Most of you would have seen the news that Vishy Anand won against Bulgarian Veselin Topalov to become four-time World Champion in Chess. There were also reports that Anand had to travel by road for 40 hours because the airspace in Europe was closed at that time due to volcanic ash.
When Anand reached Chennai few days back, the media asked him about his journey from Frankfurt to Chennai. He remarked “Oh this one [compared to his grueling bus ride to Sophia] was nothing at all. I slept through it.”
To understand that epoch-making road trip, read through this report from one of his team members …
21.04.2010 – On Thursday Vishy Anand embarked on a trip from his house in Madrid, Spain, to the World Championship match. He got as far as Frankfurt, Germany, and was stopped by the volcanic ash cloud from Iceland. Frantic planning followed, and on Tuesday morning, after a 40-hour drive, he arrived with his team in Sofia, Bulgaria. A team member’s report
Showing posts with label Sports. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sports. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Monday, July 06, 2009
Watched historical 15th grand slam of FedX
What a brilliant game? Yesterday watched Roger Federer winning his 15th grand slam title at Wimbledon (beating the previous all-time record of Pete Sampras). It was indeed a historic match and one of the most heart-stopping and unforgettable finals seen in a grand slam arena, Federer held his nerve for four hours and 16 astonishing minutes before finally subduing Andy Roddick 5-7 7-6 7-6 3-6 16-14 to claim the trophy he cherishes above all for the sixth time.
In terms of match time, it was not quite as long as last year’s battle between Federer and Rafael Nadal, but it soon took on similarly epic proportions. And for much of the match, it seemed that Roddick would emulate Nadal's feat as he hammered away at his opponent. Federer wavered a few times, but never toppled and in the end won on merit. He returns to number one in the world, too, by way of yet another win bonus.
Among the 15,000 souls lucky enough to witness the momentous occasion was a beaming Pete Sampras, whose milestone of 14 majors Federer eclipsed on Sunday, in the front row of the Royal Box. Sampras was not the only great in attendance on Sunday. Sitting alongside him in the Royal Box was Laver and Bjorn Borg and all three were perhaps thanking their lucky stars their careers did not coincide with the magician from Basel.
Roger Federer is clearly a genius on the tennis court and a perfect gentleman off of the court. He is gracious, contrite, and eloquent when addressing the crowd of admirers in the stands. It's so wonderful to have such great guys like Andy and Roger represent the best in the sport at Wimbledon. Who knows what might have happened if Nadal had been there. What great tennis, and now that Roger is the king, he will continue to do the game proud with his brand of great behavior, elegance, and spectacular athleticism.
In terms of match time, it was not quite as long as last year’s battle between Federer and Rafael Nadal, but it soon took on similarly epic proportions. And for much of the match, it seemed that Roddick would emulate Nadal's feat as he hammered away at his opponent. Federer wavered a few times, but never toppled and in the end won on merit. He returns to number one in the world, too, by way of yet another win bonus.
Among the 15,000 souls lucky enough to witness the momentous occasion was a beaming Pete Sampras, whose milestone of 14 majors Federer eclipsed on Sunday, in the front row of the Royal Box. Sampras was not the only great in attendance on Sunday. Sitting alongside him in the Royal Box was Laver and Bjorn Borg and all three were perhaps thanking their lucky stars their careers did not coincide with the magician from Basel.
Roger Federer is clearly a genius on the tennis court and a perfect gentleman off of the court. He is gracious, contrite, and eloquent when addressing the crowd of admirers in the stands. It's so wonderful to have such great guys like Andy and Roger represent the best in the sport at Wimbledon. Who knows what might have happened if Nadal had been there. What great tennis, and now that Roger is the king, he will continue to do the game proud with his brand of great behavior, elegance, and spectacular athleticism.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Kobe, Shaq Reunite to Lead West to Blowout Win
It is always fun to watch Kobe and Shaq. Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal reunited as teammates for the first time since 2004 to lead the Western Conference to a 146-119 victory over the East in the National Basketball Association’s All-Star Game.
During pregame introductions, Shaq emerged wearing a white plastic mask — the trademark look of the JabbaWockeeZ dance troupe — and he danced with them for two minutes before the rest of the West team was introduced.
Bryant and O’Neal, who won three straight NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers from 2000-02, helped the West outscore the East 74-52 during the second half.
The two shared the MVP award as Bryant, who is still with the Lakers, finished with a game-high 27 points. O’Neal, now with the Phoenix Suns after 3 1/2 seasons in Miami, added 17 points and five rebounds.
Bryant, a 6-foot-6 guard, and O’Neal, a 7-foot-1 center, played together with the Lakers from 1996 to 2004 before their falling out led to O’Neal leaving the team. While they’ve been publicly critical of each other in the past, Bryant and O’Neal said they had fun playing together again.
“It felt like old times,” O’Neal, who played 11 minutes, said in a televised interview. “We did that for eight years. We were the best little-man, big-man tandem ever created.”
Watch the highlights
During pregame introductions, Shaq emerged wearing a white plastic mask — the trademark look of the JabbaWockeeZ dance troupe — and he danced with them for two minutes before the rest of the West team was introduced.
Bryant and O’Neal, who won three straight NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers from 2000-02, helped the West outscore the East 74-52 during the second half.
The two shared the MVP award as Bryant, who is still with the Lakers, finished with a game-high 27 points. O’Neal, now with the Phoenix Suns after 3 1/2 seasons in Miami, added 17 points and five rebounds.
Bryant, a 6-foot-6 guard, and O’Neal, a 7-foot-1 center, played together with the Lakers from 1996 to 2004 before their falling out led to O’Neal leaving the team. While they’ve been publicly critical of each other in the past, Bryant and O’Neal said they had fun playing together again.
“It felt like old times,” O’Neal, who played 11 minutes, said in a televised interview. “We did that for eight years. We were the best little-man, big-man tandem ever created.”
Watch the highlights
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