Day 6 report: India's Heena Sidhu won gold in the women's 25 metre pistol event, while para-lifter Sachin Chaudhary earned a bronze while five boxers assured at least a medal each on Tuesday at the Commonwealth Games. Meanwhile, both the men's and the women's hockey teams entered the semi-finals.
Heena, who finished third in qualifying, notched up a new CWG record of 38 points, even as other shooters disappointed, with Chain Singh and Gagan Narang finishing fourth and seventh respectively. Heena's medal was India's eighth in shooting, even as she bagged her second medal after her silver medal in the 10m air pistol on Sunday.
Shreyasi Singh shoots during the women's double trap final in Brisbane. AP
The other medal was a surprise as Sachin lifted the combined effort of 181 points. In his first two attempts, he failed to lift 201 kg but he did so in the final attempt to finish in the top-three to take India's medal tally to 21 medals. India are third in the medal's table — behind Australia (130 medals) and England (74 medals).
Among other superlative performances, quarter-miler Mohammad Anas registered a national record but that was not enough to give him a podium finish in the men's 400 metres. Reigning Asian champion Anas finished the race in 45.31 seconds to improve on his own national record mark, while the bronze medallist of the event, Javon Francis delivered a season best with a timing of 45.11 seconds.
In the women's 400m semi-finals, Hima posted a personal best of 51.53 seconds to improve on her previous best of 51.97 seconds to advance to the final. Finishing third in the semi-final 1, she reached the final on the basis of having the top-two timings among the competitors who didn't finish top-two in each of the three heats.
Boxers brightened India's day with Amit Panghal, Naman Tanwar, Mohammed Hussamuddin, Manoj Kumar and Satish Kumar assuring the country at least a medal each as they reached the semi-finals of their respective weights categories.
The day started with Amit Panghal defeating Aqeel Ahmed of Scotland 4:1 in a men's light flyweight (49 kg) quarter-final and Naman outplaying Samoa's Frank Masoe by a unanimous 5:0 verdict in the heavyweight (91kg) division.
Later in the day, in men's 56kg category, Hussamuddin overpowered Muilenga Everisto of Zambia in a unanimous 5:0 verdict while Manoj defeated Australia's Terry Nickolas 4:1 in the 69kg category. Satish also won his bout with a split 4:1 decision in plus 91kg quarter-final bout.
Meanwhile, India defeated Botswana 16-9 to reach the fourth round of the lawn bowls men's Fours Sectional event, while Krishna Xalxo thrashed Fiji's Arun Kumar 21-11 in Round 3 but lost 18-21 to Jamaican Andrew Newell in a Round 4 tie.
(With inputs from IANS)
Published Date: Apr 11, 2018 05:57 AM | Updated Date: Apr 11, 2018 13:09 PM
Highlights
Vikas Krishan ensures another medal for India
India will have another boxing medal after Vikas Krishan breezed past Benny Muziyo of Zambia in their 75kg quarter-final. He was clinical in the fight — guard up, and fierce punches to the Zambian’s body. He wrapped up the bout with an unanimous points verdict.
GOLD MEDAL FOR INDIA
Shreyasi Singh wins the gold medal in the women's double trap event. She beat Australia's Emma Cox in the shootout.
This is India's 12th gold medal in the Commonwealth Games!
Gaurav Solanki enters 52kg semi-final
The Papua New Guinea boxer is relying on the power of his solo punches so far, but Solanki's advantage lies in his combination punches. He's dominated this round too. And it's not surprising that he's won this bout on a unanimous points verdict. He's in the semis. And that's another medal assured for India.
Sarita Devi loses to Anja Stridsman
India have had a lot of success in the boxing ring in the past few days. But Sarita Devi will not be among the medals at Gold Coast. She's been thoroughly dominated by the Australian in this quarter-final bout.
Mary Kom enters 48kg final
The Commonwealth Games is the one medal missing from Mary Kom's kitty and she's showed just how desperate she is to win it. She came out all guns blazing and continued to fight like you would expect a five-time world champion to do — throwing a flurry of punches and not giving an inch. The unanimous points victory over Sri Lanka's Anusha Dilrukshi Koddithuwakku is just a reiteration of what we already know — that she's a class act.
