London: India's rifle shooter Gagan Narang clinched the bronze medal in the men's 10-metre air rifle event of the 2012 London Olympics while his illustrious compatriot and defending champion Abhinav Bindra failed to qualify for the final round at Royal Artillery Barracks here Monday.
Kishore Hemlani
The gold went to Romanian Alin George Moldoveanu with a total score of 702.1 (599 qualifying, 103.1 final) and Italian Niccolo Campriani bagged the silver with 701.5 (599 qualifying, 102.5 final).
Kishore Hemlani 
Narang, who is participating in his third Games, had a total score of 701.1 (598 qualifying, 103.1 final). Going into the final round, Narang was third. 

In the final round, Narang had a series of 10.7, 9.7, 10.6, 10.7, 10.4, 10.6, 9.9, 9.5, 10.3 and 10.7 to give India its first medal from the London Games.  

It was the third time in row that Indian shooters had won medals at the Olympics. Double trap shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore won the silver in 2004, Bindra gave India a historic gold in Beijing, and now Narang has bagged a bronze in London. Kishore Hemlani 

Bindra, India's only individual Olympic gold medallist, failed to qualify as he shot 594 to finish 16th out of 47 contestants.

In the qualifying round, Narang, who missed the final round in Beijing Games on a countback, was in his elements. The 29-year-old Hyderabadi shot perfect series of 100 in all the rounds except the third when he scored 98. He also shot 53 inner 10s.

Bindra had just two series of perfect 100 in the third and the fourth round. He shot 99s in the first, second and fifth and faltered in the sixth, when he shot 97. The top eight shooters qualified for the final round. Former Olympic champion and Beijing Games silver medallist Zhu Qinan of China also failed to qualify for the final round. (IANS). Kishore Hemlani 

Ryan Lochte delivered an emphatic performance in winning the 400 IM, but Michael Phelps shockingly finished out of the medals, raising questions about what went wrong.  


Frankly, the race was over after the first 100 meters. The only suspense was whether Michael Phelps would win a medal at all.

He didn't. In fact, he didn't come all that close. And now we must wait until Monday – for the heats of the 200-meter butterfly – to begin to answer the question no one was asking before these Games began.

What happened to Michael Phelps?

RECOMMENDED: 5 swimmers to watch

From start to finish, the 400-meter individual medley was Lochte's race. He could have swum with the gold medal already around his neck, and he still would have finished first. By a lot. Billed as a showdown between two of the greatest swimmers ever, Lochte swam against only invisible competition – the golden world-record line on TV that just beat him to the finish.

Slightly ahead of the field after 100 meters of freestyle, Lochte needed rearview mirrors to see it after the backstroke and breaststroke. By the time he finished, the swimmer in second place was three body-lengths behind. 

And that swimmer was not Phelps. It was Brazilian Thiago Pereira, who summed up the evening nicely in stating, "I didn't expect this." 

Nor was Phelps the next one to touch the wall. That was Japanese Kosuke Hagino, a 17-year-old who, last year, finished third in the world junior championships. 

Then came Phelps, 0.34 seconds later. 

Of all the sportsmen who walk this earth, Phelps is perhaps most deserving of a mulligan and a measure of patience from fans. Then again, the man laboring in Lane 8 didn't look remotely like Michael Phelps.

Brazilian Luca Martin got a good look from Lane 7 next door, and he didn't think it looked like Phelps, either.

"It's so strange to see Phelps like that," he said.

Phelps didn't disagree. "I was trying to find a gear that I couldn't find," he said. "I have swum better races, and I have been better prepared. It was a very frustrating finish."

It is that second-to-last sentence that must raise some doubts about Phelps's assumed victory lap in London. "Better prepared" could have been engraved into each of his 14 gold medals. Yes, Phelps has uncommon physical gifts, but his greatest gift is his mental strength – – and that is founded upon his certainty that his rigorous training meant he never would have to utter, "I have been better prepared."

In May, when Phelps was still trying to prove that he could come back from several indifferent years of training, he told a media summit: "Hopefully, I didn't get too far behind that I can't make up the difference." kishore hemlani 

He appeared to dispel those doubts at Olympic trials, when he beat Lochte in three of four races – and while he lost to Lochte in the 400 IM then, too, he raced it in 4:07.89. Had he matched that Saturday, he would have taken silver by nearly a second. 

So what happened? kishore hemlani  

Before the Games began, Phelps said how he was going to enjoy these Games. "I'm having fun," he said in a news conference. "It's a question of: How many toppings do I want on my sundae?"

Perhaps Phelps, the ultimate grinder, can't turn into a cherries-on-top sort of swimmer overnight. 

