Fabregas travelled to Barcelona on Tuesday to consult specialist doctor Ramon Cugat about the problem he picked up during Sunday's Premier League draw with Liverpool when he was tackled by Xabi Alonso.
The injury is set to keep the Gunners' captain sidelined for around four months, but it will not require the Spain international to go under the knife.
"After consulting with the best doctor possible, we've decided not to operate. If it would have been necessary it would have been the first thing I would have done, but the doctor recommended to me not to do it because I'm young and the meniscus is not damaged," Fabregas was quoted as saying in Marca.
"Although we cannot be certain because the injury only happened a few days ago, but I will be out for more or less four months. My intention is to return as soon as possible to help my team-mates.
"I will endeavour to return as soon as possible to do what I like most, to play football."
Fabregas did not come out for the second half of Sunday's 1-1 draw against Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium after sustaining the knee problem following a tackle by his Spanish Euro 2008-winning team-mate Alonso.
The 21-year-old Fabregas said of Alonso: "He was very concerned about me. He called me after the game, he has been sending messages and also called me before I saw the doctor. These are things that happen, it's football and Xabi is a great friend of mine.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Premier League Wigan Athletic v Newcastle United live streaming and Highlights
Steve Bruce thought Newcastle boss Joe Kinnear's foul-mouthed rant at the press in the opening week of his reign was "absolutely fantastic".Kinnear, who was the surprise choice as caretaker manager at St James' Park when Kevin Keegan resigned, opened his first press conference with a volley of abuse at journalists whom he felt had unfairly criticised him.
His outburst dominated the headlines for days afterwards but Wigan manager Bruce believes it was a canny piece of psychology from the man famed for creating the 'Crazy Gang' when he was former Wimbledon manager.
Prior to that the focus on Newcastle had all been about their poor form, Keegan's departure and owner Mike Ashley's plans to sell the club.
"I thought his rant at the press was absolutely fantastic," said Bruce, whose side face Newcastle at the JJB Stadium on Boxing Day.
"I was thinking 'Has he done it on purpose to take it (the pressure) away from the owner and the players and pile it on himself?'
"If he did do that then I have to say well done, pat on the back to him, because it has got them going and since he has gone in there they have lost two in 13 games."
Bruce was full of praise for the work Kinnear, who was out of work for nearly four years before being catapulted back into the spotlight, has done in stopping the rot at Newcastle
"Newcastle have always been associated with playing one way - they've had to be because the supporters are a little gung-ho - but he's made them more difficult to be beat," said Bruce, himself a Geordie.
His outburst dominated the headlines for days afterwards but Wigan manager Bruce believes it was a canny piece of psychology from the man famed for creating the 'Crazy Gang' when he was former Wimbledon manager.
Prior to that the focus on Newcastle had all been about their poor form, Keegan's departure and owner Mike Ashley's plans to sell the club.
"I thought his rant at the press was absolutely fantastic," said Bruce, whose side face Newcastle at the JJB Stadium on Boxing Day.
"I was thinking 'Has he done it on purpose to take it (the pressure) away from the owner and the players and pile it on himself?'
"If he did do that then I have to say well done, pat on the back to him, because it has got them going and since he has gone in there they have lost two in 13 games."
Bruce was full of praise for the work Kinnear, who was out of work for nearly four years before being catapulted back into the spotlight, has done in stopping the rot at Newcastle
"Newcastle have always been associated with playing one way - they've had to be because the supporters are a little gung-ho - but he's made them more difficult to be beat," said Bruce, himself a Geordie.
Premier League Sunderland v Blackburn Rovers live streaming and Highlights
Diouf has just returned to the club after being given compassionate leave to be at his wife's side as she gave birth.
But while Sbragia does not want to keep an unsettled player in his squad, he will not allow Diouf to depart unless the terms of any proposed deal are right for Sunderland.
"If he is wanted by Big Sam at Blackburn, or if he wants to go, there's not much I can do about it," Sbragia said.
"But if that was the case, we would sit down and look at it and see if it was right for us and see if the fee was acceptable.
"If Dioufy wants to go, he's free to go."
The former Liverpool and Bolton forward moved to the Stadium of Light in the summer but has only shown flashes of his best ability and is still to find the net for his new club.
New Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce has been linked with a possible move for the Senegal international, who he knows well from his time at the Reebok Stadium.
But while Sbragia does not want to keep an unsettled player in his squad, he will not allow Diouf to depart unless the terms of any proposed deal are right for Sunderland.
"If he is wanted by Big Sam at Blackburn, or if he wants to go, there's not much I can do about it," Sbragia said.
"But if that was the case, we would sit down and look at it and see if it was right for us and see if the fee was acceptable.
"If Dioufy wants to go, he's free to go."
The former Liverpool and Bolton forward moved to the Stadium of Light in the summer but has only shown flashes of his best ability and is still to find the net for his new club.
New Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce has been linked with a possible move for the Senegal international, who he knows well from his time at the Reebok Stadium.
Premier League Middlesbrough v Everton live streaming and Highlights
Terry was shown red by Phil Dowd for a high tackle on Leon Osman in the stalemate and although the Blues managed to come away with a point, Scolari declined to talk to the press at the end of the game.
Scolari broke his silence on ChelseaTV a day later and insisted he was merely taking his time to get some perspective over the incident.
"If I go to say something [straight after the game] maybe I say something wrong and I need more time to look at everything.
"I have to look at the game again if something happened in the game. I need to be sure about this or that. I said no [to the press] at that time because maybe I'd have problems in the future - in that time I am not calm.
