Category: Sports

NEW DELHI, August 11, 2008 (AFP) – India’s first ever individual Olympic gold medal win was greeted at home with disbelief and joy — as well as renewed hope the country could break with its total obsession with cricket. Abhinav Bindra, a 25-year-old businessman, was lavished with praise after taking gold in the men’s 10m […]

COLOMBO, August 11, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka survived early blows to clinch the series against an injury-ridden India with a comfortable eight-wicket victory on the penultimate day of the third and final Test here on Monday. The hosts lost Michael Vandort and Kumar Sangakkara in the opening seven overs before reaching a 122-run target […]

August 10, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka tightened the screw on injury-hit India with a superb all-round performance on the third day of the crucial third and final Test here on Sunday.India were without Ishant Sharma in the morning as the fast bowler was unfit to bowl after falling on his follow-through in Saturday’s last […]

August 9, 2008 (AFP) – India’s Harbhajan Singh grabbed two wickets in successive overs to peg back Sri Lanka on the second day of the third and final Test here on Saturday.The series is tied at 1-1, with Sri Lanka winning the opening Test by an innings and 239 runs and India clinching a 170-run […]

August 9, 2008 (AFP) – Kumar Sangakkara cracked a solid unbeaten 107 to help Sri Lanka gain a slender advantage over injury-hit India in the crucial third and final Test here on Saturday.The left-hander was involved in two valuable partnerships as the hosts reached 251-6 in their first innings at stumps on the second day […]

August 7, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene says his team need to put pressure on a resurgent India in the crucial third and final Test starting here on Friday in a bid to maintain their impressive home record. Sri Lanka have lost just one of their last seven home Test series since […]

August 8, 2008 (AFP) – Debutant fast bowler Dammika Prasad grabbed three big wickets to jolt India in the third and final Test against Sri Lanka here on Friday.The tourists were comfortably placed after a 51-run stand for the opening wicket between Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag before slipping to 104-3 in their first innings […]

August 8, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s Ajantha Mendis and debutant Dammika Prasad restricted India to a modest first innings score of 249 in the third and final Test here on Friday despite a defiant last-wicket stand.Unorthodox spinner Mendis finished with 5-56 and paceman Prasad with 3-82 as India were bowled out in the last […]

PARIS, Aug 07, 2008 (AFP) – AFP Sports Service has chosen a selection of athletes who could be grabbing the headlines during the Beijing Olympics. Here is Part One: ATHLETICS Muna Lee (USA): Two weeks after her car was struck by a drunken driver and her shoulder was hurt, this thin 27-year-old speedster known more […]

BEIJING, August 6, 2008 (AFP) – A globe-trotting steel billionaire and two former world champions have ensured India’s sportsmen will not cite lack of funds as an excuse if they fail at the Olympics.In a country where fortune and fame is reserved mainly for cricketers, Olympic hopefuls have blamed the absence of world class training […]

PARIS, August 04, 2008 (AFP) – Six potential showdowns that should not be missed at the Aug 8-24 Beijing Olympics:- ATHLETICS Jeremy Wariner v LaShawn Merritt: The 100 metres might be the ‘blue riband’ event but the 400m is a purists dream and the battle between Wariner, the reigning Olympic champion, and his American compatriot […]

BEIJING, August 4, 2008 (AFP) – Sixteen policemen in China’s Muslim-majority northwest were killed on Monday in a suspected terrorist attack, state media said, raising security fears four days before the Beijing Olympics.In one of the deadliest reported attacks in China in years, two men aimed a lorry at police officers jogging near their barracks […]