Merlene Ottey

Ottey’s test shocks Jamaicans KINGSTON (Jamaica), Aug 19 — Jamaicans reacted with disbelief yesterday to reports that athletics star Merlene Ottey tested positive for steroid use, and government officials came to her defence. Ottey (39) withdrew from the world championships in Seville, Spain, after traces of the steroid nandrolone were found in her system in an initial A test. If the ‘B’ sample test returns positive she will probably be suspended for two years, effectively ending her career.

Agassi crushes Tillstrom
WASHINGTON, Aug 19 — Andre Agassi put himself on track to earn his fifth Legg Mason Classic title. Agassi, disposed of Swede Mikael Tillstrom 6-1, 6-1 in 50 minutes yesterday.

Tuhasini is sole leader
CHENNAI, Aug 19 — Despite a poor second round, former champions Tuhasini Selvaratnam became the sole leader at the halfway mark of the four round AVT Southern India Golf Championship here today.

Chandigarh boy enters final
CHENNAI, Aug 19 — National junior hardcourt champion Kamala Kannan (Tamin Nadu) sent second seed Kedar Shah (Maharashtra) packing 6-3, 6-7, 6-4 in a gruelling boys singles semifinal to set up a title clash with Sunil Kumar in the AITA-Junior Tennis Championship here today.

Yugoslavia hold Croatia
HAMBURG, Aug 19 — Yugoslavia and Croatia played to a goalless draw yesterday in a highly-charged European Football Championships qualifier in Belgrade — the first match between the two following the split of the former Yugoslavia in 1991.

Indian juniors excel in Colombia meet
NEW DELHI, Aug 19 — India’s Simran Singh Shergill and Yogeshwar Singh were adjudged the best international rider and team player and the best international player, respectively, for their good show at the junior international tournament organised by the Federation International De Polo III at Bagota, Colombia, last week.

Randhawa shares 18th spot
TIANJIN (China), Aug 19 — Jyoti Randhawa fired a modest two-under par 68 to be three strokes adrift of the leader after the first round in the Tianjin Teda Open Golf tournament, a new event of the Asian PGA Tour.

Goalies resent FIFA ruling
ROME, Aug 19 — Italy’s top goalkeepers are threatening to rebel against a new FIFA ruling which calls on referees to award a penalty kick and send off goalkeepers who prevent an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by fouling an opponent inside the penalty area.

Nisipeanu’s date with destiny

LAS VEGAS, Aug 19 (PTI) — Grandmaster Liviu Nisipeanu of Romania, the latest sensation in the chess world, kept his date with destiny by beating Russia’s Alexander Khalifman in the fourth game of their semifinal tie to force a playoff in the World Chess Championship here.

The 23-year-old Nisipeanu, seeded a modest 46th, won the final game of the four-match semis tie with white pieces to level scores 2-2 as the FIDE Championship entered the final phase here yesterday.

Vladimir Akopian of Armenia, another find of event, has already booked a place in the six-game final starting on Sunday after he took an unassailable 2.5-0.5 lead after three games over a highly rated fifth seed Michael Adams of England.

The Nisipeanu-Khalifman tie-breaker tonight will decide who will meet Akopian, the player whom chess wizard Garry Kasparov described as a ‘tourist’ on the competitive circuit.

The 33-year-old Russian, who prefers to concentrate more on his ‘Grandmasters Chess School’ in St. Petersburg (Russia), will need to pull out every trick he has, to subdue a young and fast-thinking opponent Nisipeanu in their four-game tie-breaker.

With the way the semifinal games between the Russian and Romanian proceeded — both won while playing white — tie-breaker matches will be an interesting affair.

Nisipeanu displayed nerves of steel yesterday at Ceasars Palace defeating Khalifman. The white bishop accounted for black pawn in the ‘g’ file in the 58th move before checkmating Khalifman in the 59th to emerge worthy winner.

Nisipeanu, virtually unknown outside his country before this championship, gained a slight advantage in the opening.

The Romanian forced a position where he had the advantage throughout despite each player having the same number of pieces. Though several GMs watching the 59-move game commented that the experienced Russian opponent would be able to draw, Nisipeanu had other plans.