"If I go then I answer some questions and I'm angry."
But despite taking time out to make sure he could view the incident dispassionately, the Brazilian still cannot comprehend the sending off.
"Maybe I look at the game and I change my mind, but I don't change my mind about yesterday.
"I looked at the game again and I don't change.
Scolari broke his silence on ChelseaTV a day later and insisted he was merely taking his time to get some perspective over the incident.
"If I go to say something [straight after the game] maybe I say something wrong and I need more time to look at everything.
"I have to look at the game again if something happened in the game. I need to be sure about this or that. I said no [to the press] at that time because maybe I'd have problems in the future - in that time I am not calm.
"If I go then I answer some questions and I'm angry."
But despite taking time out to make sure he could view the incident dispassionately, the Brazilian still cannot comprehend the sending off.
"Maybe I look at the game and I change my mind, but I don't change my mind about yesterday.
"I looked at the game again and I don't change.
Premier League Manchester City v Hull City live streaming and Highlights
Hull boss Phil Brown hopes his side can take advantage of Manchester City's woes to get back to winning ways on Boxing Day.Mark Hughes' Manchester City side have slipped into the bottom three of the Premier League on the back of a poor run of form.
That has increased the pressure on Hughes with fans chanting he was going to get "sacked in the morning" during last week's loss to West Brom.
Brown has backed Hughes to turn the situation around but does not intend to show any sympathy at Eastlands on Friday as Hull look to bounce back from their disappointing 4-1 defeat by Sunderland.
Brown said: "There is a lot of pressure on Mark Hughes and hopefully we can compound that situation with a good performance.
"If Man City bring their best game to the table they are a very good side but we can hurt teams with the running power and the set-pieces we can bring.
"It is going to be a difficult game, a toughie - Man City were expected to be in the top six at the start of the season."
He added: "I think Mark is a strong character, he can handle the situation for sure.
"But I think he is probably one of the managers desperate to get to the January transfer window. You cannot say that Man City team is a Mark Hughes team."
Brown brought his players in for training this morning but they will be given tomorrow off to spend Christmas Day with their families.
That has increased the pressure on Hughes with fans chanting he was going to get "sacked in the morning" during last week's loss to West Brom.
Brown has backed Hughes to turn the situation around but does not intend to show any sympathy at Eastlands on Friday as Hull look to bounce back from their disappointing 4-1 defeat by Sunderland.
Brown said: "There is a lot of pressure on Mark Hughes and hopefully we can compound that situation with a good performance.
"If Man City bring their best game to the table they are a very good side but we can hurt teams with the running power and the set-pieces we can bring.
"It is going to be a difficult game, a toughie - Man City were expected to be in the top six at the start of the season."
He added: "I think Mark is a strong character, he can handle the situation for sure.
"But I think he is probably one of the managers desperate to get to the January transfer window. You cannot say that Man City team is a Mark Hughes team."
Brown brought his players in for training this morning but they will be given tomorrow off to spend Christmas Day with their families.
Premier League Liverpool v Bolton Wanderers live streaming and Highlights
Liverpool striker Fernando Torres is set for a possible return as the Reds entertain Bolton on Boxing Day.
Torres recently suffered a recurrence of the hamstring injury which had earlier kept him out of the side for five weeks and has now not played since November 26, but assistant manager Sammy Lee claims that the Spanish star is improving.
"Fernando's progress has markedly improved," he said. "He is getting better. He improves with every training session and he has worked very hard on his rehabilitation."
Also hoping to be back on Friday is manager Rafa Benitez, who is recovering from a second operation on his kidney stone problem. Since he was afflicted Benitez has been relegated to relaying instructions via mobile phone to Lee, but he hopes to return to the dugout for the Bolton match.
Fabio Aurelio, Martin Skrtel and Philipp Degen are also close to fitness, though will not be risked.
Bolton, who will be seeking a first league victory at Anfield since 1954, have no new injury problems for manager Gary Megson to deal with. Joey O'Brien and Tamir Cohen are both still out with long-term problems.
Torres recently suffered a recurrence of the hamstring injury which had earlier kept him out of the side for five weeks and has now not played since November 26, but assistant manager Sammy Lee claims that the Spanish star is improving.
"Fernando's progress has markedly improved," he said. "He is getting better. He improves with every training session and he has worked very hard on his rehabilitation."
Also hoping to be back on Friday is manager Rafa Benitez, who is recovering from a second operation on his kidney stone problem. Since he was afflicted Benitez has been relegated to relaying instructions via mobile phone to Lee, but he hopes to return to the dugout for the Bolton match.
Fabio Aurelio, Martin Skrtel and Philipp Degen are also close to fitness, though will not be risked.
Bolton, who will be seeking a first league victory at Anfield since 1954, have no new injury problems for manager Gary Megson to deal with. Joey O'Brien and Tamir Cohen are both still out with long-term problems.
Premier League Tottenham Hotspur v Fulham live streaming and Highlights
Roy Hodgson is not getting carried away by expectation but admits Fulham's lofty league position is at the "top end" of his end-of-year target.The Cottagers are eighth following a seven-match unbeaten run and go into the Boxing Day clash at Tottenham on the back of a 3-0 thrashing of Middlesbrough.
It is a far cry from this time last year, when the west Londoners were in dire straights in the relegation zone, but Hodgson says he tries to remain cautious no matter what the situation.
