A sad end to a great career

Usain Bolt It was a night in London that was meant to be a golden farewell to track greats Usain Bolt and Mo Farah, but stealing the show was the British sprint relay team. Bolt, who was surprisingly beaten into third place in his final individual 100 metres earlier in last month's World Championships, lay prone on the track for some time after the race, having pulled up injured on the anchor leg - the Jamaican's last ever race before retirement - with around 60metres remaining while in pursuit of Britain's Nathaneel Mitchell- Blake and American Christian Coleman.
Bolt's retirement leaves a huge void. It was not the way he would have liked to end his fabled sprinting career. His defeats in the recent World Championships in London left the great athlete from Jamaica disappointed. But his marks over 100m and 200m of 9.58 seconds and 19.19secs – will go unthreatened for many a year.
"I've always tried my best. Every time I touch a track I come out and give 100 per cent all the time," said Bolt. "It's really sad that I have to walk away."
But Bolt is not the only one to retire in the face the disappointment of defeat. The great boxer Muhammad Ali, it may be remembered, was beaten in his last appearance in the ring. Bolt will be remembered by his many fans for his bagful of Olympic gold medals and world championship titles. In a sport hit be doping scandals he will go down as the greatest. No doubt about that.
Who after Bolt? By popular choice the man would have been Wayde van Nierkerk , track and field's brightest new superstar. But Ramil Guliyev, a 27- year-old Azerbaijani who shifted allegiance to Turkey in 2011, sprang a massive surprise by winning the 200 metres, with the South African following in second place twohundredths of a second later. Which means Michael Johnson is still the only man to do the 200m/400m double at the world championships. Van Niekerk was first round the bend, but his legs, tired from his 400m races, didn't have that extra bit needed at the tape.
There are any number of Azerbaijanis who have made Turkey their home. But Guliyev is now the most celebrated of them all. For winning Turkey's first gold medal in the World Athletics Championhips, he was congratulated by the country's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
So what it that made Gulivey to shift loyalties? His monthly wage in Turkey, Guliyev explained, was equal to his annual salary in Azerbaijan.
Qatar had also bid for him, but he preferred Turkey because "I do not feel any difference between Azerbaijan and Turkey, the language and culture are the same in both countries".
Farah, who defended his 10,000 metres crown last week, was denied a fifth consecutive double gold at an Olympic or World Championships as he finished second in the 5,000 metres. Ethiopian Muktar Edris inflicted Farah's first defeat over the distance since 2013, with American Paul Chelimo third. The 34-year-old Farah of Britain intends to retire from the track to concentrate on running the marathon.

For India, London was forgettable !

But for Davinder Singh Kang making the final of javelin event, last month's World Athletics Championships in London was for a forgettable event from India's standpoint. His younger colleague in the team, Neeraj Chopra, for all the promise he had shown earlier, failed to qualify for the finals. Kang is 27 years old and Chopra only 19.
Chopra, the world's champion junior javelin thrower who stood fifth in a prestigious Diamond League meet, was without a coach at London where he trained on his own, learning, as he says, watching the world's best at practice sessions. Both Kang and Chopra keep throwing the spear over the 80 metre mark. To make

Davinder Singh Kang your presence felt on the world stage you have to keep throwing it close to 90 metres. At the Asian Championships at Bhubaneswar in July, Chopra won the gold medal with a throw of 85.23m, which was a meet record, Kang picking up a bronze medal with an effort measuring 83.29 metres. India headed the medal table at Bhubaneswar with a dozen gold medals, with China following with eight golds. In terms of medals it may have been a satisfying meet for India at Bhubaneswar, but it was nothing to be carried away.
To make an impact on the global stage Indian athletics has a long way to go.

