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Goldfinger reloaded
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Bharat gives India its first victory over Malaysia
Golden grapplers
Games Diary
India take series lead
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Goldfinger reloaded
New Delhi, October 5 Abhinav and his partner Gagan Narang won the 10 m Air Pistol (pair) for men pushing England’s James Huckle and Kenny Parr to the second position. For Abhinav and Gagan, it has been a repeat of Melbourne, where, too, they had ended with a gold medal. Bangladesh got the bronze here today. Two gold medals now put India at par with Canada with an aggregate of 39 Commonwealth Shooting gold medals each. For Gagan Narang, it was his fifth Commonwealth games gold medal while for Abhinav, it has been his fourth. Jaspal Rana (nine) and Samresh Jung, both from India, are the only Indian athletes to have more gold medals than Abhinav and Gagan in the history of the games till now. Abhinav, who was not only the flag-bearer of the home contingent and took oath on behalf of all participants on Sunday evening, paired up with Gagan Narang to win the 10m Air Pistol (Pairs) event for the country’s first gold medal of the Games. Hours later, Sarnobat Rahi and Anisa Sayyed paired up not only to set a Commonwealth Games record in 25 m Pistol (pairs) event but also gave the country its second gold medal. Sarnobat was in superb form as she averaged 9.733 points while Sayyed got 9.533. The silver in the event went to Australian duo of Linda Ryan and Lalita Yauhleoskaya, a girl of Russian origin. Incidentally, Lalita has breast cancer and she comes from a family of sportspersons. The bronze in the event went to Geikie Gorgs and Julia Lydall of England. Only disappointment for the home team was in 50 m Rifle 3 Positions where Sawant Tejaswani, who had crowned herself world champion (individual) of the same event in partnership with Lajjakumari Gauswami were pushed to the second place by the Singapore pair of Xiang Wei Jasmine Ser and Aqilah Sudhir. While Singapore girls set a new Games record in the event, Indian girls equalled the existing record with a total score of 1149 against the existing record of 1143. Bronze medal went to the Scottish pair of Kay Copland and Jan McIntosh. They scored 1142. While Tejaswani recorded score of 97 in both rounds of prone, 95 each in standing but touched 94 in the first round of Kneeling and recovered to score 97 in the last round. Lajjakumari recorded 98 in the first round of standing but touched a low of 90 in the second and final standing round. Omkar Singh in his post-competition interview said that “the only moment I knew I have won was when I saw my name on the results board. I was constantly rubbing my hands to ease the pressure while holding the gun.” |
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Boxers pack a punch
New Delhi, October 5 And the men who took the ring did not disappoint either by putting on a power-packed performance to ensure that the crowds would look forward to more when established stars such as Vijender Singh (75kg) and Akhil Kumar (56kg) start their campaigns in the next couple of days. Amandeep was the first boxer to step in and against an opponent he had defeated as recently as in the Commonwealth Championships in March, the Indian was confidence personified.
— PTI |
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Khade in semis
New Delhi, October 5 They managed timings of 1:10.07 and 1:10.38 for the 20th and 21th positions in the heats. Disappointment was in store for India in the 100m women freestyle as Talasha Satish Prabhu also crashed out at the heat stage after finsihing 26th overall with a timing of 1:00.41. — PTI |
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Bharat gives India its first victory over Malaysia New Delhi, October 5 At half time both teams were locked 2-2. It was the third encounter between the two Asian hockey giants. In 1998, Malaysia, as hosts had beaten India 1-0 in the semi-finals while in the 2006 edition of the Games, the two teams had played a 1-1 draw. India could not have asked for a better start in a competition in which they have Pakistan and Australia in their pool. Led by mercurial Rajpal Singh, India displayed much better and cohesive hockey in the second half after a superb goal in the last minute by drag flicker Sandeep Singh to make team break for the lemon break at par. If Malaysia enjoyed the upper hand in the first half it was primarily because of its stragey of tight marking besides dispossessing Indians quickly. Enjoying better ball control, the Malaysians took the lead twice but each time they could not retain it for long. If the first goal for them came through a brilliant anticipation and utilisation of opportunity by Muhammad Razie Rahim who found the net through a reverse hit, the second was virtually a gift as an unmarked Azlan Misron picked a free ball from the top of the circle and beat Chhetri with a neat flick that soared into the roof of the Indian goal. For India, first two goals came via penalty corners. First it was Mahadik, who in the absence of Sandeep Singh, made no mistake with the second award after India had fumbled with the first award that came four minutes earlier. And when Misron scored in the 34th minute, India went all out and forced its third penalty corner that saw Sandeep, who had just come in, to give the home team a much deserved equaliser. Second half certainly belonged to India. Though India could not score till 66th minute, buts its dominance and superiority was quiet evident. What the home team missed was a game maker at the centre. And when sardara Singh shifted to the role of centre-half, result came immediately. It was sardar Singh who paved way for Bharat to give India its third and match clinching goal. Besides Sardara, even Rajpal, young Dharamvir and midfielder Gurbaj Singh played their heart outs in a game that had the home team supporters cheering all good moves.