Mitharval bags second medal at Gold Coast
Om Mitharval bags bronze medal in the 50m pistol men's final to win his second medal of the Commonwealth Games 2018
Om Mitharval assures himself of second medal
Om Mitharval in silver medal position but with just three shooters in the fray, Om Mitharval has assured himself of another medal
Early exit for Jitu Rai
Jitu Rai fails to recover and is the first one to be eliminated in 50m pistol men's final. However, on a positive nore Om Mitharval is in second spot after 12 shots
Jitu Rai, Om Mitharval qualify for finals of 50m pistol men
Two days after winning gold and bronze in the men’s 10m air pistol event, Jitu Rai and Om Mitharval are in action in the 50m pistol men. After the qualification stage, Jitu has finished sixth while Mitharval is on top.
Jitu shot 93 in his first series and followed it up with a 91, 87, 89, 93 and 89 while his compatriot’s scores in the six qualification series read: 89, 90, 92, 95, 89, 94.
Unfortunately for Mitharval, scores from qualification don’t get carried over in the finals. All eight competitors start at zero in the finals.
13:07 (IST)
Badminton: Women's singles
Saina Nehwal trounces Elsle de Villiers 21-3, 21-1 to enter the last-16 of the event. The Indian played a series of drop shots to stretch her opponent.
13:04 (IST)
1-19! De Villiers finally wins a point in this game. Saina couldn't judge the speed of the shuttle.
12:59 (IST)
11-0! CARNAGE
Saina Nehwal is just toying around at the moment. She hasn't allowed De Villers to cover the net. Domination!
12:55 (IST)
Badminton: Women's singles
Saina Nehwal bags the first game 21-3. Easy-peasy for the second seed shuttler as she dominates the frontcourt with attacking strokes.
12:52 (IST)
16-3! Saina is running away with the lead. De Villers is finding it difficult to play shots near her backhand corner. Brilliant strokes by the Indian shuttler.
12:50 (IST)
She has an 11-point lead at the mid-game break.
12:48 (IST)
Meanwhile, Saina Nehwal is in action against South Africa's Elsle de Villers in the R32 of women's singles event.
The Indian shuttler takes a massive 6-0 lead in the opening game. She is also the second seed in this tournament.
12:44 (IST)
Table tennis: Mixed doubles
Now that's a comfortable victory for Manika Batra and Sathiyan over the Malaysian duo. The Indian pair enters the Round of 16.
12:41 (IST)
Table tennis update:
11:57 (IST)
Ankur Mittal added a bronze medal to India’s kitty with a superb effort in an exciting double trap final in which he was in front for much of the time. He was tied for the top spot with Scotland’s David McMath at 46/50 but his shooting was not the same after an official walked up to him and had a word before the shooting resumed. For someone had missed only four birds out of 50 shots in the final, the 26-year-old Delhiite who won silver medal in the World Championship in Moscow in September last year, ended up missing three of the next 10 and had to settle for bronze behind McMath and Isle of Man’s Tim Kneale. The last named had a similar score of 53/60 but went to the final round of 10 shots because he had finished higher than Ankur Mittal in the qualification. Mohammed Asab, the Indian bronze medallist from 2014, finished fourth after having shot a creditable 137/150 in qualifying.
11:43 (IST)
Ankur Mittal claims bronze in double trap men's finals
11:40 (IST)
Double Trap Men's Finals
India’s Asab Mohammed is eliminated after 50 shots with a score of 43 (50). Meanwhile, Ankur Mittal is tied with David McMath at the top!
Interesting next round...
11:04 (IST)
Shreyasi Singh wins gold after shoot-off drama
Shreyasi Singh fetched India their 12th gold at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast by improving the colour of her second medal in the Commonwealth Games double trap event, having won silver four years earlier in Glagow. The 26-year-old from Delhi won a shoot-off for the gold medal against Australian Emma Cox who surprisingly missed 12 of her 30 shots in the fourth round after appearing to be firmly on road to title victory. The two shooters finished with identical scores of 96 from their 120 shots in four rounds. In the shoot off, Shreyasi shot both birds while Emma Cox, an ISSF World Cup winner in 2016, missed one and ceded gold to the Indian in dramatic fashion.
