DIPA ENTERS BEAM FINAL BUT FAILS IN FAVOURITE VAULT

JAKARTA: Dipa Karmakar failed to qualify for the vault final but made the cut in the balance beam as India also booked a berth in the title round of the team competition. Dipa finished eighth in her pet event’s qualification round with a score of 13.225. She could not qualify in the vault final as her two compatriots Pranati Nayak (13.425) and Aruna Budda Reddy (13.350) finished above her at sixth and seventh respectively. Only two competitors from a country can qualify for the final round. The women’s vault final is on August 23. Dipa, however, made it to the balance beam final after finishing seventh with a score of 12.750. The balance beam final will be held on August 24.

Injured Kazakh Olympic champ skips pet event

JAKARTA: Kazakhstan’s Olympic champion Dmitriy Balandin skipped the men’s 200 metres breaststroke at the Asian Games on Tuesday for fear of aggravating a recent injury but he will compete in other events, a team spokesman said. The 23-year-old swept all three breaststroke titles at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon before making history by giving his country its first Olympic swimming champion in the 200m in Rio.

Ikee fights fatigue in chase for swimming gold JAKARTA: Japan’s Rikako Ikee confessed to being “shattered” as she limbered up for her bid to scoop a fourth swimming gold medal at the Asian Games on Tuesday. “I’ve never been this tired before,” said the Ikee, who has already captured gold in the 50m fly, 100m free and the 4x100m free. “I can’t put my finger on why but my body just wouldn’t work today.”