advertisement
Day 5 of the 2022 CWG has ended with India winning a total of four medals
The women's fours lawn bowls team defeated South Africa in the final to win a historic gold medal.
The men's table tennis team defeated Singapore to secure a gold medal.
Weightlifter Vikas Thakur won the silver medal in men's 96kg finals.
The mixed badminton team lost their final 1-3 to Malaysia.
Indian discus throwers Seema Punia and Navjeet Kaur Dhillon finished fifth and eight in the final with below-par performances.
39-year-old Punia produced a best throw of 55.92m, in her second attempt, but that was not enough for a podium finish. She has a season's best of 57.09m and personal best of 64.84m which she had produced way back in 2004.
Dhillon, who has a season's best of 58.03m, could only come up with 53.51m in her sixth and final attempt to end her campaign on a disappointment. She had won a bronze in the last edition in Gold Coast in 2018.
Only PV Sindhu won her match in the badminton mixed team final against Malaysia as India lost the fixture 3-1 and will now take home the silver medal.
The fixture started with the men's doubles event and Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty could not get the better of Olympic bronze medallists Teng Fong Aaron Chia and Wooi Yik Soh as Malaysia took a 1-0 lead with a 21-18, 21-15 win. Sindhu then won her match 22-20, 21-17 before Kidambi Srikanth was defeated 21-19, 6-21, 21-16 by the 42-ranked Tze Yong Ng.
The world number 11 duo of Thinaah Muralitharan and Koong Le Pearly Tan then closed the victory for Malaysia with a 21-18, 21-17 win over was lower-ranked Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly.
It was a tall task to begin with but the youngest members of the Indian mixed team badminton event - Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand fought hard but could not fend off the challenge from Koong Le Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan as Malaysia won the women's doubles tie 21-18, 21-17 to win the gold medal match.
The women's discus throw finally is also underway right now and India has two throwers in competition. Seema Punia had briefly moved to the third position after her second throw where she pulled off 55.92m, however, she threw 52.30m in her third effort and has fouled the next two.
Currently she stands fifth, with one throw to go.
With Srikanth's defeat, India now need to win the women's doubles as well as the mixed doubles tie but Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand are currently trailing after the first game with Malaysia's Koong Le Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan winning the first game 21-18.
India are trailing once again in their ongoing mixed team badminton final match against Malaysia.
After PV Sindhu restored parity in the series by beating Jin Wei Goh, Kidambi Srikanth suffered a 19-21, 21-6, 16-21 defeat against Tze Yong Ng. The Malaysians are currently leading the best-of-five contest by a 2-1 margin.
The fourth match will see the women’s doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand taking on Koong Le Pearly Tan and Muralitharan Thinaah.
Attention shifts to discus throw now, where two Indians are competing in the women's finals. Seema Punia, who has won four medals at the Commonwealth Games, is a prime contender to win a medal this time around as well.
Besides her, 2018 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Navjeet Kaur Dhillon will also feature in this event.
We have some disappointing updates from the women’s 87kg weightlifting finals, as Usha Bannur Natesh has finished in the sixth position.
She registered a best lift of 95kg in the snatch round, which placed her in the fourth position, but things did not go according to plans in the clean and jerk round. The 27-year-old made a clean lift of 110kg in her first attempt, but was unsuccessful in both of her next couple of attempts.
Her total of 205kg (95kg + 110kg) was only good enough for the sixth place.
Back in the mixed team badminton finals, the match between Kidambi Srikanth and Tze Yong NG is tied at 1-1. The Malaysian won the first game 21-19, but Kidambi came back strongly to win the second match 21-6.
Plenty of events are currently underway and this update is from boxing, where Rohit Tokas has won his round of 16 match in men's welterweight category. The 29-year-old defeated Ghana’s Alfred Kotey 5-0 via unanimous decision to storm into the quarter-finals.
In his next challenge, Rohit will be up against Niue’s Xavier Mata’afa-Ikinofo. The bout will take place on August 5 from 12:30am.
Back in the women's 87kg weightlifting final, Usha is placed in the fourth position after the completion of the snatch round. The 27-year-old lifted 90kg and 95kg in her first couple of attempts respectively, but was unsuccessful in her third attempt, where she had locked in 98kg.
