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Commonwealth Games 2018, Gold Coast, Day 1: As it happened
Mirabai Chanu`s 48kg women weightlifting gold, after Gururaja Poojary`s silver in the men`s 56kg weightlifting, were the highlights of India`s action on the opening day of 2018 Commonwealth Games.
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That brings us to the end of our live updates from an action-packed opening day of Gold Coast 2018.
The weightlifters lifted India with a gold (Mirabai Chanu) and silver (Gururaja Poojary). And hopes will once again be pinned to the weightlifting team to add to India's 1 gold and 1 silver from day one.
So before we take your leave, here's INDIA'S COMPLETE SCHEDULE ON DAY 2
See you tomorrow morning!
The last India action in Gold Coast has ended on a losing note: The men's basketball team has lost to Cameroon 87-96 in a Pool B preliminary-round match.
India currently No. 4 on the medals tally with a gold and a silver. England are on top with 5 gold, followed by hosts Australia who have bagged 3 gold medals so far.
Badminton Update: India sweep Pakistan 5-0 to reach the quarterfinals of the Team Event
Ashwini-Ruthvika beat Mahoor-Palwasha 21-6, 21-10 in the fifth match to complete the whitewash. India had earlier in the day hammered Sri Lanka 5-0. They now meet Scotland tomorrow to know if they finish No.1 or No. 2 in Group A.
Swimming: Srihari Nataraj finishes eighth in Men's 100m Backstroke Semifinal, fails to qualify for the final
Men's Basketball Preliminaries: India beat Cameroon 76-62 in a Pool B match.
Swimming Update: India's Virdhawal Khade finishes eighth in men's 50m Butterfly event, fails to qualify for the final.
Badminton: Pranav-Chirag beat Pakistan's pair of Irfan-Murad 21-9, 21-15 in men's doubles to give India a win and a 4-0 lead in the Team Event tie.
Weightlifting: Raja Muthupandi misses out on a medal finishing sixth in the men's 62kg event with a combined lift of 266 kg in snatch (116kg) and clean & jerk (150kg). Malaysia's Muhamad Aznil Bidin wins gold.
Men's 62kg Weightlifting: India's Raja has now been pushed out of medal positions. He is No. 5 now.
Weightlifting, Men's 62kg: India's Raja completes a successful C&J of 150kg to go into the second position.
Women's Baskebtball Update: India lose to Jamaica 57-66 in a preliminary Pool B match.
Weightlifting (Men's 62 kg): India's Raja Muthupandi in third position after a best Clean & Jerk of 143. He still has one attempt left.
Badminton, India vs Pakistan (Team Event): Saina Nehwal beats Mahoor Shahzad 21-7, 21-11 to give India a winning 3-0 lead in the tie.
Badminton Team Event: Pakistan's Mahoor Shahzad seems overwhelmed facing the 2012 London Olympics bronze medallist, India's Saina Nehwal in Match 3 of the tie . India lead 2-0.
Boxer Manoj Kumar advances to Round of 16 in Men's 69kg after defeating Nigeria's Osita Umeh with a 5-0 verdict.
Badminton Team Event:
Kidambi Srikanth beats Murad Ali 21-16, 22-20 to give India 2-0 in the tie against Pakistan. India beat Sri Lanka 5-0 earlier in the day.
Boxing Update: India's Manoj Kumar takes on Nigeria'a Osita Umeh in Men's 69kg Round of 32
Badminton Update: India vs Pakistan (Team Event)
Match 2: Kidmabi won Game 1 against Murad Ali 21-16 in men's singles.
Match 1: Satwik-Sikki beat Irfan-Palwasha 21-10 21-13 in mixed doubles.
Update: Men's 62kg weightlifting
India's Raja Muthupandi is in 6th place at the end of snatch with a best of 116kg. Next up is clean & jerk. Pakistan's Talha Talib leads with 132kg.
New Zealand's Guinares lifts 114 kg and as I said earlier this competition is hotting up. Though the contender pitted for gold is Pakistan's Talha Talib who will lift 125 kg in his first attempt. Meanwhile, Raja will go for 116 kg. Raja nearly lifted it but faltered with the balance to lose the second attempt. This means he will not be able to lift more than that in his last snatch attempt. Guinares lifts 116 kg to remain in the lead so far. Raja is back for his final attempt. He lifts 116 kg to be in lead with New Zealand's Guinares.