10:57 (IST)
Smart tactics helped Vikas Krishan
Vikas Krishan gained the five judges’ nod in a unanimous points decision against Zambia’s Benny Muziyo to get into the 75kg class semi-finals and assured himself of medal on Commonwealth Games debut. He thus became the third Indian boxer, after Mary Kom (women’s 48kg class) and Gaurav Solanki (men’s 52kg), to be guaranteed a podium place in Gold Coast. Vikas Krishan went into the bout against a taller opponent with a sound game plan. He let the Zambian expend much of his energy in the opening round before landing punches himself. He gained the upper-hand against the 2014 bronze medallist with smart tactics and it was no surprise that the final verdict was a 5-0 in favour of the policeman from Bhiwani.
10:53 (IST)
Vikas Krishan ensures another medal for India
India will have another boxing medal after Vikas Krishan breezed past Benny Muziyo of Zambia in their 75kg quarter-final. He was clinical in the fight — guard up, and fierce punches to the Zambian’s body. He wrapped up the bout with an unanimous points verdict.
10:48 (IST)
Mohammed Asab and Ankur Mittal enter finals at a canter
Mohammed Asab and Ankur Mittal gave themselves a shot at the double trap medals by entering the final without much ado. In the 150-shot qualifying in the event that has been dropped from the Olympic Games programme, the 30-year-old Asab shot 137 to get into a shoot-off with David McMath (Scotland). Asab, who won a bronze in the 2014 Games in Glasgow, will be hoping to sustain the good form in the final. He started off with a perfect 30 and followed it up with scores of 27, 29 and 26 to hold top position. A 25 in the final round meant that he had allowed McMath to force a tie at 137. Ankur Mittal, the 26-year-old Delhiite who won silver medal in the World Championships in Moscow in September last year, rallied from a 25 in the second round to finish fifth with 133.
10:42 (IST)
GOLD MEDAL FOR INDIA
Shreyasi Singh wins the gold medal in the women's double trap event. She beat Australia's Emma Cox in the shootout.
This is India's 12th gold medal in the Commonwealth Games!
09:57 (IST)
Sharath Kamal-Mouma Das win Round of 32 tie
The Sri Lanka mixed-doubles pair of Rohan Sirisena and Ishara Madurangi were no match to their Indian opponents. Sharath Kamal and Mouma Das have progressed to the Round of 16 after winning the tie 3-1.
09:38 (IST)
Yet another medal for India
Gaurav Solanki, 21-year-old from Services pugilist from Ballabgarh near Delhi, became the first Indian male to enter the semifinals of the Commonwealth Games when he beat Papua New Guinea’s Charles Keama with a unanimous verdict in their 52kg class quarterfinal. Having beaten the more experienced Kavinder Singh Bisht in the trials back home, he carried his confidence through, landing punches that impressed all five judges to score in his favour. His improvement in the past couple of years has helped him transition from being a good boxer at the youth level into someone who means business in the senior ranks as well.
09:29 (IST)
Gaurav Solanki enters 52kg semi-final
The Papua New Guinea boxer is relying on the power of his solo punches so far, but Solanki's advantage lies in his combination punches. He's dominated this round too. And it's not surprising that he's won this bout on a unanimous points verdict. He's in the semis. And that's another medal assured for India.
09:22 (IST)
Solanki dominating
Solanki has not let up in the second round either. How devastating is that right hand? The Papua New Guinea boxer is explosive, but the Indian has a measure of him.
09:20 (IST)
Advantage Gaurav Solanki after Round 1
Gaurav Solanki has started on the front foot against Papua New Guinea's Charles Keama, landing a few solid left jabs in his opening round.
