Commonwealth Games 2018 (Sport)https://www.newindianexpress.comen-usFri, 29 Mar 2024 14:11:12 +0000CWG 2018: Neeraj Chopra the star as track and field athletes land back from Gold Coasthttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/18/cwg-2018-neeraj-chopra-the-star-as-track-and-field-athletes-land-back-from-gold-coast-1803180.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/18/cwg-2018-neeraj-chopra-the-star-as-track-and-field-athletes-land-back-from-gold-coast-1803180.html#comments4f1cfb27-de13-4edc-9827-7999357d3198Wed, 18 Apr 2018 15:43:00 +00002018-04-18T15:43:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Gold Coast,Indian athletes,Neeraj Chopra,Commonwealth Games 2018Commonwealth Games 2018NEW DELHI: Gold medal-winning javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra was the undisputed star as the Indian track and field team returned from the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games to a warm reception here.

The entire athletics team, except for silver medallist discus thrower Seema Punia, landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport late last night to an exuberant reception from fans here and the neighbouring Haryana.

Punia had arrived two days ago.

Over 100 people gathered at the arrival terminal of the IGI airport to receive the athletes.

Officials of the Athletics Federation of India, Sports Ministry and Sports Authority of India and senior Army officers were also present.

Relatives and people from Neeraj's village in Haryana came to recieve him. Officers of India Army, where Neeraj is a junior commissioned officer, were also there to welcome him.

Neeraj had scripted history by becoming the first Indian javelin thrower to claim a gold with a throw of 86.47m, just one centimeter short of his personal best of 86.48m, which is also the existing junior word as well as national record.

Punia and Navjeet Kaur Dhillon had won a silver and bronze respectively in women's discus throw.

The track and field athletes bagged three medals, the final count being the same as in the 2014 Glasgow edition.

"A lot of people came to receive us at the airport. It was a great feeling to see so many people coming to receive me and my teammates.My uncle was there and also officials from the federation, SAI and ministry as well as from my army unit," Neeraj said.

]]>
'Embracing everybody' - Commonwealth boss Louise Martin signals Games rebrandinghttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/16/embracing-everybody---commonwealth-boss-louise-martin-signals-games-rebranding-1802279.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/16/embracing-everybody---commonwealth-boss-louise-martin-signals-games-rebranding-1802279.html#comments2607f5de-6274-4bf5-b035-92683fa038a4Mon, 16 Apr 2018 16:30:00 +00002018-04-16T16:30:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Gold Coast,Commonwealth Games,Commonwealth Games Federation,Louise MartinCommonwealth Games 2018GOLD COAST: Commonwealth Games Federation president Louise Martin urged all multi-sports tournaments to follow its lead and have equal medals for men and women as she insisted the competition still had a role in the modern era.

Martin said a rebranding exercise is under way for the Olympic-style event, which started as the British Empire Games in 1930 but is now keen to stress its promotion of "humanity, equality and destiny".

The just-concluded Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in Australia had medal equality between men and women for the first time and a para-competition was integrated into the main programme.

Asked about the image of the Games as a relic from bygone times, Martin told AFP: "Those who come from that era still think of it like that but now where we are in the modern Commonwealth, we are moving forward and we're embracing everybody. 

"We're becoming more relevant than we've ever been before and what we're trying to do is ensure that everybody else in the world sees exactly what we're trying to do," she said in an interview. 

"(We promote) our values of humanity, equality and destiny and encourage everybody else to do the same."

IN PICS: Best pictures from the dazzling end to the Gold Coast Games

Martin said other multi-sports events should also shift to medal parity between men and women, although this year's Pyeongchang Winter Olympics had a record number of women and close to a 50-50 split between the sexes.

"Wake up, we're all in this together," she said, asked about the importance of having an equal number of medals.

"I think every other event should be trying to do the same so they have to make the programme, they have to look at scheduling and make sure that the male events don't dominate the female events. 

"So we've managed it and other sports can do it too."

Duel in the Pool 
The Games also featured their first transgender athlete, New Zealand weightlifter Lauren Hubbard, who was warmly welcomed by the crowd and also endorsed by organisers.

"As far as I'm concerned we're fully inclusive," Martin said.

However, there was also a series of protests by indigenous activists who dubbed them the "Stolenwealth Games", a reference to Britain's colonisation of Australia.

And there appeared to be discomfort when English diver Tom Daley, who is gay, pointed out that homosexuality remains illegal in 37 Commonwealth countries and territories.

As part of the revamp, Martin said she was also considering Duel in the Pool-style offshoots, potentially lining up the Commonwealth against major powers in sports such as swimming or athletics.

"We're in the process of talking about these things and yes, we want to take the Commonwealth slightly further," she said, taking inspiration from swimming's Duel, which pitted the United States against Australia or Europe.

"What we're trying to do is make sure that these athletes can get to compete against, say, the Americas or... one other country that we can have a fantastic competition with, like Duel in the Pool.

"Or an athletics event so that everybody can see the standard that we have within the Commonwealth."

She added: "When you start to see the athletes that have come here and the standard that they are, we can compete with anyone anywhere. And I think (they would be) fun events."
 

]]>
Commonwealth Games 2018: Once on the ropes, Indian boxing comes out swinginghttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/16/commonwealth-games-2018-once-on-the-ropes-indian-boxing-comes-out-swinging-1802277.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/16/commonwealth-games-2018-once-on-the-ropes-indian-boxing-comes-out-swinging-1802277.html#comments601d6da4-bc31-49b9-8677-af43c0e072e6Mon, 16 Apr 2018 16:21:00 +00002018-04-16T16:21:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Tokyo Olympics,Mary Kom,AIBA,Gaurav Solanki,Vikas Krishan,Indian boxers,Commonwealth Games 2018Commonwealth Games 2018GOLD COAST: A bullish India celebrated their best boxing performance at a Commonwealth Games and are now targeting more success to rival the best nations at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Top figures in Indian boxing said their exploits on Australia's Gold Coast were no fluke, even if they surpassed their own expectations in racking up nine medals in the sport.

India pipped hosts Australia to sit second in the boxing medals table with three golds -- Mary Kom (light-flyweight), Vikas Krishan (middleweight) and Gaurav Solanki (flyweight).

England, who have poured significant resources into amateur boxing, topped the table with six gold medals.

It was a highly satisfactory ending to a fortnight that started badly for Indian boxing with a warning for breaking the Games' strict no needle policy after giving a vitamin injection to an unnamed fighter.

All this comes just a few years after Indian boxing reached a nadir when its federation was effectively expelled by the sport's amateur world governing body, the International Boxing Association (AIBA), over how it elected its officials.

Now back in the international fold as the Boxing Federation of India (BFI), its president Ajay Singh told AFP at the Gold Coast: "Last year a new federation took over and we are trying to ensure that we hold championships in India and have our boxers participate in all international championships.

"We make sure we train our boxers well, make sure we plan their fights well and there's a great deal of enthusiasm for boxing in India."

Singh, who has been in the post for 19 months, added boldly: "We expect that in the next two years India will be one of the leading boxing nations in the world."

World ambition 
So far, so good. At the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealths, India failed to win one gold, underlining the stark improvement since.

"We have tried to put a lot of focus on the boxers themselves, leave out the politics and make sure that we have the best support staff training our boxers," said Singh.

"Also make sure that our boxers get as much exposure as possible -- Indian fighters were not going out fighting anywhere in the world."

He is changing that, sending Indian boxers abroad for tournaments and hosting international events such as January's inaugural Indian Open.

"We are also trying to plan scientifically -- how they train for endurance, what food they eat, scientifically how they can upgrade their skills," Singh said.

"I don't think that before we looked at boxing as a sport in which India needed to be a world power." 

Santiago Nieva was brought in just over a year ago as high-performance director and said that with a population of 1.3 billion people, there is no end of potential in India.

The government and boxing federation provided good support, including financially, said the Argentine, who was previously in the same senior post in Swedish boxing.

Boxers have described how Nieva will have an analyst make a video nasty of their mistakes, then send it to their phones so they can watch it any time, and hopefully avoid the same error in future.

While striking an upbeat tone, Nieva said more work remained.

After all, the Commonwealths are nowhere near as competitive as the Olympics.

"If we compare ourselves to the top nations, we are not there yet," he cautioned, referencing Britain and Cuba.

"We have a good infrastructure, but not compared to the best in the world," he added, mentioning sports technology and science.

"When we get that -- it will take one or two years -- we will produce a lot of results." 

Related Article

Boxer Satish Kumar wins silver in 91kg category

Commonwealth Games: Boxer Vikas Krishan clinches India's 25th gold medal

Legendary boxer Mary Kom credits obsessive training for fit body at 35

Boxer Gaurav Solanki wins Commonwealth Games title

Commonwealth Games: Boxer Amit Panghal finishes second

]]>
2018 Commonwealth Games organisers apologise for 'shameful' closing ceremonyhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/16/2018-commonwealth-games-organisers-apologise-for-shameful-closing-ceremony-1802264.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/16/2018-commonwealth-games-organisers-apologise-for-shameful-closing-ceremony-1802264.html#commentsf3476864-8f07-45ab-844d-32b6bce32cb6Mon, 16 Apr 2018 15:25:00 +00002018-04-16T15:55:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182apologise,Gold Coast Commonwealth Games,closing ceremony,2018 Gold CoastCommonwealth Games 2018CANBERRA: The organizers of the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games have apologised for Sunday's closing ceremony on Sunday night which has been roundly criticised for not including athletes.

Athletes, including the competing countries' respective flag-bearers, marched on to the arena before the ceremony commenced, meaning the audience at Carrara stadium could see them, but the TV audience couldn't. Many athletes were seen leaving the stadium while the closing speeches were still in progress, reports Xinhua news agency.

The ceremony was even criticised by Australian broadcasters, Channel Seven, with former CWG bronze Medallist Johanna Griggs saying during the live coverage she was "furious" with the decision.

"They're actually wrecking a tradition that is so important and part of the Commonwealth Games," Griggs said, live on air. "Unfortunately tonight, the organizing committee, together with the host broadcasters, just didn't get it right."

Commonwealth Games Chairman Peter Beattie acknowledged on Monday that organisers made a mistake featuring athletes in the pre-show instead of the television coverage.

"If the athletes didn't come into the stadium until the broadcast time they would have been stuck in a field or a paddock somewhere," Beattie told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Monday.

Beattie, who had previously described the CWG as "inspirational" and "innovative," said he was disappointed the viewers at home did not get to see the athletes.

"We wanted athletes to be part of and enjoy the closing ceremony. However, having them come in to the stadium in the pre-show meant the TV audience were not able to see the athletes enter the stadium. We got that wrong," the Commonwealth Games chairman said.

"The people who are angry are justified. The people who have been critical are also justified," Beattie said.

"Unfortunately tonight, the organising committee, together with the host broadcasters, just didn't get it right."

In a social media post on Monday morning, Beattie said the closing ceremony telecast should have been organised more appropriately.

"The speeches were too many and too long. I was part of that and I acknowledge it. Again, we got that wrong," he wrote.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, who actually spoke at the closing ceremony, also criticised the organisers on Monday.

"At the end of the day, we appoint an agency to run the day to day operations of the Games," Palaszczuk told reporters.

"Whoever made that decision not to allow those athletes to march in should hang their heads in shame."

Athletes themselves have said they were disappointed to not be included in the closing ceremony.

Angus Brandt, a member of the Australian basketball team which won a gold medal, said the entire Australian basketball team was disappointed to be left out.

"It was a little disappointing with the athletes being brought in before the actual ceremony began," Brandt said on Australian Television on Monday.

"We were looking forward to being part of the Closing Ceremony and being recognized for what we had done in the games."

The host broadcaster of the CWG, NEP Group, also released a social media post saying it was "disappointed."

Related Article

With third best medal haul for India, young and old shine bright in eventful Commonwealth Games 2018

]]>
Commonwealth Games 2018: India's hopes coast with arrival of new starshttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/16/commonwealth-games-2018-indias-hopes-coast-with-arrival-of-new-stars-1802057.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/16/commonwealth-games-2018-indias-hopes-coast-with-arrival-of-new-stars-1802057.html#commentsad522d0b-7266-452f-a14b-0db1a3971524Mon, 16 Apr 2018 02:13:00 +00002018-04-16T08:26:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Saina Nehwal,Kidambi Srikanth,CWG,Manika Batra,Commonwealth Games 2018,CWG 2018Commonwealth Games 2018GOLD COAST: The posters are peeled from the walls, the festoons and placards too are pulled down at most venues. When the sun rises on Monday, it will be just another day. The rest of the Commonwealth Games will remain as memories. Some will be forgotten, others will be etched in history. For India, this Games can be classified in the latter category.