The bar goes higher now. It's 120 kg on the barbell. And it's Sri Lankan lifter Wiraj who does it without breaking a SWEAT!!!!.
Raja from India is here. He will be lifting 113 kg in his first attempt. He lifts it smoothly. Job well done by the Indian.
We are very near to witnessing Raja Muthupandi in action at the 62kg category. The competition is picking up as Australia, Nigeria, New Zealand are going really strong. Now the weight in the snatch has reached 113 kg, which means Raja's turn is anytime now. As we talk, Cameroon will have a try at 113 kg. And this a classic lift there. Very impressive.
We are back at the weightlifting arena. The men's 62 kg category medal event has begun. Raja Muthupandi will represent India and will start the snatch with a weight of 113 kg. Indians have been in medal contention and we can hope that India get their third medal from the weightlifting arena.
Time for updates: It is learn't that PV Sindhu will not feature in the team event against Pakistan as she wants to give herself more time to recover from an ankle niggle. India will take on Pakistan in a liitle while from now.
Third game now. Welsh Chloe Thomas in lead straightaway. But Patkar bounces back and collects three points on the trot. India leading 6-3 at the break. Patkar seems to be focused and determined to win it for India. Superb services there by Patkar, takes her lead to 8-4. Suddenly Patkar has conceded four on the trot and the match is neck and neck. Patkar is becoming complacent. This is poor show. The game is hanging in balance. Thomas has climbed her way up. India 9-8 Wales. It is close. Thats it Match Point now for Patkar. No!!! This is superb fight back gain by Thomas. It's locked 10-10. Patkar again has a match point and then she gets a easy lob which she kills to give India the win against Wales.
Madhurika Patkar wins the second game too. Perfectly poised to seal the match.
Onus is on Madhurika Patkar to win it for India. And she knows it well. Starts really well takes 7-1 lead in the opening game. There is a visible difference in her singles game from the way she played doubles. 10-2 is the score. 10-3 now. Patkar seals it with a backhand jab. India 1-0 in the fourth match.
India start well in the decider. Its 2-2 now. India have taken to the offensive and are trying to push Wales on the backfoot. India lead 5-2 because they have handled the nerves better. Anna Hursey has been a little over aggressive. She isnt shy of playing her shots. Even though, she concedes points, she believes in getting back. This is a crucial two-point phase. And India give one away. Follow it up with a brilliant rally full of strokes. Madhurika Patkar produces a flurry of strokes to ensure India lead. India just 2 points away. Is there a sting in the tale. Wales fighting back. They make 8-9 but India get a point gain. Now advantage India. Match point. Nerves and India falter at the net. Still match point. What is this??? Wales have equalled. Its 10-10. After 11-10, Wales are fighting back. Its 11-11. Wales are ahead now. Pressure back on India now and Wales have won this game and match. What a match there. This means that India will have to win their singles tie up next.
Fourth game on. India seem to have gotten control of the tempo. The Welsh pair have been great with attack but now India is dictating the terms. India have not given easy hitting balls and have forced the Welsh team to forcefullly create chances. The game is hanging in balance as a 7-6 score suggests. At this stage, one simply cannot afford to be excited. Suddenly teams retract to defense and then Das plays a forehand strike to collect a point. A cheeky point give India the fourth game. It's 2-2 in the third match.
This 11-year-old Welsh girl is a clever campaigner. Knows when to slow it down. Good service by Das. And a good winner now. India 4-1 up. Welsh pair seems to be getting complacent. But you never know when they start to fight back. Remember the previous game. This time India too doesn't want to let it go. 7-2 now in India's favour. Anna has been brilliant with her placement, the way she picks the angle and forces the opponent to make an unforced error is simply too good. Meanwhile, India win the third game 11-5 and they stay alive in the game.
The second game of the women's Team event is about to start. India start well, pocket two points. The lead swells to 3-1 and now Mouma Das must maintain the pressure. Now Madhurika hits the net on the backhand. This 11-year-old Welsh player Anna Hursey is turning out to be very impressive. Her forehand and backhand are equally effective. Wales have fought back. India are lagging again. wales 7-5 India. Patkar struggling to cross the net and more so on the backhand. Now she falter on the forehand. Once again Anna finishes the game with a forehand stroke. India 0-2 down in the doubles game.
