
Brian Lara issues warning
West Indies captain Brian Lara today warned his team8217;s World Cup rivals that he will be back to his dynamic best by the time the tournament starts later this month. The West Indies superstar has been sidelined with a wrist injury and was not able to play in the one-day matches against Australia at the end of recent Test series in the Caribbean. Lara said he has been told he will be ready to start West Indies8217; first World Cup match against Pakistan on May 16.
Jeev joint 23rd
India8217;s Jeev Milkha Singh stumbled in the crucial final round but managed an even-par 72 to finish joint 23rd in the Fiat and Fila Open Golf Championship in Turin, Italy. The Chandigarh-based golfer failed to maintain his superb form of the previous two rounds, in which he fired 69 and 68 after his opening round 71, and was sharing the 23rd position with five others at the 6,947-yard, par-72 Circolo Golf course yesterday, according to information reaching today.
Nikita wins
Unseeded Nikita Bhardwaj outgunned eighth seed Harsimran Kaur in straight sets to set the pace for the third leg of ITF Women8217;s Satellite Tennis Circuit on the opening day in New Delhi today. The 16-year-old Nikita was not bothered by the scorching heat conditions, under which her opponent from Chandigarh had started to wilt, and scored an easy 6-2 6-4 victory.
Hopes raised
Young international shooter, Manavjit Singh raised India8217;s hopes for earning a quota place in the trap shooting event of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games by his excellent showing in the World Cup for clay target shooting held in Nicosia, Cyprus on May 1 and 2. The Commonwealth Games 1998 gold medalist was in great form and exhibited nerves of steel in a major event by shooting a high score of 121 out of amaximum 125.
PLO attack
A former PLO guerrilla, now a member of Palestine National Council, said in a book released today his commandos never intended harm when they seized Israeli athletes as hostages at the 1972 Munich Olympics.