“Oh, you are from India, your athletes have done very well in weightlifting, wrestling, shooting, badminton and boxing,” quipped a volunteer here on Sunday. Yes, indeed. What is heartening is that they not only dominated but also bettered their Glasgow effort. Even in fringe sports like table tennis, India quietly sneaked in with a handful of medals — an indication that we are deviating from the mundane.

There has been a change in the attitude of the athletes. Most of the medallists don’t narrate tales of distress and poverty. Nor do they hide behind flimsy excuses for failure. Though it took time, a new trend has emerged. This breed of athletes has pedigree and the desire to succeed. There is a sense of belief. Cushioned on heroic tales of the past, this generation has the platform from where they can aim for the sky. Some of the former players are now coaching. The older generation is slowly making way for the new. Most of the athletes are in their early 20s.

Take the case of table tennis player Manika Batra, the spark of the Games. She lives in Delhi and is from a typical middle-class family who can afford equipment and training. Unlike athletes of the past, she is not complaining of lack of training. “The federation and the sports ministry have provided whatever we needed,” she said.

Ditto the case with K Srikanth — a debutant but a star in his own rights. He is focussed only on his game and not on distractions. They are mentally strong and knows when to switch on and off. Though he lost to badminton legend Lee Chong Wei, Srikanth did not go down easily.

A streak of unforced errors led to his downfall. He too did not complain about lack of facilities. Coming from a well-to-do family, there’s no sob story to his stardom.

If table tennis touched the zenith, so did weightlifting and boxing. There is no Shiva Thapa or Devendro Singh. No BI Fernandes and Gurbax Singh Sandhu. Only Manoj Kumar and Vikas Krishan are from the bygone generation. Yet, they performed exceptionally in the ring. Santiago Nieva was brought in during crisis last year, now he has started delivering. Gaurav Solanki and Manish Kaushik have begun a new era.

Earlier, athletes used to qualify with envious records and during the Games they would fritter.  Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu created a Games record on way to gold. Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra touched his season’s best. In fact, Rio Olympic bronze medallist Sakshi Malik was the greatest disappointment.

Teenagers Anish and Manu Bhakar’s gold in shooting give us hope. They are young and need direction. The Tokyo Olympics is two years away and if we harness these talents well, there is hope.

Related Article

Commonwealth Games 2018: Queen’s baton goes to Saina Nehwal

With third best medal haul for India, young and old shine bright in eventful Commonwealth Games 2018

]]>
Commonwealth Games 2018: Queen’s baton goes to Saina Nehwalhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/16/commonwealth-games-2018-queens-baton-goes-to-saina-nehwal-1802056.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/16/commonwealth-games-2018-queens-baton-goes-to-saina-nehwal-1802056.html#comments06872252-84d2-4a04-8e17-d7067209b434Mon, 16 Apr 2018 02:12:00 +00002018-04-16T08:19:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Saina Nehwal,PV Sindhu,CWG,Commonwealth Games 2018,CWG 2018Commonwealth Games 2018GOLD COAST: Perhaps, no other athlete was under so much pressure as Saina Nehwal here at the Commonwealth Games. At 28, she is not growing any younger. The ageing limbs and countless injuries sustained over the years have been creating havoc in her body as well as mind. Titles were eluding her. Doubts crept in and started digging burrows in the citadel of confidence since the Rio Olympics, where she performed below-par due to injury.

Even before the Games began, she was embroiled in a needless controversy fomented by the Indian Olympic Association when her father was denied permission to stay in the Games Village. Add to this the predicament of failure against a young rival who is threatening to remove her from the throne she is accustomed to occupying. The rivalry itself is touchy, so touchy that there was no coach sitting in either Saina or PV Sindhu’s corner during the summit clash. There is only one Pullela Gopichand.

When the shuttle skidded outside the line in the tie-breaker during the final game, Saina let out a yell and held her clenched fists aloft. Eclectic emotions ran wild. She had beaten Sindhu in the final on Sunday and won her second gold at the Commonwealth Games here. Not always does she celebrate this animatedly. Perhaps it’s catharsis. She usually maintains a stoic silence on her travails on and off the court. Not today. “This means a lot to me,” she said. The pressure of rivalry only sweetened the victory. When you are on a comeback trail after injury, wins like this act as a catalyst.

When she finally hangs up the racquet and recalls her arduous journey, medals in the cabinet will remind her how greatness was achieved. This gold perhaps, might glitter brightest.
It’s a simple deduction in badminton — gather more points. In between, you play rallies, drop shots, smashes, lunge forward, push backward... expend energy, get stressed, waste time, change shuttles, grunt, sigh... The final had it all. In a game of equals, it boiled down to tactics and statistics – percentage of errors and winners. Saina bettered Sindhu in this aspect at the Carrara Sports Precinct to win 21-18, 23-21. Saina’s strategy was to engage Sindhu in long rallies. But Sindhu was not willing to concede, even though Saina held a 3-1 advantage in matches between the two before this one.

Saina was positioning herself with ease. There was grit in her face. The movement was fluid. Her body language was positive. “She wants to win badly,” said an Aussie lady in the stands. On the other hand, Sindhu looked as if she was struggling at times.

Game of who blinks first

Playing younger opponents is not easy. Though it was a straight-set win, the match had its moments. A 64-shot rally in the second game was insanely intense, symbolic of their see-sawing rivalry. Sindhu was 17-19 down. Each of them tried to outsmart the other with drop shots, net play, high lobs, smashes but both were retrieving everything. They were tiring but no one was giving up. Sindhu was the one to blink when she missed a shot she could have returned blindfolded any other time. Overcome by fatigue, both clutched their knees and started breathing heavily. There was thunderous applause. The momentum now rested with the senior player.

“Oh my god... dead, dead!” Saina tried to sew together thoughts about that incredible rally. “That shot just went off, you know. It was a clear shot and Sindhu was nowhere close to the shuttle. Even my legs were gone after that. If she could have got that last shot... you never know.” In Forest Gumpian language, Saina defined her win: “Just like that I won... Sometimes you don’t know how you get the match.”

The injury last year after the India Open kept Saina out for a while in July. “I didn’t know why it happened. I was having a situation with my hip, groin and knee so it was bad. I was not able to focus on matches. I wanted to consult somebody who was very good. So I went to Christopher Pedra in Mumbai. It’s working fine with me.”

It has been a remarkable journey since. Saina won bronze at the World Championships and did well at the Indonesia Open. But titles were eluding her. “When I played here, it was more about getting into shape. Focus was on strength and conditioning which I think Pedra really worked into me. He was like ‘I don’t know how you have played for three years in such a bad situation. You didn’t have any kind of strength in your body’.

“Gopi sir has given me a different programme and Sindhu a different one. He has actually worked on the right areas. His contribution is 60% and Pedra’s 40% and maybe a little bit from me (laughs).”
Pressure less on Sindhu

Saina usually doesn’t comment much on her rivalry with Sindhu. The fear of ageing reflected in her words when she candidly admitted how difficult it is to focus. “I think 100 things, especially in India. I wouldn’t say it happens in China and all, but in India there are a few things. First thing would be, ‘oh Saina has lost’, ‘oh Saina is becoming old’, ‘Saina should retire’, ‘Saina should do this,’ ‘Saina should do that.’ I think there are 100 things which would be written about me. For her it’s still okay because she is still coming up.”

Commenting about her father’s issue, Saina was almost in tears. Her father Harvir Singh was in the stands. “First thing is, I don’t mind fighting for my father anywhere. It’s not about what people have written. It’s not country first or dad first. It’s never been like that. Otherwise, I would have never won gold or any medal for my country. It’s only that ‘respect me, respect my parent.’ You have given accreditation. But he can’t come to the Games Village, he can’t come to see my matches... so what’s the point of him coming here?

“Two days I didn’t sleep and went for practice because I was worried about this situation. What else do you want me to go through? I can’t sit there and be patient all the time. I have to sleep. Roger Federer sleeps 10-12 hours. I was not even sleeping for half an hour.”

Saina managed to gather herself and begin her campaign — a testimony of her toughness. “It’s a stressful situation but there was no option. I had to fight it out. I always have the spirit of fighting and winning.”

This is only the beginning. There are more battles to be fought on court. Buoyed by the victory, she will embark on a new journey up the unending ladder of success.

indraneel.das@newindianexpress.com

Related Article

Will always fight for my dad, says Saina Nehwal after Commonwealth gold win

Commonwealth gold is right next to my Olympic bronze: Saina Nehwal

With third best medal haul for India, young and old shine bright in eventful Commonwealth Games 2018

]]>
With third best medal haul for India, young and old shine bright in eventful Commonwealth Games 2018https://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/15/with-third-best-medal-haul-for-india-young-and-old-shine-bright-in-eventful-commonwealth-games-2018-1801945.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/15/with-third-best-medal-haul-for-india-young-and-old-shine-bright-in-eventful-commonwealth-games-2018-1801945.html#commentsbfbad6d4-c716-47d9-9321-0ca0b46744d7Sun, 15 Apr 2018 16:38:00 +00002018-04-16T08:16:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Saina Nehwal,Mary Kom,Manu Bhaker,Neeraj Chopra,Commonwealth Games,CWG,Manika Batra,CWG 2018Commonwealth Games 2018GOLD COAST: The exuberance of youth, the endurance of experience and a bit of usual drama that is signature Indian sports -- the country's Commonwealth Games campaign was all this and much more with a medal count that turned out to be the third best ever.

From the teen shooting trio of Manu Bhaker, Mehuli Ghosh and Anish Bhanwala, the historic table tennis performance by Manika Batra to the arrival of a very confident Neeraj Chopra on the big stage, India had its next crop of stars ready to challenge the world.

The redoubtable Saina Nehwal provided the final day golden touch with her women's singles gold, much like the 2010 Games where her top finish was a shade more significant for it took the overall tally to 100.

With 26 gold, 20 silver and as may bronze medals, India signed off third on the table -- a promotion of two positions from Glasgow and it was a combination of youth and experience which delivered the results.

At 2010 Games in New Delhi, India won 101 medal, including 38 gold while at 2002 Manchester Games India had managed a total of 69 medal of which 30 were gold.

The likes of M C Mary Kom, Seema Punia and Sushil Kumar showed that experience can never be discounted either, turning back the clock to deliver performances which were nothing short of awe-inspiring.

While the shooters, weightlifters, wrestlers and the boxers were expected to bring home the maximum share of medal, there was a significant new addition to that in table tennis.

After just one bronze in the 2014 edition, there were significant concerns about how the performance might shape up this time.

But Manika Batra was determined to ensure that things turn out differently.

The 22-year-old, who dropped out of college to focus on her game, justified what many would call a massive risk.

It was by far the best individual performance by an Indian athlete as she ensnared a historic individual gold, a team gold, a women's doubles silver and a mixed doubles bronze.

On the other end of the spectrum were Mary Kom and Sushil.

Without a shadow of doubt among the greatest athletes of their respective sports but faced with questions about their future quite often now, the duo decided to show what it means to turn the clock back.

So, both a 34-year-old Sushil and a 35-year-old Mary Kom gave performances to remember, quite literally schooling their younger opponents just how turn on the style without compromising on the substance.

The sheer diversity of medal winners was a heartwarming aspect of the Games for India.

There were medals from squash, although not gold, there were nine medals from boxing, 12 from wrestling, 16 from shooting and nine from weightlifting.

In fact, it was the weightlifters who set the ball rolling with their best ever performance -- the highlight of which was the absence of any doping suspicion.

Records tumbled as the likes of Mirabai Chanu, Sanjita Chanu and Sathish Sivalingam remained heads and shoulders above their competitors.

Shooters were not to be left behind and almost everyday, a gold tumbled out of the Belmont Shooting Centre in Brisbane.

The only blip was the seasoned Gagan Narang going empty-handed from the event but the mantle was passed on to the likes of Manu, Anish and Mehuli -- the teen trio that lived upto the pre-event hype.

With shooting not a part of the 2022 Birmingham CWG, India would be at a massive loss on the medal count and the performance this time is likely to be cherished for a long time to come.

At the badminton courts, it was mostly about Saina and P V Sindhu but K Srikanth continued to create a space of his own, taking down the legendary Lee Chong Wei during the gold-winning team competition.

In the Saina vs Sindhu battle, the former came out trumps, displaying a very special kind of aggression in the final.

The boxing arena at the Oxenford Studios was witness to a historic Indian performance in which all eight men in fray won medals -- two gold, three silver and three bronze, while Mary Kom continued to be the top performing woman with her gold.

