October 31, 2010

Vettel wins Formula 1 Grand Prix in Brazil

Williams Formula One driver Nico Hulkenberg (R) of Germany celebrates with Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel of Germany after they finished first and second respectively in the qualifying session of the Brazilian F1 Grand Prix race at Interlagos racetrack in Sao Paulo, November 6, 2010.

RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov. 7 -- With optimal conditions on the race track, Sebastian Vettel won the Brazilian GP of Formula 1 on Sunday at the Interlagos raceway in Sao Paulo. The win puts the German driver from team Red Bull in third place in the standings with only one event left in the season.

Vettel's teammate Mark Webber finished second place, followed by third place Ferrari driver Fernando Alosno. McLaren's Lewis Hamilton finished fourth, followed by teammate Jenson Button. Team Mercedes placed sixth and seventh with Nico Roseberg and Michael Schumacher, respectively.

Starting the race in the pole postion, rookie Nico Hulkenberg, from team Williams, finished eighth, Renault's Robert Kubica finished ninth and Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi rounded out tenth place.

Brazil had four pilots competing in Sunday's GP. Rubens Barrichello, of team Williams, beat out Ferrari's Felipe Massa, placing fourteenth and fifteenth, respectively. Bruno Senna, nefew of legendary pilots Ayrton Senna, finished twenty-first, followed by Lucas Di Grassi in twenty-third place.

As a result of Red Bull's performance on Sunday, the team earned enough points to guarantee their first-ever Constructor’s Title.

With only one race remaining, leader Felipe Alonso must place in second, or better, next week in Abu Dhabi to guarantee his title of this year's World Championship. The title remains an open contest among four pilots. First place Alonso currently has 246 points, trailed by Mark Webber with 238 points, Sebastian Vettle with 231 points and Lewis Hamilton with 222 points.

(Reuters)

Students from Shaolin Tagou Martial Arts School practice on a square in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong province, Nov 7, 2010. The school, located in Dengfeng, Central China's Henan province, sent 1,640 students to perform during the opening ceremony of the Guangzhou 2010 Asian Games scheduled to be held on November 12-27.

A student from Shaolin Tagou Martial Arts School practices on a square in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong province, Nov 7, 2010.

Students from Shaolin Tagou Martial Arts School practice on a square in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong province, Nov 7, 2010.

(xinhua)

Pamela Jelimo (Front, L) of Kenya competes during the women's 800m final at the National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, during Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, Aug. 18, 2008. Pamela Jelimo won the gold.

by John Kwoba

NAIROBI, Nov. 6 -- After two years of numerous false starts, Olympic 800m women champion Pamela Jelimo, has nothing to look forward to but feel helpless, just like a withered flower.

At 18, she blossomed to reign in the two-lap race too soon and paid the penalty for it, the ultimate nightmare of any sportsman; succumb to injuries.

Jelimo has seen cruel injuries trim her wings as she has failed to display the same power, speed and endurance that lend a hand to her cruise to the top of the world and clinch the lucrative IAAF Golden League jackpot and the Olympic gold medal in 2008.

Many have since written her off. But they are not to blame. For an athlete who was primed to represent the future of Kenya in the two-lap race, there can be no explanation to warrant her failure to dominate in the competition at just 21 years.

But off-track problems - a career threatening knee injury, for example - and a series of other niggling opportunistic injuries and the expectation of unrelenting public have taken the wind out of Jelimo’s sails.

Janeth Jepkosgei victory in Osaka World Championships in July 2007 was described as the best for Kenya. However, it is the emergence of Jelimo that has caught the world’s imagination.

Seemingly out of the blues, Jelimo decimated the field that included former world champion Maria Mutola of Mozambique, Jepkosgei, Kenia Sinclair of Jamaica to be crowned the Olympic Champion in Beijing Olympic Games.

She later went on a 14-race spree from Nairobi, to Monaco, to Rome winning everything on offer as she cruised to clinch the now defunct IAAF Golden League in Brussels with 1 million US dollars to savour.

On return home, she was given heroic welcome and a street in Kapsabet town was named after her. But then, she unwind during the recess, injuries crept in and she was a no-starter as the 2009 season started.

This was the start of a long frustrating spell for Jelimo on the sidelines. She became a regular in the Kenya Police treatment court.

“Nobody wanted to listen to my side of story. I had a left knee injury, a sour ankle on my right leg and a hamstring to worry about. I put in so much effort and time in my training as I struggled to regain my fitness,” said Jelimo.