Table Tennis: Indian women have put a solid start against Wales in the team event. Earlier, India has pocketed both the singles matches and are leading 2-0 in the match. Manika Batra won 3-1 while experienced Mouma Das thrashed the Welsh opponent 3-0. The doubles match has just started. Wales are leading 4-1 in the first game. Unforced errors pinching India at the moment. India now get two back. Madhurima Patkar delivers a beautiful back hand. But Indians have been inconsistent. See overaggressive approach now costing India a point. Two point lead still with Wales. Welsh 11-year old Hannah has been very measured with her strokes and with this beautiful forehand smash, she ensures Wales take the opening game.
Time for updates: In cycling, India finished seventh in the women's 4000m Team Pursuit event. Australia and New Zealand will fight for the gold and silver while Canada and England to play for the bronze.
After Harinder Pal Sandhu, India's Vikram Malhotra too wins 3-0 against Zambia's Manda Chilambwe in squash.
Chanu will now try to better her own record of 109 kg in clean and jerk. She is attempting 110. She breaks Games record and her own record. Chanu is a star and isn't she ecstatic. She didn't know that how much was she lifting. So innocent and she is taking her time to sink in the moment.
Canadian Amanda Braddock, the one who was expected to win silver, failed in all her three attempts to bow out of competition. Mauritian Marie has lifted 94 kg in clean and jerk to total 170 kg. She will now win the silver in this category. And Now!! Chanu will lift 103 kg to win gold. And she has done it. India has won it's first gold. She is not done yet though. She will now attempt 107kg in second try. Does it with ease. That smile of hers telling the opponents that it was a cakewalk for her.
Back to weightlifting: If you are watching the event, you can see there is no competition for Chanu. These weightlifters are struggling sometimes to lift even 83kg and Chanu has opted for 103 kg in her first attempt. No tension at all.
Time for other updates. In Lawn Bowls, India men's triple event won against PNG but were thrashed earlier by Wales.
In the 400m team pursuit qualification in cycling, India have clocked 5:05.668.
We are about to witness clean & jerk in a few moments. We are told that Chanu has opted for a lift of 103 kg in her first attempt. That says it all as she is way ahead of the competition. It will not be wrong to predict that Thursday will witness India's first gold medal. And an obvious climb up the medals tally.
Chanu will now try 86 kg, a kilo more than her own record of 85 kg set last year at the same venue. She does it with ease again. She has broken two records here. One is the snatch CWG record and the second is her own. She will be proud of her effort and the other contenders will be looking to make amends in clean and jerk.
Mirabai Chanu does it again. Lifts 84 kg easily. Another attempt left and she will definitely look to get her own record shattered. She is India's gold medal contender and the way she is going, it looks India will win it's first yellow medal through Chanu. Fingers crossed!!
Right now Mauritius lifter Marie Ranaivosoa is leading with a 77 kg lift. Now Chanu is on the stage to attempt a 80 kg lift in her first try. This is simply beautiful. It looked like as if she was lifting a feather. Too smooth a lift. It looks she will go better in the next two attempts. In 2017, her best has been 85 kg. And having lifted 80 kg in first try she has made CWG record. She will now try 84kg in snatch.
Cutting to the weightlifting arena now. It is the women's 48kg category event. India's Mirabai Chanu will be in medal contention. So as usual, the event will begin with snatch. For the information, the Commonwealth Games record in snatch is 77kg made by Indian lifter Augustina Nwaokolo. It will be left to be seen whether Chanu can get her name registered on the CWG record book in Snatch.
Fourth game starts. Sandhu concedes two points. Gets two back with his silken touch. You have to praise him for the way he changes his direction of the stroke at the last moment. This is turning out into a see- saw encounter. Both players testing each other with skill. Sandhu gets two points and is on match point now. Here it is Sandhu wins the game. Beats Stafford 3-1.
Third game on. Sandhu is world No 47 and you have to give it to Stafford to having stretched him in the second game. We have a review here as Sandhu was blocked by Stafford on way to retrieving a drop shot. But the decision is overruled. Sandhu picks up two points and leads 3-2. Another cross-court low angled shot earns Sandhu a point. Now a four-point lead for Sandhu here. Moving really well in the court and produces another drop short to take his tally to 9 points to 4 in the third game. As much as squash looks physical, it is as much skill. And Sandhu is displaying skill to perfection. Sandhu has won the third game 11-6 and needs to maintain his composure in one more game to advance to the round of 32.