And there was lots to celebrate in track and field too with Neeraj's season's best 86.47m show for gold being the biggest takeaway.

The 20-year-old showed he is one for the future with a performance that had brilliance written all over it.

Seema Punia delivered a silver, her second successive, in discus throw, a remarkable achievement for the 34-year-old, whose doping past continues to cast a shadow on her present.

But there were disappointments too, the biggest being the two hockey teams.

The women managed to improve to fourth this time from fifth of the past two editions, but the men, silver-medallists in 2010 and 2014 embarrassed themselves with a fourth-place finish.

Manpreet Singh's team lacked finesse and resolve, the lowest point of its campaign being a 2-2 draw with a Pakistan in shambles.

The gymnasts, cyclists and swimmers were not really expected to throw up surprises and they didn't either, fading into oblivion without much of a fight.

Outisde the competition arena, India battled a couple of embarrassing controversies.

Two athletes -- race walker K T Irfan and triple jumper V Rakesh Babu -- were sent back for failing to explain the presence of needles in their room.

Before that, the doctor of the boxing team earned a reprimand for not disposing the needle properly after use, having fulfilled the declaration norms of the no needle policy.

Away from the furore, however, India could certainly be glad about emergence of a new crop of athletes ready to conquer the world.

]]>
Usain Bolt turns DJ as Commonwealth Games 2018 spin to a closehttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/15/usain-bolt-turns-dj-as-commonwealth-games-2018-spin-to-a-close-1801974.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/15/usain-bolt-turns-dj-as-commonwealth-games-2018-spin-to-a-close-1801974.html#comments27787c1c-b0e8-4da7-8822-084eeee3ed46Sun, 15 Apr 2018 19:07:00 +00002018-04-15T19:07:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Usain Bolt,Gold Coast,Commonwealth Games,CWG,CWG 2018Commonwealth Games 2018GOLD COAST: Usain Bolt took a turn as DJ as the Gold Coast said goodbye to the Commonwealth Games on Sunday after an 11-day tournament where Australia topped the medals table by a distance.

Bolt made a surprise appearance on the decks as the Games closed in a colourful ceremony with references to Aboriginal culture -- although indigenous protests continued outside.

Australia finished with 80 golds, way ahead of England's 45 and India's 26, in a tally that integrated para sports and was equally split between men and women for the first time.

"For those who delivered this event I say, 'You beauty! You did us proud," said Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, as the Commonwealth flag was handed to 2022 hosts Birmingham.

Australia dominated in the swimming pool and in track cycling, while Jamaica felt the absence of the retired Bolt as they struggled in the sprint events.

The Games also featured their first transgender athlete, and gay English diver Tom Daley caused a stir when he urged the 37 Commonwealth countries that outlaw homosexuality to change their laws.

Zero failed drug tests were reported during the event, although India twice fell foul of the Games' 'no needle policy' and had two athletes ordered home.

Athletes from India march during the closing ceremony at Carrara Stadium during the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast. (AP)

However, the Games also saw several protests from indigenous activists who dubbed them the "Stolenwealth Games", a reference to Britain's colonisation of Australia.

On Sunday about 100 protesters were blocked from marching to the stadium by a heavy police presence, preventing a repeat of the tense confrontation before the opening ceremony.

'Big questions'

Earlier, organisers were criticised for their medical response after marathon runner Callum Hawkins collapsed only two kilometres (just over a mile) from victory and lay prone for some time before help arrived.

Officials in turn lashed out at spectators who took pictures of Hawkins as he lay in distress. Australia's Michael Shelley ran past the Scot on his way to victory.

Marathon world record-holder Paula Radcliffe tweeted that there were "big questions" for the organising committee and medical staff. 

"That should never happen," she said.

The Games have been painted by organisers as Australia's chance to burnish its image for sportsmanship after a Test cricket cheating scandal which shocked the nation.

Australia also suffered setbacks on the last day when their women's rugby team, the Olympic champions, lost a sudden-death thriller against New Zealand in the inaugural final.

Kelly Brazier scored from inside her own half to clinch it 17-12 in the first extra period and avenge New Zealand's defeat to Australia in the 2016 Olympic title decider.

Heavy favourites Australia were also stunned by England in gripping fashion when Helen Housby scored the winning goal in the last second to make it 52-51.

However, Australia thrashed Canada 87-47 in the men's basketball final, Shelley won the marathon and David Palmer and Zac Alexander were crowned men's doubles squash champions on the final day.

Helalia Johannes won the women's marathon in 2:32.40, becoming Namibia's first female gold medallist at the Commonwealth Games.

Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei fought back from a game down to beat India's newly crowned world number one Kidambi Srikanth in the men's badminton final.

Saina Nehwal won an all-Indian women's badminton final against P.V. Sindhu, and Singapore finished with table tennis success in the men's singles and mixed doubles.

According to PTI, the Indian contingent at the closing ceremony was led by Mary Kom, who claimed a gold medal after making her event debut at 35.

Related Article

With medal haul third best for India, young and old shine bright in eventful Commonwealth Games 2018

]]>
Commonwealth Games 2018: Saina Nehwal beats PV Sindhu to win gold in badminton singles; India's final medal tally at 66https://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/15/commonwealth-games-2018-saina-nehwal-beats-pv-sindhu-to-win-gold-in-badminton-singles-indias-fina-1801862.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/15/commonwealth-games-2018-saina-nehwal-beats-pv-sindhu-to-win-gold-in-badminton-singles-indias-fina-1801862.html#commentsd5029f58-8dc4-479e-b755-a0d0db652d64Sun, 15 Apr 2018 07:22:00 +00002018-04-15T14:28:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Saina Nehwal,PV Sindhu,CWG 2018,Gold Coast Games,Commonwealth Games 2018Commonwealth Games 2018GOLD COAST: Saina Nehwal's aggression and intensity quite literally brought top seed PV Sindhu to her knees as she ensnared the women's singles Commonwealth Games gold but K Srikanth and the debutant men's doubles pair of Satwik Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty settled for silver medals on the final day of the event here today.

With Saina's win, India's medal tally has risen to 66 including 26 gold, 20 silver and 20 bronze medals.

In an exhilarating contest, Saina won 21-18 23-21.

The triumph marked a remarkable end to her CWG campaign this edition.

She was the pillar of India's gold-winning campaign in the team championship earlier, playing every one of the singles matches due to Sindhu's ankle injury.

She had earlier claimed the 2010 Delhi Games gold.

READ | Commonwealth gold is right next to my Olympic bronze: Saina Nehwal

owever, in men's singles world No.1 Srikanth let slip a strong start to lose 19-21 21-14 21-14 to Malaysian icon Lee Chong Wei, who claimed the third individual gold of his career.

He also has two mixed team gold medals to his name.

Also ending second were Satwik and Chirag, going down to Rio Olympics bronze medallist Marcus Ellis and Chris Langridge of England 21-13 21-16 in a 39-minute contest.

Overall, India signed off with their best-ever haul -- two gold, three silver and a bronze in the badminton competition.

Saina Nehwal celebrates her victory over PV Sindhu in
their badminton women's
single final match at the 2018
Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast on April 15, 2018. | AFP

Indian shuttles had won four medals in the last two editions at Glasgow and Delhi.

The highlight of the day was the Saina-Sindhu clash, which lived up to the hype with the former world no 1, especially, bringing her A game to the court.

ALSO READ | Will always fight for my dad, says Saina Nehwal after Commonwealth gold win

The brute force of Sindhu's smashes was something that Saina found hard to deal with.

On the other hand, Sindhu found it tough to adjust to the delicate placement of strokes by Saina, who took the pace off the shuttle by attacking the net.

The strategy worked quite well for the London Olympics bronze-medallist and she raced to a 9-4 lead.

As the gap widened, Saina's command on the baseline also improved.

The contrasting styles of the two shuttlers made for an exhilarating contest.

A telling image of the opening game was when Sindhu was brought to her knees trying to return a smash that didn't really have any power in it but was just placed perfectly on the left corner.

"It was a neck to neck game. For me, it was even tougher because I have been playing for the last 10-12 days. She is tall, she has longer legs and covers the court better than me, I have to run here and there," second seed Saina said after the match. Sindhu, on the other hand, called the loss just one of those days.

"I was completely fine so nothing to complain. I gave my best. It was a good week for me. Maybe today was not my day," she said.

Next one in for India was Srikanth, who had beaten the Lee in the team championships final earlier in the Games, but the former world number one rallied for a 19-21 21-14 21-14 triumph today for his third CWG gold.

A decade older than the Indian, Lee kept his best for the last, showing off the legendary reflexes that have earned him cult status in international badminton, in the deciding third game.

"I started well but I made too many mistakes in my defence. I gave him that early lead which I should have avoided," Srikanth said.

"He played really well in the second and third set. The first set was quite close. In the third set I really should not have given him that lead. He just played much better," he added.

Similar was the story of Satwik and Chirag, who lost to Ellis and Langridge.

"We are very disappointed. We hoped the tactics that we used, the things we wanted to apply, would count on the scoreboard, but we couldn't do that so we're a bit disappointed. We didn't get the feeling right from early on," Chirag said of the straight-game loss.

Related Article

Commonwealth Games 2018: Singles victory makes Manika’s double historic

Commonwealth Games 2018: Vikas getting used to pros and cons of an icon’s life

Commonwealth Games 2018: Neeraj Chopra turns India's Javelin spearhead

Commonwealth Games: Dipika Pallikal questions 'shocking decisions' after losing mixed doubles final

]]>
Will always fight for my dad, says Saina Nehwal after Commonwealth gold winhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/15/will-always-fight-for-my-dad-says-saina-nehwal-after-commonwealth-gold-win-1801909.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/15/will-always-fight-for-my-dad-says-saina-nehwal-after-commonwealth-gold-win-1801909.html#comments0772a6db-4957-44e7-82cf-3c4bf2ea5359Sun, 15 Apr 2018 13:03:00 +00002018-04-15T13:03:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Commonwealth Games 2018GOLD COAST: Saina Nehwal today said she has no regrets about "standing up for her father" in the athletes village accommodation controversy ahead of the Commonwealth Games, at the peak of which she threatened to pull out of the event before claiming both the singles and team gold medals.

"I don't mind fighting for my dad anywhere. People have written that I put my dad first but it's not the case otherwise I wouldn't have won medals for my country," an emotional Saina said after beating compatriot and top seed P V Sindhu in the final here.

"Why tell me that everything is done when it's not done? Had I known I would have booked a hotel for him. He was given personal coach accreditation and after a long journey, I was handling this situation," she said referring to the instance in which her father was not allowed entry into the games village.

Saina said the issue was major distraction for her and she was quite stressed because of it.

"For two days, I was worried and didn't even sleep. I can't sit there for three-four hours and be patient, I am not a government official. I am a player, I have matches. Sindhu was not playing team event, I had to perform there. Sometimes things take time but I think had I not been this aggressive it wouldn't have happened," she said.

"He was sitting outside the village for two days. He couldn't even come in to the dining hall. What was the point of his coming here. It was a stressful situation but you have to fight it out. I needed rest. Roger Federer says he sleeps for 10-12 hours, I was not even sleeping for half an hour because my father was sitting outside. How could I sleep?" she said.

Saina said the criticism that came her way because of the incident was uncalled for.

She had been accused of blaming the Indian officialdom with her pullout threat.

"The problem was I fought, people didn't like I fought. Why wouldn't I fight for my parents?" she asked.

Saina also took a dig at her critics for writing her off after every bad result.

"There are 100 things that go in India.

I wouldn't say it happens in China but in India if I lose, people start with 'Oh Saina lost, Saina is becoming old, Saina should retire'.

I think there would be 100 things written about me but for her (P V Sindhu) it is still ok because she is still coming up," Saina said.

Related Article

Commonwealth Games 2018: Saina Nehwal beats PV Sindhu in straight sets at women's badminton singles final, clinches gold

Commonwealth gold is right next to my Olympic bronze: Saina Nehwal

]]>
Commonwealth gold is right next to my Olympic bronze: Saina Nehwalhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/15/commonwealth-gold-is-right-next-to-my-olympic-bronze-saina-nehwal-1801908.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/15/commonwealth-gold-is-right-next-to-my-olympic-bronze-saina-nehwal-1801908.html#comments9251745a-03b7-4d58-bedb-6e0cbd5c47c9Sun, 15 Apr 2018 13:01:00 +00002018-04-15T13:01:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Commonwealth Games 2018GOLD COAST: An exhausted mind, a bruised body and an unsavoury controversy -- Saina Nehwal had to contend with quite a bit ahead of and during the Commonwealth Games.

Little wonder then that she placed her singles gold in the event right up there with the trail-blazing Olympic bronze of 2012.