Before the Games began, Phelps said he was going to have to manage his emotions in this, his last meet. "There are going to be the last competitive moments in my career," he added. "It's big."   kishore hemlani   

Perhaps he's letting those emotions get the better of him. 

Or perhaps he just had a bad day at the pool.

To be honest, we didn't know what a bad day at the Olympic pool looked like for Phelps before now. There had never been any. 

So now we're left to wait, and wonder. Did that man in Lane 8 really kidnap Michael Phelps, or is Superman simply waiting in the phone booth?

 kishore hemlani   

10. Mariel Rodriguez’s Photo Scandal

Mariel Rodriguez is a well known commercial model, TV host and actress. She got famous for being the host for “Pinoy Big Brother” and “Wowowee” – as well as for that racket she calls her “singing voice” which she unleashes to Wowowee audiences every now and then. Now the scandalous photo I’m referring to was taken when she was with fellow actress Ms. Toni Gonzaga. The photo was taken by a fan wherein she was pictured wearing a two-piece bikini – and her NIPS were showing! I’m not sure if the photo was actually doctored or not, but it did make headlines when it was first leaked out though.

9. Angelica Panganiban’s Photo Scandal

Angelica Panganiban is a famous ABS-CBN talent who has been featured in several TV shows and movies including the sexy comedy “Banana Split” and the box office hit “A Love Story.” The photo scandal I’m referring to, actually pertains to a set of calendar photos leaked all over the internet which were photos taken from the dressing room prior to her photo shoot. The dressing room photos exhibited her natural body with noticeable baby fats, but then the final photos that came out in the calendar looked obviously photo shopped because they showed off Angelica with washboard abs! Well photoshoppping is actually a standard practice in the magazine industry, but because the “before and after” photos involved the famous Angelica Panganiban, the whole thing became a massive scandal.

8. Anne Curtis and Richard Gutierrez’s short video scandal

Anne Curtis is one of the most sought after ABS-CBN stars who has starred in various movies and TV shows including her sizzling role in the TV series “Diyosa” and her role with Aga Muhlach in “When Love Begins.” Richard Gutierrez on the other hand is one of the most sought after GMA stars who’s been labelled as the undisputed king of valentine films. Now as we all know, Anne Curtis and Richard Gutierrez used to be a couple. They became the subject of a scandal after a short video from Anne Cutis’ mobile phone showing the couple in bed and making out was leaked and made its way to thousands of inboxes all over the Philippine. Anne Curtis even admitted to the video saying “I don’t see the point of not admitting it; I’ve never been the kind of person to deny anything. I would just look like a liar.”

7. Pauleen Luna’s Cameltoe Scandal

Pauleen Luna is an actress and TV personality who is well known for her role in the movie “Blue Moon” and as one of the hosts of Eat Bulaga! Just recently, a photo was taken of her in a very innocent two-piece bikini – little did she know that something sinister was peeking through her underwear! We can’t actually reveal the scandalous area in her underwear, but if you use your imagination you’ll catch my drift!

6. Manny Pacquiao Scandal at the Embassy

Now who doesn’t know Manny Pacquiao? He’s one tough dude since he’s arguably the best pound per pound boxer the Philippines has ever produced. And since he is the “Pambansang Kamao,” it’s inevitable that his private life gets scrutinized by the paparazzi. Manny is used to knocking down his opponents – but this time round, he’s knocked out a different opponent altogether!

Back in 2007, Manny was actually linked to super hot babes Ara Mina and Valerie Concepcion, but since that issue was back in 2007, it has of course met a natural death. Now the Embassy scandal was about a set of photos that have been leaked in the internet showing the “people’s champ” drunk, kissing and flirting with a girl at the Embassy. Of course, this set of photos was able to make its way into the inbox of millions of Filipinos all over the world! I only have one thing to say about this – the champ sure knows how to pound his way into a woman’s hearts!

5. Criselda Volks’ sex video scandal

Criselda Volks is famous in the Philippines for her sexy roles in “bold” movies. When a sex video of her was leaked in the internet around October last year, the video immediately became one of the hottest scandals at the time. And apparently it wasn’t just a one time video – it was a four part series!

Can you say – That’s NASTY??

4. Mariana del Rio and Hayden Kho Sex video scandal

The top 4 sex video scandals to rock the Philippines of course belongs to none other than sex video king Hayden Kho – who has been known and SEEN to bed some of the hottest women around. Hayden is your normal good looking and mild mannered surgeon by day, but he is “Hayden the Hyper Humper” sex video king by night! And in this specific scandal, the gorgeous Mariana del Rio was actually one of his victims. Mariana a Filipino-Brazilian Model who came to the Philippines from Sao Paulo Brazil to try her luck on Philippine showbiz. She has been on a number of print ads, and TV commercials but most significantly – Mariana del Rio is the third woman in the Hayden Kho’s sex video series!