"Is it where I expected to be? Expectation, I'm not sure," he said. "There's so much expectation in football today that I try to play down personal expectation and manage what's actually happening.
"If what's happening is good I manage that and if what's happening is bad then I manage that.
"If you get too caught up in the disappointment that your expectation is not being met or the euphoria that expectations are being met then you can make a lot of errors along the way.
"So I try to stay as blank as possible on expectation.
He added: "It's at the top end of what I dared hope for after losing those three matches in a row early on.
"After the first three matches when we had six points I suppose then I was hoping we'd be in the mid-20s come the end of the year - but after losing three in a row I suppose I wasn't quite so certain. We did well to recover from that."
Despite being upbeat about team morale and the positive mood in the Fulham camp, the fact his side still have not won away from home still rankles with Hodgson.
It is a far cry from this time last year, when the west Londoners were in dire straights in the relegation zone, but Hodgson says he tries to remain cautious no matter what the situation.
"Is it where I expected to be? Expectation, I'm not sure," he said. "There's so much expectation in football today that I try to play down personal expectation and manage what's actually happening.
"If what's happening is good I manage that and if what's happening is bad then I manage that.
"If you get too caught up in the disappointment that your expectation is not being met or the euphoria that expectations are being met then you can make a lot of errors along the way.
"So I try to stay as blank as possible on expectation.
He added: "It's at the top end of what I dared hope for after losing those three matches in a row early on.
"After the first three matches when we had six points I suppose then I was hoping we'd be in the mid-20s come the end of the year - but after losing three in a row I suppose I wasn't quite so certain. We did well to recover from that."
Despite being upbeat about team morale and the positive mood in the Fulham camp, the fact his side still have not won away from home still rankles with Hodgson.
Premier League Portsmouth v West Ham live streaming and Highlights
Pedro, Sulley and now Lassie have gone and that is the heart of your team and your protection for the defence. If you ripped them out of any squad they would struggle.
"But I will pick up the pieces, work with the lads here and try to get some results.
"I feel we have struggled with the balance of the squad all season, irrespective of who we have sold and I have been constantly looking for areas to strengthen.
"I would love to play the same XI week in, week out at the moment but that is not the case. I have not played the same team since I have been here and I would like to.
"I would love to have a settled back four, absolutely, the last clean sheet was against West Ham and we need to keep working.
"A settled midfield as well, that is just as important. At the moment though it is not happening."
Adams believes his players owe it to the Fratton Park faithful to rediscover their winning habit against West Ham following a run of just two victories from their last 10 Premier League games.
The Pompey boss was left shell-shocked by the way his side started their encounter with Bolton last Saturday as they conceded two goals inside a shambolic opening three minutes.
Adams added: "It was very disappointing last week at Bolton and we need to try and put that right but I thought our fans were magnificent with the way they cheered the team.
"But I will pick up the pieces, work with the lads here and try to get some results.
"I feel we have struggled with the balance of the squad all season, irrespective of who we have sold and I have been constantly looking for areas to strengthen.
"I would love to play the same XI week in, week out at the moment but that is not the case. I have not played the same team since I have been here and I would like to.
"I would love to have a settled back four, absolutely, the last clean sheet was against West Ham and we need to keep working.
"A settled midfield as well, that is just as important. At the moment though it is not happening."
Adams believes his players owe it to the Fratton Park faithful to rediscover their winning habit against West Ham following a run of just two victories from their last 10 Premier League games.
The Pompey boss was left shell-shocked by the way his side started their encounter with Bolton last Saturday as they conceded two goals inside a shambolic opening three minutes.
Adams added: "It was very disappointing last week at Bolton and we need to try and put that right but I thought our fans were magnificent with the way they cheered the team.
Premier League Chelsea v West Bromwich live streaming and Highlights
The 20-year-old was due back at Stamford Bridge after Monday's game at Blackpool but will now see out the maximum 93 days permitted under the emergency loan system.
Manager Mick McCarthy told the club's official website: "Michael has done everything we expected of him and has been a very good player for us. We've been delighted with him and are delighted to have extended the loan.
"We'll then wait and see what Chelsea decide in the window. If they feel they can leave him out and we can have him for the rest of the season then that's what we'll do because that can happen at any time in January.
"Chelsea might have a problem with any outgoings or injuries and if they want him back they'll have him on recall. At least now we can take him to the end of the emergency loan.
Manager Mick McCarthy told the club's official website: "Michael has done everything we expected of him and has been a very good player for us. We've been delighted with him and are delighted to have extended the loan.
"We'll then wait and see what Chelsea decide in the window. If they feel they can leave him out and we can have him for the rest of the season then that's what we'll do because that can happen at any time in January.
"Chelsea might have a problem with any outgoings or injuries and if they want him back they'll have him on recall. At least now we can take him to the end of the emergency loan.
Premier League Stoke City v Manchester United live streaming and Highlights
Phelan gave evidence to the panel earlier this month in a case that saw left-back Patrice Evra handed a four-match ban for his part in a post-match brawl with Chelsea groundstaff at Stamford Bridge last spring.
Part of United's claim was that within the brawl, which the FA panel concluded Evra was responsible for starting, Chelsea groundsman Sam Bethell used racist language towards the Red Devils defender, something he strenuously denies and was rejected by panel chairman Nicholas Stewart QC.
In his case notes, Stewart outlined major inconsistencies in the two written accounts submitted by Phelan prior to verbally giving evidence.
"Even before the hearing we did not feel able to place strong reliance on this evidence. Mike Phelan did not impress us," read the panel's findings, which have been made public by the FA.
