IAAF turns down Johnson’s appeal
SEVILLE (Spain), Aug 17 — Disgraced former world 100 metre champion Ben Johnson’s hopes of having his life ban lifted in time to compete in the Sydney Olympics were dashed here yesterday by a special commission for the IAAF.

Enqvist, Magnus Norman sweep into second round
INDIANAPOLIS, Aug 17 — Swedes Thomas Enqvist and Magnus Norman swept through to straight-set victories yesterday in a fast start at the $870,000 ATP tour RCA Championships.

Jones ready to run ‘faster’
SEVILLE (Spain), Aug 17 — American superstar Marion Jones is little more than a week away from achieving ‘mission impossible.’

Indian juniors rout Belgium
BERLIN, Aug 17 — After two big losses to Holland, Indian junior hockey team tasted victory for the first time in the current European tour when they swamped Belgium 7-0 at Amstelveen, Netherlands last night.

Court directive to Kapil on HCA
CHANDIGARH, Aug 17 — The Punjab and Haryana High Court yesterday directed counsel for star cricketer Kapil Dev to place on record suggestions that may help improve the functioning of the Haryana Cricket Association or amendment to the constitution that may benefit not only Haryana but also other states.

Men’s relay team scratched
NEW DELHI, Aug 17 — The men’s 4 x 400 m relay team has been scratched from the Indian squad for the coming World Athletic Championships in Seville, Spain, due to injury to two runners and a poor effort in the final trials held at SAI South Centre, Bangalore, yesterday.

• 80-member Punjab squad selected
• Aher manager of hockey team

Quiet draws mark semifinals

LAS VEGAS, Aug 17 (AP) — All four players in the semifinals of the World Chess Championship at Caesars Palace made quiet draws in the second game of these four-game mini-matches.

Fifth-seeded Michael Adams of England drew with Armenia’s Vladimir Akopian in only 16 moves yesterday. Liviu Nisipeanu and Alexander Khalifman agreed to a draw after 28 moves.

Adams, who lost the first game on Sunday, had said he was tired after playing for seven straight days. He now must win at least one of the next two games if he is to reach the finals.

If a match is tied after four games, tiebreaker sets will be held on Thursday.

The month-long tournament began with 100 players. It is sponsored by the Federation Internationale des Echecs and features prizes of $ 3 million.

Chess has had a tradition of the current champion playing a challenger every three years.

In 1997, FIDE decided to have the championship decided annually by an elimination tournament. This seven-round event is similar to that of a major tennis tournament.

Akopian and Adams have similar histories. Both are now 27 and were considered prodigies in their youth.

Adams became a Grandmaster and won the British championship at 17. He made it to the semifinals in 1997 at the initial knockout World Championship in the Netherlands. Here he has played steady chess and became the favourite by upsetting the top seed, Vladimir Kramnik of Russia, in round five.

Akopian was world junior champion in the under 16, under 18, and under 20 divisions. He has become a strong Grandmaster, but has not been able to imitate Adams and make it to the very top echelon

Nisipeanu’s success here was totally unexpected, even to him. He is little known outside of his native Romania and was seeded 46th. Before this tournament, the 23-year-old had had few opportunities to play against the game’s elite, and had never beaten any of them.

Here Nisipeanu has eliminated three of the top 15 players, No 14 Zurab Azmaiparashvili of Georgia, sixth-seeded Vassily Ivanchuk and the second-ranked Alexei Shirov of Spain.

Khalifman of Russia is the oldest remaining competitor at 33. He has been considered a very strong Grandmaster for more than 10 years, but has never been rated as a superstar.

The 36th seed struggled to defeat India’s Dibyendu Barua, ranked 72nd, in the first round. He appeared on his way home when he lost his first game in the next round against the fourth-seeded Gata Kamsky of the USA.

He won that match in tiebreakers and has since upset Israel’s Boris Gelfand and Judit Polgar of Hungary.

Superb comeback by Sampras

MASON (Ohio), Aug 17 (AP) — Pete Sampras has found an antidote for the depression of losing the French Open. It’s called winning.

Every year Sampras loses — often early — at Roland Garros and has to hear the same old thing about tanking the big one on clay. This year was particularly painful, the loss coinciding with a breakup with a longtime girlfriend.

“Up until the French Open and after the French, I was about as low as I’ve ever been, personally and professionally,” Sampras said Sunday. “It was a very tough time.”

When he went home to Florida to collect himself, he decided a new outlook was needed.

