Pradeep, Sumit win gold
New Delhi: Grapplers Pradeep Kumar (60kg) and Sumit (96kg) won gold today in the Junior Asian Wrestling Championship as India finished with a rich haul of 17 medals at the competition played in Phuket, Thailand. Besides two gold medals on the final day, Indian grapplers won two silver and a bronze to finish at the top of the freestyle team rankings of the championships. In the 60kg category, Pradeep started off well against North Korea’s Kuk Gwang Kim and led the first period 3-0. The Indian faced a stiff challenge in the second period but wrapped the freestyle-bout in his favour with a cumulative score of 8-3. Meanwhile, Vikas (66kg) and Pradeep Kumar (74kg) had to settle for silver medals after losing their final bouts at the Saphan Hin Indoor Sports Complex.
Anand bounces back
Moscow: World champion Viswanathan Anand bounced back from the disappointing results of the past two rounds to defeat Russian Alexander Morozevich in a positional skirmish in the third round of the Tal Memorial chess tournament now in progress here. After a loss against Fabiano Caruana of Italy in the opener and a tense draw in the second round against Russian champion Dmitry Andreikin, the world champion showed form against Morozevich and outplayed him when it mattered the most to move back to a 50 per cent score in one of the strongest tournaments of recent times.
Federer wins 1st title of year
Halle: Roger Federer overcame a sluggish start Sunday to win his first title of the year by beating unseeded Mikhail Youzhny 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4 at the Gerry Weber Open. Returning to grass in his favorite warm-up for Wimbledon, it took the top-seeded Federer until the middle of the second set to come out of his lethargy and start hitting shots with confidence.
Bhupathi-Bopanna pair exits
london: Third seeds Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna crashed out of the Aegon Championships after suffering a straight-set defeat at the hands of top seeds Bob and Mike Bryan in the semifinals here. Bhupathi and Bopanna went down 6-4 6-2.
Divij, Raja lose final again
Nottingham: Divij Sharan and Purav Raja ended runners-up at the Nottingham Challenger after losing the tough summit clash to formidable Thai twin brothers Sanchai and Sonchat Ratiwatana. The fourth seeded Indians lost the final 6-7(5) 7-6(3) 8-10 to the second seeded brothers’ team.
Athletes selection on June 20
New Delhi: Indian athletes for the Asian Championships to be held in Pune from July 3-7 will be selected on June 20 here with medal prospects like Sudha Singh, Krishna Poonia, Tintu luka and Vikas Gowda expected to make the cut. With the host country having the luxury to name three participants in each of the 42 events (21 each for men and women), India are set to have maximum number of athletes in the continent’s biennial showpiece event.
Mahindra pair finish in top six
New Delhi: The Mahindra pair Efrén Vázquez and Miguel Oliveira finished fifth and sixth, respectively, in the Catalunyan Grand Prix in Barcelona Sunday. The double top-six is the only Indian international motorcycle racing team's best result so far, earning valuable points to improve the all-new MGP3O machine's strong standing in the championships. PNS/Agencies