Khalifman, highest seed (36th) remaining from the 100 players who started the campaign on July 31, made a few small errors, and Nisipeanu was able to force a position that secured his win.

Despite the 2-2 draw, Khalifman remains the favourite to make it to the final. The Russian twice came through in must-win situations earlier in the tournament — against India’s Dibyendu Barua and American Gata Kamasky. After losing the opening games he forced a play-off by winning the return games and came out unscathed.

The championship has already lost its sheen with all the top seeded players including Russia’s favourite Vladimir Kramnik, Adams of England, Hungary’s Judit Polgar and American Kamasky losing in the initial rounds.

World number one Kasparov, current FIDE world champion Anatoly Karpov and India’s world number two Viswanathan Anand, all refused to compete.

While the Russians disputed the format employed by FIDE, the Indian cited his other commitments — he is to take on Kasparov in the rebel version of World Championship battle.

This is for the first time, current champion, who previously played a 11-round match against a challenger every three years, will not to defend his title.

Spotlight on Jones, Greene

SEVILLE (Spain), Aug 19 (AFP) — In the light of the Merlene Ottey and Linford Christie drugs scandals, athletics needs their successors - Marion Jones and Maurice Greene - to set the track on fire here at the IAAF World Championships which start here on Saturday.

The sport, plagued by high profile doping cases - alleged race fixing in their showpiece Golden League series and a long list of star absentees here - must hope that Jones and 100m world recordholder Greene achieve their targets of multiple-titles and that the other track superstar Michael Johnson is back to his best in the 400m.

They are three stellar performers, with Jones and Greene capable of selling the sport to the unconverted, particularly in the still sceptical USA, but face challenges that will really test their champion status.

“Athletics is in desperate need of heroes to undo the current cynicism where the public wink and nod every time they see a drugs headline. These three athletes have not only their titles on the line but also the whole sport’s future on their shoulders,” an athletics insider said.

The 25-year-old Greene, dubbed ‘Kansas Comet’ but who refers himself as the ‘Phenomenon’, will try for the 100/200, 4x100m relay and while the relay on past evidence may be the hardest.

However, the man whose favourite film is Top Gun sees himself very much in the mould of the fighter pilot played by Tom Cruise.

“I am not afraid of anybody. They can talk a good race but it is me who does it on the track and they better look out for the ‘Phenomenon’ is on his way!” Greene said.

“I’m not considering defeat in the 200 because even when Michael Johnson broke the world record in the Olympics I turned to John Smith and said I was one of only two people that could break the mark,” he added.

The other athlete he considers capable of breaking the record is stablemate Ato Boldon, who will not be able to defend his title here after failing to recover from a hamstring injury, but his bitter arch-rival Donovan Bailey believes that he should not be so cocky.

“He’s in for a big surprise and it could well be the 100m because my two training partners Bruny Surin and Obadele Thompson are going well and could beat him,” the 31-year-old Olympic champion said. “I think if Bruny gets his head straight and really believes in himself then Greene will be run out of town,” he added.

The 23-year-old Jones, a former basketballer, looks un-beatable in the 100 and 200 although another John Smith runner Inger Miller has pushed her close in Zurich over the longer distance — it is the long jump that looks to be her problem.

However, Jones, who said which relay she runs in will be decided by her coach Trevor Graham after the individual events are over, will not be satisfied with second best.

“I will be unhappy if I finish with less than four titles,” she said.

Kiwis fighting with back to wall

LONDON, Aug 19 (AFP) — England spinner Phil Tufnell produced a vital double strike on his favourite Test ground to leave New Zealand struggling at tea on 103 for six in their first innings in the series decider at The Oval today.

The Middlesex left-armer bowled Craig McMillan and had Adam Parore superbly taken at short leg by Mark Ramprakash in the first over of his third spell in the fourth cricket Test.

The effort of Tufnell and persistence by England’s quicker bowlers justified the decision of England captain Nasser Hussain to ask New Zealand to bat first.