Lakshya aims high

Lakshya Sen At a time when the attention of all badminton fans was focused on the world championships in Glasgow, Scotland, there is a new name in the headlines. It sounds like India's latest weapon in its missile battery. Though that is not exactly the case, he is turning out to be the country's latest weapon in badminton.
Almora-lad Lakshya Sen who got his wings under the care his hero – none other than Prakash Padukone – at the legend's own academy in Bengaluru is quietly getting into his own zone. The recent victory at the Bulgarian Open has brought the spotlight on the youngster but Lakshya has a clear vision as he has set his sights on the Tokyo Olympics.
Last year, the badminton world took note of his achievements when he emerged as the No. 1 player in the world among the juniors. Even after missing out on Padukone's achievement of winning the senior national title as a junior, Lakshya was happy that he made the final. His ultimate aim is to emulate his idol by winning the All England title and grabbing the world No. 1 ranking.

Women's cricket

That the final of the women's cricket World Cup received as much viewership as the IPL final speaks volumes of the work put in by our women cricket officials and cricketers over the years. If they could achieve so much without much support from the board of control for cricket (BCCI) and other establishments, imagine what they are capable of with some active support, financial and otherwise. This is perhaps an ideal time for BCCI to re-strategize and pay equal attention to women's cricket. With no dearth of talent across the country, we cannot only be world beaters but also dominate and change the course of women's cricket globally. Way to go, ladies.

Welcome move

FIFA's decision to appoint seven elite women referees as support referees in the upcoming under-17 boys World Cup in India is a welcome move for not only women referees but for the game of soccer in general.
The world football body should fast-track it for multiple reasons.
It'll be a great boost for women footballers and women referees. FIFA will be making a statement worth emulating for many other sports.
Men players will certainly behave themselves and think twice before committing any infringement on the field. Had a woman referee been officiating Cristiano Ronaldo's recent match, the footballer would have thought twice before pushing the referee, and escaped with just a one match ban. FIFA is certainly on the right path.