"I really term it as next to my Olympic medal and my world No.1 ranking. So I would keep it somewhere there. It's a gift to my father and my mother, my country. It's a very emotional moment for me after the disappointing loss in Rio due to injury," second seed Saina said after a straight-game but draining victory over top seed and compatriot P V Sindhu in the final here.

Saina played all the matches in the mixed team championship before competing in the individual event.

Asked how her legs were holding up after continuous competition, Saina quipped: "They are dead.

" Saina had a 3-1 head-to-head lead over Sindhu going into today's match and she ensured that the gap widened with a vintage performance.

"It was a neck to neck game for me, it was even tougher because I have been playing for the last 10-12 days.

She is tall, she has longer legs and covers the court better than me, I have to run here and there," Saina said of her rival and teammate.

"I lost five kgs in the last few months, that helps you move faster," she added.

It was a perfect end to what was an imperfect start when her accreditated father did not gain access to the Games village.

She threatened to pull out if he wasn't accommodated, which he eventually was, but she drew criticism for her stand.

Then there were the niggles, which got aggravated during the team competition.

"The shin problem happened in the team event and I am playing with that," she revealed when asked about the bandage she was sporting even though it hardly impacted her execution of shots.

"It is not much of a problem, just two-three days of recovery is required.

My match against Kirsty Gilmour went on for a long while and probably I aggravated the problem a bit," she said.

Asked if playing against Sindhu in a big final like today was more of a mental battle than anything else, Saina kept it simple.

"You just have to play your game, it's a healthy rivalry, people enjoy it, no doubt we are under tremendous pressure. But I am happy to be pulling these off. It's not easy to play against someone who is ranked No.3 in the world now," she said.

"It's a challenging match for me. I would like to thank Gopi sir for pushing me in the last three four months and Christopher, my physio, who is working hard on my body.

I was facing a lot of injuries on my shin, ankle and he came up and gave me a very good rehab program which is helping my leg strength," she said.

Even though she claimed the gold with a brilliant performance, Saina said she was not in a particularly good shape.

"The rallies were going long, she was picking up all the shots well. I am happy that I could pull off the bigger rallies. I have never played two weeks back to back so definitely it is one of my most exhausting campaigns," she said.

It was yet another final loss for Sindhu, who is now being criticised for not being able to pull off high-pressure games.

However, Saina defended her teammate.

"It happens in tough situations, it has happened with me as well. You can't write like that about any player. Today, I fought well. I didn't attack much because my stamina was finishing. I just wanted to finish off rallies. She was doing very well in rallies too," she said.

Related Article

Commonwealth Games 2018: Saina Nehwal beats PV Sindhu in straight sets at women's badminton singles final, clinches gold

]]>
Commonwealth Games 2018: Satwik-Chirag's men's doubles silver ends India's campaignhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/15/commonwealth-games-2018-satwik-chirags-mens-doubles-silver-ends-indias-campaign-1801876.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/15/commonwealth-games-2018-satwik-chirags-mens-doubles-silver-ends-indias-campaign-1801876.html#commentsc5247195-ba3d-44f1-9bd2-07848387d4eeSun, 15 Apr 2018 11:05:00 +00002018-04-15T11:37:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Commonwealth Games 2018GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA: India's Satwik Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty on Sunday settled for the silver medal in men's doubles badminton at the 21st Commonwealth Games after going down meekly to England's Marcus Ellis and Chris Langridge here.

The Indian pair lost 13-21, 16-21 in the summit clash that lasted for 39 minutes at the Carrara Sports Arena, here.

With the loss, Satwik and Chirag settled for the silver medal, bringing an end to India's campaign in the Gold Coast Games.

The Indian duo lacked the intensity from the start trailing 7-11 midway into the opening game. The English pair continued to pile the misery after the break taking a 14-9 lead and later closing the 16-minute affair at 21-13.

The second game saw a much better effort from the Indians trailing 3-4 initially but failed to take the lead as Marcus and Chris surged ahead with a 11-5 lead at the break.

The story remained the same in the second half as the Britons rose to a 14-10 lead even after the Indian pair scored four consecutive points to eat into the lead. But unforced errors at the net once again cost India as Marcus and Chris took full advantage to close the tie and clinch the gold in 23 minutes.

With the conclusion of the men's doubles tie, India have eventually finished their CWG campaign with 66 medals in third spot.

India now have 26 golds, 20 silvers and 20 bronze medals in this edition.

This also means India ended up with two more medals than the last edition in Glasgow. But what's more heart-warming with respect to medal tallies is that India have almost doubled the number of golds from 2014.

Glasgow saw India complete with 15 golds, while there have been 26 at Gold Coast.

Related Article

Commonwealth Games 2018: Dipika Pallikal-Joshna Chinappa wins silver in women's doubles squash

Kidambi Srikanth settles for men's singles silver at Commonwealth Games 2018

Commonwealth Games 2018: Manika Batra-Sathiyan beat Sharath-Mouma to bag mixed team bronze

Commonwealth Games 2018: Saina Nehwal beats PV Sindhu in straight sets at women's badminton singles final, clinches gold

]]>
Commonwealth Games 2018: Manika Batra-Sathiyan beat Sharath-Mouma to bag mixed team bronzehttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/15/commonwealth-games-2018-manika-batra-sathiyan-beat-sharath-mouma-to-bag-mixed-team-bronze-1801865.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/15/commonwealth-games-2018-manika-batra-sathiyan-beat-sharath-mouma-to-bag-mixed-team-bronze-1801865.html#comments6e0cfc2d-9a63-4019-b71a-28ae45d287f7Sun, 15 Apr 2018 08:37:00 +00002018-04-15T10:53:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Manika Batra,Commonwealth Games 2018Commonwealth Games 2018GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA: Continuing her glorious run at the 21st Commonwealth Games, Manika Batra on Sunday grabbed her fourth medal after winning the bronze in the mixed doubles table tennis competition in company of Sathiyan Gnanasekaran.

Manika and Sathiyan defeated compatriots Achanta Sharath Kamal and Mouma Das 3-0 (11-6, 11-2, 11-4) in the play-off for the third position at the Oxenford Studios here.

After winning the women's singles final on Saturday, Batra completed a memorable run at Gold Coast with another flawless performance to become India's most successful athlete at the Gold Coast Games.

READ | Commonwealth Games 2018: Singles victory makes Manika’s double historic

Apart from the singles gold, Batra has gold in the women's team event and silver in the women's doubles with Mouma Das.

Her partner Sathiyan, who hails from Chennai won his third medal after winning gold in the men's team event and silver in men's doubles with Sharath.

On Sunday, the duo of Manika and Sathiyan dominated the veteran pair of Sharath and Mouma, right from the start of the encounter.

After comfortably taking the first game, Manika and Sathiyan were flawless in the second game and didn't allow Mouma and Sharath to claw back into the game.

Already 2-0 up, the story was similar in the third game, which saw Manika and Sathiyan dominating their compatriots throughout to complete the rout.

Related Article

Commonwealth Games 2018: Saina Nehwal beats PV Sindhu in straight sets at women's badminton singles final, clinches gold

]]>
Commonwealth Games 2018: Dipika Pallikal-Joshna Chinappa wins silver in women's doubles squashhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/15/commonwealth-games-2018-dipika-pallikal-joshna-chinappa-wins-silver-in-womens-doubles-squash-1801867.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/15/commonwealth-games-2018-dipika-pallikal-joshna-chinappa-wins-silver-in-womens-doubles-squash-1801867.html#comments505228db-0ef6-4244-8a42-27c1ac6d1a13Sun, 15 Apr 2018 10:09:00 +00002018-04-15T10:09:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Dipika Pallikal,Joshna Chinappa,squashCommonwealth Games 2018GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA: Defending champions Dipika Pallikal and Joshna Chinappa settled for the silver in women's doubles squash at the 21st Commonwealth Games, after losing to New Zealand's Joelle King and Amanda Landers-Murphy here on Sunday.

The Indian duo lost 0-2 (9-11, 8-11) to the Kiwis in the pulsating 22-minute summit clash at the Oxenford Studios here.

Joshna and Dipika, who lifted the gold in Glasgow, failed to match the intensity of their opponents in Sunday's summit clash.

After comfortably pocketing the opening game, the New Zealanders continued to dominate in the second as the Indian pair struggled to get back and eventually finish on the losing side.

In the semi-finals on Saturday, Dipika and Joshna outplayed England's Laura Massaro and Sarah-Jane Perry in straight games 2-0 (11-10, 11-5).

This was Joshna's first and Dipika's second medal at Gold Coast after winning silver in the mixed doubles with Saurav Ghosal.

]]>
Kidambi Srikanth settles for men's singles silver at Commonwealth Games 2018https://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/15/kidambi-srikanth-settles-for-mens-singles-silver-at-commonwealth-games-2018-1801866.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/15/kidambi-srikanth-settles-for-mens-singles-silver-at-commonwealth-games-2018-1801866.html#commentsb607224a-79ab-4343-af42-91b620188181Sun, 15 Apr 2018 08:41:00 +00002018-04-15T08:50:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Kidambi Srikanth,Commonwealth Games,silver medal,Men's SinglesCommonwealth Games 2018GOLD COAST (AUSTRALIA):  Newly-crowned World No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth let slip the early advantage to settle for a silver medal in the 21st Commonwealth Games, going down to Malaysian legend Lee Chong Wei in the men's singles summit clash here today.

Srikanth had beaten Lee in the mixed team championships final earlier in the Games but the former world number one rallied for a 19-21 21-14 21-14 triumph today for his third individual CWG gold.

He has two more mixed team gold medals to his credit.

A decade older than the Indian, Lee kept his best for the last, showing off the legendary reflexes that have earned him cult status in international badminton.

ALSO READ | Saina Nehwal beats PV Sindhu in straight sets at women's badminton singles final, clinches gold

But it was not all smooth sailing for him today as Srikanth started off confidently.

It took Srikanth just eight minutes to go from being 0-4 down to be 10-7 ahead.

The Indian was the better of the two in executing drop shots and even managed to match Lee's ability to mix power with precision.

Srikanth led 11-9 at the break.

ALSO READ | Commonwealth Games 2018: Manika Batra claims mixed doubles bronze in table tennis

Srikanth remained a step ahead until 14-13 before a misdirected smash gave Lee the equalising point.

But Lee was surprisingly off when it came to retrieving the shuttle and his usual agility on the court was only there in flashes.

To Srikanth's credit, he made the most of his fancied opponent's lack of intensity and took the first game 21-19 in the 25 minutes.

A slight moment of drama came in the second game when it seemed Lee had struck the shuttle twice to claim a point but was not penalised for it and the match went on despite Srikanth's protest.

Lee's lackadaisical approach improved considerably thereafter and after leading 11-9 at the interval, he displayed some of the many stylish shots in his armoury to draw level and stay afloat in the high-intensity match, which was as much about elegance as sheer power.

Leading 9-5 in the decider, Lee went for a change of racquet and it only got him better results as he grabbed an 11-5 lead to take the psychological upper hand.

The smashes that were landing outside in the opening game became just the bit accurate and difficult for the Indian to retrieve.

Lee did show the tendency to take things for granted, exhibiting poor judgement in leaving a shuttle while leading 16-8.

But even at his erratic worst, the Malaysian, who has multiple Olympic silver medals to his credit, was simply unstoppable for the Indian and claimed the match pretty comfortably.

Related Article

Kidambi Srikanth claims top spot in Badminton World Federation rankings

]]>
Commonwealth Games 2018: Singles victory makes Manika’s double historichttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/15/commonwealth-games-2018-singles-victory-makes-manikas-double-historic-1801776.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/15/commonwealth-games-2018-singles-victory-makes-manikas-double-historic-1801776.html#comments83ad2d11-c1b0-4ed1-b50f-387b040215b2Sun, 15 Apr 2018 02:18:00 +00002018-04-15T08:38:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Manika Batra,Commonwealth Games 2018Commonwealth Games 2018GOLD COAST: Every athlete lives for the day when he or she is propelled to stardom, when fame embraces you and fans cajole you. You dream for it and pop comes the day when the world changes forever. You don’t know what hits you.

Manika Batra was in that zone after winning a historic women’s table tennis gold at the Commonwealth Games on Saturday. She was soaking in the glory at the sound stages at the Village Road Show Studios. 

It was a pleasant coincidence that Manika’s greatest performance was enacted at these famed studios where movies like Aquaman, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, San Andreas were shot. The World No 58 beat No 50 Mengyu Yu of Singapore 11-7, 11-6, 11-2, 11-7 in the final.

