2018 Commonwealth Games Gold Coast, live blog: Heena Sidhu wins 25m pistol gold

Heena Sidhu won India’s 11th gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast on Tuesday when she went on to win the women’s 25m pistol final at the Belmont Shooting Centre. India have so far won 20 medals, including 11 gold, four silver and five bronze Down Under. The Indian men’s hockey team also progressed to the semi-finals with a 2-1 win over Malaysia while boxers Amit Phangal and Naman Tanwar also assured themselves of a bronze at least by entering the last four stage. The different disciplines where Indian athletes will be in action on Tuesday are shooting, hockey, lawn bowls, squash, swimming, athletics, badminton, table tennis and boxing. Get live updates from 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast here. (Full schedule of Indians in action on Tuesday | Medals tally | Live streaming)

14:22 hrs IST: Meanwhile, you can follow live updates of India vs South Africa, women’s hockey live blog here

14:00 hrs IST: In an hour’s time the Indian women’s hockey team will face South Africa in their final group game. A draw or win will take them into the semi-finals while a loss will put them out of medal contention

13:45 hrs IST: Squash action is coming up in some time with Dipika Pallikal and Saurav Ghosal in mixed doubles

13:32 hrs IST: Apart from Heena Sidhu and Manu Bhaker, Jitu Rai has won a shooting gold so far, finishing top in 10m air pistol men’s event yesterday with a Games record

13:30 hrs IST: Her coach, husband and the Indian shooting team’s manager Ronak Pandit was by her side as she spoke and when asked what went into maintaining consistency at the highest level, Sidhu turned to her better half for answers. “I guess it’s about ensuring that whether you compete at the Olympics or the state championships, the intensity and process remains the same. If an athlete can achieve that, the results will automatically come,” said Pandit

13:20 hrs IST: Annuraj Singh finished sixth with a final score of a disappointing 15. Sidhu, however, was in terrific form after qualifying third with a score of 579 despite admitting to struggling with her trigger finger owing to a nerve problem. “Thankfully, my trigger which has been giving me some trouble because of a tingling sensation was alright today. I didn’t feel that tingling too much,” Sidhu said. “The 10m air pistol final is a blur to me, I couldn’t feel my fingers during that. I have been undergoing physiotherapy for this problem but for today, I told my physio not to touch me. I just let it be and to my relief it went off well.”

13:10 hrs IST: This was Sidhu’s second medal at Gold Coast after having claimed a silver in 10m air pistol behind 16-year-old compatriot Manu Bhaker. Incidentally, this is her first major medal in the 25m pistol event with most of her other podium finishes being in 10m air pistol. “I am exhausted, those are my thoughts on today’s performance,” Sidhu told PTI after her gold

13:03 hrs IST: Heena Sidhu picked up India’s third gold medal in shooting at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, finishing on top in the women’s 25m pistol event and also breaking a Games record in the process. The 28-year-old shot a final score of 38, two of the series being perfect fives, to claim the top honours ahead of Australian Elena Galiabovitch (35). The bronze medal went to Malaysia’s Alia Azahari (26)

12:50 hrs IST: This was Heena’s second medal at the 21st Games after having claimed the silver in the 10m air pistol event behind 16-year-old compatriot Manu Bhaker. Earlier, 2014 silver medallist Gagan Narang signed off a disappointing seventh while debutant Chain Singh finished fourth in the 50m rifle prone event at the Belmont Shooting Centre. Narang, who qualified third for the final with a score of 619.4, went out after the first stage of elimination

12:40 hrs IST: Just to recap, Heena Sidhu picked up India’s third gold medal in shooting at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, finishing on top in women’s 25m pistol finals and also breaking the Games record in the process. The 28-year-old shot a final score of 38, two of them perfect fives, to claim the top honours ahead of Australian Elena Galiabovitch

12:30 hrs IST: It is a little light as of now as not many Indians involved. Indians will get into action post 2 PM in squash, hockey, athletics etc

12:17 hrs IST: Indian table tennis player Maitreyee Sarkar lost to local girl Melissa Tapper 0-3 in the women’s TT6-10 singles Group 1

12:02 hrs IST: So Indian athletes have ensured that they have won at least one medal every day of the Games

11:47 hrs IST: India’s para powerlifter Sakina Khatun finished fifth in women’s lightweight category out of

11:40 hrs IST: So shooting action is over for today

11:34 hrs IST: Heena Sidhu has become the first Indian athlete to win two medals at the 2018 Commonwealth Games

11:30 hrs IST: Super effort from Heena, who also won the women’s 10m air pistol silver on Sunday. Two medals from her at this event

11:26 hrs IST: In winning the medal, Heena has also created the Commonwealth Games record!