India have restored parity in the mixed team badminton final against Malaysia, courtesy of PV Sindhu's impressive show.
Jin Wei Goh gave the 27-year-old a run for her money, but Sindhu was able to use all of her experience and expertise to secure a 22-20, 21-17 victory. The five-match series is now tied at 1-1, and in the third match, Kidambi Srikanth will be up against Tze Yong NG.
Besides the mixed team badminton final, weightlifting action is also underway. Usha Bannur Nattur Kumara is participating in women's 87kg finals. She has listed 90kg for her first attempt in the snatch round, while five lifters have listed higher weights for their first attempts.
PV Sindhu has won the first game of her match against Jin Wei Goh. The Malaysian posed a stern challenge, but the three-time Commonwealth Games medallist was able to secure a hard-fought 22-20 win.
The men's doubles pair of Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have lost 18-21, 15-21 against Teng Fong Aaron Chia and Wooi Yik Soh in the first match of the mixed team badminton final against Malaysia.
With this defeat, India are trailing 1-0 in the best-of-five contest. The second match will see PV Sindhu take on Jin Wei Goh.
India have not had the start they would have desired in the mixed team badminton finals. In game 1 of the men’s doubles match, Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty loses 18-21 against Teng Fong Aaron Chia and Wooi Yik.
As the mixed badminton team fights for a gold medal, there are some disappointing updates from the University Show Court. Saurav Ghosal has suffered a 9-11, 4-11, 1-11 defeat against New Zealand’s Paul Coll in the men’s singles squash semi-finals.
With this defeat, Saurav’s hopes of winning a gold medal are over, but he can still bring home a bronze medal. The 2018 Commonwealth Games silver medallist will be up against the loser of the game between James Willstrop and Joel Makin on August 3 at 9:30pm.
Right then, we are back and we turn our attention to badminton, where the mixed team is taking on Malaysia in the gold medal match.
In the first match of the best-of-five series, the Thomas Cup-winning duo of Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty is taking on Teng Fong Aaron Chia and Wooi Yik.
It has been a rewarding day for India so far, with three medals being added to the previous tally of nine
The women’s fours lawn bowls team made history by winning the gold medal, while the men’s table tennis did the same to take India's gold tally to five. Besides that, weightlifter Vikas Thakur won a silver medal in the men’s 96kg final.
Day 5 of the Commonwealth Games 2022, however, is far from over, as plenty of medal events will take place soon. The mixed badminton team will take on Malaysia at 10pm, while squash player Saurav Ghosal will be up against New Zealand's Paul Coll in men's singles semi-final from 9:15 PM.
Weightlifter Bannur Natesh Usha will be seen competing in women's 87kg final at 11pm, boxer Rohit Tokas will be in action in the round of 16 of men's welterweight category from 11:45pm, and lastly, Navjeet Kaur Dhillion and Seema Punia will feature in women's discus throw final at 12:52am.
Don't go anywhere, we will be back very soon!
The medals keep on coming! Weightlifter Vikas Thakur has won silver in men's 96kg final.
The 27-year-old from Ludhiana was successful in all of his three attempts in the snatch round, registering a best lift of 155kg with his third attempt. In the clean and jerk phase, Vikas lifted 191kg in his second attempt, taking his total tally to 346kg (155kg + 191kg).
Though the 2018 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist was unsuccessful in his third and final clean and jerk attempt, he had done enough to become the fourth Indian silver medallist at the Birmingham games, after Sanket Sargar, Bindyarani Devi and Shushila Devi. With Vikas’ achievement, India’s medal count at the Commonwealth Games 2022 has risen to 12.
Yet another gold medal secured for India, as the men’s table tennis team beats Singapore 3-1.
The doubles pair of Harmeet Desai and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran defeated Yong Izaac Quek and Yew En Koen Pang 13-11, 11-7, 11-9 in the first game, and while Sharath Kamal Achanta lost his match against Zhe Yu Clarence Chew, it ultimately had no significance on the outcome of the match.
Sathiyan defeated Pang 12-10, 7-11, 11-7, 11-4 in the third match, while the fourth match saw Harmeet securing a 11-8, 11-5, 11-6 win over Chew.
