India wins first-ever one-day series in Sri Lanka

India wins first-ever one-day series in Sri Lanka

India clinched its first-ever one-day international series in Sri Lanka by winning the fourth match by 46 runs Wednesday to take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-five series.

Choosing to bat after winning the toss, India built their innings around three half-centuries from Suresh Raina (76), Mahendra Dhoni (71) and Virat Kohli (54), before being bowled out for 258 runs in the final over.

In reply, the hosts lost wickets regularly and were bundled out for 212 in 46.3 overs, despite an ideal start from Sanath Jayasuriya, who made a 52-ball 60.

Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene said his team's inconsistent batting cost them the match.

"We are disappointed at the way we played. In one-day internationals we have not been consistent, especially with the bat," he said. "They played better than us and won the series."


India seamer Munaf Patel trapped Malinda Warnapura lbw for a duck and Kumar Sangakkara continued his poor form, making only six before he was bowled by Patel. The left-hander has made only 36 runs in the series so far.

Despite the losses, Jayasuriya continued to bat aggressively, pulling and cutting the quick bowlers for eight boundaries and two sixes.

India captain Dhoni made a wise call in the 18th over, when he introduced offspin bowler Harbhajan Singh to seize control of the match. Jayasuriya attempted to steer the ball from Harbhajan on the on side but only succeeded in edging the ball to Raina at slip to leave his side on 74-3.

Sri Lanka then suffered a devastating blow when their in-form captain Jayawardene (16) was run out, leaving them on 106-4.

Jayawardene drove the ball to mid-on, responded to a bad call by his partner Chamara Kapugedera and was caught short of his crease.

Only 25 runs had been added when Harbhajan struck again, trapping Tillakaratne Dilshan (12) lbw and Yuvraj Singh then had Kapugedera (30) lbw to end any hope of a Sri Lankan revival.

Earlier, Raina and Dhoni had frustrated Sri Lanka with a 143-run partnership, providing a base for a challenging India's total.

Raina's score came off 78 balls, including six fours and a six, while Dhoni made 71 in 80 balls including four boundaries.

Sri Lanka fast bowler Thilan Thushara had a career-best 5-47 thanks to some late wickets.

Veteran Chaminda Vaas became only the fourth bowler to take 400 wickets in one-day international cricket when he had Yuvraj caught at short mid-wicket without scoring.

The 34-year-old bowler, playing his 322nd match, follows Pakistan fast bowlers Wasim Akram (502), Waqar Younis (416) and fellow Sri Lankan Muttiah Muralitharan (478).

The final match of the series will be played Friday.

SRI LANKA VS. INDIA FOURTH ODI

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) - Scoreboard at the end of the fourth one-day international between Sri Lanka and India at R. Premadasa Stadium:

India Innings

Virat Kohli b Thushara 54

Gautam Gambhir c Dilshan b Kulasekara 17

Yuvraj Singh c Jayawardene b Vaas 0

Suresh Raina c Kulasekara b Thushara 76

Mahendra Dhoni c Jayasuriya b Thushara 71

Rohit Sharma c Warnapura b Mendis 18

Subramaniam Badrinath c Jayawardene b Muralitharan 6

Harbhajan Singh run out 2

Praveen Kumar b Thushara 2

Zaheer Khan c Warnapura b Thushara 0

Munaf Patel not out 1

Extras: (1b, 5lb, 5w) 11

TOTAL: (all out) 258

Overs: 49.4. Batting Time: 221 minutes.

Fall of wickets: 1-44, 2-51, 3-81, 4-224, 5-232, 6-243, 7-253, 8-256, 9-257, 10-258.

Bowling: Chaminda Vaas 9-1-40-1, Nuwan Kulasekara 8-0-38-1, Thilan Thushara 8.4-0-47-5 (5w), Ajantha Mendis 10-1-43-1, Muttiah Muralitharan 10-0-56-1, Sanath Jayasuriya 4-0-28-0.

