Narang misses bronze

New Delhi: Gagan Narang came close to a podium finish before eventually settling for fifth place in the men’s three position rifle event in the ISSF World Cup in Beijing. Narang, who won the bronze in the men’s 10m air rifle event last week, seemed headed towards his second medal in the tournament after he qualified for the finals with a score of 1,165 (prone 394, standing 385, kneeling 386). Although he shot a decent 97.5 in the finals, it was not enough to see him among the top three and he eventually finished fifth with a total score of 1,262.5. Sanjeev Rajput, the other Indian in the fray, finished a lowly 51st in a field of 58 shooters. Rajput, India’s only Olympic quota place winner in this event, shot 1,134 (prone 392, standing 366, kneeling 376).

Chopra tied 57th

Hilton Head Island: Daniel Chopra signed off with one-over 72 for a tied 57th finish in the $5.5 million Verizon Heritage at the Harbour Town Golf Links here. The Swede of Indian origin finished with a four-day total of three-over 287 even though it made him richer by $12,265. Defending champion Boo Weekley’s level-par round of 71 was enough to retain the silverware at 15-under 269, three shots ahead of Aaron Baddeley (69) and Anthony Kim (71).

Jeev slips

New Delhi: Jyoti Randhawa consolidated his stature as India’s highest ranked golfer at 73rd, while compatriot Jeev Milkha Singh slipped a rung to be 81st in the latest official world golf rankings issued on Monday. Randhawa, although out of action for some time, slightly improved from his previous week’s 74th standing, while Jeev slid a place to be 81st. Indian Masters winner S.S.P. Chowrasia, who finished a 63rd in the China Open, slipped eight rungsto 162.

Barrichello feat

London: Brazilian Rubens Barrichello will celebrate his record 257th Grand Prix in Turkey next month, despite disagreement on how many races he has actually started. “In view of the lack of consensus regarding which specific race marks Rubens’s 257th Grand Prix, Rubens will celebrate the milestone… At the Turkish Grand Prix on 11 May,” Honda said on Monday.

Coulthard angry

London: Red Bull’s David Coulthard expressed frustration on Monday with Formula One rivals who refuse to admit their mistakes. The 37-year-old Scot is yet to score a point this season after collisions in two of the three races, tangling with Ferrari’s Felipe Massa in Australia and Briton Jenson Button in Bahrain. Coulthard said in a column that he was disappointed Button had blamed him while talking to the media before apologising privately later.

Talks fail

Milan: AC Milan have failed to agree on a transfer fee with Barcelona for Ronaldinho after a preliminary discussion, the Serie A club’s chief executive said on Sunday. “Yesterday (Sunday) we had a conference call. The figures haven’t fallen into place,” Adriano Galliani said. “Maybe Ronaldinho won’t come and a main striker arrives.” Ronaldinho’s brother and agent Robert De Assis has agreed on personal terms with Milan but Inter Milan and Manchester City are also interested.

Cricket: IPL, Deccan Chargers vs Delhi DareDevils, on SET Max from 8pm
Soccer: Champions League, Liverpool vs Chelsea, live from 11.30pm on TEN Sports.