The report claimed that if Phelan and then goalkeeping coach Richard Hartis had heard the comments Bethell was alleged to have made, it was implausible no-one else, specifically two black members of the Chelsea groundstaff close to the scene, would not have heard them and reported them.
Part of United's claim was that within the brawl, which the FA panel concluded Evra was responsible for starting, Chelsea groundsman Sam Bethell used racist language towards the Red Devils defender, something he strenuously denies and was rejected by panel chairman Nicholas Stewart QC.
In his case notes, Stewart outlined major inconsistencies in the two written accounts submitted by Phelan prior to verbally giving evidence.
"Even before the hearing we did not feel able to place strong reliance on this evidence. Mike Phelan did not impress us," read the panel's findings, which have been made public by the FA.
The report claimed that if Phelan and then goalkeeping coach Richard Hartis had heard the comments Bethell was alleged to have made, it was implausible no-one else, specifically two black members of the Chelsea groundstaff close to the scene, would not have heard them and reported them.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Premier League news and results
Saturday November 29Time Match
15:00 Aston Villa
Fulham
15:00 Middlesbrough
Newcastle United
15:00 Stoke City
v
Hull City
15:00 Sunderland
v
Bolton Wanderers
15:00 Wigan Athletic
v
West Bromwich
Sunday November 30Time Match
13:30 Manchester City
v
Manchester United
15:00 Portsmouth
v
Blackburn Rovers
15:00 Tottenham Hotspur
v
Everton
16:00 Chelsea
v
Arsenal
Friday, November 21, 2008
Football | watch Premier League live :Time :Match results
Nov 22
Football | Premier LeagueTime Match
v
Newcastle United
15:00 Liverpool
v
Fulham
15:00 Manchester City
v
Arsenal
15:00 Middlesbrough
v
Bolton Wanderers
15:00 Portsmouth
v
Hull City
15:00 Stoke City
v
West Bromwich
17:30 Aston Villa
v
Manchester United
Football | ChampionshipTime Match
12:45 Plymouth Argyle
Cardiff City
15:00 Burnley
v
Doncaster Rovers
15:00 Charlton Athletic
v
Sheffield United
15:00 Crystal Palace
v
Bristol City
15:00 Ipswich
v
Derby County
15:00 Preston North End
v
Barnsley
15:00 Reading
v
Southampton
15:00 Sheffield Wednesday
v
Coventry City
15:00 Watford
v
Queens Park Rangers
15:00 Wolverhampton Wanderers
v
Blackpool
17:20 Nottingham Forest
v
Norwich City
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Premier League News and results
Your one-stop guide to the dangerous world of fantasy football is back, with Liverpool welcoming back fantasy favourite Fernando Torres...More StoriesRead the fantastic Yahoo fantasy blog!Weekend team news
Goalkeepers
Choose 'em: Hull keeper Boaz Myhill (6.52) may have conceded seven goals in his last two games, but that was against last season's two European Cup finalists. Expect him to have an easier time of it against Bolton Wanderers at home.
But the Trotters aren't the lowest scoring side in the league. That honour goes to Fulham, who have netted just eight times so far this season. Shay Given (3.41), in goal for a resurgent Newcastle, isn't the man the Cottager's strikers would pick to face under such circumstances.
Lose 'em: In the future, when the European Super League becomes a reality, Arsenal v Manchester United will be dubbed the 'English Derby'. Given the unpredictable nature of such fixtures, it's probably best to steer clear of Edwin van der Sar (12.79) and Manuel Almunia (9.33).
West Ham may have ended their dismal run of four straight defeats, but they host an Everton side who have Tim Cahill back fit and Louis Saha off the mark, so the tempting price of Robert Green (6.51) may prove a red herring, as is Paul Robinson (2.68), who is in for a tough afternoon as Chelsea look to take out their European disappointment on Blackburn.
Defenders
Choose 'em: Liverpool's Alvaro Arbeloa (9.22) is underrated when it comes to his attacking contribution, and he should make West Brom's sturdy full-back Paul Robinson (6.36) look sluggish.
Next Fixtures
Sunday November 9
Time Match13:30
Blackburn RoversvChelsea
15:00
Aston VillavMiddlesbrough
15:00
Manchester CityvTottenham Hotspur16:00
FulhamvNewcastle United
Friday, September 12, 2008
Mixed Road Race (CP1/CP2): Solid Stone turns gold again
Britain added a further gold to its horde at Saturday morning's Road Cycling competition when David Stone became the first double gold medalist of the meeting.
Taking the lead from the start of the Mixed Road Race (CP1/CP2), Stone (CP2) led all the way coming home over three minutes clear of his nearest opponent, South Africa's Riaan Nel (CP2) and Italy's Giorgio Farroni (CP2) with just a second separating the silver and bronze medalists.
Rachel Morris (Great Britain) (HCB) couldn't emulate Stone in the Women's Road Race (HCA/HCB/HCC) event in her aim of doubling up on her gold medal haul. Morris started out as one of the favorites having taken the Women's Time Trial (HCA/HCB/HCC) by three minutes on Friday but had to settle for sixth place after seeing Germany's Andrea Eskau (HCC) grab gold in one of the tightest finishes yet seen at Saturday meeting.
Eskau slip-streamed Monique van der Vorst of the Netherlands (HCC) for much of the 36.3km course, overtaking her on the line and snatching gold by just a wheel's length, 0.13 seconds ahead of the Dutch rider. Eskau's teammate Dorothee Vieth (HCC) came home on her own in third place 26 seconds behind the winner.