Sri Lanka Innings

Sanath Jayasuriya c Raina b Harbhajan 60

Malinda Warnapura lbw b Patel 0

Kumar Sangakkara b Patel 6

Mahela Jayawardene run out 16

Chamara Kapugedera lbw b Yuvraj 30

Tillakaratne Dilshan lbw b Harbhajan 12

Chaminda Vaas lbw b Yuvraj 17

Nuwan Kulasekara st Dhoni b Harbhajan 12

Thilan Thushara c Raina b Khan 40

Ajantha Mendis run out 2

Muttiah Muralitharan not out 1

Extras: (4b, 2lb, 10w) 16

TOTAL: (all out) 212

Overs: 46.3. Batting Time: 196 minutes.

Fall of wickets: 1-28, 2-38, 3-74, 4-106, 5-131, 6-140, 7-157, 8-190, 9-206, 10-212.

Bowling: Praveen Kumar 4-0-25-0 (1w), Zaheer Khan 9.3-3-27-1 (2w), Munaf Patel 9-0-48-2, Harbhajan Singh 10-0-40-3 (7w), Yuvraj Singh 10-0-53-2, Rohit Sharma 4-1-13-0

Umpires: Billy Doctrove, West Indies and Gamini Silva, Sri Lanka.

TV Umpire: Tyron Wijewardena, Sri Lanka . Match Referee: Chris Broad, England.

Toss: India

Result: India wins by 46 runs.

Series: India leads five-match series 3-1.

Bejing Olympic Stadium

2008 China, Bejing Olympics - views & opening ceremony

The 2008 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, People's Republic of China, from August 8 (except football, which started on August 6 to August 24, 2008. A total of 10,500 athletes competed in 302 events in 28 sports, one event more than was on the schedule of the 2004 games. The 2008 Beijing Olympics also marked the third time that Olympic events have been held in the territories of two different National Olympic Committees (NOC), as the equestrian events were being held in Hong Kong.

The Olympic games were awarded to Beijing after an exhaustive ballot of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on July 13, 2001. The official logo of the games, titled "Dancing Beijing," features a stylised calligraphic character jīng (meaning capital), referring to the host city. The mascots of Beijing 2008 were the five Fuwa, each representing both a colour of the Olympic rings and a symbol of Chinese culture. The Olympic slogan, One World, One Dream, called upon the world to unite in the Olympic spirit. Several new NOCs have also been recognised by the IOC. The 2008 Olympics was the third time the Olympics had taken place on the Asian continent, and the fifth time for an Olympics outside of Europe and North America.

The Chinese government promoted the games and invested heavily in new facilities and transportation systems. A total of 37 venues were used to host the events including 12 newly constructed venues. At the closing ceremony IOC president Jacques Rogge declared the event a "truly exceptional Games" after earlier asserting that the IOC had "absolutely no regrets" in choosing Beijing to host the 2008 games. The choice of China as a host country was the subject of criticism by some politicians and NGOs concerned about China's human rights record. China and others, meanwhile, warned against politicizing the Olympics.

The Games saw 43 new world records and 132 new Olympic records set. A record 87 countries won a medal during the Games. Chinese athletes won 51 gold medals altogether, the second largest haul by a national team in a modern, non-boycotted Summer Games.[12] Michael Phelps broke the records for most golds in one Olympics and for most career gold medals for an Olympian. Usain Bolt secured the traditional title "World's Fastest Man" by setting new world records in the 100m and 200m dashes.


For Bejing Olympic videos click here

http://in.youtube.com/beijing2008

2008 Bejing Olympics Medalists

For Complete Medal lists click this link

http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/INF/GL/95A/GL0000000.shtml

India’s Total Olympics Medal Tally

India’s Total Olympics Medal Tally:
8 Gold medals, 1 Silver medal and 2 Bronze medals in Hockey2 Silver medals in Athletics and 1 in ShootingBronze for wrestling ( Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav 1952 Helsinki)Bronze for tennis ( Leander Paes 1996 Atlanta)Bronze for weightlifting ( Karnam Malleswari 2000 Sydney)