“I looked at Queen’s and the rest of the year as a new beginning and tried to put what happened at the French behind me and the whole year just behind me,” Sampras said.

“I learned from it. That’s a sign, or a time, to really show your true colours when things aren’t going well.”

He went to London to play in the Queen’s Club, a grass-court tournament, to get ready for Wimbledon. He won there and hasn’t stopped since, adding titles at Wimbledon — his sixth — Los Angeles and the ATP championship in Mason.

“Since Queen’s, winning that tournament and getting the confidence I needed to get going in Wimbledon, it’s just kind of all just carrying over to the summer,” Sampras said.

“It was a big relief winning Wimbledon because I felt like I achieved my main goal this year, which was to win a Grand Slam title.

Sunday’s straight-set victory over Australia’s Patrick Rafter on Sunday gave the American star the 60th title of his career. He’ll play in Indianapolis this week, then take a week off before the US Open.

The streak of 22 consecutive victories is the second longest of his career. He won 29 in a row in 1994.

Sampras was exhausted from a December push to finish the year at No 1 — something he says he won’t do again now that he has finished the year at No 1 a record six times.

He did not play in January, passing up the Australian Open, although he has won it twice and his goal is to amass Grand Slam tournament titles.

He sustained an ankle injury and withdrew from the only tournament he entered in February, and he had a miserable early March.

He made it to the quarterfinals in Key Biscayne, Florida, but lost to Dutchman Richard Krajicek for the fourth consecutive time. He took off nearly two months, then lost in the second round at Rome.

IAAF turns down Johnson’s appeal

SEVILLE (Spain), Aug 17 (AFP) — Disgraced former world 100 metre champion Ben Johnson’s hopes of having his life ban lifted in time to compete in the Sydney Olympics were dashed here yesterday by a special commission for the IAAF.

Athletics Canada had filed an application to the International Amateur Athletics Federation on Johnson’s behalf seeking his international reinstatement.

But Istvan Gyulai, IAAF secretary general, reported: “After having spent a day with the athlete, accompanied by his solicitor and manager, we have recommended to the (IAAF) council not to agree to the request.

The 37-year-old Johnson has twice been found guilty of doping. The first was three days after winning the 100m Olympic gold medal in Seoul in 1988 and the second was in Montreal in 1993.

The commission investigating his case comprised Helmut Diegel, Robert Stinson and Gyulai, its chairman.

Johnson was seen by this three-man panel on August 3 in Monaco after the sprinter argued that new evidence supported his claim for reinstatement.

In June Johnson had spoken about his hopes of being able to compete in Sydney.

He said: “I don’t know how the IAAF will vote. I’ve got my fingers crossed and I just hope to God the wind will blow my way.

Johnson’s rise was as quick as his fall.

After clocking a world record time of 9.79 seconds in Seoul he lost his gold medal and the historic mark three days later when analysis of his urine sample showed the anabolic steroid stanazohol.

Five years later he was tested again at the Hamilton indoor meeting and his sample was allegedly positive for a high level of testosterone. He was subsequently banned for life.

He has fought for the past 27 months for a review and reinstatement and won the support of Athletics Canada and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport.

Johnson was given hope of a reprieve by an arbiter’s decision in Canada which ruled that he should be allowed to seek reinstatement as Canadian track authorities had failed to make all of his appeal options clear at the time of his second positive drug test.

Canada Athletics is in the process of contesting that Canadian ruling, claiming the arbiter, Graeme Mew, had erred in fact and matters of law.

But nevertheless it had decided to back Johnson’s IAAF appeal it said to protect itself against potential legal action.

Gyulai added: “We consider that the Canadian arbiter has no jurisdiction on the IAAF rules, that the arguments were not sufficient and, therefore, that the Candian federation had not made the wrong decision (in handing out the original ban)”.

He went on to insist that sporting issues should be dealt with by the sporting world.

I’m not after power, says Tendulkar

CHENNAI, Aug 17 (PTI) — Skipper Sachin Tendulkar today said he was “not after power”, and asserted that he would live upto the faith reposed in him by the countrymen.

To a query from the media whether he was happy with the powers vested with him by the selectors now, the star batsman, in his second stint as captain, said: “I am not after any power. I am to work in the interests of the country”.

Tendulkar, who is here for the team’s preparatory camp for Sri Lankan and Singapore tours for tri-nation one-day cricket tournaments, said “as far as friendship is concerned, it will be off the field”, and asked the team members to show total involvement and dedication.