With this, the gold medallists of the 2018 Commonwealth Games have successfully defended their title, and have bagged the eleventh medal for India at the Birmingham Games.
Meanwhile, weightlifter Vikas Thakur has moved up to the third place in men's 96kg finals. The bronze medallist of the 2018 Commonwealth Games lifted 187kg in his first clean and jerk attempt, which takes his total to 342kg (187kg + 155kg).
The Indian women’s hockey team have suffered their first defat at the Commonwealth Games 2022, losing out 3-1 against England. Giselle Ansley opened the scoring for England in the 12th minute, while Tess Howard doubled the Lionesses’ advantage in the 40th minute.
Hannah Martin made it 3-1 for England from a penalty corner in the 53rd minute, and while Vandana Katariya reduced the deficit for Janneke Schopman’s team in the 60th minute, it was nothing more than a consolation. India’s next match will be against Canada on August 3.
Back in the men’s team table tennis final, India have managed to restore their lead over Singapore. Sathiyan Gnanasekaran defeated Yew En Koen Pang 12-10, 7-11, 11-7, 11-4 to make it 2-1 in the five-match series.
The third match will see Harmeet Desai taking on Zhe Yu Clarence Chew, who defeated Sharath Kamal Achanta earlier in the contest.
Meanwhile, in weightlifting, Vikas Thakur is competing in the men’s 96kg finals. The 28-year-old recorded a best lift of 155kg after his three attempts in the snatch round, which sees him placed just outside the podium places.
Samoa’s Don Opeloge is in the first position with his 171kg lift, while local favourite Cyrille Tchatchet II is in second position with a lift of 158kg. While Vikas is tied with Taniela Tuisuva Richard Barredo at 155kg, the Fijian lifter is currently holding on the bronze medal position as he was the first to complete that first.
Yew En Koen Pang is putting up a commendable fight against Sathiyan Gnanasekaran in the third match of the men’s table tennis finals. The Indian shuttler won the first game 12-10, before losing out the second game 7-11.
Meanwhile, in women's hockey, India are trailing 1-0 against England in their third group stage fixture.
Giselle Ansley scored the winner for the Lionesses in the 12th minute and Janneke Schopman’s girls have not been able to retaliate so far. However, India ended the second quarter with a flurry of attacks, which should have done their confidence a world of good.
We shift our focus back to the ongoing men’s team table tennis final, where Singapore have managed to restore parity against India. The pair of Harmeet Desai and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran won their men’s doubles match to give the defending champions a 1-0 lead, but Sharath Kamal Achanta suffered a 7-11, 14-12, 3-11, 9-11 defeat against Zhe Yu Clarence Chew.
In the third match, Gnanasekaran will take on Yew En Koen Pang.
The Indian women's fours lawn bowls team has scripted history in Birmingham's Victoria Park, as they beat South Africa to bag gold medal.
In a thrilling contest that demanded a strong show of character and composure, the Indian team managed to hold on to their nerves to secure a 17-10 win. Anju Luthra’s team started off well and were leading 8-2 at once stage, but things went downhill from there onwards.
South Africa managed to pull things back and secure a 10-8 lead, but from there onwards, it has been all about the sheer brilliance of the Indian women. The quartet of Lovely Choubey, Pinki, Nayanmoni Saikia and Rupa Rani Tirkey gave their team a 17-10 victory to bag a historic gold medal.
This happens to be India’s very first medal in lawn bowls at the Commonwealth Games. The women’s fours team joins Mirabai Chanu, Jeremy Lalrinnunga and Achinta Sheuli on the list of Indian gold medallists at the Commonwealth Games 2022, as the nation’s overall medal tally rises to 10.
Meanwhile, the women’s fours lawn bowls team has managed to regain composure and pull off a remarkable recovery operation against South Africa. Losing 8-10 not very long ago, Anju Luthra’s girls have stunned the women from the rainbow nation with their brilliant display in the last few rounds.
Currently, India are leading 15-10 and a gold medal does not seem too far away, unless South Africa manage to turn the tables for the second time in this match.
Plenty of events are happening currently, and while the Indian men's table tennis team and women's fours lawn bowls team are fighting for a gold medal, the women's hockey team is taking on England.