But those successes came only after New Zealand got to within 15 minutes of lunch without losing a wicket.

But Hussain’s luck changed when Matthew Horne skied Ronnie Irani to Andy Caddick at point. Matthew Bell fell to Alan Mullally six balls after the break, then Caddick had Nathan Astle taken behind.

Roger Twose perished to the debutant pairing of Ed Giddins and Darren Maddy, with Maddy pulling down a brilliant catch from above his head at third slip.

Up stepped Tufnell to work some of his Oval magic. In 1991, he teased West Indies to self-destruction with six for 25, and England won by five wickets. In 1997, he claimed 11 for 93 to reduce Australia’s series winning margin to 3-2.

Chris Cairns, passed fit after suffering a knee injury, showed Tufnell the broad face of his bat and the second of two fours past extra cover raised New Zealand’s hundred.

Captain Stephen Fleming had dropped Anchor at the other end and was batting on 18 in just over two hours at the break.

The four-match series is currently tied 1-1.

NEW ZEALAND (first innings):
Horne c Caddick b Irani 15
Bell c Stewart b Mullally 23
Fleming not out 18
Astle c Stewart b Caddick 9
Twose c Maddy b Giddins 1
McMillan b Tufnell 19
Parore c Ramprakash b Tufnell 0
Cairns not out 11
Extras (lb4 w1 nb2) 7
Total (for 6 wkts, 58 overs) 103
Fall of wickets: 1-39, 2-45, 3-54, 4-62, 5-87, 6-87
Bowling: A Caddick 19-12-16-1, A Mullally 15-8-12-1, E Giddins 10-3-25-1, P Tufnell 7-1-24-2, R Irani 7-2-22-1.

Ottey’s test shocks Jamaicans

KINGSTON (Jamaica), Aug 19 (AP) — Jamaicans reacted with disbelief yesterday to reports that athletics star Merlene Ottey tested positive for steroid use, and government officials came to her defence.

Ottey (39) withdrew from the world championships in Seville, Spain, after traces of the steroid nandrolone were found in her system in an initial A test. If the ‘B’ sample test returns positive she will probably be suspended for two years, effectively ending her career.

The Jamaican Sport and Labour Minister, Ms Portia Simpson-Miller, called for a retest and said she fully supported Ottey.

“This is something for our officials to challenge, maybe some retesting or something, because I do have every confidence in our Jamaican sportsmen and women and every confidence in Merlene.” Ms Simpson-Miller said on Radio Jamaica.

The Callers to various Jamaican radio talk-shows expressed shock at the report, many claiming it to be a conspiracy on the part of the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) or a mistake.

Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Seymour Mullings said the country was “sticking by Merlene.”

Herb McKenley, a member of Jamaica’s gold medal 400-metres relay team in the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, expressed “shock and horror” at the news.

Dr Paul Wright, who has acted as team physician for several Jamaican track teams, says the report has been devastating.

“We’ve always held Merlene as an icon, a drug-free track queen,” Dr Wright said. “Now that’s all crumbled to dust.”

Dr Wright said it is “highly, extremely unlikely” that someone could contaminate or switch a drug test sample.

“There is no way for these tests to be wrong or the positive result to be caused by anything other than taking nandrolone,” he said. “All this stuff about some shadowy person or group planting things in food is all nonsense, utter nonsense.”

Along with the West Indies cricket fast bowler Courtney Walsh, Ottey is the most popular sports personality in Jamaica. The country comes to a standstill when she competes in major meets.

Among fans, there was disbelief and some accusations that the positive test was race-related.

“People don’t want a black woman like her to be strong and win and beat white folks — maybe that’s why they are saying these things,” said Darlene Campbell, a secretary in Kingston.

Sachin declared fit for tour

CHENNAI, Aug 19 (PTI) — After an injury scare, skipper Sachin Tendulkar was tonight declared fully fit for the twin tours of Sri Lanka and Singapore starting tomorrow.

Tendulkar has been cleared by doctors for the tours for which the Indian team leave tomorrow, coach Anshuman Gaekwad confirmed.