We are just seconds away from the second game. Stafford takes the first four points. He is doing a Sandhu now, playing clever and keeping it as low as possible. Stafford is on fire. He is making Sandhu rally like anything. Sandhu on the other is seen scampering up and down through the court. Is it just me or you guys are also noticing that the bounce has considerably dropped. A lot of drop shots have been brought into play. Sandhu is catching up fast. Now breathing down Stafford's neck. 8-9 the score and Sandhu has made it 9-9. This is quite a performance and a fight back. What a rally there for the tenth point. And Sandhu in lead now and one away from the second game. Going back to the previous point, Sandhu's cross court backhand was as low as possible and it gave no chance to the opponent to retrieve that. Stafford though has made it 10-10. Its all about drops I tell you. After hard hitting strokes, its that perfect drop that does the trick. And verdict is out. Stafford pulls the second game back. This is very interesting squash happening here. Don't miss.
Squash update: India's Harinder Pal Sandhu is up against Cayman Islands' Cameron Stafford. Sandhu is in lead at 7-3 in the opening game. The diminutive sardar from India has swift court-movement and is skillfully cruising through. He picks the first game and has demolished Stafford, literally.
Not just badminton, India women have also beaten Sri Lanka 3-0 in Table Tennis. Manika Batra got the first singles with a dominating performance, beating Erandi Warusawithana 11-3, 11-5, 11-3. Then Sutirtha Mukherjee got the better of Ishara Manikku Badu 11-5, 11-8, 11-4. Later the doubles pair made short work of the Islanders. The men too had a cakewalk against Trinidad and Tobago, comfortably beating them 3-0 to advance to the next round.
Time for some important news and updates. Australia's sprint sensation Sally Pearson has pulled out of the Games due to an achilles injury. The first gold medal winner of the Commonwealth Games turned out to be Bermuda's Flora Duffy in women's triathlon. With the men's event underway, it will interesting to see who wins the yellow medal in a rainy setting in Gold Coast.
Indian swimmer Virdhawal Khade qualifies for Men’s 50m Butterfly semis which will be held at 4:20 p.m. today. Srihari Nataraj qualifies for Men’s 100m Backstroke semis scheduled for 4:52 p.m. today.
There will be a lot Indian action today from the Commonwealth Games. While India have beaten Sri Lanka 5-0 in the badminton team event, they will be locking horns with arch rivals Pakistan at 2.30 pm IST today. In the evening, boxer Manoj Kumar will be in action against Nigeria in the 69 kg category. In the afternoon, India's both men's and women's teams will be playing in the basketball qualification. Stay tuned with us.
Thursday is turning out to be a good day in office for India. With a silver in bag, India have won the team event in badminton. The only blip was the hockey team losing in the later part of the match, conceding the lead and losing 2-3 to Wales. But India put a strong foot forward and displayed dominating hockey.
Ponappa's movements on the court have been decisive. As a senior of the two, she is taking control of the proceedings and promoting Sikki Reddy at the net. Good call there by Ponappa. India gain a point. 18-12, which has now become 19-12. A good leave there by Sikki Reddy. India two points away from the whitewash. Lankans have not been able to retrieve smashes which are close at the net. That's it. India have won this game 2-0 and beat Sri Lanka 5-0.
Ponappa/Reddy too seem to be making short work of the Lankan pair. They clinched the first game 21-12 in just 12 minutes and are up 10-5 in the second.
India have reached the fifth match of the team event in badminton. Ashwini Ponappa and N Sikki Reddy have already taken the lead in first game. 11-8 it is and India can go for a Lankan whitewash here. What say? India have made it 17-12 now and are inching towards the first game. Indians aren't even breaking a sweat against the lowly Lankans but Indians can take a lot of confidence from this victory. The competition will keep getting tougher as the Games progress.
Cutting to badminton again. Saina Nehwal brushes aside the Sri Lankan opponent in just 22 minutes. Collects India's fourth win 2-0 in the team event. That was swift.