“I fought alone. In my quest for the jackpot, I ended up wearing down my body. I had run basically each and every race in 2008. I ran out of steam and the body was constantly reminding me to cut down. I was finished.”

Last year, Jelimo made several false starts as she battled to make a comeback and win anything to get her career a much needed leap.

But the first aspect to show Jelimo that she was not ready was evident. She was trounced by Janeth Jepkosgei, the world and Olympic silver medallist, at Nyayo National Stadium during the trials for the World Championship.

“I heard the fans chant my name. I wanted to win, but credit to Jepkosgei, she beat me clean. I also realized that the younger athletes – Cherono Koech and Winnie Chebet – were very close,” said Jelimo.

At the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Jelimo pulled out after 200 metres of the semi final race with a knee injury and travelled to Belgium for treatment.

“After 100 metres I felt a sharp pain when I tried to push and so I decided to pull out rather than make the injury worse,” said Jelimo after running the semi-finals in Berlin. “It was painful but what could you do?”

This year in Shanghai, Jelimo clocked 2:01.52. It was Jelimo’s first race in eight months at the international level since she pulled out of Berlin World Championship.

Injuries are part and parcel of sports and Jelimo looked at her career hopeful that she will be able to run faster again.

She has since recovered and now is eying the start of the 2010-2011 season with determination that she will be at peak form to win the World Championship in Daegu, South Korea in August.

But she realised the huge task that awaits her. But she is resilient; she will be at the top of the world sooner than most people think.

Her rise was personal effort and she knows that self belief holds the key to her future. Jelimo is ready to take off the blocks.

“I never doubted myself making a comeback. I am now fine and ready to go. It was a hard stage and now I have passed it. Now I will focus on building my career and getting my fitness back. I start with the cross country where I hope to run one or two races to see how I perform in endurance,” she noted.

Jelimo said that she draws her inspiration to the fact that some other athletes have suffered such injuries and were forced to halt their career.

“Look at Sanya Richards, she was out for long but she is promising in her comeback. Usain Bolt is also injured and Kenenisa Bekele could not run in Nairobi or in the Diamond League because of injury. I am not a lone ranger,” she said.

But the hopeless aspect of sitting out and watch as her colleagues raced has left Jelimo saddened. Even in her injury period, she never laid back on her laurels. She wanted to come back and do what inspires her most, run for Kenya.

“I have never thought twice about representing this great country. It will never be enough to listen to the tune of the National anthem being recited in honour of my performance. I wanted the world title in Berlin,” she said.

“I was always told by my doctors to relax and let the injury heal with time. But I couldn’t just sit and see as my team mates trained. I did gym works, trained lightly and watched on my diet. My husband has been on great help. Besides living me, he has always been supportive in my darkest hours. He has always encouraged me,” she said.

For those who might have turned Jelimo’s page over, she has just one message; “I will be back, whoever is at the top must make way for I will not stop until I get to up there.”

“I will be a world champion again. There is no doubt about that and you better take it seriously. In Daegu, second spot will be a disappointing finish for me. I have never felt strong and fresh like now. I am ready to go and hopefully without any relapses, I will be at my peak form in March,” she said.

But she has a soft spot for South African Caster Semenya, the current world champion.

“It is not her wish to be subjected to such ridicule. But I believe she did it clean and will try hard to retain her title,” said Jelimo.

Retirement never crossed her mind though. At 21, Jelimo said she still has over 15 years of active competition.

“Why would I think of quitting? I will fight back through the ladder and claim the world title. Maybe I will retire at 40 years, who knows. I never even thought of starting a family when I was out injured, but I can get a baby when I want,” she added.

For those who still doubt, her focus, Jelimo still has her 1 million dollars jackpot is safely stuck in safe account.

“Maybe I will start an academy, not just for athletics, but for all sports here in my village. I want to give back to this community which has sacrificed much for me. Maybe that way I will retire a happy athlete. But until then, I want to win and get that Kenyan national anthem recited in my honour,” she said.

(Xinhua)

Los Angeles Lakers' Pau Gasol of Spain rebounds from the Sacramento Kings during the second half of their NBA basketball game in Sacramento, California November 3, 2010. Lakers won 112-100.

Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant (R) shoots over Sacramento Kings' Luther Head (L) during the second half of their NBA basketball game in Sacramento, California November 3, 2010.