Gaekwad told PTI that doctors who examined the master batsman declared that he was fully fit to undertake the tour.

The batsman was cleared after he went through a lengthy batting session at the nets this evening without any problem.

Doubts had surfaced whether Tendulkar would be able to make the trip after he complained of ‘severe back stiffness’ and skipped the ‘nets’ yesterday.

In Mumbai, cricket board secretary Jaywant Lele announced that Tendulkar was fit.

“Team doctor Ravinder Chadha contacted me and said Sachin was fully fit and there was nothing to worry about. He is definitely leaving tomorrow with the team,” Mr Lele said.

Addressing a Press meet, Tendulkar declared “I am perfectly normal now” and brushed aside his injury worry as “just a minor fitness problem” and denied it was the same problem that flared up during the January first Test against Pakistan here.

Agassi crushes Tillstrom

WASHINGTON, Aug 19 (AP) — Andre Agassi put himself on track to earn his fifth Legg Mason Classic title. Agassi, disposed of Swede Mikael Tillstrom 6-1, 6-1 in 50 minutes yesterday.

Agassi, the world’s No 3 player, is on a roll. Since the French Open in May, which Agassi won, his record stands at 28-4. Three of the losses were to Pete Sampras, the world’s top player, and the other to Russian Yevgeny Kafelnikov, the Legg Mason’s No 2 seed and the world’s No 2 player.

His next match is against unseeded German Bjorn Phau tomorrow. They have never played earlier. Number 13 Michael Chang, a two-time Legg Mason winner, had it tougher than Agassi, losing to Paraguay’s Ramon Delgado 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.

Chang trailed 4-1 in the third set but battled back to even the score. Delgado took the next game, but his game-winner, with Chang serving, was controversial.

Tenth-seeded Rainer Schuttler of Germany retired due to arm and leg cramps. He trailed Tomas Zib of the Czech Republic 6-7 (2-7), 7-5, 3-0.

Fifth-seeded Alex Corretja of Spain survived a scare, slipping past unseeded Gianlucci Pozzi of Italy 7-6 (7-5), 1-6, 7-5. Pozzi had Corretja on the brink of defeat as the Spaniard trailed 2-4 in the tie-breaker before coming back. With the score 5-5 in the third set, Pozzi led Corretja 40-15. Corretja battled back to deuce, got the advantage with a net cord and then closed out the game for a 6-5 lead.

Ninth-seeded Fabrice Santoro of France beat Ronald Agenor of Haiti 6-4, 6-4.

INDIANAPOLIS (AFP): Second seed Pat Rafter found himself in a battle against a Frenchman ranked outside the top 100 and barely escaped with a 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7/1) comeback to advance at the RCA championship on Wednesday.

The world No 4 from Australia struggled for two hours and five minutes before finally overcoming 105th-ranked Anthony Depuis of France in their first meeting.

Rafter was playing his first match since losing the final at Cincinnati last Sunday against world No. 1 Pete Sampras, who faced a night match with another French challenger, Guillaume Raoux.

Rafter, playing here for the first time since 1993, lost serve twice in the first set, but returned the favour in the second to level against Depuis.

The popular Austrian missed on two match point chances in the 10th game of the third as the 26-year-old challenger held for 5-5, closing the match point discussion with an ace.

Tuhasini is sole leader

CHENNAI, Aug 19 (PTI) — Despite a poor second round, former champions Tuhasini Selvaratnam became the sole leader at the halfway mark of the four round AVT Southern India Golf Championship here today.

Tuhasini returned a card of four over par 76 for a total of 148 for two rounds at the Cosmopolitan links and was followed by defending champion Parnita Garewal, who also faired badly losing five strokes to tally 149.

However, the day’s best performance came from Delhi golfer Anjali Chopra and Shurti Khanna, who returned an identical three over par 75 to move up the leaderboard to be joint third with an aggregate of 152 each.

In the handicap section, Bangalore’s Anjali Gaekwar continue to occupy the top slot with 140 followed by Renuka Philips of Calcutta with 141.

