Bolt cruises to 200m win, misses record
Stockholm: Sprint superstar Usain Bolt finally put his demons of Stockholm to rest when he coasted to an easy win in the 200 metres at the DN Galan Diamond League meet here. Having lost his two previous outings in the Swedish capital, the Jamaican rebounded to snatch the half-lap in an uncharacteristically slow 20.03 seconds, to make it up for his recent disappointments. He lost in 2008 to compatriot Asafa Powell and was upset last August by American Tyson Gay, both defeats coming over 100 metres. Reverting to his favoured event Friday, Bolt found no equal in the field as he powered through the first 100 metres before streaking effortlessly down the stretch virtually unchallenged. “Technically it was not a good race because the curves here are a bit tight,” the World and Olympic 100 and 200m champion said afterward. The time was perhaps the only blot on Bolt’s outing as it fell short of the 15-year-old stadium record of 19.77 seconds set by legendary American Michael Johnson. Bolt, the double World record-holder, was also outside his world-leading 19.86 seconds which was set in Oslo last month. (IANS)
Vettori bestowed with Queen’s honour
Wellington: Left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori has been named an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit on the occasion of Queen’s Birthday Honours ceremony in Auckland. Vettori, a former New Zealand captain, was bestowed with the honour for his services to the game of cricket in the country. The award is given to people who have done remarkable work in the field of philanthropy, music, local governance and community service among others. “It feels like a real honour. The first time I knew about (the royal honour), it was just a real surprise. I couldn’t get over it,” Vettori was quoted as saying by the New Zealand Herald Friday. Vettori, who made his debut as an 18-year-old, is the youngest player to have represented New Zealand in Tests. He is one of eight cricketers who have taken 300 Test wickets and score 3,000-plus runs in the international arena. Vettori has 4,167 runs and 345 Test wickets to his credit. Named skipper in 2007, he resigned from captaincy after guiding the team to the semifinals of the 2011 World Cup. (IANS)
Chess match organised underwater
Puducherry: In a bid to create a new record, Sathya Sai Chess Accademy here today organised a chess match underwater and above water. A P Sivakumar, President of the accademy, in a release here said the match was conducted with the help of scuba diving, giving full protection to the players. A one to one game was being played by ten players under a 12-feet deep swimming pool here, he said, adding as the second event a player would play against ten players simultaneously. The matches were being played under water and with the board floating on water, he added. (UNI)