11:25 hrs IST:Heena Sindhu has done it! She wins the women’s 25m pistol gold medal, India’s first medal of Tuesday and 11th overall

11:21 hrs IST: Heena Sidhu among the last two contenders left! Gold or silver?

11:16 hrs IST: Medal confirmed for India but which one will it be! She is among the top-3

11:14 hrs IST: Five contenders left now

11:13 hrs IST: Annu Singh is sixth and gets eliminated from women’s 25m pistol final

11:10 hrs IST: Annu Singh saves herself from elimination but only for now. She is sixth and in last spot

11:08 hrs IST: Heena Sidhu is now second but Annu seventh and could get eliminated

11:06 hrs IST: Heena Sidhu is third and Annu Singh sixth out of eight competitors after Stage 1 and now starts elimination

11:05 hrs IST: The women’s 25m pistol final has started

11:03 hrs IST: Naman won by a 5:0 decision

11:02 hrs IST: And Naman Tanwar enters men’s 91 kg semis! Another medal assured for India!

11:00 hrs IST: Naman Tanwar should easily win this bout, he is easily the better boxer of the two

10:57 hrs IST: “Even when you are not playing at your best and still are successful then something beautiful is going to happen to you,” said Indian hockey team coach Sjoerd Marijne. “Things are coming around. They have not reached the level I want them to be but they are coming around. I am happy that we won the match. The performance was definitely better than what it in the last match against Wales.”

10:54 hrs IST: Naman Tanwar also has an open stance, much like 2006 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Akhil Kumar, who many of the new boxers idolise

10:53 hrs IST: Naman Tanwar’s bout has begun against Frank Masoe of Samoa in the men’s 91 kg quarterfinal

10:50 hrs IST: The final shooting event of the day - women’s 25m pistol finals - is about to start soon. Annu Singh and Heena Sidhu will be the two Indians taking part in it

10:41 hrs IST: India’s Sakina Khatun is in action in women’s lightweight para powerlifting

10:33 hrs IST: Meanwhile in women’s pairs sectional play, Lovely and Rupa lost narrowly 14-15 to Northern Ireland duo of Catherine Beattie and Sandra Bailie in a Round 3 match. Earlier on Tuesday, the Indian pair beat Jersey’s Rachel Macdonald and Christine Grimes 22-12 in Round 2

10:28 hrs IST: India’s Krishna Xalxo and the women’s pair of Lovely Choubey and Rupa Rani Tirkey had mixed fortunes in their respective lawn bowls events. In men’s singles sectional play, Krishna lost 18-21 to Jamaican Andrew Newell in a Round 4 tie at Broadbeach. Krishna squandered a bright start to lose the plot later on even as the Jamaican right bounced back to emerge victorious. Earlier, Krishna started the day, thrashing Fiji’s Arun Kumar 21-11 in Round 3. Krishna got off to an aggressive start and continued his momentum right through the match even as the Fijian missed his first two shots before making a futile effort to match the Indian

10:20 hrs IST: The next Indian to take the field is Naman Tanwar who will face Samoan Frank Masoe in the men’s 91 kg quarterfinal in some time

10:10 hrs IST: Meanwhile, PTI is reporting that an unidentified Indian shooter’s father tried to enter the Commonwealth Games athletes lounge at the Belmont Shooting Centre today but was told to back off after his accreditation was found to be invalid. Claiming to be the personal coach of one of the female members of the Indian shooting team, the man in question tried to enter the lounge but was told to leave by the National Rifles Association of India (NRAI) president Raninder Singh

