Day 10 report: Neeraj Chopra and Manika Batra clinched India's first-ever gold medals in men's javelin throw and women's singles table tennis respectively while boxers Vikas Krishan, M.C. Mary Kom and Gaurav Solanki claimed top podium finishes. Golden wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Sumit Kumar and shooter Sanjeev Rajput took third-placed India's tally to 59 medals (25 gold, 16 silver, 18 bronze) at the end of Day 10 of the 2018 Commonwealth Games on Saturday.
Among other success stories, defending champions Dipika Pallikal and Joshna Chinappa stormed into the final of women's doubles category while Dipika and Saurav Ghosal clinched silver in the mixed doubles, even as both the men's and the women's hockey teams lost to England in the bronze medal matches.
Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy aim to win gold in men's doubles. Reuters
Moreover, shuttlers PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, Kidambi Srikanth and men's doubles pair of Satwik Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty reached the finals while the women's doubles combine of Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy bagged the bronze medal.
Paddlers also had a great day, with the men's doubles pairs of Achanta Sharath Kamal and Gnanasekaran Sathiyan, and Harmeet Desai and Sanil Shankar Shetty bagged the silver and bronze medal respectively on a day three boxers Satish Kumar (91kg), Amit Panghal (49kg) and Manish Kaushik (60kg) settled for silvers.
However, Mary, a five-time world champion, defeated Kristina O'Hara of Northern Ireland by a unanimous 5:0 verdict to take the women's 48kg title in probably her final CWG campaign.
Vikas defeated Dieudonne Wilfried Seyi Ntsengue of Cameroon by a 5:0 unanimous verdict in a close contest in the 75kg category, while Gaurav (52kg) won by a split 4:1 verdict against Brendan Irvine of Northern Ireland.
Meanwhile, India's Manish had to be content with silver in the men's lightweight (60kg) division after losing 2:3 to Harry Garside of Australia in a hard-fought final.
Amit finished with the silver medal after losing 1:3 to England's Galai Yafai in the final, while Satish lost the final of the 91kg category, losing 0-5 by unanimous verdict to England's Frazer Clarke. This is the first time India got a silver medal in the super heavyweight category in the CWG.
Apart from these six boxers, three others, Muhammed Hussamuddin, Naman Tanwar and Manoj Kumar claimed bronze medals on Friday as Indian completed its boxing campaign with nine medals.
In athletics, javelin thrower Neeraj delighted the country as he registered his season's best performance of 86.47 metres to win the final, while Vipin Kashana, the other Indian in the fray, took the fifth spot with an attempt of 77.87m.
In badminton, it was yet another superb show, with at least a gold medal assured as World No.3 Sindhu will meet seasoned compatriot and World No.12 Saina in an all-Indian women's singles final on Sunday.
While Olympic 2016 silver medallist Sindhu thrashed Canada's Michelle Li 21-18, 21-8 in the semi-final, Saina overcame Scotland's Kirsty Gilmour, winning by 21-14, 18-21, 21-17.
In the men's singles, World No.1 Srikanth set his final date with Malaysian legend Lee Chong Wei. While Srikanth registered an easy 21-10, 21-17 victory over England's Rajiv Ouseph, Chong Wei overcame World No.11 Prannoy 21-16, 9-21, 21-14.
Prannoy then lost to World No.22 Ouseph 21-17, 23-25, 9-21 in the bronze medal match at the Carrara Sports Arena here.
In the men's doubles, Satwik and Chirag thrashed Sri Lanka's Sachin Dias and Buwaneka Goonethilleka 21-18, 21-10 to enter the final.
Ashwini and Sikki bagged the women's doubles bronze medal, beating Australians Setyana Mapasa and Gronya Somerville 21-19, 21-19.
Ashwini and Satwik had a poor day in the mixed doubles, losing their semi-final as well as the bronze medal playoff.
In squash, the women's doubles pair of Dipika and Joshna beat England's Laura Massaro and Sarah-Jane Perry 11-10, 11-5 to seal their place in the final.
However, in the mixed doubles category, Dipika, who then partnered Saurav Ghosal and settled for a silver, losing 8-11, 10-11 to Australia's Donna Urquhart and Cameron Pilley in the final.
Updated Date: Apr 15, 2018 17:56 PM
Highlights
10:43 (IST)
Despite a much better fight in the second game, Satwik and Chirag couldn't match up to Ellis and Langridge's level. Anyway, it's a silver medal for the Indian men's doubles pair! The first-ever men's doubles pair to win a medal at CWG
A lot to learn from this campaign!