Pursuing a sport like table te­n­nis in India is not easy. It’s ling­ering in the fringes without mu­ch government support. In 2006, her role model Sharath Kamal sparked a small re­v­olution when he won go­ld in men’s singles and do­ubles. That kept the sport fl­oating. Manika’s double will he­­lp give direction to the sport an­d change perceptions back home.

At 5 feet 11 inches, Manika is not an ideal table tennis player. However, the height does give her an advantage and helps her sw­i­tch between backhand and forehand easily. She dropped out of co­llege to pursue her dream.

“I liked the sport since four,” she said. She was inspired by elder br­other Sahil and elder sister An­chal. She has an ailing father at home and all her requirem­ents are met by her mother.

ALSO READ | Commonwealth Games 2018: Manika Batra claims mixed doubles bronze in table tennis

The 22-year-old feels her greatest asset is her ability to adapt and be calm. “Actually, I love challenges,” she said, adding that the semifinal victory over Singapore’s World No 4 Feng Tianwei was the high point of her career.

“I was obviously focussed on giving my best. I never thought I was playing a World No 4 and all that. I never thought about the opponent’s world ranking. (I thought) I have to be calm and use my best stroke whenever the opportunity presents itself. I played attacking table tennis in most of my games but I also defended. So it was a mix of both.”

In sports, sometimes games are won through backroom strategies. A lot of pondering went into the game against Feng. Co­ach Massimo Costantini was expecting Feng to attack her forehand. But Manika managed to fend them off. That put doubts in the mind of her opponent. 

“Luckily, Manika was ready for that,” said the coach.

“She made two or three stops. That affected her confidence to play on the forehand. This morning Feng won a large number of points on her forehand. So this time we avoided that.”

With this win, like her role model, Manika too can become a role model.

]]>
Commonwealth Games 2018: England's speed demons give Usain Bolt second thoughtshttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/commonwealth-games-2018-englands-speed-demons-give-usain-bolt-second-thoughts-1801617.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/commonwealth-games-2018-englands-speed-demons-give-usain-bolt-second-thoughts-1801617.html#comments6b5431f6-3fd3-4680-a40c-cc1e45e536c5Sat, 14 Apr 2018 22:39:00 +00002018-04-14T22:39:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Usain Bolt,athletics,Commonwealth Games 2018,CWG 2018Commonwealth Games 2018GOLD COAST: English sprinters finally found their mojo as the Commonwealth Games track and field events came to a head today, forcing Jamaican legend Usain Bolt to ponder coming out of retirement.

Neeraj Chopra, a farmer's son from a village outside of Delhi, captured a historic javelin gold for India, while veteran Levern Spencer won the women's high jump to give Saint Lucia its first Commonwealth title in any sport.

England's speed demons finished on a high note after a disappointing Games blighted by misfortune, rocketing to a golden double in the 4x100 metres relays.

Zharnel Hughes, stripped of gold in the 200m earlier this week, helped the men's quartet bring the baton round in 38.13 seconds, ahead of South Africa and Jamaica.

Bolt, who retired last year after almost a decade of dominance, tweeted about returning to the sport after watching the English snatch Jamaica's Commonwealth title.

"Did I retire too soon? Hmmm," the eight-time Olympic champion posted to his 5.1 million followers."Watching the relay just now made me ask myself a few questions."

Informed of Bolt's message, English anchor leg Harry Aikines-Aryeetey shot back: "They need him to beat us now! Last time in Glasgow we gave the baton ahead of him and they can't handle us without him."

South Africa, including 100m champion Akani Simbine and runner-up Henricho Bruintjies, took silver in 38.24 with Yohan Blake anchoring Jamaica to bronze in 38.35.

"I was always playing catch-up on that last leg," said Blake, who could only finish third behind the South Africans in the 100m earlier in the week.

"Jamaica was dominating for a while but we're going through a transition period."

Close shave
Lorraine Ugen then brought England's women home first in the 4x100m relay, despite having double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson breathing down her neck, to win in 42.46.

Jamaica hit back to win the women's 4x400m relay, before Botswana raced away to win the men's 4x400m, celebrating by dropping to perform group push-ups as a small pocket of flag-waving fans went wild.

England's relay wins came as some consolation after a miserable run of luck with injuries and disqualifications, giving them a total of five athletics gold medals -- two behind Jamaica -- with only Sunday's marathons to come.

Hosts Australia top the table with 10 combined golds for able-bodied and para sports.

Hughes apologised again for his DQ in the 200m on Thursday when he caught Trinidad and Tobago's Jereem Richards in the face as they dipped for the line.

"What happened, happened," shrugged the 22-year-old. Sorry about it, I've moved on from it. At the end of the day I'm a champion, I hold my head up high."

World champion Hellen Obiri romped to victory in the women's 5,000m, while Elijah Motonei Manangoi followed his world title by winning the men's 1,500m.

Chopra, a 20-year-old with Bollywood looks, won the javelin with a throw of 86. 47 metres to become only the third Indian man to win Games gold in track and field.

"I've been totally relaxed," he said.

"Most of the time a people put too much pressure on themselves. I tried to be natural because I was completely confident in how I've prepared myself."

Saint Lucia's Spencer gave a scream of delight after winning the women's high jump to give the tiny Caribbean island a historic gold.

]]>
Yohan Blake 'hiding' from Usain Bolt after Commonwealth Games hiccup https://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/yohan-blake-hiding-from-usain-bolt-after-commonwealth-games-hiccup-1801615.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/yohan-blake-hiding-from-usain-bolt-after-commonwealth-games-hiccup-1801615.html#comments8bb5b9c7-28c8-4942-9456-d39a3bbfd629Sat, 14 Apr 2018 22:28:00 +00002018-04-14T22:28:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Usain Bolt,Gold Coast,Yohan Blake,Commonwealth Games 2018Commonwealth Games 2018GOLD COAST: Jamaica's Yohan Blake admitted today that he was doing his best to avoid sprint legend Usain Bolt after his Commonwealth Games flop in the 100 metres.

Bolt, who retired last year after dominating the sport for almost a decade, had joked to his countryman that he would not be able to return to Jamaica unless he won the title.

After Blake slumped to third in last Monday's final on the Gold Coast, Bolt arrived in Australia looking to poke a little fun at his former team-mate.

"I know Usain is going to trouble me a lot because he expected me to get gold," said Blake after taking bronze in the 4x100m relay.

"I'm going to hide from him when I go back home," added Blake, confirming that Bolt had yet to catch up with him at the Commonwealth Games village.

"He tried to contact me but I hid my phone. I just wanted to focus on the 4x100m but I know he's coming to see me later so I'm going to hide."

But Blake, who bagged a world title in 2011 after Bolt false-started in the final, played down the significance of his surprise Commonwealth defeat by South Africa's Akani Simbine.

"If everybody saw what happened, I slipped at the start and couldn't recover," he said.

"It was a pretty easy race for me to win -- I was in record-breaking shape and I'm still in that shape. But sometimes a mistake can cost you."

'Odds against us' 

Blake had very little opportunity to prove his point with a makeshift Jamaica team in the 4x100m final, where England and South Africa were too far in front by the time Warren Weir had passed him the baton.

"I knew the odds were against us coming in because some guys pulled out at the last minute," he said, referring to the late withdrawal of former world record-holder Asafa Powell.

"For me, I was always playing catch-up on that last leg. But I feel great and I'm just looking forward to the season."

Blake pulled no punches when asked about the state of Jamaican sprinting with Bolt now out of the picture.

"We were dominating for a while but we are going through a transition period," he said.

"We have some great young guys but they haven't been exposed as yet. We just hope they can get it fast. I'm not going to lie, it's not that they are getting better -- it's that we're not performing," added Blake.

"If we were performing with the times we are running, they couldn't stay with us."

However, Blake acknowledged it will be almost impossible to fill Bolt's shoes.

"That's what I love about Usain -- he's a sportsman," he said.

"And somebody like him comes along once every 10 years in the sport. He's just different -- you can't try to match that. As (world athletics boss) Sebastian Coe said 'you can't replace Muhammad Ali' -- so why replace a Bolt?" 

]]>
2018 CWG gold-medalist Punam Yadav attacked in Varanasi's Rohaniyahttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/2018-cwg-gold-medalist-punam-yadav-attacked-in-varanasis-rohaniya-1801597.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/2018-cwg-gold-medalist-punam-yadav-attacked-in-varanasis-rohaniya-1801597.html#comments02353243-ed94-48bc-89ac-eca7432fa600Sat, 14 Apr 2018 20:12:00 +00002018-04-14T20:16:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Commonwealth Games,Punam YadavCommonwealth Games 2018NEW DELHI: Indian weightlifter Punam Yadav, who picked a gold medal in the ongoing 21st Commonwealth Games held in Gold Coast, has filed a complaint to police after she was attacked in Varanasi's Rohaniya.

It is learnt that Punam was at her aunt's house when one of their neighbours attacked the weightlifter following an argument with them in Rohaniya.

Earlier on day four of the Commonwealth Games, Punam made the country proud after bagging a gold medal in 69 kg weight category in weightlifting.

Punam lifted100 kg in snatch and 122 kg in the clean and jerk to finish with a total of 222kg ahead of England's Sarah Davies (217 kg) and Fiji's Apolonia Vaivai (216 kg).

In 2014, Yadav clinched a bronze medal in the same weight category at the 2014 Glasgow Games.(ANI)

Related Article

Commonwealth Games 2018: Weightlifting gold rush continues, Punam Yadav claims fifth for India

]]>
India Shining at Commonwealth Games, eight gold medals claimed todayhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/india-shining-at-commonwealth-games-eight-gold-medals-claimed-today-1801581.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/india-shining-at-commonwealth-games-eight-gold-medals-claimed-today-1801581.html#comments81692233-c95b-4e70-9a46-1304ab40f74cSat, 14 Apr 2018 19:50:00 +00002018-04-14T19:50:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182india,Shooting,boxing,Commonwealth Games,gold medalsCommonwealth Games 2018GOLD COAST: From the boxing ring to the shooting range to the athletics arena, it was India shining on the penultimate day of the 21st Commonwealth Games where the country claimed its biggest single-day haul of the ongoing edition, ensnaring eight gold medals across five disciplines.

The boxers picked up three, the shooters added one, the wrestlers claimed a couple, while the paddlers and the track-and-field contingent picked up one each on a truly golden day for the country, which also yielded five silver and one bronze medal.

The country held on to the third position in the overall medal tally with 59 medals -- 25 gold, 16 silver and 18 bronze medals.

It all started at the shooting ranges in Brisbane, where Sanjeev Rajput shattered the Games' qualifying record before finishing on top in the 50m rifle 3 position final.

"I would say it was a weak final for me because I have been shooting 458 plus all the time, but this time it was weak in the kneeling position and I had to cover it somehow in the prone but, still again, not so good in the standing," said the shooter, not particularly satisfied with his effort but one which was enough to get him his first CWG gold.

He had won a bronze (2006) and a silver (2014) in the earlier editions.

The wrestlers were at it at the Carrara Sports and Leisure Center.

Sumit (125kg) and Vinesh Phogat (50kg) picked up the top honours in their respective categories even as Olympic bronze-medallist Sakshi Malik (62kg) settled for a third-place finish, along with Somveer (86kg).

At the boxing arena of the Oxenford Studios, M C Mary Kom (48kg) was joined by Vikas Krishan (75kg) and Gaurav Solanki (52kg) in scripting history.

The boxers, led by three, finished with nine medals in all, their best ever performance, two better than the previous best attained at 2010 Delhi Games.

While Mary Kom became the first Indian woman boxer to claim a CWG gold, Vikas became the first to have gold in both the Asian and Commonwealth Games.

"Which other boxer has the number of medals that I have? ," asked the beaming mother-of-three, who will be India's flagbearer at the closing ceremony tomorrow.

"I am so happy to have created history."

In the afternoon, Neeraj Chopra wrote his own little piece of history at the Carrara stadium when he became the first Indian javelin thrower to claim a gold medal.

His gold was only the fifth for India in track and field.

The 20-year-old destroyed competition with his very first throw of 85.50m before taking it a notch higher with a season's best effort of 86.47m.

None in the field came close to his performance even though he himself seemed a shade disappointed on missing a personal best by "just one centimetre".

"In my desperation for a personal best, I tried so hard that I tumbled over in my last two attempts. But I am very happy and I have lot of competitions this year to achieve the personal best," Neeraj said after his triumph.

Good news poured in from the TT venue of the Oxenford Studios where Manika Batra, in perhaps the form of her life, became the first woman paddler to claim a gold medal.

"This is my first individual medal in this big tournament (women's singles) and I am feeling really proud," said the 22-year-old, who had earlier starred in the gold-winning team performance before clinching the women's doubles gold with Mouma Das.

