Jwala pips out Saina in popularity but Sania tops the Google survey

Jwala Gutta, who has remarkably improved upon her fitness, has pipped fellow shuttler Saina Nehwal to emerge as the latest Indian badminton sensation on the popularity charts, revealed a survey by search engine giant Google. According to a report in The DNA, Jwala received 80 hits to 64 of Saina, who is seen as India’s best medal bet in the badminton event of the London Olympics. The two Indians were compared in a survey using ‘Google Insights for Search’ in the last seven days. But overall, it’s tennis stalwart Sania Mirza who is favourite among the netizens as she has received the maximum number of hits — 84.

Meanwhile the Indian hockey team’s preparations for the London Games ended on a rather disappointing note after they lost 1-2 in their final preparatory match against Spain on Wednesday, says a DNA report. India thus ended their European tour with four defeats on the trot, a factor that is likely to have a psychological impact ahead of their opening match of the Olympics against the Netherlands on July 30. India had earlier lost to Great Britain, Spain and South Africa. Their exposure tour ended, during which they played a total of eight matches, ended with only three wins – two against a lowly France and one against South Africa.

The result gives coach Michael Nobbs new headache as India head into the Olympics. Poor finishing — especially from penalty corners — cost India wins in each of the matches. On Wednesday in Santander, the story was no different. India started well and thwarted the home team several times in the first half. In the most noticeable of successes, goalkeeper PR Sreejesh pulled off a two-stage save, sweeping the ball off the goal-line after having initially parried David Alegre hit.

Meanwhile a report in Hindustan Times says that with one hurdle left, something snapped. It wasn’t a bone or anything that serious, but Greek athlete Periklis Iakovakis somehow lost power and quickly dropped from first to last in the European Championship 400-meter hurdles final, unable to summon enough energy to keep going strong. Periklis Iakovakis, a 400m hurdler from Greece, has been mentally affected by the European financial crisis.
It’s that kind of an Olympic year for athletes from crisis-hit European nations preparing for the London Games — always another obstacle. “Of course, the crisis affects you because the world of sports is part of society,” Iakovakis said. “If you consider I have a family and I have two children, everything is inside my mind because I also have to think of the future.”

“Now I have to search the Internet to find the best flight, the best fare option depending on the dates I want to travel,” said the 33year-old Iakovakis, who won the 400-meter hurdles bronze medal at the 2003 world championships and gold at the 2006 European Championships, adds the report.