Birmingham: It was another memorable day for India where boxers and Table Tennis players established their supremacy and signed off with a 14-medal triumph on Day 10 at the Commonwealth Games 2022.
So far, Indian athletes have won 55 medals– 18 golds, 15 silvers and 22 bronze– at the Commonwealth Games 2022.
The Boxing gold rush for India on day 10 began with Nitu Ghanghas beating the host country’s Demie-Jade Rezstan 5-0 in a unanimous points decision to win gold in the women’s 48kg (Minimumweight) category, India’s 14th of the campaign.
Amit Panghal in the men’s 48kg-51kg (Flyweight) division took the same 5-0 route displaying clear supremacy against another English boxer, Kiaran Macdonald.
World Champion Nikhat Zareen then made it 17 golds for India beating Cary MC Naul of Northern Ireland in yet another 5-0 verdict for the Indians.
In Athletic action at the Alexander Stadium, Eldhose Paul and Abdulla Aboobacker made history in the men’s Triple jump plotting an Indian 1-2 finish. Eldhose, fresh from his Athletics world championship final exploits, hopped, stepped and jumped 17.03m in his third attempt to clinch gold.
Aboobacker came close to his teammate with a 17.02m in his fifth attempt but that was the best he would go. Ja-Nhai Perinchief of Bermuda stopped an Indian clean sweep of the medals, taking bronze with a best of 16.92m as Praveen Chithravel, the third Indian in the fray, missed out to settle for fourth with 16.89m.
Sandeep Kumar made it seven medals in Athletics with a bronze in the men’s 10k walk. His effort of 38:49:21 was a personal best. Amit, however, finished 12th in the race.
Then it was Annu Rani’s turn in the women’s Javelin final. She won bronze, India’s eighth Athletics medal, with a throw of 60.00m. Shilpa Rani was seventh with an effort of 54.62m.
The Indian 4*100m women’s relay team, however, finished fifth in the final to miss out on a medal.
Indian women won a Hockey medal at the CWG after 16 years when they dominated their bronze medal game against New Zealand but eventually won by a shoot-out.
India by and large had far more circle penetrations and chances created. They went ahead with under two minutes to go for the second quarter to end when Salima Tete scored with an audacious reverse scoop.
That would remain the only goal of the game till 18secs to go for the finish when the Kiwis were awarded a penalty stroke for a foot behind the goalkeeper from a melee off a penalty corner. Olivia Merry made no mistake and the game went into a shoot-out.
Megan Hull began confidently for the Kiwis as Sangita missed India’s opener. But then captain Savita came to the fore and pulled-off three saves as the Kiwis missed the next four. Sonika and Navneet Kaur (who was the woman of the match) scored for India as the squad erupted with joy. It was their first CWG bronze in 16 years.
The final surge for India began with P.V. Sindhu beating Singapore’s Jia Min Yeo 21-19, 21-17 to make the women’s singles finals and ensure her third CWG medal.
India’s number one Lakshay Sen also reached the men’s singles finals with a 2-1 win over Singapore’s Jia Heng Teh. He won the first game easily 21-10 but Jia hit back to win the second 21-18. Lakshay then showed his class to win the third 21-16 to enter his first CWG final.
Kidambi Srikanth concluded his Commonwealth Games 2022 campaign with a bronze medal in men’s singles while Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand clinched bronze in the women’s doubles semi-final.
In the men’s triple jump, India won the top two medals, all thanks to Eldhose Paul bagging gold and Abdulla Aboobacker Narangolintevid winning silver.
The Indian women’s cricket team lost to Australia in the final and settled for silver.
In Squash, Saurav Ghosal and Dipika Pallikal bagged bronze in mixed doubles. —ANI