The win for Eskau brings Germany level with Spain and the United States at three golds, one behind Britain on four, and brings her the satisfaction of proving her domination in women's hand cycling having taken gold at the event at the 2007 Paracycling World Championships at Bordeaux, France.
Taking the lead from the start of the Mixed Road Race (CP1/CP2), Stone (CP2) led all the way coming home over three minutes clear of his nearest opponent, South Africa's Riaan Nel (CP2) and Italy's Giorgio Farroni (CP2) with just a second separating the silver and bronze medalists.
Rachel Morris (Great Britain) (HCB) couldn't emulate Stone in the Women's Road Race (HCA/HCB/HCC) event in her aim of doubling up on her gold medal haul. Morris started out as one of the favorites having taken the Women's Time Trial (HCA/HCB/HCC) by three minutes on Friday but had to settle for sixth place after seeing Germany's Andrea Eskau (HCC) grab gold in one of the tightest finishes yet seen at Saturday meeting.
Eskau slip-streamed Monique van der Vorst of the Netherlands (HCC) for much of the 36.3km course, overtaking her on the line and snatching gold by just a wheel's length, 0.13 seconds ahead of the Dutch rider. Eskau's teammate Dorothee Vieth (HCC) came home on her own in third place 26 seconds behind the winner.
The win for Eskau brings Germany level with Spain and the United States at three golds, one behind Britain on four, and brings her the satisfaction of proving her domination in women's hand cycling having taken gold at the event at the 2007 Paracycling World Championships at Bordeaux, France.
Paralympic Shooting Overall Review: Jacobsson displays his class in Beijing
Legendary shooter Jonas Jacobsson yet again showed his class at the 2008 Paralympic Games. Jacobsson leaves Beijing with three gold medals in hand.
The Swedish shooter looked unbeatable in his first two events, the Men's 10m Air Rifle Standing-SH1 and the Mixed 50m Free Rifle 3x40-SH1, setting world and Paralympic records in both the qualification and the final rounds en route to the gold medals.
However, Jacobsson, who is famed for his accuracy and consistency, surprisingly failed to make the final in his third event, the Mixed 10m Air Rifle Prone-SH1. He struggled in the first two qualification rounds and lost his chance to defend the gold medal he won at the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games by the tiny margin of one point.
He met expectations in his last event, winning the Mixed 50m Free Rifle Prone-SH1 on the last day of the six-day Shooting competition. His Paralympic medal tally now stands at a total of 25 medals - 16 gold medals, one silver medal and eight bronze medals from eight appearances at the Paralympic Games.
Lee Ji-seok of the Republic of Korea was also one of the best shooters at Beijing 2008. Lee was invincible in his two events, the Mixed 10m Air Rifle Prone-SH2 and the Mixed 10m Air Rifle Standing-SH2.
Lee's achievement was one of contributing factors of the Republic of Korea's success - it was the most successful country, pocketing a total of nine medals (four gold medals, three silver medals and two bronze medals) at the Games.
The Swedish shooter looked unbeatable in his first two events, the Men's 10m Air Rifle Standing-SH1 and the Mixed 50m Free Rifle 3x40-SH1, setting world and Paralympic records in both the qualification and the final rounds en route to the gold medals.
However, Jacobsson, who is famed for his accuracy and consistency, surprisingly failed to make the final in his third event, the Mixed 10m Air Rifle Prone-SH1. He struggled in the first two qualification rounds and lost his chance to defend the gold medal he won at the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games by the tiny margin of one point.
He met expectations in his last event, winning the Mixed 50m Free Rifle Prone-SH1 on the last day of the six-day Shooting competition. His Paralympic medal tally now stands at a total of 25 medals - 16 gold medals, one silver medal and eight bronze medals from eight appearances at the Paralympic Games.
Lee Ji-seok of the Republic of Korea was also one of the best shooters at Beijing 2008. Lee was invincible in his two events, the Mixed 10m Air Rifle Prone-SH2 and the Mixed 10m Air Rifle Standing-SH2.
Lee's achievement was one of contributing factors of the Republic of Korea's success - it was the most successful country, pocketing a total of nine medals (four gold medals, three silver medals and two bronze medals) at the Games.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
Beach Volleyball: US to go on the medal charge
The United States will expect to do well elsewhere in Beijing on Friday (August 22). There is a morning start in the Beach Volleyball Men's final between the United States's Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers, who play Brazil's Marcio Araujo and Fabio Magalhaes.
US teams won gold medals at Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 (Beach Volleyball didn't enter the Olympic roster until 1996) but missed out in Athens. The two teams have played each other seven times, with Araujo and Magalhaes winning five matches.
If Dalhausser and Rogers win, then both Men's and Women's Beach Volleyball gold medals will go to the United States, after Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh's victory in the Women's final.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Incredible Bolt:Michael Johnson praised
Michael Johnson has praised Usain Bolt for breaking his 200m record and said the Jamaican is a true great.
Bolt, who turned 22 on Wednesday, won in 19.30sec, 0.02sec quicker than Johnson's 12-year-old record.
Johnson also expects Bolt to lower both the 100m and 200m records even further.
Johnson told the Daily Telegraph: "Every now and again along comes an athlete for the times and I believe Usain Bolt is that athlete.
"It happened for me in 1996, it happened with Carl Lewis in 1996 and Jesse Owens in 1936 and now it is happening for Usain.
