Short Corner — Chandigarh

Usha qualifies for 400m final
India will have a tough time making a mark at Asian Track and Field Championship. If the first day was any indication, there will only be some minor medals barring some upset. Even the redoubtable PT Usha, may find it difficult to strike the kind of medal. However, she was the only one of the ten Indians on view on the first day who looked medal-worthy. Running in the first semi-final, she clocked 53.33 seconds to win the race, but she must have been a little worried as the second semi-final was won not by the Asia’s current best Li Jing (50.01s) but by neighbour Damayanthi Dharsha of Sri Lanka in 52.60s.

China dominate
The Chinese women, who barring an exception or two like India’s P T Usha, have dominated Asian athletics for the last decade and a half were in no mood to relent their stranglehold, as they claimed all four gold, while the men from former Russian states showed that they are a class apart in this continent as the 12th Asian athletics championships got underway at the magnificient Hakata Mori stadium on Sunday.

Italy, US in semis
Italy will meet the United States in September’s Davis Cup World Group semifinals after both sailed through their quarter finals. Italy, who reached the semifinals for the third successive year, took an unassailable 3-0 lead over surprise package Zimbabwe while the Americans also hold a 3-0 lead, with just two reverse singles rubbers to come on Sunday, over Belgium.

PSB stay alive
Punjab and Sind Bank split points with Mumbai in a one-all draw, to take their tally to five points and kept alive their chances of qualifying for the semifinals from Group `C’ in the MCC all India Murugappa hockey tournament for the Independence Cup in Chennai on Sunday. Tamil Nadu swamped Bihar 7-2 in Group `D’ and Indian Railways scored a 2-0 win over CRPF in Group `A’.