10:43 (IST)
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy - Chirag Shetty claim SILVER
10:40 (IST)
4 gold medal points for Ellis and Langridge. The Indian shuttlers were caught napping at the net.
10:37 (IST)
And Satwik makes a silly error at the net. He rushes to hit a quick push from the front. Ellis and Langridge were gifted a crucial point. They lead 19-16 in the second game.
10:34 (IST)
Satwik and Chirag close the gap on the English pair's lead! It’s 16-14 to Langridge and Ellis in the second game.
10:32 (IST)
Langridge and Ellis again open up a four-point lead over the young Indian shuttlers. It’s 15-11 now. Satwik and Chirag must find a way to stop Ellis from attacking.
10:28 (IST)
Men's doubles final:
The World No 22 from England are just too good. They lead 11-5 at the mid-game break of the second game. Chirag needs to return quickly and help Satwik from the mid-court. The Indian duo is ranked at 21 in the BWF Rankings.
10:22 (IST)
Men's doubles final
Langridge and Ellis take the first game 21-13. The Indian duo needs more power in their strokes to push their English counterparts. The English pair is high on confidence and they are playing some quick rallies.
10:16 (IST)
The English pair stretched their lead to 14-9 before making it 17-11 in no time. Satwik and Chirag are on the backfoot in the opening game. The pressure is on the Indians.
10:07 (IST)
It's 11-7 to the English pair in the first game.
Satwik and Chirag have struggled to find their groove but it's just the start. It will be interesting to see how the English players respond to Satwik's attack from the backcourt.
10:05 (IST)
Men's doubles final:
Notably, Satwiksairaj has played on each day of the badminton event at Gold Coast. Now that requires a lot of energy. Time to give it all on the final day and bag a gold!
10:00 (IST)
Short rallies to start the match as Marcus-Chris get a couple of points as Chirag and Satwik hit a couple of smashes into the net. The English pair lead 5-3.
09:56 (IST)
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty in action in the doubles final
Time for India's final medal-match as India's young duo of Satwik and Chirag take on England's Marcus Ellis and Chris Langridge. Can they end India's campaign on a high? Let's find out!
09:15 (IST)
A silver medal for reigning World No 1 Kidambi Srikanth
Let's not forget, he played an instrumental role in achieving India's maiden gold in the team event
Way to go, Sri!
08:50 (IST)
HS Prannoy vows to come back stronger
08:30 (IST)
He has done it before, he has done it again!
Lee Chong Wei is on the court. He cannot believe it. He battles past World No 1 Kidambi Srikanth in three games to claim his third CWG gold. He has been outstanding from the beginning.
08:26 (IST)
Kidambi Srikanth wins SILVER!
08:22 (IST)
Seems like there is no point of return for Sri, who is struggling to retrieve from the back of the court. Lee leads 18-10 in the decider. Way too easy for the Malaysian. He is just toying around.
08:15 (IST)
Lee has targetted body smashes to frustrate Srikanth since the start of the third game. He leads 15-9 and Srikanth needs something magical to turn the tables.
08:15 (IST)
JOSHNA CHINAPPA AND DIPIKA PALLIKAL WIN SILVER!
Defending champions Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal lose to New Zealand's Joelle King and Amanda Landers-Murphy 11-9, 11-8 in the final to win silver.
08:12 (IST)
Lovely control at the frontcourt by the Malaysian ace. He leads 11-5 at the break of the decider. Srikanth is not looking at his best. A lot of unforced errors there...
08:09 (IST)
7-1 to Lee. One-way traffic in the decider and Lee is playing like he's 24! Attack is everything in the deciding game and unsurprisingly, Srikanth is getting a little bit frustrated.
08:07 (IST)
Well, the momentum is with LCW as he takes a 3-0 lead in the third game. Srikanth is looking tensed.
08:04 (IST)
ONE GAME APIECE
Lee wins the second game 21-14 to force this gold-medal match into the decider.
There was a lot of deception and great precision at the net from the Malaysian shuttler. Srikanth did match up to Lee's pace but he couldn't retrieve from the back in the crucial stage of the second game.
08:03 (IST)
Joshna-Dipika trail in final
King and Landers-Murphy dominate in the first game as they take the first game 11-9 against Joshna and Dipika.
