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Issue 00627 |
July 31 - August 7, 2010 |
issn 0856 - 9135 |
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Sports |
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Sports Salad By Chris George Contador adds to Spain’s 2010 triumphs Spain bounding in the joy World sport domination The most gruelling cycling event, the Tour de France is over. The winner – Alberto Contador of Spain. This has added joy to the Spanish nation which is experiencing economic hardships, unemployment and several other woes. The Spanish nation is sporting crazy and their top stars in the various sporting disciplines have not let them down. The Spanish National basketball team are the reigning National and European champions. They won the gold medal at the 2006 FIBA World Championships in Japan and also gold at the EuroBasket, the European Championships in Poland. The team has won two silver medals in the Olympics and several other silver and bronze in major basketball championships. There are several other top basketballing nations, but Spain reigns. This has made their nation proud. Rafael Nadal had a year of obscurity in 2009, after a great year of winning the French Open, Wimbledon and the Olympics in 2008. He plunged that year to number three in the world rankings. This year, he rediscovered that magic touch and won four claycourt titles including the Monte Carlo, BNL international, Madrid Open and the French Open, his first grandslam of the year. The cream was winning Wimbledon, a tournament played on grass. It is not so easy for players to play on clay, let alone win it. Nadal has won the coverted French Open and Wimbledon, back to back twice in the past three years! His reward – No. 1 tennis player in the world at present. His country – Spain. 2010 saw the football World Cup in South Africa – the first ever on the continent. The greatest event in the sporting calendar which comes just once in four year saw a victory for none other than Spain! The victory sent the country ecstatic and this was witnessed by an outpouring of joy in Madrid and other Spanish cities when the victorious team arrived back. Now Contador has won the world’s most famous cycling event, the Tour de France, for the third time in four years. He won in 2007, did not compete in 2008, won in 2009 again and successfully defended his title in 2010. Victory and pride for Spain! The gruelling Tour de France The Tour de France lasts about three weeks and covers approximately 3,700km of cycling at competitive speeds. It takes place in France and some neighbouring countries. Residents of villages and towns where the race passes, actually camp out and have a picnic day and cheer the riders. They look forward to this annually, in the glorious summer sunshine. There are twenty stages in the race. Each stage lasts a day and each rider is timed on completion of the stage. The winner of each stage is given a green jersey and the rider with the lowest aggregate time in all the stages is given the yellow jersey and pronounced the winner. The greatest rider the Tour has seen has been Lance Armstrong. He has won the Tour and unbelievable seven times – a record! Not only that, he won in seven consecutive years between 1999 and 2005. There are four riders who have won the Tour five times – Jacques Anquetil (1959 and 1961-1964), Eddy Merckx (1969 – 1972 and 1974), Bernard Hinault (1978-9, 1981-2 and 1984) and Miguel Indurain (1991 – 1995 – the first person to win in five consecutive years – until Armstrong won seven in a row). Contador is now on three joining Philippe Thys, Louison Bobet and Greg Le Mond on three. Armstrong at 39 years returned bravely after a bout of cancer to become a cycling legend. He retired but came back to ride in the last two Tours. Unfortunately, his legs are not the same and he ended up in 23rd spot this year. He has never failed a drugs test. His achievements have attracted jealously among his colleagues and they accuse him of taking drugs during his prime. Let us hope they are proved wrong. Football transfers and news The transfer window has been very quiet. Clubs do not have that much money as in the past to dish out, with the exception of Manchester City. City’s latest acquisition is Kolarov a left back with a thunderous kick. It is said that he has made a referee and an opposition player unconscious with his kicks and also broke three fingers of his teammate who bore the brunt of one of his kicks. City’s spending this season is almost £100 million. Vidic has decided to stay with Man United. The futures of Mascherano and Torres at Liverpool are unsure. Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United have been quiet this week. Liverpool having finished last season in seventh place, are involved in the Europa League qualifying this week. Diego Armando Maradona – considered the second best player the world has ever seen, depending on your perspective, has been relieved of his post as Argentina coach after failing to progress to the further rounds in the World Cup. Formula One After the German Grand Prix, the top five standings are Lewis Hamilton 157 points, Jensen Button 143, Mark Webber 136, Sebestian Vettel 136 and Fernando Alonso on 123. Quite close and exciting this year’s Formula 1. Murali gets his 800 One of the best
Test bowlers ever to have graced the game of Cricket, Muttiah
Muralitharan achieved the magnificent feat of 800 test wickets with his
last ball of the innings. What a way to bow out of test cricket. Though
it will take a long time to be surpassed, it is not impossible – just as
Bob Beamon’s unbelievable Long jump record was finally broken! Sports Calendar Football Sunday 1
August 2010 Friendlies Cricket Friday, 6
August 2010 Rugby Union Motor Racing Tennis
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