On himself as a captain and a player, he said “playing cricket is a tough job and being the captain, it surely adds a little more responsibility. The whole country has faith in me. I am happy to be the captain and will be giving my 100 per cent and do the best for my country that I love”.

On the forthcoming tours, Tendulkar said there might be ups and downs and some players might not perform upto expectations. “But I will be happy if they put in an effort and concentrate on the field for six hours”.

Insisting that India had not fared badly in the World Cup, Tendulkar said it was important that tailenders also chipped in at some moment. “We will work towards these aspects”, he added.

On the inclusion of Vinod Kambli and M.S.K. Prasad, Tendulkar clarified that Kambli had not been dropped for the World Cup on grounds of “fitness”. It was a matter of choice between Kambli and Amay Khurasia and the latter found a berth on account of his better batting performance. Now Kambli had got into the side due to Azharuddin’s absence, he said.

“I am happy to see MSK (Prasad) in the team and hope the two perform well in the coming tours”, he said.

Saying that past should be left behind and players should turn over a new leaf, Tendulkar said “I will continue to do what I did in the past as the captain”.

On the strategy the team proposed to adopt in the tours, he said its approach would be positive but refused to elaborate, saying. “Our plans and strategies should not be disclosed, then it will not be a secret any more”.

He said he and other players would work on a few things (shortcomings).

When drawn out to talk on the coming general elections, he said: “My job is to do what I am good at. My job is to play cricket which I am good at”.

Enqvist, Magnus Norman sweep into second round

INDIANAPOLIS, Aug 17 (AFP) — Swedes Thomas Enqvist and Magnus Norman swept through to straight-set victories yesterday in a fast start at the $870,000 ATP tour RCA Championships.

Enqvist, the 10th seed and Australian Open finalist in January, won the last nine games to dispatch world No 140 Mose Navarra 7-5, 6-0.

Norman, winner of two titles on clay in recent weeks and playing in his first hardcourt outing of the summer, knocked out 13th seed Mariano Zabaleta of Argentina 7-6 (7/5), 6-3.

Navarra served for the first set against Enqvist while leading 5-4, but lost that game and all the rest on the way to defeat in 64 minutes at the Indianapolis Tennis Centre.

Enqvist made sure that Navarra, 25 and playing here for the first time, remained locked on a modest sum of three match victories so far during his tour-level career.

Two of those occurred at Wimbledon, 1996, with the other coming at Roland Garros in 1998 over Australian Scott Draper. In the interim, the Italian won a 1999 Challenger title in Singapore and played a semifinal in Calcutta.

Enqvist won the Indianapolis event in 1995 and is competing here for the seventh time.

“He came out going for his shots a lot and made some incredible winners,” said the winner, who plays one of two compatriots Jonas Bjorkman or Magnus Larsson, in the second round tomorrow.

“I tried to be a bit more aggressive and make him run, make it tougher for him to hit his shots. I was lucky to win the first set.

“But in the second I got up a break and he seemed a bit tired,” said the Swede.

Three more seeds were also beaten on the first day of the tuneup event for the US Open, which starts in two weeks.

American Vince Spadea, who is avoiding his favourite food — hamburgers — in hopes of keeping his fitness level high, defeated ninth seed Felix Mantilla of Spain 6-3, 6-7 (2/7), 6-2.

South African qualifier Grant Stafford found his form against No 11 Nicolas Lapentti of Ecuador, posting a 6-3, 7-5 win.

Another qualifier, Max Mirnyi from Belarus, accounted for Fernando Meligeni, the 16th-seeded Brazilian who reached the French Open semifinals in June. Mirnyi advanced to the second round 7-6 (7/5), 6-3

Cedric Pioline, the No 14 Frenchman, ousted American qualifier Jeff Morrison 7-6 (8/6), 6-3. Arnaud Di Pasquale of France defeated Argentine Guillermo Canas 7-5, 6-1.

Sebastien Grosjean and Arnaud Clement made it a quartet of French wins. Grosjean beat American veteran Richey Reneberg 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 while Clement knocked out Czech Bohdan Ulihrach 6-4, 6-4.

The field is led by world No 1 Pete Sampras and second seed Pat Rafter.

The Australian is keeping a careful eye on his right shoulder, which has been bothered by tendinitis.

Rafter said he felt some pain during his loss in the Cincinnati final on Sunday against Sampras, but has asked for a tomorrow start this week and hopes to play.