Not to forget the silver-medallists, three of them coming from boxing in Manish Kaushik (60kg), Amit Panghal (49kg) and Satish Kumar.

Dipika Pallikal and Sourav Ghosal picked up the mixed doubles squash silver, while Sanil Shetty and Harmeet Desai claimed the second position in table tennis men's doubles.

The lone bronze of the day was delivered by shuttlers N Sikki Reddy and Ashwini Ponnappa.

The disappointments of the day were the two hockey teams, both of whom failed to secure medals, ending fourth after losing to England in their respective bronze-medal playoffs.

It was an especially disappointing performance by the men, who had returned with silver medals in the past two editions.

]]>
Commonwealth Games: Dipika Pallikal questions 'shocking decisions' after losing mixed doubles finalhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/commonwealth-games-dipika-pallikal-questions-shocking-decisions-after-losing-mixed-doubles-final-1801575.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/commonwealth-games-dipika-pallikal-questions-shocking-decisions-after-losing-mixed-doubles-final-1801575.html#comments51d24704-f3f6-4f3b-b694-a8fb0e65fadbSat, 14 Apr 2018 19:10:00 +00002018-04-14T19:10:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Commonwealth Games,Dipika Pallikal,Saurav GhosalCommonwealth Games 2018GOLD COAST: Dipika Pallikal today questioned the "shocking decisions" taken by the referees after she and Saurav Ghosal had to settle for a silver, the first-ever mixed doubles medal for India at the Commonwealth Games.

The Indian pair fought hard before losing to Australia's Donna Urquhart and Cameron Pilley 8-11, 10-11 in a gruelling gold medal match.

The crowd was expectedly supporting the locals and Pallikal feels the quality of refereeing too did not help their cause.

"Shocking decisions were made during the final. I felt it could have changed the whole scenario of the match if those decisions were fair. But that's sport," Pallikal told PTI.

"I think we can be proud of what we (Saurav and I) have achieved this week. Obviously disappointed to lose out on the gold we can be proud of the way we played. There are some days when you have to just hold your head high and say we tried our best but it wasn't to be," she added.

Refereeing in squash has always been a debatable subject and what transpired at Oxenford Studios in Gold Coast can provide more food for thought for the game's custodians.

Five-time World Champion Sarah Fitz-Gerald, who was commentating on the final, felt the refereeing was fine but the officials should have used more technology.

"I can understand Dipika is upset but refereeing was not a major issue for me. The issue was not using the technology enough to check whether the ball double-bounced or hit the tin, basically to correct close calls.

"It was used in the singles but they did not use it much for the doubles.I would say referees had to be hard in their approach otherwise it would have led to umpteen let points making the sport uninteresting," Sarah said.

It was a memorable campaign nonetheless for Pallikal and Ghosal, who also happens to be her brother-in-law.

The fifth seeds stunned top seeds Joelle King and Paul Coll of New Zealand to make the final.

Pallikal can add a second gold to her kitty if she and Joshna Chinappa defend their women's doubles title tomorrow.

Related Article

Commonwealth Games: Saurav Ghosal-Dipika Pallikal settle for silver in mixed doubles squash

]]>
Commonwealth Games: Achanta Sharath - Gnanasekaran Sathiyan clinch silver in men's doubles Table Tennishttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/commonwealth-games-achanta-sharath---gnanasekaran-sathiyan-clinch-silver-in-mens-doubles-table-ten-1801572.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/commonwealth-games-achanta-sharath---gnanasekaran-sathiyan-clinch-silver-in-mens-doubles-table-ten-1801572.html#comments2d351a44-e418-4b64-9b01-b2be28d2cbb4Sat, 14 Apr 2018 18:49:00 +00002018-04-14T18:49:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182india,Commonwealth Games,Achanta Sharath,Gnanasekaran SathiyanCommonwealth Games 2018GOLD COAST: India paddlers Achanta Sharath and Gnanasekaran Sathiyan lost their men's doubles gold medal match at the 21st Commonwealth Games here on Saturday.

The Indian duo lost to England's Paul Drinkhall and Liam Pitchford 2-3 (5-11, 12-10, 11-9, 6-11, 8-11).

The Indian pair committed several errors on length of serve and shots which resulted in their loss.

Right from the start, Sharath and Sathiyan struggled with their service and return shots. But soon, the Indian duo corrected the mistakes and won the next two games. The Indians won the third game 11-9 coming back from 6-9 down to make it 2-1.

But Sharath missed a few regulation shots in the next two games and his partner also made few mistakes and the England players took full advantage of it. The Indian duo, however, tried to match the pace but failed and lost the issue.

]]>
Commonwealth Games 2018: Manika Batra stuns World No.4 again to win historic singles gold in Table Tennishttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/commonwealth-games-2018-manika-batra-stuns-world-no4-again-to-win-historic-singles-gold-in-table-t-1801514.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/commonwealth-games-2018-manika-batra-stuns-world-no4-again-to-win-historic-singles-gold-in-table-t-1801514.html#comments64d10d9a-b8ca-4340-9b27-c32def78624eSat, 14 Apr 2018 15:26:00 +00002018-04-14T18:41:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Commonwealth Games,Table Tennis,Manika BatraCommonwealth Games 2018GOLD COAST: A marauding Manika Batra created history by becoming the first Indian woman table tennis player to win a singles gold at the Commonwealth Games while Sharath Kamal and G Sathiyan went down fighting in the men's doubles to settle for silver, here today.

World No.58 Batra's dream run in the quadrennial event continued as she blanked 50th-ranked Yu Mengyu of Singapore 4-0 (11-7, 11-6, 11-2, 11-7) in a one-sided final.

However, it was the semifinal win over World No.4 Feng Tianwei that meant more for the 22-year-old.

The Delhi-based paddler showed that her crucial victory against multiple Olympic medallist Feng in the team final was no fluke as she edged out the mighty Singaporean 4-3 (12-10, 5-11, 11-8, 5-11, 5-11, 11-9, 13-11) in the semifinals.

The Indian foxed Feng for the second time in a row with smart use of her pimpled rubber for both defence and offence.

Batra showed remarkable composure and maturity to overcome a 2-3 deficit in a high-pressure final.

"This is my first individual medal in this big tournament and I am feeling really proud," said Batra after her phenomenal effort.

On her overall Games experience, she added: "The experience was amazing - I defeated the world number four twice and now Yu to win gold.

"I am feeling really happy and very proud for my country."

Batra will have the chance of winning a medal in all four categories when she pairs up with Sathiyan for the bronze medal play-off in mixed doubles.

Besides guiding India to team gold, Batra had paired up with veteran Mouma Das to win the country's maiden women's doubles silver.

India has already recorded its best-ever showing in table tennis at Commonwealth Games, winning three gold, two silver and a bronze.

Two more bronze will be added if Batra -Sathiyan combine and Kamal in singles can win their respective play-offs.

Three-time CWG gold medallist Kamal tried his best against Nigeria's 26th-ranked Aruna Quadri in men's singles semifinals before going down 0-4 (10-12, 9-11, 9-11, 7-11).

The World No.48 takes on England's Samuel Walker in the bronze play-off tomorrow.

The Indian great had to endure a tough loss in the men's doubles final alongside Sathiyan later in the day.

The duo lost to familiar rivals from England Liam Pitchford and Paul Drinkhall with the final going into the fifth and final game.

The English pairing prevailed 11-5, 10-12, 9-11, 11-6, 11-9.

The bronze in men's doubles also went to India as Harmeet Desai and Sanil Shetty sailed past Singapore's Poh Shao Feng Ethan and Pang Yew En Koen 3-0 (11-5, 11-6, 12-10).

]]>
Commonwealth Games: Harmeet Desai - Sanil Shankar Shetty bag bronze in men's double Table Tennishttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/commonwealth-games-harmeet-desai---sanil-shankar-shetty-bag-bronze-in-mens-double-table-tennis-1801548.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/commonwealth-games-harmeet-desai---sanil-shankar-shetty-bag-bronze-in-mens-double-table-tennis-1801548.html#commentsd8414b2b-468f-45a2-8c7c-786459e9dcacSat, 14 Apr 2018 16:59:00 +00002018-04-14T17:52:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Commonwealth Games,Table Tennis,Harmeet Desai,Sanil Shankar ShettyCommonwealth Games 2018GOLD COAST: India's Harmeet Desai and Sanil Shankar Shetty bagged the bronze medal in the men's doubles table tennis competition at the 21st Commonwealth Games here on Saturday.

The Indian duo outclassed Singapore's Pang Yew En Koen and Poh Shao Feng Ethan 3-0 (11-5, 11-6, 12-10) at the Oxenford Studios here.

Despite winning the first two games with ease, Harmeet and Sanil faced a stiff challenge in the third game however, the Indians once again overcame their opponents to extend India's medal tally to 57.

]]>
Boxer Satish Kumar wins silver in 91kg categoryhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/boxer-satish-kumar-wins-silver-in-91kg-category-1801567.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/boxer-satish-kumar-wins-silver-in-91kg-category-1801567.html#comments8ba55ffc-7d33-41a9-ba56-c1cd9ffca5d7Sat, 14 Apr 2018 17:50:00 +00002018-04-14T17:50:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182boxing,Commonwealth Games,Satish KumarCommonwealth Games 2018GOLD COAST: Indian boxer Satish Kumar lost the final of the 91kg category at the 21st Commonwealth Games (CWG) here on Saturday and had to settle for a silver.

]]>
Mary Kom to be India's flagbearer at Commonwealth Games closing ceremonyhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/mary-kom-to-be-indias-flagbearer-at-commonwealth-games-closing-ceremony-1801556.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/mary-kom-to-be-indias-flagbearer-at-commonwealth-games-closing-ceremony-1801556.html#comments3ea01f81-a31e-4977-be00-78a7bcb0d856Sat, 14 Apr 2018 17:21:00 +00002018-04-14T17:21:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182MC Mary Kom,Commonwealth Games,flagbearerCommonwealth Games 2018GOLD COAST: Indian boxing legend MC Mary Kom, who claimed a gold medal on debut at the Commonwealth Games, will be India's flagbearer at the event's closing ceremony here tomorrow.

The 35-year-old five-time world champion, who is also an Olympic bronze-medallist, claimed her maiden CWG gold after beating Northern Ireland's Kristina O'Hara in the light flyweight (48kg) final today.

"This is the first time I will be India's flag-bearer in an event like this. I don't know if I deserve it but I am certainly very proud of it," Mary Kom told PTI.

The five-time Asian champion has claimed three gold medals in the last five months, starting with the Asian Championships in Vietnam.

The boxer also cleared the air on the wrong spelling of her name being used by the organisers.

Her name has been spelt Mery instead of Mary.

"Actually it is Mary but because my passport has the spelling Mery, the organisers have gone with that spelling. I will be getting it corrected once I am done with the Games and back in India," she said.

]]>
Commonwealth Games: Shuttler H.S.Prannoy loses in men's singles bronze medal matchhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/commonwealth-games-shuttler-hsprannoy-loses-in-mens-singles-bronze-medal-match-1801553.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/commonwealth-games-shuttler-hsprannoy-loses-in-mens-singles-bronze-medal-match-1801553.html#comments5bdb07d6-fdcc-4798-a1c4-a383cbbfa294Sat, 14 Apr 2018 17:07:00 +00002018-04-14T17:07:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Badminton,Commonwealth Games,H.S. PrannoyCommonwealth Games 2018GOLD COAST: Indian shuttler H.S. Prannoy lost to England's Rajiv Ouseph in the men's singles bronze medal match at the 21st Commonwealth Games (CWG) here on Saturday.

The World No. 11 Prannoy started on a positive note, winning the first game 21-17 at the Carrara Sports Arena here.

However, World No. 22 Rajiv made a brilliant comeback in the next two games to beat Prannoy 25-23, 21-9 in the hour-long marathon match.

]]>
Commonwealth Games: Saurav Ghosal-Dipika Pallikal settle for silver in mixed doubles squashhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/commonwealth-games-saurav-ghosal-dipika-pallikal-settle-for-silver-in-mixed-doubles-squash-1801518.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/commonwealth-games-saurav-ghosal-dipika-pallikal-settle-for-silver-in-mixed-doubles-squash-1801518.html#comments9cc24179-5064-4aed-9e75-24522fa46396Sat, 14 Apr 2018 15:40:00 +00002018-04-14T16:51:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Commonwealth Games,Dipika Pallikal,Saurav Ghosal,squash,silver medalCommonwealth Games 2018GOLD COAST: Saurav Ghosal and Dipika Pallikal settled for the silver medal in the mixed doubles squash event of the Commonwealth Games here today, becoming the first Indian pair to achieve the feat in the sporting extravaganza.