Indian 2008 Bejing Olympics Medal:
Gold - Shooting, Men's 10m air rifle (Abhinav Bindra)

Bronze - Wrestling, Freestyle, Men's 60-66kg (Sushil Kumar)

Bronze - Shooting, Men's 10m air rifle (Vijender Kumar)

Beijing Olympic Games closed on Sunday (24-8-2008)

BEIJING, August 24 (RIA Novosti) - International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge declared the Beijing Olympic Games closed on Sunday.
"You have shown us the unifying power of sport," he told athletes in the National Stadium.
"The world learned about China - and China learned about the world," Rogge said.
"And now, in accordance with tradition, I declare the Games of the XXIX Olympiad closed, and I call upon the youth of the world to assemble four years from now in London to celebrate
the Games of the XXX Olympiad," he said.
The Games took place some three months after a devastating earthquake in China's Sichuan province, and the run up to the opening ceremony was dogged by pro-Tibet protests as the Olympic flame travelled the globe.
Rogge said earlier at a news conference that the most memorable moment for him was when the Russian and Georgian medal winners in the air pistol competition embraced each other despite fighting in South Ossetia. He said the best individual performances were by U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps and Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt.
Phelps set a new Olympic record of eight gold medals. Bolt won three gold medals, in the 100m, 200m and 4 x 100m relay.
China won 51 gold medals, the most at the Games, plus 21 silver medals and 28 bronze medals as it reached exactly its target of 100 medals. The U.S. won more medals, with 110, but fewer golds (36-38-36). Russia came third with 72 medals - 23 gold, 21 silver and 28 bronze. Britain took fourth place with 47 medals (19-13-15).
The next Olympic Games will take place in London in 2012.
The closing ceremony saw Rogge hand over the Olympic flag to the mayor of London, Boris Johnson. English soccer star David Beckham also made an appearance and veteran British rock group Led Zeppelin played their song 'Whole Lotta Love' live on stage at the National Stadium before the Olympic flame was extinguished.


For Bejing Olympic videos click here

http://in.youtube.com/beijing2008

SpiceJet offers life-time free travel for Indian Olympic medal winners - 2008 Beijing Olympics

New Delhi (PTI): Low-cost carrier SpiceJet on Friday announced life-time free travel for Indian boxer Vijendra Kumar, who won the bronze medal in the Beijing Olympics.

SpiceJet Chief Commercial Officer Samyukth Sridharan said: "We have had three Indians winning the coveted medals in different disciplines. We are delighted to welcome Vijendra into our family of SpiceJetters by offering him unlimited free personal travel for life along with Abhinav Bindra and Sushil Kumar."

Abhinav Bindra, gold medalist in men's 10m air rifle in the Beijing Olympics, was the first person to receive the offer by the airline.

Wrestler Sushil Kumar was awarded the offer after winning the bronze medal in freestyle wrestling in the Beijing Olympics.

Vijendra kumar won the Bronze medal in Boxing

The dreams of all Indian viewers and also Vijendra kumar in semifinal ends with disappointment,but still India won the Bronze medal. cuba’s Emilio correa defeat vijendran in set 2-0,2-2,2-0,3-1. the very thrilling match ends with great disappointment to viewers. Any how India has won the first medal in boxing.heartily wishes to Vijendra kumar

Vijender Singh Assures India it's 3rd Medal at the Beijing Olympics 2008

Vijender Singh in the Semi's and ensured a Medal

Boxer Vijender Kumar assured himself of at least a bronze to give the country a record three medals for the first time ever. Vijender brought more cheers for the contingent by beating Ecuador's Carlos Gongora in the quarter finals of the 75 kg category with a 9-4 verdict. Vijender made the difference with his left-hand jabs and crucial uppercuts to which Carlos had no answer. With the score reading 7-2 in favour of Vijender after the penultimate round, the Ecuadorean needed to go all out in the fourth and final round. He did manage to close the gap but Vijender's evading tactics and excellent footwork won him the bout. We Wish him Luck to win a Gold, but are proud of him for making it this far assuring himself and the country at least a bronze!