10:03 hrs IST: An English road cyclist said she was “gutted” after her Commonwealth Games dreams were shattered because team officials failed to register her for a race. Melissa Lowther was forced out of the individual time trial after an administrative blunder meant she was not formally entered into the event on Australia’s Gold Coast. “I can’t put into words how disappointed I am to have been missed off the start list due to an admin error,” the 21-year-old wrote on Instagram

09:58 hrs IST: Indian para paddler Vaishnavi Sutar went down 0-3 to Canada’s Stephanie Chan in women’s TT6-10 singles Group 2. Vaishnavi failed to put up a fight in any of the three games to go down meekly 1-11, 2-11, 3-11 to the Canadian. The Indian will next take on Faith Obazuaye of Nigeria on Wednesday

09:52 hrs IST: Indian squash players Dipika Pallikal and Saurav Ghosal comfortably whipped past Guyana’s Mary Fung-a-Fat and Jason-Ray Khalil 2-0 in a mixed doubles Pool E clash. The Indian duo merely took 13 minutes to breeze past the Guyana pair 11-3, 11-3 at the Oxenford Studios. Dipika and Saurav will next take on Pakistan’s Madina Zafar and Tayyab Aslam later on Tuesday

09:48 hrs IST: Amit won his bout 4:1 against Scotland’s Aqeel Ahmed

09:42 hrs IST: And Amit Phangal wins his bout and enters the men’s 49 kg semi-finals! Another medal assured for India!

09:36 hrs IST: If Amit wins this then another medal will be confirmed, this time in boxing as both losing semi-finalists in boxing get bronze

09:30 hrs IST: And it is Indian boxer Amit Phangal’s bout against Aqeel Ahmed of Scotland in men’s 49 kg quarterfinal

09:20 hrs IST: However, India’s next medal contest will be Annu Singh and Heena Sidhu taking part in women’s 25m pistol final at 11 AM IST

09:15 hrs IST: Action in squash, lawn bowls, table tennis, athletics in going on at the Commonwealth Games which includes many Indians

09:06 hrs IST: Indian badminton players Satwik Rankireddy and Ashwini Ponnappa have beaten Guernsey’s Stuart Hardy and Chloe Le Tissier 21-9, 21-5 in 20 minutes to advance to the mixed doubles Round of 32

09:02 hrs IST: Indian para swimmer Vaishnavi Vinod Jagtap managed to enter the women’s S8 50 metre freestyle final by clocking 41.63 seconds to finish sixth out of seven swimmers in the heat at the Optus Aquatic Centre. The Indian was 10.22 seconds adrift of Australia’s Lakeisha Patterson, who topped the heat, registering 31.41 seconds

08:56 hrs IST: India’s Farman Basha finished fifth in the men’s lightweight in para powerlifting after he struggled to get going, failing in two of his three attempts. He was never in medal contention, failing to lift 138 kilograms in his first attempt. He then had a successful lift of 140 kg in his second attempt before failing at 150 kg in his final attempt for a total of 169.4 points. Ashok, the second Indian in the fray, finished last in the field of 11 competitors as he could not manage a single successful attempt

08:51 hrs IST: Gagan Narang and Chain Singh fail to win a medal in men’s 50m rifle prone final. While Gagan finished seventh, Chain missed out on the bronze by finishing fourth

08:49 hrs IST: Chain Singh is fourth and out! No medals from this event

08:45 hrs IST: Chain has dropped to fourth! Five shooters left

08:43 hrs IST: Olympic bronze medallist Gagan Narang is seventh and eliminated from the men’s 50m rifle prone final

08:41 hrs IST: A Scottish shooter has been eliminated

08:40 hrs IST: Chain is fifth and Gagan is seventh after 10 shots! Elimination starts now

08:38 hrs IST: Gagan Narang is third after the first five shots and Chain Singh is sixth

08:35 hrs IST: Heena meanwhile, started slowly before climbing up the standings with an awesome show in rapid. She was below par in precision and was lagging at seventh with 286. She struggled with her opening couple of shots in precision with disappointing efforts of 95 and 93 before recovering somewhat with a 98 in her third and last attempt. Heena started rapid poorly as well as she could only manage 95 in her opening attempt. But she saved her best for her last two shots, firing consecutive scores of 99 to zoom to third

