India Shining at CWG

8 gold medals claimed on bumper day

From the boxing ring to the shooting range to the athletics arena, it was India shining on the penultimate day of the 21st Commonwealth Games where the country claimed its biggest single-day haul of the ongoing edition, ensnaring eight gold medals across five disciplines.

The boxers picked up three, the shooters added one, the wrestlers claimed a couple, while the paddlers and the track-and-field contingent picked up one each on a truly golden day for the country, which also yielded five silver and one bronze medal.

Neeraj Chopra and Manika Batra clinched India’s firstever 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 thirdplaced India's tally to 59 medals (25 gold, 16 silver, 18 bronze) at the end of Day 10 on Saturday.

It all started at the shooting ranges in Brisbane, where Sanjeev Rajput shattered the Games' qualifying record before finishing on top in the 50m rifle 3 position final. He had won a bronze (2006) and a silver (2014) in the earlier editions.

The wrestlers were at it at the Carrara Sports and Leisure Center. Sumit (125kg) and Vinesh Phogat (50kg) picked up the top honours in their respective categories. At the boxing arena, M C Mary Kom (48kg) was joined by Vikas Krishan (75kg) and Gaurav Solanki (52kg) in scripting history. The boxers, led by three, finished with nine medals in all, their best ever performance. In the afternoon, Neeraj Chopra wrote his own little piece of history at the Carrara stadium when he became the first Indian javelin thrower to claim a gold medal.