Never bet against Bolt, says Bailey
Kingston
Former 100m world-record holder Donovan Bailey has backed Usain Bolt to bow out in triumph at the World Championships next month despite his slow buildup to the athletics showpiece. Bolt logged his season’s best of 9.95 seconds just over a week ago in Monaco, a time beaten by a raft of sprinters this year. “Anyone who bets against Bolt at a major championship isn’t smart,” said the Jamaica-born Canadian. “Those athletes have to have a mistake-free race to make (the 100m final) interesting,” he said of Bolt’s rivals.
Melbourne
Pay squabble ‘horrible’ for game: Clarke
Former Australia captain Michael Clarke said a bitter pay dispute between players and Cricket Australia was “horrible” for the game and their relationship was likely to be in tatters even after a resolution. “I think it’s been horrible for the game,” said Clarke. “There is no doubt what has happened will affect the relationship between the players and Cricket Australia. The problem we have now is that it is not just the Australian players that are affected”, he added, saying the fans and the public were also involved in “the No. 1 story in Australian sport”.
Hyderabad
Pro Kabaddi: U Mumba pip Haryana Steelers
Former champions U Mumba overcame debutants Haryana Steelers 29-28 in a gripping encounter of the Pro Kabaddi League here today. Kashiling Adake (seven points) and captain Anup Kumar (six) starred for the Mumbai outfit, while Vikash Khandola (six) and Wazir Singh (six) excelled for Haryana.
Atlanta
Divij-Raja lose in semis, out of Atlanta Open
Divij Sharan and Purav Raja’s impressive run at the Atlanta Open ended with a semifinal defeat at the hands of Wesley Koolhof and Artem Sitak. The fourth-seeded Indian team lost 6-7(3) 4-6 to the unseeded Dutch-Kiwi combination. Sharan and Raja had finished runners-up at the Chennai Open in January and made semis at the Open Sud de France in February.
Amman (Jordan)
India amass 24 medals at Jordan Open TT
India bagged a rich haul of 24 medals at the Jordan Junior and Cadet Open table tennis tournament. India won seven gold, seven silver and 10 bronze for a sweep of sorts . — Agencies