		EDITOR'S MAIL MATTERS OF PUBLIC POLICY NIA ACTS LANDMARK VERDICT HISTORIC JUDGEMENT MODINAMA REALPOLITIK ECONOMIC SCENE FRANKLY SPEAKING JAYALALITHAA LEGACY JAYALALITHAA LEGACY CHANDIGARH DIARY AMERICAN DIARY MEDICAL ADVANCEMENT HITS & MISSES CRICKET DIARY BOOK BAZAAR BOOK BAZAAR SIGNS OF THE TIMES MISSING ROAD SENSE YOGA IN DAILY LIFE FILM-MAKING ART OF LIVING Issue:Sep' 2017 Subscribe Now	HITS & MISSES A sad end to a great career Usain Bolt It was a night in London that was meant to be a golden farewell to track greats Usain Bolt and Mo Farah, but stealing the show was the British sprint relay team. Bolt, who was surprisingly beaten into third place in his final individual 100 metres earlier in last month's World Championships, lay prone on the track for some time after the race, having pulled up injured on the anchor leg - the Jamaican's last ever race before retirement - with around 60metres remaining while in pursuit of Britain's Nathaneel Mitchell- Blake and American Christian Coleman. Bolt's retirement leaves a huge void. It was not the way he would have liked to end his fabled sprinting career. His defeats in the recent World Championships in London left the great athlete from Jamaica disappointed. But his marks over 100m and 200m of 9.58 seconds and 19.19secs – will go unthreatened for many a year. "I've always tried my best. Every time I touch a track I come out and give 100 per cent all the time," said Bolt. "It's really sad that I have to walk away." But Bolt is not the only one to retire in the face the disappointment of defeat. The great boxer Muhammad Ali, it may be remembered, was beaten in his last appearance in the ring. Bolt will be remembered by his many fans for his bagful of Olympic gold medals and world championship titles. In a sport hit be doping scandals he will go down as the greatest. No doubt about that. Who after Bolt? By popular choice the man would have been Wayde van Nierkerk , track and field's brightest new superstar. But Ramil Guliyev, a 27- year-old Azerbaijani who shifted allegiance to Turkey in 2011, sprang a massive surprise by winning the 200 metres, with the South African following in second place twohundredths of a second later. Which means Michael Johnson is still the only man to do the 200m/400m double at the world championships. Van Niekerk was first round the bend, but his legs, tired from his 400m races, didn't have that extra bit needed at the tape. There are any number of Azerbaijanis who have made Turkey their home. But Guliyev is now the most celebrated of them all. For winning Turkey's first gold medal in the World Athletics Championhips, he was congratulated by the country's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. So what it that made Gulivey to shift loyalties? His monthly wage in Turkey, Guliyev explained, was equal to his annual salary in Azerbaijan. Qatar had also bid for him, but he preferred Turkey because "I do not feel any difference between Azerbaijan and Turkey, the language and culture are the same in both countries". Farah, who defended his 10,000 metres crown last week, was denied a fifth consecutive double gold at an Olympic or World Championships as he finished second in the 5,000 metres. Ethiopian Muktar Edris inflicted Farah's first defeat over the distance since 2013, with American Paul Chelimo third. The 34-year-old Farah of Britain intends to retire from the track to concentrate on running the marathon. For India, London was forgettable ! But for Davinder Singh Kang making the final of javelin event, last month's World Athletics Championships in London was for a forgettable event from India's standpoint. His younger colleague in the team, Neeraj Chopra, for all the promise he had shown earlier, failed to qualify for the finals. Kang is 27 years old and Chopra only 19. Chopra, the world's champion junior javelin thrower who stood fifth in a prestigious Diamond League meet, was without a coach at London where he trained on his own, learning, as he says, watching the world's best at practice sessions. Both Kang and Chopra keep throwing the spear over the 80 metre mark. To make Davinder Singh Kang your presence felt on the world stage you have to keep throwing it close to 90 metres. At the Asian Championships at Bhubaneswar in July, Chopra won the gold medal with a throw of 85.23m, which was a meet record, Kang picking up a bronze medal with an effort measuring 83.29 metres. India headed the medal table at Bhubaneswar with a dozen gold medals, with China following with eight golds. In terms of medals it may have been a satisfying meet for India at Bhubaneswar, but it was nothing to be carried away. To make an impact on the global stage Indian athletics has a long way to go. Lakshya aims high Lakshya Sen At a time when the attention of all badminton fans was focused on the world championships in Glasgow, Scotland, there is a new name in the headlines. It sounds like India's latest weapon in its missile battery. Though that is not exactly the case, he is turning out to be the country's latest weapon in badminton. Almora-lad Lakshya Sen who got his wings under the care his hero – none other than Prakash Padukone – at the legend's own academy in Bengaluru is quietly getting into his own zone. The recent victory at the Bulgarian Open has brought the spotlight on the youngster but Lakshya has a clear vision as he has set his sights on the Tokyo Olympics. Last year, the badminton world took note of his achievements when he emerged as the No. 1 player in the world among the juniors. Even after missing out on Padukone's achievement of winning the senior national title as a junior, Lakshya was happy that he made the final. His ultimate aim is to emulate his idol by winning the All England title and grabbing the world No. 1 ranking. Women's cricket That the final of the women's cricket World Cup received as much viewership as the IPL final speaks volumes of the work put in by our women cricket officials and cricketers over the years. If they could achieve so much without much support from the board of control for cricket (BCCI) and other establishments, imagine what they are capable of with some active support, financial and otherwise. This is perhaps an ideal time for BCCI to re-strategize and pay equal attention to women's cricket. With no dearth of talent across the country, we cannot only be world beaters but also dominate and change the course of women's cricket globally. Way to go, ladies. Welcome move FIFA's decision to appoint seven elite women referees as support referees in the upcoming under-17 boys World Cup in India is a welcome move for not only women referees but for the game of soccer in general. The world football body should fast-track it for multiple reasons. It'll be a great boost for women footballers and women referees. FIFA will be making a statement worth emulating for many other sports. Men players will certainly behave themselves and think twice before committing any infringement on the field. Had a woman referee been officiating Cristiano Ronaldo's recent match, the footballer would have thought twice before pushing the referee, and escaped with just a one match ban. FIFA is certainly on the right path.