Oh my my. Izhar Ahmed has shot gold in 56kg category. He lifts 144kg and breaks the record for combined kilos. Malysia have won the gold. India will win silver but the fight is for the bronze now. Will it be Sri Lanka or Fiji. Fiji's Tulo is going for near impossible 145kg. Doesn't even lift it. It's over. Malaysia gold, India silver, Sri Lanka bronze in 56 kg.
So 138 kg it is and Gururaja fails. He had squatted it perfectly but it is the jerk that demands a mix of balance and strength. Now Izhar Ahmed will lift 138kg and he does it with ease. He might look wiry but he certainly can lift those heavyweights. Gururaja lifts 138 kg in second attempt but two red lights meaning he will have to try 138kg again. And here he is trying his luck the last time to stay in the competition. Let's see. Nice clean and clears it this time. This lift propels him to second place.
Malaysia's Izshar Ahmed shows he is the leader. Starts with a brilliant lift of 135 kg in his first attempt. India's Gururaja will attempt 138 kg in his first attempt. It is Gururaja's turn now.
The weightlifting arena is on fire. Sri Lanka's Lakmal begins his clean and jerk with a lift of 131 kg and makes it a cakewalk. Though, he took a while to complete the jerk, gathering his composure, does it beautifully. So, he is trying to have a go at 134kg but fails to complete the jerk. He does have another attempt left.
In his last attempt, Nauru's Elson too fails to lift 134kg. Accumulates a total of 230kg. Lakmal trying 134kg in his last attempt and cleans it perfectly. A small pause, a little flickering and he completes it. Goes down and gets up on his feet with a flip. He has accumulated 248 kg. Medal contender certainly.
The weightlifting arena is on fire. Sri Lanka's Lakmal begins his clean and jerk with a lift of 131 kg and makes it a cakewalk. Though, he took a while to complete the jerk, gathering his composure, does it beautifully. So, he is trying to have a go at 134kg but fails to complete the jerk. He does have another attempt left.
In his last attempt, Nauru's Elson too fails to lift 134kg. Accumulates a total of 230kg. Lakmal trying 134kg in his last attempt and cleans it perfectly. A small pause, a little flickering and he completes it. Goes down and gets up on his feet with a flip. He has accumulated 248 kg. Medal contender certainly.
The beauty of the games is that there are multiple events going on at the same time. While India's doubles pair have blanked the Lankans 21-14 in the second game to power their side to 3-0 lead in the team event. Next up will be Saina Nehwal playing singles.
Cut to weightlifting. This is the medal round of the 56kg category. You will be happy to know that India's Gururaja has totalled 111 in the snatch and is currently third. The clean and jerk has just begun. As we talk, Pakistan Abdullah Ghafoor fails to lift 130 kg while Nauru's Elson Brechtefeld lifted 130. Though it is just the start, the leader is Malaysia's Izhar Ahmed who totalled a snatch of 117kg. Second is Sri Lanka's CHaturanga Lakmal with 114 kg followed by India's Gururaja.
Meanwhile, Pakistan's Ghafoor clears 130kg barrier in his third attempt.
India are 11-8 up at the break. That has certainly been a dominating performance. There was a rally there and India wrap it up with a smash there to collect the point. India's pair have been terrific with their attacking game. They have been aware of the defensive lapses of their counterparts. On most occasions, India have forced the Lankans to get on the backfoot. Meanwhile Sri Lanka take a point but India are way ahead at 18-11. Three points to the match.
The Lankans have not been impressive at the net. They have lost couple of points and India is leading 7-2 with an unforced error. Indians have been fairly comfortable and Lanka's defensive problems hurting their case.
India's double's pair is in cruise mode as they are displaying clinical game and are totally in control. They are leading 18-15 in the first game, though the Lankans have got back 3 points on the trot. This time India get their 20th point with a smash but Lankans are holding back. 20-16 it is at game point. Sri Lanka get another one as India get their call wrong. That's it India have pocketed the game one.
Meanwhile, Wales women's hockey team have beaten India 2-3 in a come from behind effort. They were down 2-0 but made amends and pumped in three goals to upset India.
India began its campaign on a golden note in the weightlifting arena, where Mirabai Chanu won the women's 48kg gold medal, after Gururaja Poojary had opened India's account with a silver in the men's 56kg division. The Indian shuttlers swept Sri Lanka and Pakistan 5-0 apiece to reach the quarterfinal of the badminton Team Event.