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Indian shuttlers blank Barbados 5-0, lifters disappoint
New Delhi, October 5 The World number 11 Indian pair thrashed Thorpe Dakeil Jonathan and Watson Shari Latoya 21-3 21-8. Kashyap then made his debut at the Commonwealth Games and though he looked a little rusty in the beginning, he soon shrugged off the early blues to wrap up his match against Reifer Nicholas Colin 21-14 21-6 in 17 minutes. The cynosure of all eyes, Saina then took the court amid loud cheers from the sparse crowd. The World number three dumped Eastmond Mariama Ayanna 21-3 21-6 in just 13 minutes to give Indian an unassailable 3-0 lead over Barbados. Sanave Thomas and Rupesh Kumar then streamrolled Reifer and Thorpe 21-4 21-9 in 14 minutes, while Aparna Balan and Ashwini Ponnappa then completed the formalities with a 21-8 21-8 win over Eastmond and Watson in a 13 minute match. Decimated in netball
India got off to the worst possible start in netball at Commonwealth Games today as they lost to mighty Australia without putting up any fight. The 113-18 final scoreline reflected the complete dominance of Aussie girls in the group A match at Thyagaraj Sports Complex here. Blank in weightlifting
India failed to capitalise on its first day’s success in weightlifting as both the lifters – Rustam Sarang and Omkar Otari went down fighting in men's 62-kg category in the Commonwealth Games weightlifting event to finish fourth and fifth respectively here today. Lawn bowls hat-trick
After a disappointing first day at the Commonwealth Games, the Indian lawn bowls team today came up with a string of good performances and secured three back to back wins at the synthetic greens of the Jawahar Lal Nehru Sports complex here.
— PTI |
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Golden grapplers
New Delhi, October 5 Sanjay followed his comaptriot's footsteps and got the better of South Africa's Brian Richard Addinall 2-0 in the 74kg category. And then Anil made it three out of three for host country when he defeated Hassene Fkiri of Australia 6-0 in the summit clash of the 96kg to round off an excellent day in office for Indian grapplers. But it all started with young Ravinder's gold. He was a picture of concentration against his English opponent as inspite of finding himself in difficult situations twice in the bout, he stood firm and came out with flying colours. After some initial exchanges, Ravinder scored two quick points to end the opening round with a 2-0 lead. But the real show of his character came in the second round when he found himself twice in a disadvantageous position but displayed sound technical acumen to pocket the encounter. Right from the start, Ravinder was in his elements as he spanked Sri Lanka's ASSD Kumara 13-0 in his opening bout and then outclassed Nigerian Romeo Joseph 8-0 in the semifinals. While Bosson had to be satisfied with silver in the 60kg division, the bronze went to Romeso James of Nigeria. Just after Ravinder's feat, Sanjay gave the home fans more reasons to celebrate after beating South Africa's Brian Richard Addinall in the 74kg final to register India's second consecutive gold medal in wrestling.
— PTI |
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Lee-Hesh in quarters, Somdev advances
New Delhi, October 5 The top seeded 'Indian Express' sailed into the men's doubles quarterfinals with a 6-3 6-3 win over Sri Lanka's Thangarajah Dineshkanthan and Amresh Jayawickreme in an one hour and eight minute first round match here. The inexperienced Sri Lankans, who are yet to be ranked on ATP chart, were up against the players, who share 23 Grand Slam titles between. They fought hard but even with their best effort, taming the big boys was too tough a task for them. Bhupathi struggled with the first serve and backhand and those unforced errors gave a lot many points to their rivals. The Lankans did their best to stop the contest from becoming a lop-sided affair. India's women's doubles pair of Nirupama Sanjeev and Poojashree also cruised to the quarterfinals with a 6-0 6-1 demolition of Maldives' Aminath Irufa Mahir and Aminath Maleela Solih. Somdev Devvarman, top seed in the men's singles, began the day for the hosts on a winning note although his 6-4 6-2 win was not convincing. Mullings gave a rude shock to the home fans by racing to a 4-1 lead in the opening set but Somdev clawed his way back in the match by winning five games in a row. The thunderous forehands of the Bahamas' left-hander had left Somdev gasping but soon blazing sun over the Centre Court took a toll on Mullings, who started suffering cramps, which played a part in preventing a huge upset in the men's singles. Mullings took a medical time out in the seventh game of the first set and from there on the tide turned in favour of Somdev. Soon unforced errors started to flow from Mullings' racquet as his two long forehand handed Somdev two break chances and the Indian converted the second with a stunning double handed back-hand winner. Again, unforced errors, this time a double fault handed Somdev a break in the third game of the second set. Mullings lost his rhythm but was not ready to throw in the towel and fought hard. He earned two breakpoints in the sixth game but Somdev saved first with an ace and second with a forehand winner. A second break of serve put Somdev ahead 5-2 and an easy hold pushed the Indian to the second round.