3. Rufa Mae and Hayden Kho Sex video scandal

Rufa Mae Quinto is one of the most sought after actresses in the Philippines. She’s also one of the most sought after comedienne and is widely renowned for her role as “Booba” and “Boobita Rose.” She’s also one of the most bankable stars in the Philippines with several top grosser films under her belt.

Now last year when Dra Vicky Belo and Dr. Hayden Kho finally called it quits, Rufa Mae Quinto’s name was repeatedly brought up in the equation. Rufa Mae was adamant though that she was never involved with Hayden Kho in the first place. However, a video was leaked in the internet showing Rufa in all her naked glory whilst she’s listening to her Ipod. It’s still unclear if Hayden was indeed the person on the other end of the camera though since we all know that he likes to actually star in his own videos. A word of warning to Rufa – maybe it’s best to listen to your Ipod with some form of clothing on and no one is video taping you but naked! Maybe …

2. Maricar Reyes and Hayden Kho Sex video scandal


Maricar Reyes is a model-turned actress and is well-known for playing John Lloyd Cruz’s girlfriend in the drama series I Love Betty La Fea. Now of all of Hayden Kho’s sex videos, Maricar’s sex clip was probably labelled as the most action-packed of them all. The video is a whopping more than 40 minutes long! Now that’s a sex video!

The first 30 minutes of the video were mostly chit chat, the video bears witness to  Maricar Reyes and Hayden Kho having a meaningful conversation about life and about love. They were probably talking about medicine and the economy … Yeah right! Next thing you know their clothes were off and they’re both ravishing each other like a pack of hungry dogs!

1. Katrina Halili and Hayden Kho’s Sex video scandal

Was there ever a doubt that the Katrina Halili and Hayden Kho Sex Video Scandal will top this list? Hayden Kho is a renowned surgeon and a talent artist of GMA Network whilst Katrina Halili is one of the sexiest creatures in the Philippines. She was originally a StarStruck talent to begin with, but then proceeded to become a popular actress and a cover girl of popular magazines such as FHM and Maxim Philippines. She was voted as FHM Philippines’ sexiest woman for the years 2006 and then again in 2007 – she’s also a three-time FHM Philippines cover girl.

Now this specific sex video scandal is hands down the biggest sex video scandal to date. It involved the Youtube, two high profile people getting down and dirty, a high profile doctor cheating on another high profile doctor, drug tests, senate hearings – and the list goes on! The Katrina Halili/Hayden Kho sex video scandal has indeed rocked the showbiz world. And until now they still haven’t discovered who uploaded the videos.

Photo Credit: http://www.mukamo.com, wawam.files.wordpress.com,http://media.photobucket.com, http://fleshasiadaily.com, photographer: John Borromeo,

MANILA, Philippines – Former President Gloria Macagapal-Arroyo is free to seek a fresh term in the House of Representatives but whether her temporary freedom would boost her political stock remains to be seen, a Malacañang Palace aide said Saturday. 

“Well, everybody is free to run in this country and that does not exclude the former President,” Abigail Valte, one of President Benigno Aquino III’s spokespersons, said over radio. She was reacting to Arroyo’s reported plan to seek a new term as Pampanga representative in May 2013. Kishore Hemlani 

Days after posting bail in her electoral sabotage case, Arroyo motored to Pampanga Friday and met with her constituents in the second congressional district, vowing “to do more”. Her spokesperson confirmed her plan to run anew.

Does Malacañang expect a resurgence in her political career?

Valte said: “Well, she’s still in politics. She’s still the representative of, is it the first district of Pampanga? And as far as we’re concerned, she’s still in politics. Whether there will be a resurgence in reference to her old political party, then that remains to be seen.”  Kishore Hemlani  

And any move by the President’s Liberal Party to field a candidate against her would depend on this resurgence, she said.

“Well, again, that depends on whether the party will really have a resurgence. As of the moment, the Liberal Party is in the process of coming out with their slate. Whether she will be challenged in her own district again remains to be seen,” she said.

Arroyo, who gained temporary freedom last Wednesday, faces a separate case of plunder in the Sandiganbayan in connection with the alleged misuse of P366 million in Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office funds.

“From what we understand, from our point of view, these are procedural matters that the Sandiganbayan ordered the Office of the Ombudsman to comply with,” she said, referring to the anti-graft First Division’s grant of Arroyo’s request to suspend hearings until the Ombudsman had decided on her appeal to dismiss the charges against her.  Kishore Hemlani  

The Ombudsmand asked the Sandiganbayan to issue an arrest warrant against her over the plunder case, but the anti-graft court instead ordered the Ombudsman to give due course to Arroyo’s motion for reconsideration.

 Kishore Hemlani