SPORTS EDGE

Sports
Beijing 2008
Czech, China dominate
Afp, Beijing
DUTCH DELIGHT: Netherlands' 4x100m freestyle relay team members (L-R) Ranomi Kromowidjojo, Inge Dekker, Marleen Veldhuis and Femke Heemkerk celebrate with their gold medal at the National Aquatics Centre in Beijing yesterday. They won a hotly contested final in record time. Photo: AFPUnheralded Czech Republic matched the formidable Chinese on the Olympic shooting ranges as reigning champions fell by the wayside on Sunday.After world number one Guo Wenjun claimed the women's 10m Air Pistol title, rank outsider David Kostelecky took murky weather and fancied opponents in his stride to win the Trap event.Both China and the Czech Republic share the four titles contested over the first two days in a 15-event competition the hosts are expected to dominate.On Saturday, Czech rifle shooter Katerina Emmons had silenced Chinese fans by winning the first gold medal of the Beijing Games in the women's 10m, before Pang Wei took the men's 10m Pistol title.Kostelecky, an unlikely contender for the gold medal after finishing 17th at last year's world championships, hit a perfect 25 targets in the final held in gloomy conditions and steady rain.Giovanni Pellielo of Italy took the silver, while defending champion Alexey Alipov of Russia claimed the bronze following a shoot-off with Australian veteran Michael Diamond."What a day, what a finish, I'm speechless," said Kostelecky, 33, who studied international trade in college before becoming a full-time shooting coach in his home town of Holasice."It was really hard to shoot in the rain but there is nothing we can do about it because we can't change the weather."Diamond, 36, who was looking for his third Olympic gold after winning in 1996 and 2000, suffered heartbreak in the tie-breaker against Alipov which came when both shooters finished on 142 points each.The Australian world champion hit two of his three targets in the shoot-off while Alipov, who won the gold at Athens four years ago, smashed all three clays to finish third."I felt a little nervous and a little disappointed, but finishing fourth is always better than fifth," said Diamond, who was the favourite after winning the world championships in Nicosia last year.In the women's 10m Air Pistol event, Guo finished with 492.3 points to better the previous Olympic record of 490.1 set by Olga Klochneva of Russia at Atlanta in 1996.Natalia Paderina of Russia took the silver while Georgia's Nino Salukvadze won an emotional bronze just hours after her Games officials had considered pulling out of Beijing in protest at Russia's role in the bloody conflict over South Ossetia.Paderina and Salukvadze embraced on the podium as their two countries temporarily put their troubles to one side."This medal is good for Georgia, especially in times like these," said the 39-year-old from Tbilisi."I was very nervous as it's been very difficult for my people. It was nice of Natalia to come up to me afterwards and give me an embrace."Olena Kostevych of Ukraine, the defending Athens Olympic champion in the event, failed to make the final.
One of several CNG filling stations between Kanchpur Bridge and Jatrabari of the capital which BNP big shots built on the Kutubkhali canal, drastically reducing Dhaka's drainage capability. PHOTO: STAR
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