Los Angeles Lakers' Pau Gasol (L) of Spain drives around Sacramento Kings' Samuel Dalembert (R) during the second half of their NBA basketball game in Sacramento, California November 3, 2010.
(Reuters)

The mascots for the Haiyang 2012 3rd Asian Beach Games are unveiled in Beijing, Nov 3, 2010. The mascots (Front R to L) are named Haihai, Yangyang and Shasha. The Asian Beach Games, regulated by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), is a multi-sport event to be held every two years among athletes representing countries from Asia.

BEIJING - A cartoon dragon and phoenix have been selected as the mascots for the third Asian Beach Games to be held in 2012 in Haiyang, a coastal city in East China's Shandong province.

Joining the dragon and phoenix is a cartoon depiction of the sun. They were introduced as Hai Hai (dragon), Sha Sha (Phoenix) and Yang Yang (Sun) Wednesday at a ceremony held in the Chinese capital.

"This set of mascots each represent sea water, sands and sunshine. They are a happy family, symbolizing the friendly relations between Asian peoples," said Qian Zhe, head of the design team.

Organizers opened the selection process in December last year, inviting suggestions from home and abroad. There were more than 1,000 entries for the mascots.

The third Asian Beach Games will hold 11 sports events, including beach volleyball and beach soccer.

The mascots for the Haiyang 2012 3rd Asian Beach Games, (Front R to L) Haihai, Yangyang and Shasha, are unveiled in Beijing, Nov 3, 2010.

The mascots for the Haiyang 2012 3rd Asian Beach Games,(Front R to L) Haihai, Yangyang and Shasha, are unveiled in Beijing, Nov 3, 2010.

(Xinhua)

Former Argentine soccer star Diego Maradona (center) arrives at Beijing Capital International Airport on Wednesday for his 10-day China tour. The sports icon will join in a series of charity activities in Beijing, Jinan in Shandong province and Dongguan in Guangdong province. Maradona will also lead an Argentina team in a charity game on Friday in Jinan. The money collected will be donated to the Chinese Red Cross Foundation.

Copenhagen's coach Staale Solbakken (L) and Barcelona's coach Pep Guardiola argue after their Champions League Group D match at Parken stadium in Copenhagen November 2, 2010.

COPENHAGEN - Barcelona's normally mild-mannered coach Pep Guardiola had an extremely uncharacteristic loss of cool after his side were held to a 1-1 draw by FC Copenhagen in Champions League Group D on Tuesday.

The 39-year-old argued with his counterpart Stale Solbakken on the touchline after the whistle and slammed the Norwegian in his post-match news conference and television interviews.

"Ask him (Solbakken) what happened, he knows how to manipulate the media very well," Guardiola told Spanish television when quizzed about the touchline incident. "I think he has behaved very badly in this situation."

The dispute goes back to Barca's 2-0 win over the Danish champions in the Catalan capital last month, when goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto tricked Copenhagen player Cesar Santin into believing he was offside.

Copenhagen made a formal complaint to European soccer's governing body UEFA over the incident and Pinto was banned for two matches.

Guardiola took exception to comments from Solbakken on Monday suggesting Pinto's punishment was not harsh enough.

"What he cannot do is ask for a four-match ban for Pinto and say that Pinto is a bad apple," Guardiola said.

"Pinto is a player who goes in for fair play and he's an important part of our dressing room," the former Barca player added. "I don't think a coach should do something like that."

Bad Humour

Solbakken, speaking to Spanish TV, said the club had reported the Pinto incident to UEFA to try to protect Santin and put the dispute with Guardiola down to a misunderstanding.

"I don't care if Pinto is sitting on the bench or on the sofa at home," the 42-year-old said.

"We wanted to protect Cesar because he looked stupid and had a bad time after that."

"After we had shaken hands he started to say something about UEFA and I think he meant the whistling incident," he told a news conference.

"I said that he (Pinto) should have got five games, that was just a bad Norwegian joke.

"Maybe he doesn't understand Norwegian humour, I'll have to take that on me.

"I really respect Guardiola, he's one of the finest coaches but I think he was told something wrong."

Tuesday's result meant Barca missed a chance to qualify for the last 16 with two matches to spare.

They top the group on eight points and Copenhagen are second on seven. Rubin Kazan and Panathinaikos, who drew 0-0 in Russia earlier on Tuesday, have three and two respectively.

(Agencies)

Barcelona's Dani Alves (L) waits as teammates Lionel Messi (C) and Sergio Busquets stretch during a training session at Parken stadium in Copenhagen November 1, 2010. Barcelona will play FC Copenhagen in a Champions League Group D match in Copenhagen on November 2.

