India ended its campaign in the weightlifting competitions in the 2022 Commonwealth Games with super heavyweight lifter Gurdeep Singh bagging a bronze medal in Men’s 109+ kg final.
Gurdeep’s medal took India’s total medal count from weightlifting to 10 — three gold, three silver and four bronze — marginally better than that at Gold Coast in 2018 when India had won only nine medals. Though India won an extra medal at Birmingham, what would rankle the Indian Weightlifting officials and supporters is that India could win only three goal medals from Birmingham as compared to five at Gold Coast. With shooting out of the equation as it was not included in the programme, India had lost a major source of medals in Birmingham and weightlifting was among the sports expected to fill the gap with a good haul.
In the end, it was an up and down performance. Top stars Mirabai Chanu, Jeremy Lalrinnunga and Achinta Sheuli won the three gold medals for India, while Sanket Mahadev Sargar, Bindyarani Devi Sorokhaibam and Vikas Thakur got the silver medals and Lovepreet Singh, Gururaja, Harjinder Kaur and Gurdeep Singh won the bronze medal for India.
On Wednesday, Gurdeep won bronze in the Men’s 109+ kg but his performance was not assured. He had only one legal lift in snatch on which he lifted 167kg. In clean and jerk, he started with 207kg, missed on 215 but then raised to 223 and lifted it, thus finishing with 390 kg. Pakistan’s Muhammad Nooh Dastgir Butt won the gold medal with a total lift of 405 kg — 173 in snatch while 232kg in clean and jerk.
Tejaswin Shankar wins India’s first track and field medal
Till about a few days back, high jumper Tejaswin Shankar was not sure whether he would be able to participate in the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
On Wednesday, he was standing on the podium at the Alexander Stadium here, with a bronze medal around his neck and a smile of satisfaction on his lips as he bagged his first medal in a major multi-discipline international competition.
After not being picked for the Games as he did not participate in the Inter-State meet — which were the trials, his name was eventually cleared for participation by the court and it was only last week that the organisers relented and permitted him to join the Indian athletics squad as a late replacement. He reached Birmingham just three days back.
He gave all his critics a resounding reply, silent and potent, which also makes his bronze medal as good as gold.
With one superb leap over the bar, the 23-year-old Tejaswin silenced his critics by winning the bronze medal in the men’s high jump, India’s first medal in athletics in the 2022 edition of the Games and the country’s 29th medal overall in track and field at the Commonwealth Games.
New Zealand’s Hamish Kerr won the gold medal with a best jump of 2.25 — the same as Brandon Starc of Australia, who eventually won the silver medal thanks to the 2:19m. He cleared it but was soon joined by the chasing pack, who were looking for an opportunity.
Tejaswin eventually won the medal with a leap of 2.22, He attempted to lift 2.25, assuring himself a bronze. He did make an attempt at 2.25 regards to sealing victory.
Judoka Tulika Maan bags silver medal
India’s Tulika Maan lost to a much-experienced Sarah Adlington of Scotland in the women’s 78kg division to bag a silver medal in judo at the Commonwealth Games at Victoria Park, Coventry on Wednesday. Tulika, who started defensively and had earned two cautions against the 2014 Games gold medallist, got a point when she managed to bring her opponent down.
But the judoka from Scotland launched a superb attack and brought down Tulika to earn an Ippon to win the match with less than one minute remaining on the clock. But it was not be as an Indian judoka had to once again had to settle for silver.
Saurav Ghosal clinches India’s first-ever singles medal in squash
Indian squash star Saurav Ghosal scripted history after he clinched the elusive bronze medal in the men’s singles at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, beating home favourite James Willstrop 3-0 (11-6, 11-1, 11-4) in the playoff match, here on Wednesday.
This was India’s first ever singles squash medal in the Commonwealth Games history in both men’s or women’s category.
India have now won only four medals in squash at the CWG. Dipika Pallikal and Joshna Chinappa won gold in women’s doubles in 2014 and a silver in 2018. Pallikal also won the mixed doubles silver with Ghosal in the same year.
The 35-year-old Ghosal outplayed Willstrop, the CWG 2018 gold-medallist, in the opening game, stretching every sinew to reach the Englishman’s trademark drops and responding with a few of his own to win the game.
In the second game, Willstrop, in his bid to get back to parity, took risks which did not come off and the veteran Indian comfortably took the game.
With the crowd cheering every move of Willstrop, Ghosal showed no pressure as he stuck to his plans in the third game, extending the rallies and maintaining composure to win the match in straight games and fulfil a long-standing dream.