08:30 hrs IST: Indian shooters Annu Singh and Heena Sidhu entered the final of the women’s 25 metres pistol event. Annu finished the qualification stage in second spot with a total of 584 points while Heena was third with 579. Annu had taken pole position in precision with 293 and managed 291 in rapid. She registered a series of 96, 99 and 98 in precision and was consistent in rapid too with scores of 98, 96 and 97

08:20 hrs IST: India’s next major medal event is the men’s 50m rifle prone finals where Gagan Narang and Chain Singh are contenders for medals

08:10 hrs IST: Indian athlete Ayyasamy Dharun has failed to qualify for the men’s 400m hurdles final. He clocked 49.85 seconds to finish fifth out of seven competitors in his heat

08:05 hrs IST: Indian swimmer Vaishnavi Vinod Jagtap has qualified for the women’s S8 50m freestyle final that will be held at 1602 hours IST

08:03 hrs IST: Indian squash players Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal have beaten Pakistan’s Faiza Zafar and Madina Zafar 2-1 in a women’s doubles Pool C match

07:58 hrs IST: India had a chance to consolidate the lead but Harmanpreet missed out on completing a hat-trick when his penalty corner shot was saved by Rahman in the 58th minute. But the main news is that the Indian men’s hockey team has qualified for the semi-finals

07:55 hrs IST: India had the chance to reclaim the lead but Varun Kumar failed to convert a penalty corner, hitting it wide in the 18th minute. In the 22nd minute, Mandeep Singh came close to scoring but his attempt was saved by Malaysian goalkeeper Hairi Abd Rahman. Indian goalkeeper PR Sreejesh produced a strong performance to thwart the Malaysian onslaught in the second half, including two penalty corner saves

07:53 hrs IST: India earned as many as nine penalty corners during the match, the first of which came just two minutes into the game. Harmanpreet converted it to give the team early advantage. The Malaysians claimed one of their own in the sixth minute but Razie Rahim missed out on the opportunity to equalise for his team. However, Malaysia did not have to wait too long to put themselves on the scoreboard as Faizal Saari sounded the board with a field goal in the 16th minute

07:51 hrs IST: A profligate Indian hockey team huffed and puffed into the semi-finals after beating lower-ranked Malaysia 2-1 in a draining Pool B encounter. Drag flick specialist Harmanpreet Singh (3rd minute and 44th minutes) scored twice from penalty corners to steer India to the win. Faizal Saari (16th minute) pulled off the lone goal for Malaysia

07:46 hrs IST: Gagan was consistent throughout the qualification round, starting off with 102.5 before shooting a superb 104.8 in his second attempt. He bolstered his position with 102.3, 103.2 and 103.4 in his next three attempts. However, a poor 100.8 in his final attempt ended his chances of finishing among the top two. Chain meanwhile, had a superb start with 104.3, 104.2 and 103.1 in his opening three attempts. However, he slipped down the standings with a 100.9. He then managed an attempt of 102.3 before fizzling out with a below par 99.4 in his last shot

07:41 hrs IST: Indian shooter Annu Singh took pole position at the end of the precision round in the qualification stage of women’s 25 metre pistol event. Annu registered a series of 96, 99 and 98 for a total of 293 points. Heena Sidhu, the other Indian in the fray, was seventh with 286. She struggled with her opening couple of shots with disappointing efforts of 95 and 93 before recovering somewhat with a 98 in her third and last attempt

07:30 hrs IST: Indian shooters Gagan Narang and Chain Singh entered the final of the men’s 50m rifle prone event. Gagan finished the qualifying round in third position with 617 points while Chain was sixth, having scored a total of 614.2. The final will begin at 8:30 AM IST

07:25 hrs IST: India will be eyeing more medals today. Let us see who gets what

07:20 hrs IST: Hello and welcome to the live blog of the 2018 Commonwealth Games this Tuesday

Indian hopes will be pinned on Heena Sidhu, Gagan Narang, Chain Singh and Annu Singh in shooting, while in hockey, the women’s team will face South Africa and the men’s team will take on Malaysia.

Joshna Chinappa, Dipika Pallikal, Sourav Ghosal and Harinder Pal Sandhu will start India’s squash campaign on Tuesday as well.

In athletics, Muhammed Anas’s 400m final will be closely followed by fans back home in India.