was confident I that I would have done it,” he said.

Bolt also spoke highly of his training partner Blake who finished second in a personal best 9.75. “He is great. He executed well,” said Bolt, while adding that the young sprinter would continue to improve as he continued competing with more big names. With his victory, Bolt joined American Carl Lewis as the other contemporary sprinter to win back-to-back titles. Agencies

London, Aug 7: Chinese athletics star Liu Xiang crashed out of the Olympic men’s 110 metres hurdles as he hit the first hurdle of heat 6 at the London Games here Tuesday.

It was the second time Liu failed in the first round at the Olympics. Four years ago in Beijing, he withdrew at the last moment due to a foot injury.

He won the gold in Athens 2004. IANS

London, Aug 7: While Usain Bolt is probably the most popular man in the world this week, Ashley Gill was a fraction away from making himself the most unpopular man on the planet.

And why is that, one may ask, along with: And who is Andy Gill? Gill was the man who threw a bottle on the track just behind the blocks as Bolt and company began their historic 100 metres race on Sunday.

Bolt said he heard nothing of the incident, but imagine if the bottle had hit the fastest man in the world, it would have been a disaster of Olympic proportions.

Gill, who was said to be drunk at the time, was quickly arrested and dragged out of the stadium. He was also unlucky with that he was sitting next to a certain Edith Bosch. Bosch had won a bronze medal in judo earlier in the week and clearly didn’t mess around.

“A drunken man threw a bottle on the track, I have beaten him,” she tweeted afterwards in an act that Sebastian Coe, the president of the Organizing Committee of the London Olympics, referred to as “poetic justice,” and probably painful justice as well.

There is one big question that has to be answered: given the incredibly high price of beer in the stadium, how could Mr Gill afford to get drunk?

Bolt didn’t waste much time celebrating his win, posting a photo of himself with three Swedish women handball players on his ‘Twitter’ site at 3am. Remember this is a man who also has to run the 4X100 metres and also the 200m later in the week, but as the saying goes, ‘If you are looking to meet the perfect woman, its better to interview them two at a time,’ or in Bolt’s case three.

Meanwhile (and this in no way is to imply that Bolt has done anything untoward), police in London have seized thousands of condoms bearing the Olympic logo in an operation against counterfeit memorabilia.

The police commented that counterfeit goods are not built to standard and more likely to fail, so you have been warned. IANS