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Rediff.com  » Sports » Sports Shorts: Jayaram runner-up at Vietnam; Lorenzo wins Austrian GP

Sports Shorts: Jayaram runner-up at Vietnam; Lorenzo wins Austrian GP

Last updated on: August 12, 2018 20:49 IST
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Ajay Jayaram

IMAGE: Second consecutive runner-up finish for Ajay Jayaram. Photograph: Russell Cheyne/Reuters

Ajay Jayaram had to be content with a runner-up finish at the Vietnam Open after losing to Shesar Hiren Rhustavito of Indonesia the final, in Ho Chi Minh City, on Sunday.

The 30-year-old Indian shuttler had an impressive run in the $75,000 BWF Tour Super 100 tournament before caving in tamely, 14-21, 10-21, to Shesar in 28 minutes.

 

It was a second consecutive runner-up finish for Jayaram on the circuit, having also lost in the final of the White Nights International Challenge last month.

"Never really found my rhythm today. Seemed very error-prone right from the beginning. He did well to keep the pressure going from the net and I wasn't able to dictate the rallies," Jayaram said.

"It's easy to be hard on yourself when you have a bad loss. While being critical of yourself is important, I think I do need to look at the positives from the week. I've managed to play some quality badminton these past couple of months. Need to keep the hard work going and I'm sure I'll keep getting stronger," the former world No 13 added.  

On a comeback after recovering from a hamstring injury suffered last year, Jayaram had defeated seventh seed Yu Igarashi of Japan in straight games in Saturday’s semi-finals.

World No. 79 Shesar, who won four consecutive Indonesia International tournaments, had got the better of India's Mithun Manjunath 21-17, 19-21, 21-14 in the other semi-final.

Motorcycling: Lorenzo staves off Marquez challenge to win Austrian GP

Jorge Lorenzo

IMAGE: Ducati Team's Jorge Lorenzo celebrates with the trophy on the podium after winning the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday. Photograph: Lisi Niesner/Reuters

Spanish rider Jorge Lorenzo won an Austrian Grand Prix thriller on Sunday, defeating Honda's reigning MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez to drag himself back into the title race with his third victory of the season.

Lorenzo finished the race at the Red Bull Ring in 39 minutes and 40.688 seconds, beating his compatriot and future Honda team mate by 0.130 seconds for Ducati's third successive win in the Spielberg race.

Italian Andrea Dovizioso finished third to cap off a successful weekend for Ducati. Cal Crutchlow was fourth ahead of Danilo Petrucci.

Four-times champion Marquez, who failed to win from pole position for the first time this season, has 201 points after 11 races, ahead of Valentino Rossi (142).

The Italian great finished the race in sixth place after starting in 14th. Lorenzo (130) climbed to third ahead of Dovizioso (129).

Silverstone hosts the next round of the championship with the British Grand Prix scheduled to take place on August 26.

Athletics: Mazuronak overcomes nosebleed to win European marathon

Volha Mazuronak

IMAGE: Volha Mazuronak of Belarus celebrates winning the women's Marathon at the 2018 European Championships. Photograph: Michael Dalder/Reuters

Belarusian Volha Mazuronak overcame severe nosebleeds and a late navigational error before sprinting to victory in a dramatic women's marathon at the European Championships on Sunday.

Little-known Belgian Koen Naert then provided a very different triumph, enjoying the race of his life to run away from the men's field after the 19-mile mark and win by over a minute and a half in a new championship record 2 hours 9 minutes 51 seconds.

Mazuronak produced the steeliest of displays to take the title after twice suffering nosebleeds which left her face covered in blood in the early stages of the race around the streets and tourist attractions of Berlin city's centre.

After dousing herself in water so she could see properly on a warm morning, the 29-year-old race favourite, who was fifth in the Olympics, retained her poise, kept pacesetting and broke everyone except for French marathon debutant Clemence Calvin.

Yet just as she seemed to have opened a potentially decisive gap over former track 10,000m silver medallist Calvin with a kilometre left, Mazuronak took the wrong direction at a sharp turn and had to belatedly readjust, allowing the Frenchwoman to get back on terms.

Even that could not derail Mazuronak, though, as she regrouped and sprinted to the finish next to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in 2:26:22, eventually outpacing Calvin by six seconds to become the first Belarusian to win the event.

Eva Vrabcova-Nyvltova, who had stayed with the top two until the final run-in, set a Czech record of 2:26:31 for the bronze.

Naert, whose previous best performance in a largely journeyman career had also come in this city when he finished fifth as the top European in the 2015 Berlin Marathon, was a revelation as he broke the field with a well-timed acceleration between the 25 and 30 kilometres marks.

The 28-year-old demonstrated superb form to stretch away from his pursuers and had enough time to grab a Belgian flag from the crowds lining the finish and lift it aloft as he became the first man from his country since Karel Lismont in Helsinki 1971 to win the title.

Switzerland's Eritrean-born Tadesse Abraham was able to celebrate a silver on his 36th birthday as he came home as distant runner-up in 2:11:24 while Italian Yassin Rachik took bronze in a lifetime best 2:12:09.

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