"He doesn't just want to win races and medals, he wants to test the limits of human ability. I am happy for him and I congratulate him on breaking my record.
"And yet, despite all has achieved in Beijing, I still believe he can run faster and take both records even lower. There is still much more to come from Usain Bolt."
British Olympic:Gold Medal Tuesday Wrap
Sprinter Christine Ohuruogu became the first British woman to win the Olympic 400 metres title on Tuesday.
Ohuruogu produced a storming finish to overhaul favourite Sanya Richards and win in a time of 49.62 seconds to add Olympic gold to the world title she won in Osaka last year.
American Lolo Jones looked to have the 100m hurdles won before hitting the penultimate hurdle and stumbling to seventh.
Team-mate Dawn Harper took advantage to win in 12.54s with Australian Sally McLellan winning silver ahead of Canada's Priscilla Lopes-Schliep after a photo-finish.
Gerd Kanter added the Olympic discus gold medal to his collection with a winning throw of 68.82m.
Bahrain's Rashid Ramzi showed nerves of steel when winning the 1500m title in 3min 32.94sec.
European champion Andrey Silnov won the high jump title with a clearance of 2.36m, two centimetres ahead of Great Britain's Germaine Mason and Yaroslav Rybakov.
Great Britain won a further two gold medals in cycling as they took their total medal total in the discipline to 14 - eight of them gold.
Chris Hoy beat team-mate Jason Kenny to secure his third gold of the games in the men's sprint just moment's after Victoria Pendleton had won the women's sprint.
But Hoy's team-mate Bradley Wiggins could not add a third of his own in the Madison as he and team-mate Mark Cavendish were out of the medals as Argentina duo Juan Esteban Curuchet and Walter Fernando Perez won gold from Spain and Russia.
Germany's Jan Frodeno took gold in a thrilling sprint finish to the triathlon.
Frodeno burst past Sydney champion Simon Whitfield to win his first Olympic title with New Zealander Bevan Docherty taking the bronze medal.
Ohuruogu produced a storming finish to overhaul favourite Sanya Richards and win in a time of 49.62 seconds to add Olympic gold to the world title she won in Osaka last year.
American Lolo Jones looked to have the 100m hurdles won before hitting the penultimate hurdle and stumbling to seventh.
Team-mate Dawn Harper took advantage to win in 12.54s with Australian Sally McLellan winning silver ahead of Canada's Priscilla Lopes-Schliep after a photo-finish.
Gerd Kanter added the Olympic discus gold medal to his collection with a winning throw of 68.82m.
Bahrain's Rashid Ramzi showed nerves of steel when winning the 1500m title in 3min 32.94sec.
European champion Andrey Silnov won the high jump title with a clearance of 2.36m, two centimetres ahead of Great Britain's Germaine Mason and Yaroslav Rybakov.
Great Britain won a further two gold medals in cycling as they took their total medal total in the discipline to 14 - eight of them gold.
Chris Hoy beat team-mate Jason Kenny to secure his third gold of the games in the men's sprint just moment's after Victoria Pendleton had won the women's sprint.
But Hoy's team-mate Bradley Wiggins could not add a third of his own in the Madison as he and team-mate Mark Cavendish were out of the medals as Argentina duo Juan Esteban Curuchet and Walter Fernando Perez won gold from Spain and Russia.
Germany's Jan Frodeno took gold in a thrilling sprint finish to the triathlon.
Frodeno burst past Sydney champion Simon Whitfield to win his first Olympic title with New Zealander Bevan Docherty taking the bronze medal.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Argentina advance in heated match
Argentina will meet Nigeria in the Olympic Men’s Football final after their 3-0 victory over Brazil.
Sergio Aguero grabbed a brace, while Juan Riquelme added a penalty goal in the 76th minute.
Things turned ugly in the match as Lucas and Thiago Neves were sent off in the 81st and 84th minute respectively for dangerous play.
Meanwhile Nigeria booked their place in the final with a 4-1 thrashing of Begium. Chinedu Obasi Ogbuke collected a double for Nigeria, with Adefemi Olubayo and Chibuzor Okonkwo adding to the scoreline. Laurent Ciman scored the consolation for Belgium.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Phelps wins record eighth gold
(BEIJING, August 17) -- Michael Phelps won his record eighth gold medal in the Men's 4 x 100m Medley Relay final on Sunday but this time needed some help from his friends.
The US team of Aaron Peirsol, Brendan Hansen, Jason Lezak and Phelps won at the National Aquatics Center in a time of 3:29.34 and in doing so broke the world record by 1.34 seconds.
Peirsol gave them a great start with a 53.16sec split. Hansen increased the lead on the world record split taking it 0.39 seconds under at the race's halfway mark.
Brenton Rickard swam his breaststroke leg in 58.56, faster than Hansen, to bring the Australians into second place.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Phelps equals Spitz's record
Michael Phelps equalled Mark Spitz's record haul of seven golds with victory over Milorad Cavic in the 100m butterfly.
Phelps trailed the Serbian swimmer for the whole race but somehow managed to touch just 0.01 secs in front to draw level with Spitz's record, set in Munich in 1972.
The American set a new Olympic record in the process, touching in 50.58secs with Australia's Andrew Lauterstein finishing third and world-record holder Ian Crocker in fourth.
Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry finally claimed gold at the Games, winning the 200m backstroke in a world record time of 2:05.24.
Coventry's win was her first gold of the games after three second-placed finishes earlier in the swimming programme.