Wrestler Sushil Kumar wins bronze medal at Beijing Olympics - august 20, 2008

Wrestler Sushil Kumar on Wednesday brought further international glory to India by winning the bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics after 56 years. He won the medal in the men's 66 kilograms freestyle category, defeating Leonid Speiridonov of Kazakhistan. Khashaba Jadhav of Karad, Maharashtra, was the last Indian wrestler to win an individual bronze in the Helsinki Olympics in 1952. Though Sushil Kumar went down in the opening round against a dominant Ukrainian Andriy Stadnik, he won the bronze medal on technical points.

Earlier, Sushil Kumar was pegged down 3-8 on technical points.

In recognition of his achievement, the Railways announced an award of Rs.55 lakh plus a promotion. The Government of Delhi, the city from where Kumar hails, announced an award of Rs.50 lakh. The Central Government announced an award of Rs.25 lakh, while the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs announced a reward amount of Rs.20 lakh. The Government of Haryana announced an award of Rs.25 lakh. This is India's second medal in the on going Olympics after shooter Abhinav Bindra's individual Gold medal in a 10 metre rifle shoot.
" Khashaba Jadhav of Karad, Maharashtra, was the last Indian wrestler to win an individual bronze in the Helsinki Olympics in 1952. "

Michael Phelps - Break Spitz Record by winning 8th gold in Bejing Olympics

Michael Phelps - Break Olympic Record

http://www.michaelphelps.com/ - official site

India in Olympics

India in Olympics

The Indian Hockey team at the 1936 Berlin Olympics

India first participated in Olympics in 1900 in Paris. The country was represented by Norman Pritchard, an Anglo Indian who was holidaying in Paris during that time. He bagged two silver medals in 200m. dash and 200m hurdles. Then after a gap of 20 years India again participated with two athletes in 1920 Antwerp Olympics and with eight members in 1924 Paris Olympics.

But the more organised, official representation by India, was made in 1928 Amsterdam, with the formation of Indian Olympic Association in 1927. Dorabji Tata was the first president and Dr A C Northern of Young Men's Christian Association, Madras was the secretary. That year, Indian Hockey team participated in their first Olympic hockey event and won the gold medal under the captaincy of Jaipal Singh. For the next 6 successive Olympics spanning 28 years from 1928-1956, Indians retained their gold medal for the hockey event. Hockey wizard Dhyan Chand played a major role in Indian victory in the first three successive wins. It was definitely the golden era of Indian Hockey in Olympics, during which India played 24 matches and won all 24, scored 178 goals (at an average of 7.43 goals per match) and conceded only 7 goals. India again won two more gold medals in Olympic hockey in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

In athletics, six Indians and the 4x400 women's relay team have reached the finals of their events in Olympics. They are Norman Pritchard in 1900 (two silvers in sprint and hurdles), Henry Rebello in 1948 London (Triple Jump), Milkha Singh 1960 Rome ( fourth place in 400 metres), Gurbachan Singh Randhawa 1964 Tokyo (fifth place in 100 m hurdles), Sriram singh 1976 Montreal ( seventh in 800m), P.T Usha in 1984 Los Angeles ( fourth in 400m hurdles) who unfortunately lost her bronze by 1/100th of a second and the 4 member squad of the 400m. women's relay P.T.Usha, M.D.Valsamma, Vandana Rao, Shiny Abraham reached seventh place, the same year.

Apart from Hockey and a few fine performances in athletics, India's record in the Olympics paints a dismal picture, for a country having a population of over a billion people. Apart from the 8 gold medals, one silver medal and two bronzes in Hockey, two silver medals in athletics, India has won bronzes for wrestling ( Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav 1952 Helsinki), shooting ( Dr Karni Singh 1964 Tokyo), tennis ( Leander Paes 1996 Atlanta) and weightlifting ( Karnam Malleswari 2000 Sydney).

India Won Gold in Bejing Olympics 2008