The Indians lost 0-2 (8-11 10-11) to home favourites Donna Urquhart and Cameron Pilley in 29 minutes.

Pallikal is also in contention to win a gold medal in women's doubles alongside Joshna Chinappa.

]]>
Commonwealth Games: Ashwini Ponnappa - N.Sikki Reddy bag bronze in badminton women's doubleshttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/commonwealth-games-ashwini-ponnappa---nsikki-reddy-bag-bronze-in-badminton-womens-doubles-1801537.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/commonwealth-games-ashwini-ponnappa---nsikki-reddy-bag-bronze-in-badminton-womens-doubles-1801537.html#commentsb50903a9-7142-4aa8-9417-b120dc74c89aSat, 14 Apr 2018 16:22:00 +00002018-04-14T16:22:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Badminton,Commonwealth Games,Ashwini Ponnappa,N.Sikki Reddy,badminton women's doublesCommonwealth Games 2018GOLD COAST: India's Ashwini Ponnappa and N.Sikki Reddy bagged the bronze medal in badminton women's doubles beating Australians Setyana Mapasa and Gronya Somerville at the 21st Commonwealth Games here on Saturday.

The Indian duo prevailed in straight games 21-19, 21-19 over the Australians, in a 47-minute crunch match at the Carrara Sports Arena, here.

The opening game went neck and neck with both the teams locked twice at 3-3 and 6-6 before Ashwini and Sikki edged past with a slender 11-9 lead at the breather.

Coming back both the teams tried outwitting each other with a range of smashes as the scoreline once again matched at 14-14 before the Indian pair collected four straight points to surge ahead at 18-14.

But there was more drama in store as the Aussie pair came back strongly with two consecutive points to reduce the margin to 16-18 before Ashwini and Sikki closed it in 23 minutes.

The second game saw the Australians taking an early 4-0 lead before the Indians managed to open their account. Setyana and Gronya extended their lead to 11-9 midway into the game.

After the break, India went ahead collecting four points on the trot to take a 13-12 lead, and stretched it further to 16-15.

The Australians, however bounced back to level the scores at 18-18 and again at 19-19 before the Indian duo used their experience to collect the next two points and wrap up the pulsating game and match in 24 minutes.

]]>
India hasn't appealed yet, says Commonwealth Games Federation on needle controversyhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/india-hasnt-appealed-yet-says-commonwealth-games-federation-on-needle-controversy-1801529.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/india-hasnt-appealed-yet-says-commonwealth-games-federation-on-needle-controversy-1801529.html#comments1d0ff912-efb5-4e47-a906-8df96a561028Sat, 14 Apr 2018 16:04:00 +00002018-04-14T16:15:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182india,Commonwealth Games,Commonwealth Games Federation,V Rakesh Babu,no needle policy,K T IrfanCommonwealth Games 2018GOLD COAST: The Commonwealth Games Federation today said India has till now not appealed against the sending back of its two athletes from the ongoing Games here for violating the 'No Needle Policy'.

Addressing the media in his daily briefing, CGF Chief executive David Grevemberg said the suspension of race walker K T Irfan and triple jumper V Rakesh Babu has not been challenged till now despite the Indian contingent's claims of pushing for an appeal.

"I have not received an appeal, and such an appeal would go through the Court of Arbitration, Court of Sport. Regardless of the needle, there is a no needle policy. There is a clear policy, there was a breach of that policy and this isn't an isolated case (involving India), as we all know," Grevemberg said when asked about further developments in the matter.

A source in the Indian contingent added the country has indeed not yet appealed and is weighing its legal options before taking such a step.

"The recommendation is for an appeal but we have to seek proper legal opinion before going ahead with it. It can't be rushed otherwise it will fall apart," an official told PTI.

Irfan and Babu were sent home last night after their explanation for having syringe in their room was declared "evasive and unreliable" by the CGF court.

The Athletics Federation of India has formed a panel to investigate the matter and promised to take severe action against the two if found guilty after the investigation.

Irfan and Babu's CWG campaign had ended before they were asked to leave the Games.

While Irfan had finished 13th in the 20km race walk, Babu had injured his knee during the triple jump qualifiers to be ruled out of the finals.

Related Article

Commonwealth Games: KT Irfan, Rakesh Babu sent home for breach of No Needle Policy, India to appeal CGF decision

Shame game: Needle points towards inefficiency

]]>
Fairytale gold for Australian boxer Skye Nicolson with tragic family historyhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/fairytale-gold-for-australian-boxer-skye-nicolson-with-tragic-family-history-1801509.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/fairytale-gold-for-australian-boxer-skye-nicolson-with-tragic-family-history-1801509.html#comments4d51965e-e8a1-455e-b0df-e2e6a9d46564Sat, 14 Apr 2018 15:18:00 +00002018-04-14T15:18:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182boxing,Skye Nicolson,Australian boxerCommonwealth Games 2018GOLD COAST: Australian boxer Skye Nicolson won a fairytale gold medal on Saturday as one of the faces of the Commonwealth Games triumphed in memory of the late brother she never met.

The 22-year-old featherweight earned a split-points decision victory over Northern Ireland's Michaela Walsh, who will count herself unlucky having appeared to have the better of their final.

Nicolson, described by one local newspaper as "the fast-moving southpaw with the catwalk model looks", has been prominent in Australian media during the Games on the Gold Coast because of her tragic family background.

Her brother Jamie was a highly rated Olympic and then professional boxer who was killed in a car crash in 1994 along with another brother, the younger Gavin, as they headed to boxing training.

Nicolson was born a year after the tragedy and inherited the fighting genes which run in the family.

And like Jamie, she is an awkward southpaw who likes to counter-attack. Many also say that the siblings who never met look uncannily alike.

A teary-eyed Walsh, 24, earns silver but was left devastated, putting her hands over her face at one point during the medal ceremony as she battled her emotions.

]]>
Legendary boxer Mary Kom credits obsessive training for fit body at 35https://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/legendary-boxer-mary-kom-credits-obsessive-training-for-fit-body-at-35-1801487.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/legendary-boxer-mary-kom-credits-obsessive-training-for-fit-body-at-35-1801487.html#comments9f17e663-49d6-470d-933b-e39e6c461967Sat, 14 Apr 2018 14:05:00 +00002018-04-14T15:17:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182MC Mary Kom,Commonwealth Games 2018Commonwealth Games 2018GOLD COAST: Almost every medal that is there to be taken is in her kitty but MC Mary Kom says she still trains like a maniac, the latest result of the regimen being a gold on debut at the Commonwealth Games here.

The 35-year-old mother-of-three, who has five world titles and an Olympic bronze medal, is seen as a sporting icon not just in India but also in other countries.

Crowned Asian champion just months ago, Mary Kom added the light flyweight (48kg) Commonwealth crown to her tally today.

"The secret to my success is my fitness and I am very quick. I plan well before bouts. I am lucky that I can catch my opponents within seconds. I am able to read them very quickly," a giggling Mary Kom said at the end of her CWG campaign.

"I don't have injuries, all I have is minor issues like cramps sometime," she added. And the secret to her fitness levels and to an extent her calm demeanour in the ring is a training regimen that she refuses to let go even one day.

"When I decide something with my head and heart than even my husband cannot stop me. He sometimes tells me to take it easy after the competition but I can't help it," she said.

"I have to train to keep myself calm. It's a strong urge, it's a habit and training makes me happy. When I don't train I feel sick sometimes," she added.

But despite the high fitness levels, she wouldn't commit on whether the outlandish possibility of a 2020 Olympic appearance is on her mind.

"2020 is difficult to say, but I will try my best. 48kg is not there and I will have to put on weight to be in 51kg which is never easy. If I am super fit till 2020, I will compete but if I am not fit I will not," said the accomplished boxer.

Speaking of her 22-year-old opponent Kristina O'Hara, who works as a carer in a nursing home, Mary Kom said she has sparred with her in the past.

"I had a friendly match with her. I have sparred with her so I knew her gameplan well. I told myself that it is easy but I had to be prepared for everything," she said.

Elated at being India's first woman boxer to claim a CWG gold, Mary Kom said scripting history makes her happy.

"I have won everything and all of my medals are very important. Do I need to say more? Which other boxers can claim that now I would not be scared of anyone. I am very happy that I created history. I have got everything," she said.

"I still think about Olympics gold but other than that I have got everything. Even in Olympics, I do have a medal. I haven't left out anything," she signed off.

Related Article

Boxer MC Mary Kom wins first Commonwealth Games gold

]]>
Commonwealth Games 2018: Jamaica sprinters fail to fire as England rule Gold Coast relayshttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/commonwealth-games-2018-jamaica-sprinters-fail-to-fire-as-england-rule-gold-coast-relays-1801506.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/commonwealth-games-2018-jamaica-sprinters-fail-to-fire-as-england-rule-gold-coast-relays-1801506.html#comments7b3129ec-ae66-4118-8b86-600e624d51adSat, 14 Apr 2018 15:08:00 +00002018-04-14T15:08:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Jamaica,Yohan Blake,Elaine Thompson,SPRINTERSCommonwealth Games 2018GOLD COAST: Yohan Blake had to settle for a second bronze and Elaine Thompson a single silver as Jamaica's vaunted sprinters failed to fire in the relays on the final day of athletics at the Commonwealth Games on Saturday.

England won both 4x100m relays with Zharnel Hughes finally getting his hand on a gold medal in the men's race after losing the 200 individual title through disqualification, his team crossing in 38.13 seconds.

Former world champion Blake was left with too much to do on the anchor leg and was unable to run down England's Harry Aikines-Aryeetey or Akani Simbine, who helped South Africa to silver to add to his 100m gold.

"It was against us, had to pull in some guys at the last minute. For me, it was catch up. Always playing catch up," said Blake, who managed only third after stumbling in the individual 100m.

"I feel great. Bronze, I got two bronze, I didn't have to get anything."

Late replacements were no problem for the English women and long jumper Lorraine Ugen sensationally held off Olympic 100m and 200m champion Thompson on the home straight to win gold in 42.46 seconds.

"I was told that I had to run so I was like, 'Okay, I can't disgrace myself today," said Ugen, who was drafted into the team at the last moment.

"Bianca (Williams) gave me the baton and it was, 'Okay, go, go, go.' 

Defending the gold in the women's 4x400m relay saved some face for the Jamaicans and unlikely titles in the women's steeplechase, men's discus, women's shot put and women's triple jump helped put them second in the track and field medals list.

Australia, boosted by four Paralympic golds and a string of field titles, topped the table with 10 golds ahead of the Jamaicans (7), England (5), South Africa (5) and Kenya (4), pending Sunday's marathons.

High jumper Levern Spencer, competing in her fifth Commonwealth Games, boosted St Lucia up the table with a maiden gold medal for the Caribbean island, while Troy Doris of Guyana won the men's triple jump title.

There was also rare athletics success for India in the final session at the Carrara Stadium when 20-year-old former world junior champion Neeraj Chopra won the javelin.

Chopra was the third man to win gold for India in Commonwealth Games athletics after sprinter Jeev Milkha Singh in 1958 and discus thrower Vikas Gowda in 2014.

Middle distance running success for Kenya is much more commonplace and there were one-twos for the East African nation in the men's 1,500m, where Elijah Manangoi won gold, and the women's 5,000m, where Hellen Obiri took the title.

Isaac Makwala performed his trademark push-ups with his Botswana team mates after winning the 4x400m relay to add to the individual title he won in the one-lap sprint.

England's Hughes would have been in the same position had his flailing arm not caught rival Jereem Richards as they crossed the line in the 200m final.

"We came out here to do our very best today," said Hughes.

"I told them 'look, once we re-focus, I'm ready to go'.I'm just as hungry as my team mates. That's how we managed to win today."

]]>
Vinesh Phogat, Sumit Malik claim gold; Sakshi Malik settles for bronze on last day of Commonwealth Games wrestlinghttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/vinesh-phogat-sumit-malik-claim-gold-sakshi-malik-settles-for-bronze-on-last-day-of-commonwealth-g-1801504.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/vinesh-phogat-sumit-malik-claim-gold-sakshi-malik-settles-for-bronze-on-last-day-of-commonwealth-g-1801504.html#commentsfa426da7-fcc0-41c5-acb6-8960bc93b79bSat, 14 Apr 2018 15:00:00 +00002018-04-14T15:00:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Sakshi Malik,Vinesh Phogat,wrestling,Commonwealth Games,SumitCommonwealth Games 2018GOLD COAST: There was no stopping the gold rush in wrestling as two more were added to the tally by Vinesh Phogat (50kg) and Sumit (125kg) but Olympic bronze-medallist Sakshi Malik (62kg) had to be content with a third-place finish in the Commonwealth Games here today.