The world No 4 said that if it starts to bother him, he would have to sacrifice a weekly tour event to try and be fit for the US Open, where he has won two titles in a row.

TORONTO (AP): American Jennifer Capriati, the 1991 Du Maurier Open winner at the age of 15, beat Spain’s Angeles Montolio 6-1, 6-3 in the first round of the WTA tour event.

Capriati, (23), making a comeback from personal and physical problems, showed the form on Monday that carried her to victory in a tour event in France in May — her first title since 1993.

“I’m just trying to do the best I can and qualify the best I can and whatever comes along with that I’ll take,” she said. “I really feel myself playing well and that’s a good feeling. I guess I’ve missed that for a while and it’s good to have that back.”

Capriati, who also won an exhibition event last month in New Jersey, advanced to a second-round match on Wednesday against seventh-seeded Nathalie Tauziat of France.

“I feel great out there,” Capriati said. “I really feel like I’m moving well. I feel like I’m just in a so much better position. I feel light out there.”

In a night match, ninth-seeded Barbara Schett of Austria beat American teenager Alexandra Stevenson 6-2, 7-5.

“In the first set, I was a little off, but I started playing well, just not well enough to win the second set,” said Stevenson, who lost last week in the first round of the Acura Classic. “I made a few errors and a few wrong decisions.”

In other matches, 10th-seeded Sandrine Testud of France advanced when Mariaan De Swardt of South Africa retired in the second set and 16th-seeded Chandra Rubin beat Sarah Pitkowski of France 6-2, 6-3.

Jones ready to run ‘faster’

SEVILLE (Spain), Aug 17 (AFP) — American superstar Marion Jones is little more than a week away from achieving ‘mission impossible.’

The 23-year-old track sensation has her sights firmly fixed on four gold medals at the World Athletic Championships here to carve her name in the record books.

No woman has ever managed four golds in a single championship but the former North Carolina basketball star is convinced she can win the 100 metres, 200 metres, long-jump and the relay.

The biggest challenge in contesting so many events was mental, Jones said, but she felt up to it.

“In the past, I’ve run very well when faced with challenges,” she said.

Since she burst onto the international scene two years ago, Jones remains unbeaten on the track. Earlier this month in Zurich, she clocked her 21st consecutive 200 metres victory. Her 100 metres is even more fearsome.

And Jones has her eyes firmly set on the world record set in 1988 by the late Florence Griffith-Joyner of 10.49 seconds.

Jones has already clocked 10.60 earlier this year in Lausanne. She is also closing in on Griffith-Joyner’s 200 metres world record of 21.34 set at the Seoul Olympics.

“Before my career is over, I hope to touch on them,” she said.

“I’m definitely prepared to run faster than I ever have.”

The only glitch in Jones’ relentless march toward four golds came earlier this year at the US championships when Dawn Burrell upset her.

Burrell, the sister of former men’s 100 metres world record holder Leroy Burrell, leaped 6.96 metres in the long jump. Jones had to settle for second with 6.78 metres.

Jones hurt herself jumping 7.01 metres two weeks before the meeting but refused to make excuses. “I have no excuses. It was not because of the injury,” she said afterwards.

It is that ‘no excuse’ attitude that has made the American one of the genuine stars on the European Grand Prix tour, where she has totally dominated this season as she closes in on a share of the $1 million for grabs in the golden league.

The question, however, that everyone is asking is: Just how much faster can Jones go?

The experts say her starts can certainly improve and age and experience are likely to strengthen both her body and her mind. The possibilities are boundless, although one journalist may have gone a touch over the top when he asked whether she thought she could run under 10 seconds.

“Let’s just get under 10.49 first,” Jones replied with the kind of smile to leave you wondering can a woman run under 10 seconds?

Indian juniors rout Belgium

BERLIN, Aug 17 (PTI) — After two big losses to Holland, Indian junior hockey team tasted victory for the first time in the current European tour when they swamped Belgium 7-0 at Amstelveen, Netherlands last night.

The under-21 men’s team, which was thrashed 0-5 and 1-6 by the vastly superior Dutch boys, fully dominated the weaker Belgians in a morale boosting warm-up win ahead of next week’s eight-nation Junior Challenge Open tournament at Poznan, Poland.

Half-back Arjun Halappa was the top scorer with two goals both off penalty strokes as India scored at regular intervals to have the upper hand throughout the match.

India led 3-0 at half time.

Fullback L Ayyappa drew first blood for the visitors in the eighth minute converting the team’s first penalty corner. Asad Khan, Bimal Lakra, Prabjot Tirkey and Inderjit Singh were the other scorers, all struck field goals.