Great Britain's Rebecca Adlington destroyed the rest of the field in the 800m freestyle to claim her second gold of the Games, breaking one of swimming's most illustrious world records in the process.
Adlington's time of 8:14.10 was 2.12s under Janet Evans' 19-year-old world record as she added gold in the 800m to the one she won in the 400m freestyle earlier in the week.
The 19-year-old was six seconds clear of the rest of the field as Italy's Alessia Filippi took silver and Lotte Friis of Denmark the bronze.
Brazilian Cesar Filho Cielo claimed his second medal of the Games with victory in the 50m freestyle in a new Olympic record time to add to the bronze he claimed in the 100m.
Cielo touched in 21.30, 0.15 ahead of second placed Amaury Leveaux of France while his compatriot and the gold medal winner in the 100m, Alain Bernard, took bronze.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Phelps: I'm not unbeatable
US swimmer Michael Phelps has insisted he is not unbeatable despite providing yet more evidence to the contrary.
Phelps collected his fourth and fifth golds in Beijing, the 10th and 11th of his career, in the 200 metres butterfly and 4x200m freestyle relay - both in world-record times.
Added to his six golds from Athens four years ago, that meant Phelps surpassed the nine golds won by Paavo Nurmi, Carl Lewis, Mark Spitz and Larysa Latynina to cement his place in Olympic history.
The 23-year-old has three events left and remains on course to beat Spitz's achievement of seven golds in one Games after winning his heat in the 200m individual medley on Wednesday, but claimed: "It's not over yet. Anything can happen in the next three events.
"This is something we have been preparing for for the last four years. All the work is starting to pay off. But I am not unbeatable. Everyone can be beaten."
Phelps had to overcome his goggles filling with water to win the 200m butterfly in one minute 52.03 seconds, lowering his own world record by 0.06s ahead of Hungary's Laszlo Cseh and Japan's Takeshi Matsuda.
"I'm almost at a loss for words. To be the most decorated Olympian of all time, it just sounds weird. I am speechless," Phelps added.
"It started to sink in a little after the butterfly. I was trying to focus on my next race but I kept thinking 'Wow. Greatest Olympian of all time.' It's a pretty neat title and I'm definitely honoured.
"When you have an Olympic gold medal it stays with you forever. It never gets old listening to your national anthem with a gold medal around your neck."
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Olympic Gold medal update
Michael Phelps has created history by being the first athlete to win 11 goal medals at the Olympic Games.The USA team wins gold in the men's 4x200m freestyle relay final in a world record time of 6:58.56 giving Michael Phelps his fifth gold of the Games.
In an earlier race, the American took 0.06 second off the previous record of 1:52.09 he set at Melbourne in March 2007 to claim his fourth gold and fourth world record in the Water Cube.
Laszlo Cseh of Hungary (1:52.70) and Matsuda Takeshi of Japan (1:52.97) claimed silver and bronze, and the European and Asian records, respectively.
Two days after setting the world record in the Women's 200m Freestyle prelims, Italy's Federica Pellegrini swam and even faster 1:54.82 to take the gold medal in Wednesday's final. Second was Sara Isakovic of Slovenia (1:54.97) with China's Pang Jiaying (1:55.05) in third.
Australia's Stephanie Rice has broken the world record in the final of the women's 200 metres individual medley in a time of 2:08.45.
Phelps bags fourth gold
Michael Phelps became the most successful Olympic athlete of all time by claiming his 10th gold medal in the 200m butterfly.Phelps collected his fourth gold of the 29th Olympiad in Beijing to add to the six gold and two bronze medals secured in Athens four years ago.
The 23-year-old led from the halfway point but was made to battle hard to win in a world record time of 1:52.03 seconds, beating his own previous best by 0.06s ahead of Hungary's Laszlo Cseh and Japan's Takeshi Matsuda.
That keeps the American on target to win an unprecedented eight gold medals in the Chinese capital, with another on the cards later Wednesday morning in the 4x200m freestyle relay.
World records were the order of the day as France's Alain Bernard and Australian Eamon Sullivan earlier traded times in the 100 metres freestyle in the National Aquatics Centre.
Bernard clocked a time of 47.20 seconds in winning the first semi-final, beating the previous mark of 47.24s set by Sullivan in the 4x100m relay earlier this week.
But Sullivan then went even quicker in the second semi-final, recording a time of 47.05 to reclaim the record and set up a mouthwatering final showdown on Thursday.
Another world record was broken in the women's 200m freestyle, Italian Federica Pellegrini taking gold in a time of 1:54.82 to lower her own mark set earlier in the week by 0.63s.
Slovenia's Sara Isakovic claimed the silver ahead of home favourite Jiaying Pang.
Yet another world record went in the women's 200m individual medley, Australian Stephanie Rice lowering her own mark by 0.47s.
Rice took gold in a time of 2:08.45, just finishing ahead of Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry with American Natalie Coughlin third.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Olympics: First hitch for China as medal eludes golden girl
Sport has many qualities but none ranks higher than its refusal to bend to the desires of those in charge, and if the organisers of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games were not aware of that fact then they are now.After a stunning opening ceremony, what better way to begin the party than for China to win the first gold, which might explain why, when the competition schedule was drawn up, the women's 10m air rifle was nominated to be the first event of the Games.
The sport - a quiet, compelling test of nerve and skill - has been dominated in recent years by Du Li, a 26-year-old student from Shandong who won gold at the 2004 Games in Athens and has collected world championships and world cup victories with startling regularity ever since.