Adding another bronze to the count was Somveer, in the 86kg category.

India signed off their wrestling campaign at the Games with five gold, three silver and four bronze medals.

The overall count was one less than the medals achieved in the 2014 edition of the Games but India kept their gold medal count at five, the number they achieved the last time.

The weight categories of both Sakshi and Vinesh were competed on a round-robin format as the number of competitors in the draw were less than six.

Sakshi went out of the gold medal contention in the first round itself after losses to Canada's Michelle Fazzari and Nigeria's Aminat Adeniyi following a win over Cameroon's Berthe Ngolle.

But she gathered herself after the setback to defeat New Zealand's Tayla Ford 6-5 in a close bout to avoid going without a medal.

The heartbreak of missing the gold left her in tears during the medal ceremony.

"I am so disappointed, I should have won a gold medal and I have to settle for a bronze. It will be another four years before I can make this right. I could not get what I expected of myself," she told PTI, wiping away her tears.

"I had a bad second bout because I thought I was winning till the last few seconds but then I lost and it destroyed my composure, I could never recover from that," she said referring to her defeat at the hands of Canadian Michelle Fazzari.

The final scoreline read 8-11.

Asked what's next for her in the calendar, Sakshi said, "Next for me is the Asian Games and I will prepare hard for it."

However, Vinesh continued her tremendous comeback to big-ticket wrestling.

The 23-year-old, who had sustained a career-threatening injury during the Rio Olympics, was in complete control of proceedings from her first bout.

She ultimately did what her cousin Babita could not do and claimed a second successive gold medal at the Games.

The Indian won two of her three bouts on technical superiority, raising to 10-point leads before her rivals could open their accounts.

Sumit, on the other hand, competed in three bouts but didn't have to fight it out in the gold medal bout after his Nigerian rival Sinivie Boltic pulled out citing an injury sustained earlier in the day.

Sumit found himself in slight controversy after his second-round rival -- Korey Jarvis of Canada -- accused him of biting his hand during the bout.

Jarvis' hand was heavily bandaged after the bout and he accused Sumit of being responsible for it.

"I don't think it would've made me win but there was no need to poke me in the eye or bite me. It happens a lot with Indian guys. They poke a lot and they bite, but it's part of the sport," Jarvis said.

Sumit, however, denied the charge.

Later, in the last India bout of the day, Somveer ensured that it ended on a bright note as he clinched the 86kg category bronze.

Somveer rallied from a 1-3 deficit to defeat Canadian Alexander Moore in the play-off bout.

Earlier, double Olympic-medallist Sushil Kumar, Rahul Aware and Bajrang Punia had picked up gold medals for India on the first two days of the competition.

]]>
Wrestler Vinesh Phogat wins CWG goldhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/wrestler-vinesh-phogat-​wins-cwg-gold-1801484.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/wrestler-vinesh-phogat-​wins-cwg-gold-1801484.html#comments636c9d1e-eb6b-4fe7-8923-5dab4f6bb0c8Sat, 14 Apr 2018 13:29:00 +00002018-04-14T13:29:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Vinesh PhogatCommonwealth Games 2018GOLD COAST: India's Vinesh Phogat won gold in the women's 50-kilogram wrestling competition at the 21st Commonwealth Games (CWG) here on Saturday.

She ended at the top of the standings at the end of the Nordic (round robin) format.

]]>
Commonwealth Games: Boxer Amit Panghal finishes secondhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/commonwealth-games-boxer-amit-panghal-finishes-second-1801449.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/commonwealth-games-boxer-amit-panghal-finishes-second-1801449.html#comments9f0d775d-a291-49ad-9793-5d1c3608d5c7Sat, 14 Apr 2018 09:31:00 +00002018-04-14T12:59:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Amit Panghal,GC2018,GC2018 boxingCommonwealth Games 2018GOLD COAST: Indian boxer Amit Panghal finished with the silver medal in the men's light flyweight (49 kilogram) category at the 21st Commonwealth Games (CWG) here on Saturday.

Amit lost 1:3 to England's Galai Yafai in the final.

]]>
CWG 2018: Dipika Pallikal, Joshna Chinappa storms into squash women's doubles finalhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/cwg-2018-dipika-pallikal-joshna-chinappa-storms-into-squash-womens-doubles-final-1801476.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/cwg-2018-dipika-pallikal-joshna-chinappa-storms-into-squash-womens-doubles-final-1801476.html#comments829ce64f-7e86-4c72-8e77-4b0d4b1bad2fSat, 14 Apr 2018 12:23:00 +00002018-04-14T12:23:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Dipika Pallikal,Joshna Chinappa,Commonwealth Games 2018,GC2018,GC2018 squashCommonwealth Games 2018GOLD COAST: Defending champions Dipika Pallikal and Joshna Chinappa outplayed England's Laura Massaro and Sarah-Jane Perry to storm into the final of women's doubles squash at the 21st Commonwealth Games here on Saturday.

Dipika and Joshna prevailed in straight games 2-0 (11-10, 11-5) to seal their place in the final.

The Indian duo faced a stiff competition in the opening game with saw the tide tilting either side before Dipika and Joshna edged past in 13 minutes.

There was no match to the Indians in the second game, dominating the one-sided contest and picking it in mere 10 minutes.

The Indian duo will face New Zealand's Joelle King and Amanda Landers-Murphy in the final on Sunday.

Joelle and Amanda beat Australians Rachael Grinham and Donna Urquhart 2-0 (11-9, 11-5) in the other semi-final.

]]>
Commonwealth Games 2018: England humiliate India 6-0 to take bronze in women's hockeyhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/commonwealth-games-2018-england-humiliate-india-6-0-to-take-bronze-in-womens-hockey-1801445.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/commonwealth-games-2018-england-humiliate-india-6-0-to-take-bronze-in-womens-hockey-1801445.html#comments1a7576c8-6114-49f6-8fbd-d1c0fe690801Sat, 14 Apr 2018 08:53:00 +00002018-04-14T09:21:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182India vs ENgland,Women HockeyCommonwealth Games 2018Indian women hockey team suffered a humiliating 0-6 defeat in the bronze medal match against England to finish fourth at the Commonwealth Games, here today.

India could convert none of the five penalty corners and their defence line-up cracked under pressure in the final quarter to go out of the tournament on an embarrassing note.

India had beaten England 2-1 in Pool matches but was outclassed today.

It is now third straight time that Indian women's hockey team will return empty-handed from the Games as the last time it stood on podium was in 2006 when it won a silver.

Sophie Gray stood out with her stellar show as she steered her side to win with her three field goals while Laura Unsworth, Hollie Pearne-Webb and captain Alexandra Danson struck a goal each in England's commendable victory.

Navneet Kaur earned India's first penalty corner in the eighth minute.

However, it resulted in causing injury to Vandana Kataria as Gurjit Kaur's furious hit rebounded off England custodian's pads and hit Vandana on her forehead.

The freak injury forced Vandana out of the field.

India were given another penalty corner but the England defence was solid.

England captain Danson earned her team's penalty corner, three minutes later, but Savita stood like a rock in front of the goalpost, not allowing the ball to pass through.

Both team played a measured game with a mix of attack and defence and the second quarter also looked like going barren but moments before the break, India conceded a penalty corner and Hollie Pearne-Webb put England ahead by beating Indian goalkeeper with her hit which went past Savita.

Vandana took the field with bandage on her forehead and immediately made an impact as India got three back-to-back penalty corners.

However, India could convert none as England goalkeeper Madeleine Hinch and defence line foiled all attempts.

Indian players lacked variation and co-ordination to pull off the equaliser.

England too got its third PC soon but Hanah Martin could not beat Savita this time.

A defense lapse could have cost India but Laura Unsworth hit wide off a diagonal pass.

Just two minutes were left in the third quarter when Sophie Bray found the back of the net with a stunning reverse hit from top of the striking circle, doubling the lead for England.

India had no choice but to go all out and succeeded in getting another penalty corner in the first minute of the final quarter but conversion remained an issue.

Sophie, though, was yet again bang on target as she consolidated her team's lead.

Sophie trapped the ball which came from Hanah Martin's stick and beat three Indian defenders to slam it home.

Laura Unsworth, Sophie and Danson then put it beyond India by pumping in three quick goals.

]]>
Commonwealth Games 2018: Manika storms into table tennis women's singles finalhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/commonwealth-games-2018-manika-storms-into-table-tennis​-womens-singles-final-1801446.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/commonwealth-games-2018-manika-storms-into-table-tennis​-womens-singles-final-1801446.html#comments5ad0ec2d-0492-4e40-accc-3ca3d1db12b0Sat, 14 Apr 2018 09:06:00 +00002018-04-14T09:06:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Commonwealth Games,Manika BatraCommonwealth Games 2018GOLD COAST: India's Manika Batra came through in a tight encounter to make her way through to the final of women's singles table tennis competition at the 21st Commonwealth Games here on Saturday.

Manika defeated Tianwei Feng of Singapore 4-3 (12-10, 5-11, 11-8, 5-11, 5-11, 11-9, 13-11) in a topsy turvy encounter.

The Indian led two games to one before losing two games on the trot and trail the contest 2-3.

Manika, however managed to bounce back strongly in the final two games to clinch the nail-biting contest at the end.

In the final later on Saturday, Manika will take on another Singaporean Mengyu Yu, who defeated Canada's Mo Zhang 4-1 (11-7, 11-8, 9-11, 11-8, 11-5) in the other semi-final.

Mo Zhang and Tianwei Feng will now battle it out for the bronze medal, also on Saturday.

]]>
Never back down in face of adversity: CWG bronze medallist Manoj Kumarhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/never-back-down-in-face-of-adversity-cwg-bronze-medallist-manoj-kumar-1801444.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/commonwealth-games-2018/2018/Apr/14/never-back-down-in-face-of-adversity-cwg-bronze-medallist-manoj-kumar-1801444.html#commentse6480e41-c693-4218-b9a0-7ac363687b31Sat, 14 Apr 2018 08:39:00 +00002018-04-14T08:39:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Boxer,Manoj Kumar,Commonwealth Games 2018Commonwealth Games 2018GOLD COAST: His ancestry goes back to the third battle of Panipat, and Manoj Kumar, a rare Indian boxer to have claimed two Commonwealth Games medals, says his career too has been about fighting wars both inside and outside the ring.

A gold-medallist at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, Manoj signed off with a bronze medal at the ongoing edition in the welterweight 69kg division after losing to England's Pat McCormack last night.

His is a rare feat which has also been achieved by a certain Vijender Singh but minus the gold medal.

The 31-year-old Manoj is exuberance personified when he gets down to talking about life and boxing.

The many medals are punctuated by many stories of disappointment as well but his thoughts have never veered towards giving up, much like the small army of Marathas that fought the Afghan invaders way back in 1761.

"A Maratha in Haryana, how does that even sound? I belong to the Ror community, descendants of the Maratha soldiers who fought Afghans during the battle of Panipat. Fighting spirit runs in my veins. Giving up is never ever an option for me," said the two-time Asian Championships bronze-medallist.

"Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj never gave up, and I am admirer of him. I am a very stubborn person." The many battles of his life include fighting for a promotion with his employers the Railways Sports Promotion Board, something that was promised to him after the 2010 CWG gold but was never delivered.

Then there are the sponsors. Despite being one of India's most consistent performers in the last decade, Manoj has never quite caught the eye of sponsors and he can't understand why.

"There are times when I have gone to them with my pile of achievements but it never seems enough for them. I have seen boxers who are less accomplished than me get sponsors but somehow, they don't warm up to me," he said.

Even his Arjuna award in 2014 didn't come without a fight. He had to move the court after being overlooked despite fulfilling the requisite criteria as per a points system put in place by the Sports Ministry.

"I have only my elder brother and coach Rajesh as my support system professionally. I am not somebody who warms up easily to anyone," a surprising comment from someone who is a player' representative in the Boxing Federation of India's executive committee.

Ask him about becoming a two-time CWG medallist and he comes up with a cynical response.

"Will it make any difference to anyone, I don't know. How many boxers can claim two medals in a multi-sport event? And one of them is a gold. But then you can't be bogged down by all this, this is where the fighting spirit comes in," he explained.

He has represented India twice in the Olympics, losing in pre-quarters on both occasions but not without delivering his signature give-it-all performances. That has, in fact, been a hallmark of his career.

"For me, every bout is a now or never moment. I can't hold back for later, what if the later never comes," he said.

]]>