Short Corner 8212; Chandigarh

Hockey girls bring cheers to Indian campFormer champions India began their campaign in great style scoring a quot;baker's dozenquot; an...

Hockey girls bring cheers to Indian camp
Former champions India began their campaign in great style scoring a quot;baker8217;s dozenquot; and conceding none to hosts Thailand in their opening fixture of the Asian Games women8217;s hockey tournament at the Kasetsart University Complex on Tuesday. The 13 goals scored by India, who led 7-0 at half-time, were certainly not a record. They had scored 15 in the inaugural tournament in the New Delhi Asiad 16 years ago. In the other late tie Pakistan thrashed hapless Bangladesh 24-0.

Jitender impresses
Commonwealth Games silver medallist Jitender Kumar recorded a splendid win over 1992 Barcelona Olympics bronze medallist Ri Kum-Chol of North Korea in the first round of middleweight class in the boxing competition tonight.

Vaga in final
Vaga Ram put up a fine effort to enter the final of the men8217;s C1 1000 event on the opening day of canoeing and kayaking events today. He finished third in his preliminary heats timing five minutes 24 seconds.

Spikers crash out
One could only dwell at length and nostalgically about the days of the late Jimmy George and Cyril Valloor when India were a force to reckon with, at least in the Asian region. However, the sport seem to have fallen on bad days going by the hiding the team received here at the hands of Japan in the Asian Games competition on Tuesday. The Japanese, displaying a professional touch in just about everything they did on the court, wiped off India 15-3, 15-4, 15-6, in just over an hour.

Shooters fail
8220;Not our main event,8221; said the officials, yet again, as we continue to wait for the medals. The skeet trio of Rai Inderjeet Singh, Harinder Singh Bedi and Rahul Rai came in the 10th and last position in the team event at the Hua Mark shooting range on Tuesday. Rao Inderjeet Singh was the best of the lot in the 19th place with 112 points. Bedi shot 106 for the 30th spot and Rai was 35th and last among the finishers with 98; a score winner Sergy Yakshin would have bettered even if one entire card of 25 shots were to be discarded.

Japanese rule the pool
Chinese swimmers, rapidly losing their lustre, had to settle for three straight silvers in the Asian Games today as Japan overtook them in the early gold medal tally in the Bangkok pool. Among the vanquished was Xiong Guoming, stripped of his gold medal at the 1994 Asian Games when he was one of seven Chinese swimmers to fail dope tests.