Sally Pearson returns from injury in style, qualifies for the Worlds
SYDNEY: Australia’s Sally Pearson on Sunday made a triumphant return from injury to claim her eighth national 100-metres hurdles crown and qualify for this year’s world championships.
The 2012 Olympic gold medallist posted her fastest time in nearly four years of 12.53 seconds to meet an IAAF world championships qualification standard. The triumph extended Pearson’s 12-year domestic dominance after a badly broken wrist in 2015, while achilles and hamstring problems prevented her from defending her Olympic title in Rio . “The biggest thing for me is I can be competitive now,” Pearson told reporters in Sydney. “I can push myself with them, that is what I’m really excited about.”
BANNED DRUG FOUND IN JAMAICAN SPRINTERS’ 2008 SAMPLES
BERLIN: Small amounts of the banned substance clenbuterol have been retroactively found in the samples of Jamaican sprinters at the 2008 Olympic Games, according to a report on Sunday.
German broadcaster ARD claimstheInternationalOlympic Committee (IOC) learnt of the discovery late last year, but no action has been taken as the levels detected by testing using updated techniques are so small. LEON (MEXICO): Leander Paes on Saturday won his first title of the season, combining with Canadian Adil Shamasdin to lift the Leon Challenger Tour tennis tournament’s men’s doubles trophy after a straight-set triumph here.
Paes, who was named a reserve in India’s Davis Cup team for the Uzbekistan tie, and Shamasdin defeated Luca Margaroli (Switzerland) and Caro Zampieri (Brazil) 6-1 6-4 in the title clash at the USD 75,000 hard court event.
With this win, Paes clinched his 20th ATP Challenger title. Paes has now won at least one title every year for the past 26 years. This was Paes’ first final this season. He had earlier reached the semi-finals of Dubai Championships and Delray Beach Open.
The last title Paes won on the ATP World Tour was in 2015 when he triumphed at Auckland with South African Raven Klaasen.
Paes’ last Grand Slam in the men’s doubles event came in 2013 with Radek Stepanek at the US Open while in mixed doubles, he is still a force, winning three titles with Martina Hingis in 2015 and the French Open last season.
Paes was named a reserve along with Rohan Bopanna by new non-playing captain Mahesh Bhupathi, who picked four singles players in the squad.
Bhupathi has said that he may pick either Paes or Bopanna, if required, as a doubles specialist in the tie, slated for April 7-9 in
Bengaluru.
YUKI RULED OUT OF DAVIS CUP TIE
In a big setback to the Indian Davis Cup team, country’s leading singles player Yuki Bhambri was today ruled out of the upcoming tie against Uzbekistan due to a knee injury.
The development on the first day of the preparatory camp means that at least one of the two reserve members -either Leander Paes or Rohan Bopanna -- is certain to play.“Yuki is out of picture and it’s bog blow. He was playing well this year. He had some pain, he had some tests and I found out two days ago,” said non-playing captain Mahesh Bhupathi after the first practice session of the team. Interestingly, Bhupathi had made it a rule for the players to prove their fitness before making themselves available for national duty. Apart from Paes, everyone attended Sunday’s session.