RAI, SHUTTLERS HIT THE BULL’S-EYE
On a day when Jitu Rai broke the Games record to claim the gold medal by some distance in men’s 10m air pistol, a rampaging Indian mixed badminton team clinched their maiden Commonwealth Games gold medal, thrashing three-time defending champions Malaysia in the final.
The pair of Satwik Rankireddy and Ashwini Ponnappa claimed the mixed doubles match against Peng Soon Chan and Liu Yong Goh 21-14 15-21 21-15, before Kidambi Srikanth stunned threetime Olympic silver medallist and fomrmer world number one Lee Chong Wei 21-17 21-14 in straight games.
The Games debutant men’s doubles pair of Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty lost to Goh and Wee Kiong Tan 15-21 20-22 to keep Malaysia afloat for a while.
But the in-form Saina Nehwal beat Soniia Cheah 21-11 19-21 21-9 in the women’s singles match.
The Indian, who has played every one of the women’s singles matches in the event, did look a bit jaded but still had enough in her arsenal to thwart a fighting Cheah.
Her victory ensured that the women’s doubles pair of N Sikki Reddy and Ashwini did not have to show up for their clash against Vivian Hoo and Mei Kuan Chow.
Earlier, India swept the table tennis team events of the Commonwealth Games as the men matched the women to claim a memorable gold with an emphatic 3-0 win over Nigeria in the final.
It is the first time since the racket sport’s induction into the Commonwealth Games’ programme that India has topped both categories.
After Manika Batra-led India to a historic triumph over Singapore on Sunday, the men too beat the team from the city state 3-2 in the semifinals.
With individual and doubles medals still on offer, India’s performance is already a marked improvement from its disappointing showing in Glasgow four years ago when it just managed just a silver in men’s doubles.
Meanwhile, Rai proved again why he is rated as one of India’s premier shooters with gold in 10m air pistol, while Om Prakash Mitharval bagged bronze.
World Championship silver medallist Rai shot 235.1 to comfortably finish top of the podium.
Mitharval, who had established a new qualification games record with 584, eventually finished with the bronze medal after aggregating 214.3 in the eight-man finals at the Belmont Shooting Centre.
Australia’s Kerry Bell secured the silver medal with 233.5, having managed to topple Mitharval from the second position.
In the finals, Jitu started on a strong note and led with 100.4 at the end of stage 1, while Mitharval was third with 98.1.
In stage 2 elimination, Rai started with 10.3 and 10.3 to lead the pecking order, even as his compatriot moved up and displaced Bell at second place with two 10.1s. Championship Rai continued to surge ahead with a 10.2 but an 8.4 disturbed his momentum somewhat, as the next shot fetched him 9.2.
Meanwhile, Mitharval closed the gap as Rai had just 8.8 in the 18th shot to Mitharval’s 10.0.
Last month, the young Indian shooter had combined with Manu Bhaker to claim the mixed team air pistol gold in the ISSF World Cup in Guadalajara, Mexico. — PTI