In the AVT Inter-Club Tournament held concurrently, golfer Renuka Philip (handicap 8), Priyanka Dey (8) Rina Sen (20) claimed the title with a total of 284 leaving behind Karnatala golfer V.S. Sita (16), Anjali Gaekwar (21) and Neha Bhatia (22) for the second spot with a total of 285.

In the inter zonal team championship, North Zone (Shruti Khanna, Parnita Garewal and Anjali Chopra) totalled 299 for the trophy while South Zone with Uravashi Sodhi, Lalitha Balasubramanian and Pragya Misra finished second.

Chandigarh boy enters final

CHENNAI, Aug 19 (PTI) — National junior hardcourt champion Kamala Kannan (Tamin Nadu) sent second seed Kedar Shah (Maharashtra) packing 6-3, 6-7, 6-4 in a gruelling boys singles semifinal to set up a title clash with Sunil Kumar in the AITA-Junior Tennis Championship here today.

Fourth seed Sunil Kumar of Chandigarh thrashed Ravikiran Bhat 6-2, 6-2 in the other semifinal.

In the girls last four matches, top seed Sandhya Kanury (Tamil Nadu) had an easy win over compatriot Samrita Sekar 6-0, 6-2, while Nandita C. (Tamil Nadu) ousted fourth seeded Nischella Reddy of Andhra Pradesh 6-3, 6-1.

The match of the day was between seventh seeded Kannan and the left-handed Shah. Both hammered away from the baseline in the nearly two-hour energy-sapping encounter and some breathtaking shots had even tennis legend Ramanathan Krishnan applauding.

However, Kannan proved to be the fittest of the two and was able to bring his mean serve in play when it mattered most. He served eight aces and one ace had Ramanathan Krishnan shouting ‘hell of a serve.’ Shah served only one ace.

Petite Nandita, who is beating higher ranked players these days, employed her double-fisted backhand to good effect, to defeat Nischella Reddy. Nandita had bested second seed T. Yamini in a three-setter yesterday. Reddy made a lot of unforced errors, particularly on the forehand, to give points and the match on a platter to the Tamil Nadu girl.

In the first set, Shah had problems with his serve, doublefaulting on numerous occasions, and was broken in the third, and fifth games to trail 1-4.

After the games went with serve, Shah broke Kannan in the eighth (3-5) but Kannan returned the compliment in the ninth to take the the first set 6-3.

In the second set, Shah was able to get his first serves in, and neutralised Kannan’s serve with his returns and volleys. Shah ran up a 5-3 lead with breaks in the fifth and seventh games.

However, Kannan, who had a break of serve in the sixth, restored parity after holding the ninth game and breaking Shah in the 10th (5-5) when the second seed lapsed into his doublefaulting routine.

The Games then went with serve and in the tie-break Kannan had a match point at 6-5. But Shah fired in a backhand winner and a splendid cross court to take the lead 7-6 and converted the set point 8-6 with a perfect volley.

Shah took a 2-0 lead in the decisive third set, but Kannan’s powerful groundstrokes and serve helped him to secure breaks in the third and fifth game and pull ahead 3-2. Shah managed to save two matchpoints and hold his serve in the ninth (4-5).

Serving for the match in the 10th game, Kannan had two matchpoints. He could not convert the first one, as he doublefaulted, but he got the next one when Shah return found the net.

Yugoslavia hold Croatia

HAMBURG, Aug 19 (DPA) — Yugoslavia and Croatia played to a goalless draw yesterday in a highly-charged European Football Championships qualifier in Belgrade — the first match between the two following the split of the former Yugoslavia in 1991.

Floodlight failure caused a 45-minute delay shortly after the start of the second half in the Red Star stadium. Danish referee Kim Milton Nielsen had to order players off the darkened field in the 49th minute.

During the break sections of the crowd chanted slogans against the Yugoslav President, Mr Slobodan Milosevic, while fans of Belgrade’s other club, Partizan, threw teargas grenades onto the pitch.

The result leaves Yugoslavia atop group 8 with 10 points, followed by Ireland on nine — both having played four matches. Croatia, third-placed in the 1998 World Cup, have eight points from five matches.