09:06 (IST)
Sarita Devi failed to bring her A game to the ring
India’s Sarita Devi was unable to bring her A game to the ring and lost her 60kg quarter-final bout to Australia’s Anja Stridsman in a unanimous decision. Having beaten Barbados’ Kimberley Gittens in the pre-quarter-finals, she looked sluggish in the bout that stood between her and second successive Commonwealth Games medal. That two judges scored only one round each her favour is a fair indication of how Sarita Devi fought the bruising battle against the 31-year-old home favourite. She thus became the second Indian woman boxer after Lovlina Borgohain (69kg class) to bow out of the medal race. While Mary Kom has made it to the final of the 48kg class, Pinki Rani (51kg) awaits her quarter-final match with England’s Lisa Whiteside later today.
08:44 (IST)
Mohd Ashab on top after fourth round
What a day Mohd Ashab is having! He's still on top after four rounds in the men's double trap qualification event with a score of 112. Compatriot Ankur Mittal is fifth, just six shots behind. One more round to go.
08:30 (IST)
Sarita Devi loses to Anja Stridsman
India have had a lot of success in the boxing ring in the past few days. But Sarita Devi will not be among the medals at Gold Coast. She's been thoroughly dominated by the Australian in this quarter-final bout.
08:15 (IST)
Sarita Devi in trouble against Anja Stridsman
Sarita Devi looked exhausted after the opening round against home favourite Anja Stridsman. It was a pretty even first round, with both boxers finding their mark. But the Australian's hooks seem to be unnervingly accurate for the Indian's liking. The Australian seemed even more devastating in the second round. One more round to go. Winner assures herself of a medal. Sarita needs something special in the last round
08:14 (IST)
Shooting: Om Prakash Mitharval picked up a second bronze medal on his maiden foray into the Commonwealth Games but he will be disappointed that his final two shots of 7.2 and 7.6 kept him away from a higher medal in the 50m pistol after his consistency kept him in the running for the top place. The 22-year-odl armyman from Rajasthan slid from second place to be eliminated with a score of 201.1, leaving Bangaldesh’s Shakil Ahmed to try and stop Australia’s 2014 bronze medallist Daniel Repacholi from claiming gold this time. Om Prakash Mitharwal’s army colleague and senior Jitu Rai, the defending champion, was the first to be eliminated in the final with three 7s in his first 10 shots and picking up his first shot of 10 when it was too late. Om Prakash Mitharwal’s second medal helped India increase its tally to 22 with 11 gold, four silver and seven bronze medals.
08:06 (IST)
Mary makes a mark
MC Mary Kom,35, played the waiting game against Sri Lankan Anusha Dilrukshi, 39, and scored at every opportunity to convince all five judges to give her identical 30-27 decisions. She thus became the first Indian boxer to get into the final at the Commonwealth Games and ensured that she would be in the title bout on her maiden appearance in the Games after having won five World Championships, an Olympic Games bronze and many more accolades. She will meet the winner of the bout between Kristina O’Hara (Nigeria) and Tasmyn Benny (New Zealand). The final will be fought on 14 April.
08:06 (IST)
Shooting: Om Prakash Mitharval picked up a second bronze medal on his maiden foray into the Commonwealth Games but he will be disappointed that his final two shots of 7.2 and 7.6 kept him away from a higher medal in the 50m pistol after his consistency kept him in the running for the top place. The 22-year-odl armyman from Rajasthan slid from second place to be eliminated with a score of 201.1, leaving Bangaldesh’s Shakil Ahmed to try and stop Australia’s 2014 bronze medallist Daniel Repacholi from claiming gold this time. Om Prakash Mitharwal’s army colleague and senior Jitu Rai, the defending champion, was the first to be eliminated in the final with three 7s in his first 10 shots and picking up his first shot of 10 when it was too late. Om Prakash Mitharwal’s second medal helped India increase its tally to 22 with 11 gold, four silver and seven bronze medals.
07:58 (IST)
Mary Kom enters 48kg final
The Commonwealth Games is the one medal missing from Mary Kom's kitty and she's showed just how desperate she is to win it. She came out all guns blazing and continued to fight like you would expect a five-time world champion to do — throwing a flurry of punches and not giving an inch. The unanimous points victory over Sri Lanka's Anusha Dilrukshi Koddithuwakku is just a reiteration of what we already know — that she's a class act.