— PTI |
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Games Diary
Games Organising Committee president Suresh Kalmadi continues to be a source of mirth for those listening to him even as that is never his intention! In a press conference today, he thanked Princess Diana, who died in 1997, for her presence in the Opening Ceremony along with her husband Prince Charles. As a ripple of laughter followed, he soon collected and corrected himself. Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall were there, he said, thanking them for their presence. Tickets off the shelf
If the grand success of the opening ceremony has rekindled your interest in the Commonwealth Games and you want to buy tickets to watch some sports, the seemingly easiest way is to get them online. But it may not be a good option. Online ticket-holders have to get original tickets from select outlets which are marred by glitches and long queues. Officials say only a couple of outlets are dealing with online buyers while there are many more for those willing to buy tickets off the shelf. So the best option, officials say, is to go to one of the numerous retail outlets and grab your choice of tickets. Artistic lessons
Mohammad Matloob's art of intricate ‘jaali’ works, the one that can be seen in the Taj Mahal and other historical Mughal monuments, is drawing lot of positive attention from the foreign athletes in Commonwealth Games Village. Matloob, who is given a small space in the open outside the swanky showrooms in the international zone of the Village, has displayed his art works made of wooden carved ‘jaalies’. The athletes are taking so much interest in the creations that many are queuing up at his stall to understand the artwork and how to do it. Some took time to sit with him and it had made him announce that Indian art has a great future. Matloob is a national award winning master craft person in 2005. He says his ancestors worked in the palaces of emperor Babar and other Mughal
kings. (Kumar Rakesh, Himani Chandel, Jyoti Rai) |
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India take series lead
Mohali, October 5 After India were set a target of 216 to win, India’s chase looked in disarray as they lost four crucial wickets with 55 on board yesterday. The slide continued this morning. Spineless batting by the middle order left India tottering at 124 for 8 before the lunch break. An Australian victory looked imminent. But Laxman had different ideas. He stood like a rock. In Ishant Sharma, he found a willing ally. If Laxman was elegance personified, Ishant was stubborn. If Laxman was in absolute control, the lanky fast bowler had an answer to whatever was hurled at him from the aggressive pacers. Ishant showed remarkable temperament and technique during his 106-minute stay at the wicket. It was this ninth-wicket stand for 81 runs that frustrated the Australians no end and brought India to the doorsteps of a win. When Ishant finally fell to a dubious lbw decision at 31, India needed 11 runs for win. There was a fair bit of drama when the hosts were six runs short of a win. A Mitchell Johnson delivery struck Ojha on the pads. Ojha and Suresh Raina (running for Laxman) scrambled for a quick single as virtually whole of the Australian team went up for an lbw appeal. A Shane Watson throw at the wicket missed the target by a whisker. The ball travelled the distance and cleared the fence resulting in four byes, to bring India just two runs short of victory. The issue was settled in India’s favour with two leg byes that Pragyan Ojha ran off Johnson to trigger celebrations in dressing room and the spectators stands. It was vintage Laxman on display. Beautiful turn of the wrists, effortless caress of the ball that sped to the fence, leg glance and the uncanny knack of piercing the smallest of the gaps were all on display. In between, he turned mentor giving valuable tips to Ishant and Ojha. Due to severe back spams, he came out to bat at No 10 in the first innings. He braved back pain with Raina doing the running for him throughout the day. Tendulkar was the second highest scorer. Some sweetly timed strokes that sped to the fence made one believe that India would overhaul the target without any hiccups. When on 38, he was done in by a Doug Bollinger delivery. As Tendulkar shaped to a cut, he miscued it and was caught by Michael Hussey at gully. Zaheer finished the match with a eight-wicket haul - five in the first innings, three in the second. During the Test, the Indian pace spearhead joined the 250-Test wicket club. Both the team will now travel to Bangalore for the second Test slated to begin on October 9. Scoreboard Australia 1st innings 428 India 1st innings 405 Australia 2nd innings: 192 India 2nd innings: (overnight 55-4) Tendulkar c Hussey b Bollinger 38 Zaheer c Clarke b Hauritz 10 Laxman not out 73 Dhoni run out 2 Harbhajan c Ponting b Bollinger 2 Ishant lbw b Hilfenhaus 31 Ojha not out 5 Extras: (b-10, lb-8, w-6, nb-1) 25 Total (nine wickets; 58.4 overs) 216 Bowling: Hilfenhaus 19-3-57-4, Bollinger 8-0-32-3, Johnson 16.4-2-50-0, Hauritz 9-1-45-1, North 4-0-8-0, Watson 2-0-6-0.
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