Jayaram finishes runner-up
GATCHINA, RUSSIA: On a comeback trail after recovering from injury, Indian shuttler Ajay Jayaram finished runner-up at the White Nights International Challenge after losing in the final against top seed Pablo Abian of Spain here.
The 30-year-old Indian, who had entered the semifinals at the US Open World Tour 300 event last month, had an impressive run at the tournament before losing 21-11, 16-21, 17-21 to Pablo in the 55-minute summit clash here on Sunday.
Meanwhile, men’s doubles pair of Tarun Kona and Saurabh Sharma lost 21-18, 13-21, 17-21 to German combo of Bjarne Geiss and Jan Colin Völker in the semifinals.
RUPINDER, AKASH MAKE COMEBACKS
NEWDELHI:ACE dragflicker Rupinder Pal Singh and striker Akashdeep Singh returned to India’s 18-member men’s hockey squad for next month’s Asian Games in Indonesia, where the country would be defending its title.
The team for the 18th Asian Games, to be held in Jakarta and Palembang from August 18 to September 2, was announced by Hockey India on Monday and featured just two changes from the Champions Trophy squad that won a second consecutive silver in Breda, Netherlands recently. TEAM
Goalkeepers: PR Sreejesh (captain), Krishan B Pathak
Defenders: Harmanpreet Singh,
Varun Kumar, Birendra Lakra, Surender Kumar, Rupinder Pal Singh, Amit Rohidas
Midfielders: Manpreet Singh, Chinglensana Singh Kangujam (vicecaptain), Simranjeet Singh, Sardar Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad
Forwards: SV Sunil, Mandeep Singh, Akashdeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Dilpreet Singh. Lewis Hamilton is beginning to crack. We have had three successive races on three successive weekends, and the pressure is showing on the British champion. He started off the Formula One troika saying he wanted to score a hat-trick like his compatriot, footballer Harry Kane, but Hamilton leaves the races trailing Sebastian Vettel by eight points. Eight points, plus an unsporting accusation that stains Hamilton’s own character.
At the British Grand Prix, his home race and one where he has always shone, Hamilton was defeated twice before he even