In the night’s other qualifier for next summer’s European championship being hosted jointly by the Netherlands and Belgium, Slovenia beat Albania 2-0 before a home crowd in Ljubljana. The win enabled them to maintain their challenge to Norway in a group 2, two points behind.

In Belgrade, a crowd of 40,000 saw Predrag Mijatovic hit the post for Yugoslavia in the second minute, and Croatia’s Davor Suker do the same in the 23rd, while in the 35th minute the bar stopped an own goal by Yugoslavia’s Sinisa Mihailovic.

Referee Nielsen handed two yellow cards each to players of each side in the potentially explosive match.

Indian juniors excel in Colombia meet

NEW DELHI, Aug 19 (PTI) — India’s Simran Singh Shergill and Yogeshwar Singh were adjudged the best international rider and team player and the best international player, respectively, for their good show at the junior international tournament organised by the Federation International De Polo III at Bagota, Colombia, last week.

The two, selected for the tournament on the basis of their fine display in the domestic season, received the award for their good horsemanship, stick work and excellent team spirit in the tournament held from August 4 to 8, an Indian Polo Association Press release said here yesterday.

Shergill and Yogeshwar Singh teamed up with two Colombian players for the four-day event for the under-16 category in which teams from eight countries, including Pakistan took part.

Randhawa shares 18th spot

TIANJIN (China), Aug 19 (PTI) — Jyoti Randhawa fired a modest two-under par 68 to be three strokes adrift of the leader after the first round in the Tianjin Teda Open Golf tournament, a new event of the Asian PGA Tour.

Randhawa, who is among a pack of five Indian golfers participating in the $ 200,000 tournament, was sharing the 18th spot with five others including Andrew Pitts of the USA and Peter Lawrie of Ireland under cloudy conditions at the Tianjin Warner International Golf Club here.

The other Indians in the fray Amritinder Singh, Amandeep Johl, Ali Sher and Gaurav Ghei were all placed down the leaderboard.

Amritinder Singh was a stroke behind Randhawa, sharing the 23rd spot with 10 others while Amandeep returned par 70 to be joint 33rd.

Ali Sher (74) and Ghei (75) were placed 82nd and 93rd.

Goalies resent FIFA ruling

ROME, Aug 19 (DPA) — Italy’s top goalkeepers are threatening to rebel against a new FIFA ruling which calls on referees to award a penalty kick and send off goalkeepers who prevent an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by fouling an opponent inside the penalty area.

The directive effectively eliminates the discretionary powers previously enjoyed by the referees — if a player finds himself in front of goal and is downed by a goalkeeper, a penalty is awarded and the offender is shown the red card.

A penalty but only a yellow card is inflicted against the offender if the foul takes place to the left or right of the goal posts. The FIFA says the directive aims to improve the quality of play.

Chandigarh, Suratgarh in final

CHANDIGARH, Aug 19 (TNS) — Chandigarh and Suratgarh have entered the final of the Western Air Command Inter-Area Hockey Championship being played at the Sector 42 hockey stadium here today.

Reigning champions Chandigarh scored an easy 8-1 win over Ambala in the first semifinal, while Suratgarh trounced Halwara 5-0 in the second semifinal played this morning.

The Chandigarh team opened their account in the third minute when captain D. Ahluwalia converted a penalty corner. Soon after, the next three goals also came off penalty corners. Two were scored by J. Singh and one by S.K. Kaushik. Just before the interval, V. Badoni scored a goal to take the score to 5-0.

In the second half Ahluwalia scored the sixth goal followed by another off a penalty corner by Kaushik. Two minutes before close, R. Joshi scored the eighth goal. For the losers, the lone goal was scored by V.Murugan through a penalty corner in the second half.

In the second semifinal, Sushil Kumar scored the first two goals, the first off a penalty corner in the 11th minute and the second a field goal in the 15th minute. Suresh Kumar added the third goal through a penalty stroke. Five minutes before the interval, forward Amritpal Singh fetched another goal. The team kept up the pressure and Gurdev Singh Sidhu scored the fifth goal for his team.