07:56 (IST)
Mitharval bags second medal at Gold Coast
Om Mitharval bags bronze medal in the 50m pistol men's final to win his second medal of the Commonwealth Games 2018
07:52 (IST)
Om Mitharval assures himself of second medal
Om Mitharval in silver medal position but with just three shooters in the fray, Om Mitharval has assured himself of another medal
07:49 (IST)
Mitharval going strong
Om Mitharval in gold medal position after 18 shots with a score of 186.5
07:43 (IST)
Early exit for Jitu Rai
Jitu Rai fails to recover and is the first one to be eliminated in 50m pistol men's final. However, on a positive nore Om Mitharval is in second spot after 12 shots
07:41 (IST)
Om Mitharval on top, Jitu Rai struggling to stay alive
Jitu Rai is in 8th position with just two shots to for the first elimination. However, India's Om Mitharval is top after 10 shots. Mixed final so far for India. Can Jitu Rai prevent an early exit?
07:38 (IST)
Slow start for Jitu Rai
After 5 shots Jitu Rai is in 8th position, while Om Mitharval is in 4th position.
07:34 (IST)
Jitu Rai and Om Mitharval in final action
Jitu Rai and Om Mitharval will vie for medals in 50m pistol men's final.
07:16 (IST)
Mohd Ashab on top in men's double trap, Ankur Mittal fifth
Meanwhile, in the men's double trap qualification, India's Mohd Ashab and Ankur Mittal are in the top five at the half-way mark of the finals. Here's how the leaderboard looks after three rounds.
06:39 (IST)
Shreyasi Singh on top, Varsha Varman sixth in women's double trap finals after first round
06:22 (IST)
Maitreyee Sarkar wins opener, Vaishnavi Sutar loses
In women's singles table tennis group matches, Maitreyee Sarkar has beaten Papua New Guinea's Vero Nime 11-2, 11-9, 11-2. However, Vaishnavi Sutar has suffered a 0-11, 2-11, 2-11 defeat against Nigeria's Faith Obazuaye.
06:15 (IST)
Low scores, but Indians breeze into final
India’s Om Prakash Mitharval and Jitu Rai put themselves in line for their second medal each in the Commonwealth Games 2018 shooting competition. The Army marksmen entered the final of the 50m pistol on a day when the scores were not high. Om Prakash Mitharval topped the eight qualifiers with a total of 549. He had series of 89, 90, 92 95, 89 and 94 but will hope that he can shoot more 10s in the final than the six that he managed in qualifying. Jitu Rai, winner of the 10m air pistol gold, came up with 542 after a series of scores that read 93, 91, 87, 89, 93 and 89 including eight 10s to be in sixth place. The Games record of 562 in qualifying, standing in Jitu Rai’s name, was not in danger of being lowered today. The final is scheduled for 7.30 am.
06:12 (IST)
Mitherval on top, Jitu sixth
06:11 (IST)
Jitu Rai, Om Mitharval qualify for finals of 50m pistol men
Two days after winning gold and bronze in the men’s 10m air pistol event, Jitu Rai and Om Mitharval are in action in the 50m pistol men. After the qualification stage, Jitu has finished sixth while Mitharval is on top.
Jitu shot 93 in his first series and followed it up with a 91, 87, 89, 93 and 89 while his compatriot’s scores in the six qualification series read: 89, 90, 92, 95, 89, 94.
Unfortunately for Mitharval, scores from qualification don’t get carried over in the finals. All eight competitors start at zero in the finals.
05:00 (IST)
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Day 7 of the Commonwealth Games, being held at the Gold Coast in Australia. There are a lot of Indians in action today across sports.
While Mary Kom competes for a place in the final, other India boxers like Sarita Devi, Vikas Krishan, Gaurav Solanki and Pinki Rani could assure India of medals by winning their respective quarter-finals.
In badminton, Rio Olympics silver medallist PV Sindhu will begin her charge towards the Commonwealth Games gold as will London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal. Kidambi Srikanth, India's best bet for a medal in the men's singles event, will take on Aatish Lubah. Table tennis, meanwhile, will see men's singles as well as doubles action.
India's high jumper Tejaswin Sankar, and long jumper Nayana James are also in the fray.
It promises to be an action-packed day. Catch all the action live right here.