She arrived at the shooting hall this morning as favourite and was garlanded on to the stage by the home crowd, with the event itself seemingly nothing but a staging post on her way to the medal podium.
Two hours later Du had been vanquished by Katrina Emmons of the Czech Republic, who took gold with an Olympic record score of 503.5, with Lioubov Galina of Russia second and Snjezana Pejcic of Croatia third.
Du finished in fifth place with a score of 499.6 - an enormous deficit in a sport where decimal fractions are like tombstones for those who let them slip away. No wonder the Chinese woman was visibly upset as she took the last three of her 10 shots in the final, by which time it was clear her favouritism had turned to dust, and that she would not be taking her designated place as the first winner of the 2008 Games.
"I did well enough in qualifying, but I wasn't fully prepared for the pressure of competing at home," Du admitted afterwards, something that the winner acknowledged afterwards to reporters.
"I feel really bad for Du Li, I do - and I'd like to give these flowers to her because she can shoot way better than she did today," Emmons said, holding the flowers she was given at the medal ceremony led by IOC president Jacque Rogge.
Olympics 2008: Shooting Beijing, shooting, women's 10m air pistol Russian and Georgian medalists embrace on podium
A Russian and a Georgian shared a podium today, putting aside the conflict that has erupted between the two countries and providing a lift to a Georgian team that had contemplated withdrawing from the Games.
Nino Salukvadze took bronze for Georgia in the women's 10m air pistol, with Russia's Natalia Paderina collecting silver. After the medal ceremony the two posed together for photographers, their arms on each others' shoulders, and Paderina gave Salukvadze a kiss on the cheek.
"This medal is good for Georgia, especially during times like this," Salukvadze said. "I am very nervous today. It's very difficult for my people." The Georgian government has decided to keep its 35-member team at the Olympics, and Salukvadze expressed the hope that the Games' ideals of peace would provide an example to those watching.
"If the world were to draw any lessons from what I did there would never be any wars," she said. "We live in the 21st century, after all. We shouldn't really stoop so low to wage wars against each other."
"It's very difficult for us as Georgians because of everything that's going on at home. It was nice that Natalia Paderina came up to me after and gave me a handshake," Salukvadze added. "Yesterday I thought the Georgian Olympic team might withdraw."
"As far as the hugging and kissing goes, I do that with many friends. I have many friends around the world and will always do that. There should be no hatred among athletes and people," she said. "Politicians should straighten out the situation today and if they don't, we'll have to get involved."
A team spokesman said the Georgian athletes were ready to leave the Olympics if it would help, but the International Olympic Council announced on Sunday morning that both the Georgia and Russia teams had decided to remain in Beijing.
Federer safely into round two in Beijing
Roger Federer cruised into the second round of the Olympics and then vowed not to "freak out" at his impending demotion.
Federer will have sat on top of the world rankings for a record 238 weeks by the time he is supplanted by Rafael Nadal on August 18.
The Swiss has had a poor year by his lofty standards, failing to win a grand slam with just the US Open to come this season.
Success in China would go some way to alleviating the disappointment and the 27-year-old certainly looked impressive in his opening-round 6-4 6-2 victory over Russia's Dmitry Tursunov.
"My goal is to try to get the number one ranking back," he said afterwards.
"You can't keep your ranking forever. I think you have to have a different approach, see what the next step is.
"What I don't like to do because you don't play so well is freak out and have emergency meetings. That's not going to happen."
French Open and Wimbledon champion Nadal was not as impressive on Monday, requiring three sets to see off Italian Potito Starace 6-2 3-6 6-2.
After failing to convert seven consecutive break-point chances in the second and third sets, he broke for a 4-2 lead in the decider. He erased a 15-40 deficit on his serve in the next game, then broke again for the victory.
"I had a lot of opportunities. I didn't convert, so that was tough," Nadal said. "But I was winning the serves without problems. He had more problems than me when he was serving, so that gave me confidence."
Nadal next will face a former world number one in Australia's Lleyton Hewitt, a 7-5 7-6 (7/2) winner over Jonas Bjorkman of Sweden.
Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic posted the first upset of the day, ousting fifth seed David Ferrer 7-6 (10/8) 6-2.
After the first set took 79 minutes, Spaniard Ferrer was not as crisp in the second, double-faulting five times.
Of the other numerous winners on Monday was Chile's Nicolas Massu, the defending Olympic champion.
Given a spot in the draw by the International Tennis Federation due to the fact that he stands 125th in the world, Massu came through with a 6-4 7-5 victory over Belgium's Steve Darcis.
The unseeded Massu will have his hands full in the second round as he will have to go up against seventh seed David Nalbandian.
The Argentinian moved through in convincing fashion with a 6-2 6-1 rout of China's Shaoxuan Zeng.
In other matches involving seeded players, ninth-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland, 10th seed Gilles Simon of France and 13th seed Mikhail Youzhny of Russia all advanced.
Spain's Nicolas Almagro, the 11th seed, was upset by Gael Monfils of France 6-4 3-6 6-3.
In the women's draw, fourth seed Serena Williams won all but four games to complete a 6-3 6-1 victory over Olga Govortsova in a match held over due to rain on Sunday.
Sixth seed Dinara Safina and ninth seed Vera Zvonareva also progressed.
Safina beat Mara Santangelo 6-3 7-6 (7/1) while Zvonareva crushed Yan Zi 6-2 6-0.
Some 65 matches were scheduled for Monday after thunderstorms all but wiped out day one, when only nine matches were completed at the Olympic Green Tennis Center.
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