07:59 (IST)
Lee is just surging ahead!
Yet again, LCW retrieves back to back smashes from the other side of the court. Srikanth has been forced to play short. He is hitting the net quite often.
Lee leads 19-14
07:57 (IST)
India top medals tally in table tennis
With three golds, two silvers and three bronze, the Indian team emerges as the most successful table tennis team at the Games! Singapore do have a gold medal match left in the men's singles but India will just inch ahead of them courtesy of more bronze medals.
07:57 (IST)
Lee is all about deception!
07:54 (IST)
Sharath Kamal wins bronze!
Sharath Kamal survives a scare in the fifth game as Walker mounts a comeback to level the score at 9-9. Sharath, though, holds on to win the game 12-10 and India's third bronze in table tennis.
07:54 (IST)
Superb netplay from Srikanth to close the gap on Lee's lead. He is under pressure as the Malaysian leads 15-13 in the second game. The Malaysian crowd is just enjoying every point.
07:51 (IST)
Two points in a row for Lee as she leads 11-9 at the mid-game interval of the second game. Great defence from the Malaysian to retrieve Srikanth's powerful shots.
07:50 (IST)
5-5, 6-6, 7-7, 8-8, 9-9
Nothing to separate between two great shuttlers. Lee and Srikanth have covered every inch of the court to win points. Don't miss out on a great combination of attack and defence.
07:49 (IST)
SHARATH KAMAL BEATS SAMUEL WALKER TO WIN BRONZE!
07:47 (IST)
Things have heated up between the two now. Drama. Srikanth and Lee looked for a tap. Lee gets the point, Srikanth doesn't look happy. He trails 2-4 in the second game.
07:47 (IST)
Sharath Kamal inches closer to winning bronze
Sharath Kamal has been on fire in this match! The veteran paddler is up 9-5 and is just two points away from clinching the bronze medal.
07:44 (IST)
Sharath wins fourth game
Excellent play from Sharath! Despite being on the defence for much of the game, Sharath manages to capitalise on Samuel Walker's lapses in concentration and to hit precise shots and also manage to force Walker into overhitting the ball. Sharath takes the fourth game 11-6.
07:43 (IST)
The Malaysian has taken a slender one-point lead over Srikanth. Lee too is lethal when it comes to attacking. He leads 3-2.
07:39 (IST)
Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal in squash doubles final
A third gold medal match of the morning involving Indians as Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal take to the court in the women's squash doubles match. The duo are up against New Zealand's Joelle King and Amanda Landers-Murphy.
07:39 (IST)
Srikanth takes the first game 21-19
The Indian bags the next two points to take a 1-0 lead over Lee in the men's singles final. Sri's attack is a treat to watch. That's how he trounces his opponents.
07:37 (IST)
Lee levels the score again to 19-19! He is just outstanding from the front. Srikanth needs to push Lee towards the back and capitalise on his opponent's position.
07:34 (IST)
Two really crucial points for Srikanth. He leads 19-17 against Lee as we approach the end of the first game. Great lift and composure to stretch the Malaysian ace.
07:34 (IST)
Sharath leads in fourth game
Sharath starts strongly in the fourth game and takes a 6-3 lead.
07:32 (IST)
07:31 (IST)
Samuel Walker wins third game
Incredible turnaround from Samuel Walker! Down 9-7, Walker takes a timeout and comes back stronger and smarter as he makes Sharath run around the table to win four points on the trot and clinch the third game 11-9.
07:31 (IST)
Spectacular defence from Srikanth! Lee tried to target the Indian's backhand corner but Srikanth reacts brilliantly. He's levelled the first game.
Srikanth 15-15 Lee Chong Wei
07:29 (IST)
15-14! A great rally and Lee follows it up with a powerful shot on the tramline which Srikanth couldn't return. The Indian hits the net.
07:28 (IST)
Sharath Kamal in the lead
Sharath is bringing in all his experience and is restricting Walker's attacking shots. The Indian is making sure the rallies are shorter and takes a 9-7 lead.
07:27 (IST)
13-11! Srikanth is looking good after those unforced errors at the net. Lee has a very determined look on his face. Can he stop the attack-minded Srikanth?
07:25 (IST)
What a turnaround!
Srikanth leads 11-9 at the break of the opening game. Lee's coaches are having a brief chat with the shuttler. Surely, he didn't expect Sri to cover the net with such ease.