Barcelona's Lionel Messi attends a training session at Parken stadium in Copenhagen November 1, 2010. Barcelona will play FC Copenhagen in a Champions League Group D match in Copenhagen on November 2.

Barcelona's Lionel Messi puts on gloves before a training session at Parken stadium in Copenhagen November 1, 2010. Barcelona and FC Copenhagen will play a Champions League Group D soccer match here on November 2.

Barcelona's Lionel Messi kicks the ball during a training session at Parken stadium in Copenhagen November 1, 2010. Barcelona will play FC Copenhagen in a Champions League Group D match in Copenhagen on November 2.
(Reuters)

China's Wang Hao poses for a photograph with his trophy after winning his third men's table tennis World Cup title in Magdeburg, Germany, Oct 31, 2010.

MAGDEBURG, Germany - Two-time World Cup winner Chinese player Wang Hao welcomed his third men's World Cup on Sunday after beating Chinese rising star Zhang jike 4-1 in 2010 Men's World Cup held in German city Magdeburg from Oct 29 to 31.

Zhang won the first set by 11-8, and then Wang regained four points by 11-8, 12-10, 11-9 and 11-9. In the third and fourth set, Wang levelled the game from 7-10 and 7-9 by gaining straight points.

In the fifth set, after a draw of 7-7, Wang made progress without looking back and locked the victory at 11-9.

"After I got a Championship in the World Table Tennis Championships last year, I haven't got any Championship in Men's matches. This victory will improve my mental state and feeling during the competition." Wang said at the press conference after the competition.

"This means I have regained my previous good feelings. This is the most important thing." He added.

Chinese coach Wu Jingping also praised Wang and Zhang's performance in the competition. "I am very satisfied, I think this competition improved their confidence both." Wu said.

"Especially for Zhang Jike. He was left behind by Jun Mizutani by 3 to 0, then he reversed the whole match. This is a very important experience for him in the future growth." Wu said.

"Wang Hao also played against Oh Sang Eun here this time. It is very good for us to know about our competitors before the Asian Game." Wu said.

Zhang nailed one position in finals after a breathtaking victory against Jun from Japan on Sunday, while Wang defeated Oh from South Korea in quarter finals and Timo Boll from Germany in semi finals to win the seat in finals.

Wang Hao has hold the men's World Cup in 2005 and 2008 after defeating Timo Boll from Germany and Ryu Seung Min from South Korea separately.

The men's World Cup is a top level annual competition recognized by ITTF, held in different cities around the world. Now China has won the cup for 17 times since it was first held in Hong Kong in 1980.
(Xinhua)

A pick-up truck carrying the bodies of those killed when gunmen shot at a group of people at a sports field, arrives at Mario Rivas hospital in San Pedro Sula, about 100 miles (165 km) north of Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, Oct 30, 2010.

TEGUCIGALPA - Gunmen opened fire on a group of people on a neighborhood sports field in northern Honduras and killed at least 14, authorities said on Saturday.

"There are 14 dead. Ten were killed on the field and four more died on their way to the hospital," Leonel Sauceda, a spokesman for Honduras' Security Ministry, told Reuters.

The armed men arrived in two vehicles with large guns and started shooting at a group that was preparing for a soccer match in San Pedro Sula, a major hub for the country's textile industry located about 100 miles (165 km) north of Tegucigalpa.

A police officer works at a crime scene where gunmen shot at a group of people at a sports field in San Pedro Sula, about 100 miles (165 km) north of Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, Oct 30, 2010.

It was not immediately clear what triggered the attack, but the area is home to violent rival gangs often involved in drug trafficking.

Newspaper El Tiempo showed a picture of bloody bodies being piled in the back of a pick-up truck.

In September, 17 people were killed by hitmen belonging to street gangs connected to violent Mexican drug cartels.

Battling street gangs and competing cartels have led to a sharp escalation of violent crime in Honduras in recent years.

San Pedro Sula is in a region where drug gangs are known to refine cocaine before it heads to markets in the United States.
(Agencies)

olympic spirit

Vettel wins Formula 1 Grand Prix in Brazil

Kungfu show for Asiad opening ceremony

Olympic 800m race champion Jelimo promises comeback

Lakers defeat Kings 112-100, remains unbeaten

Mascots for 3rd Asian Beach Games unveiled

Maradona arrives at Beijing for charity tour

Barca coach Guardiola loses cool in Copenhagen

Messi attends training session ahead of match against FC Copenhagen

Wang Hao wins men's table tennis World Cup for third time

Gunmen killed 14 on sports field in Honduras

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