The Belgians, who wasted four penalty corners, made sporadic attempts but were foiled by a strong Indian defence.

“The victory has given our boys a tremendous confidence and a boost ahead of next week’s Junior Challenge Open tournament,” said coach C.R. Kumar.

India and Belgium are in the same pool along with Germany and Egypt in the Poznan tournament.

Kumar said most of the Belgiam players had appeared in the 1997 junior World Cup while none in the Indian team had World Cup exposure.

Shukla replaces injured Ajit Agarkar

MUMBAI, Aug 17 (PTI) — Mumbai paceman Ajit Agarkar was today ruled out of the twin tours of Sri Lanka and Singapore commencing later this month following a hamstring injury he sustained at Chennai yesterday and was replaced in the 15-strong squad by Bengal allrounder Laxmi Ratan Shukla.

“Agarkar pulled a hamstring during the team’s training session in Chennai last evening and has been advised 15 days’ rest,” cricket board secretary Jaywant Lele told PTI today.

“Agarkar was bowling to the third batsman in the nets when he suddenly had a catch in his leg. He was taken for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) today and the injury was detected”, Lele added.

The board’s executive secretary Mr Sharad Diwadkar, later said 18-year-old Shukla would replace the injured Agarkar.

This was the second time in his fledgling international career that the 21-year-old Agarkar suffered an injury and pulled out of a tour during the camp prior to team’s departure.

Agarkar, considered to have the potential to blossom into a genuine allrounder, had suffered a shin fracture in Mumbai on the eve of the team’s departure to New Zealand.

Court directive to Kapil on HCA
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Aug 17 — The Punjab and Haryana High Court yesterday directed counsel for star cricketer Kapil Dev to place on record suggestions that may help improve the functioning of the Haryana Cricket Association or amendment to the constitution that may benefit not only Haryana but also other states.

Mr Justice R.S. Mongia and Mr Justice J.S. Narang, who constituted the Bench, handed down this order on a petition filed by Kapil Dev questioning the functioning of the Haryana Cricket Association.

When counsel for Mr Ranbir Singh Mahendra, secretary of the association, raised certain preliminary objections, the Bench observed: “We are not going into any technicalities. We want that the association should function properly. Why a person has been holding the office of the secretary for the past 25 years?” the Bench asked.

Counsel for Kapil Dev told the Bench that Mr Mahendra had made 52 life members who had the same voting right as had been given to a district association in the state. He brought to the notice of the court that there was no criterion for making life members. Mr Mahendra inducted 52 members in the association who are either his relatives or friends. None of them ever represented the state in any Test match, much less in any international event. Persons who did not have any background of the cricket had been inducted as life members.

The Bench adjourned the case to September 7.

Men’s relay team scratched

NEW DELHI, Aug 17 (PTI) — The men’s 4 x 400 m relay team has been scratched from the Indian squad for the coming World Athletic Championships in Seville, Spain, due to injury to two runners and a poor effort in the final trials held at SAI South Centre, Bangalore, yesterday.

Two of the runners, Lijo David Thottan and Jata Shankar, could not take part in the trials due to injury and the rest of the squad — the foursome of P. Ramachandran, P.H. Abdulla, Prabhjot Singh and Paramjit Singh — managed to clock only a poor three minutes 07.06 seconds.

Nine athletes and four officials will make the Indian squad for the meet to be held from August 21 to 29.

Eight women — Sunita Rani (1500 m), Neelam J. Singh (discus), Gurmeet Kaur (javelin), Jincy Philip, M.K. Asha, Rosa Kutty, K.M. Beenamol and Manjima Kuriakose (4 x 400 m relay) — with male shot putter Shakti Singh will comprise the squad.

AAFI had hoped that the men’s lay team would be able to break the present national record of 3:02.62 set by Lijo David, Ramachandran, Paramjit Singh and Jata Shankar in claiming the silver medal at the Bangkok Asian Games in December last year.

80-member Punjab squad selected
From Our Sports Reporter

JALANDHAR, Aug 17 — An 80-member squad comprising 45 boys and 35 girls have been selected to represent Punjab in the North Zone Athletics Championship to be held at Allahabad from August 20 to 21, according to Mr Isher Singh Deol, Honorary General Secretary, Punjab Amateur Athletic Association.

Team: Boys: Vikas, Sanjeev, Jagpreet, Jaspreet, Amindeep, Jasveer, Gurvinder, Kashmir, Balkar, Mangat Ram, Gurpreet, Satnam, Amarveer, Surjit, Gurmeet, Pritpal, Kulwinder, Sukhchan, Sukhveer, Amindeep (jr), Gurdev, Harinder, Dharminder, Ashok, Gurwinder, Ravinder, Sanjiv, Kuldip, Ravinder, Navnidh, Gurveer, Amritpal, Amarjit, Veer Kiran Singh, Harjit, Mandip, Parbjot Singh, Diljot Singh, Avtar Singh, Surjit, Gurwinder, Gurmeet, Daljinder, Sarbjit, J. Preet Singh Surjit.

Girls: Jasbir, Mandeep Kaur, Navjot Kaur, Ravinder Kaur, Harkirat, Paramjit Kaur, Jasinder Kaur, Sarabjit, Jaswinder, Ravinder Kaur (jr), Kasmir Kaur, Navjit Kaur, Amindeep Kaur, Rupinder, Narinder Kaur, Kamaljit, Surinder Kaur, Rajdeep, Manjit Kaur, Jaswinder Kaur, Akwinder, Veerpal Kaur, Prabjot, Lakhbir Kaur, Rupinder Kaur, Jasjot, Spinder, Baljinder, Ritu, Poonam, Mandip, Gagandeep, A.G.Preet, Rajwinder, Palvinder.

Pak ready to play in Toronto

ISLAMABAD, Aug 17 (PTI) — Pakistan has declared that it was ready to play the annual one-day cricket series with India in Toronto after its government gave a go-ahead to its cricket board (PCB).

Announcing this, the PCB ad hoc committee chairman, Mr Mujeebur Rehman, said the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) had been informed of the decision and urged the Indian authorities to decide about their participation “immediately” as there was little time left for the event normally held in September.

“We have already made it clear to the BCCI that we are ready to play and it is up to them to decide,” Mr Rehman told the English daily “The News”.

Aher manager of hockey team

NAGPUR, Aug 17 (PTI) — Mr Balraj Aher, president of the Vidarbha Hockey Association, has been appointed manager of the India ‘B’ team for the Zimbabwe and Kenya tours scheduled from August 24 to September 7.

The Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) today faxed here its communication regarding the appointment, Mr Aher told PTI.

Ramneek upsets Rohit

JALANDHAR, Aug 17 (FOSR) — Unseeded Ramneek Singh defeated top seed Rohit Kapoor today in the boys singles under-19 semifinal in the Jalandhar District Badminton Championship currently under way at Raizada Hans Raj Stadium here. Ramneek lost the second game to Rohit but he won the first and third game very comfortably. He won the game 15-7, 12-15, 15-7.

On the fourth day of the championship Sumit Kalra won the final of the girls singles under-19 by defeating Sandhya Yadav 11-1, 11-5. Sumit Kalra also entered the final of the women’s singles, while in women’s doubles she entered the final with her team-mate Gurpreet Kalra. The results of the fourth day are as follows:

Boys singles under 19 (semifinal) Ramneek Singh beat Rohit Kapoor by 15-7, 12-15, 15-7, Sahil Arora conceded match to Karandeep. Karandeep won the first game 15-2.

Skating results

SANGRUR, Aug 17 (FOSR) — The following are the results of the District Skating Championships which concluded here today: Road race (6-9 years): 1 Lohit, 2 Manish, 3 Maninder; Road race (12-16 years): 1 Gurpinder Singh, 2 Gurpreet, 3 Pushpinder; Rink race (6-9 years): 1 Lohit, 2 Maninder, 3 Prashant; Rink race (12-16 years): 1 Punargeet Singh, 2 Gurpinder Singh, 3 Kewal; Rink race (9-12 years): 1 Gurdip Singh, 2 Harsimran, 3 Navdeep Kumar; Road race (above 16 years): 1 Navdeep, 2 Ramesh, 3 Ravi Kumar.

Hockey (12-16 years): 1 Raj School, 2 War Hero’s Club. Hockey (above 16 years): 1 War Hero’s Club, 2 Raj Senior Secondary Club.

Ropar trials

CHANDIGARH, Aug 17 (TNS) — Trials to select the Ropar district athletics teams (men women as well as boys and girls under 20) will be held on August 22 4 p.m. at Dasehra ground (Phase VIII) near the bus stand in SAS Nagar.

Selected teams will represent Ropar in the Punjab Open Athletics Meet at Jalandhar from August 24.