Janneke Schopman’s girls have had a good start to their campaign, winning 5-0 against Ghana and 3-1 against Wales in their first couple of matches. However, the battle will be tougher against England, who are ranked fifth in the world.
The defending champions have won the first match in the men's team table tennis final against Singapore.
Harmeet Desai and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran secured a 13-11, 11-7, 11-5 win over Yong Izaac Quek and Yew En Koen in the men’s doubles match. The next contest will see Sharath Kamal Achanta taking on Zhe Yu Clarence Chew.
Back in the men's table tennis final, Harmeet Desai and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran have had a good start against Yong Izaac Quek and Yew En Koen Pang.
They have won the first two games 11-13 and 11-7, and are now one step away from giving their team a crucial 1-0 lead in this best-of-five contest.
South Africa have incredibly managed to turn the tables in the ongoing women's fours lawn bowls final match against India. The Indian team was leading 8-2 at one stage, but things have gone horribly wrong in the last few rounds and it is the Proteas who are currently winning 10-8.
Besides the women's fours basketball team, the men's table tennis team is also competing in a gold medal match. The 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medallists are taking on Singapore in a five-match series.
In the first match, the pair of Harmeet Desai and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran is taking on Yong Izaac Quek and Yew En Koen Pang.
Back in the women's fours lawn bowls finals, India have managed to maintain their two-point lead over South Africa, as they inch closer to what will be a historic gold medal.
However, the last few rounds have not gone in India’s favour, as the South African side was once trailing 2-8, before they pulled things back. While Anju Luthra’s team is still leading 6-8, maintaining composure will be key for the Indian team here.
We turn our focus to athletics for a brief moment, where Dutee Chand has not been able to qualify for the women's 100m finals. With a timing of 11.55 seconds, the two-time Asian Games medallist finished fourth in her heat group, but that is not enough to earn her a place in the finals.
The Indian women's fours team has reclaimed their lead over South Africa in the gold medal contest.
After the women from the rainbow nation made it 2-1 in End 2, the next three rounds have seen Lovely Choubey & Co. not only restoring parity, but creating a healthy lead over their opposition.
At the conclusion of End 3, India and South Africa are tied 2-2 in the ongoing women's fours lawn bowls final.
India started off well by getting a 1-0 lead at the end of End 1, but South Africa made it 2-1 in End 2. However, the third End has seen the Indian team making a comeback to make it 2-2.
The women’s fours lawn bowling team has had a good start in their final match against South Africa. They have taken a 1-0 lead in the match that will decide which team will win the gold medal.
It is time to switch our attention to lawn bowls, where the women's fours team is taking on South Africa in the final match.
The team, comprising of Lovely Choubey, Pinki, Nayanmoni Saikia and Rupa Rani Tirkey, defeated New Zealand in the semi-finals to guarantee India’s first medal at the Commonwealth Games in this sport.
Punam Yadav is unsuccessful in all of her three attempts in the clean and jerk round.
After finishing second in the snatch round, the 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medallist lister 116kg as her starting weight in the clean and jerk round, but could not complete a lift. She struggled to hold on to the weight in her first two attempts, while in the last attempt, she did complete the lift but let go of the weight before getting a ‘down’ signal from the judges.
Punam locked in 116kg for her first attempt in the clean and jerk around, but as was the case in the snatch round, she is unsuccessful in her first attempt. Two more chances remain for the lady from Varanasi.
Murali Sreeshankar and Muhammed Anees have both managed to qualify for the men's long jump finals. Sreeshankar finished first in Group A with his solitary jump of 8.05m, while Anees finishes third in Group B with his 7.68m jump.
The finals will take place on August 5 at 12:12am IST.
Back in the long jump qualifiers, Murali Sreeshankar is placed in the first position in his group with a jump of 8.05m in his first attempt. As for Muhammed Anees, he is placed third in his group with a best jump of 7.68m.
Punam Yadav is in silver medal position after the completion of the snatch round. The two-time Commonwealth Games medallist lifted 98kg in her third attempt, which sees her in the second position in the standings. Canada’s Maya Laylor is leading the charts with a lift of 100kg.
Weightlifter Punam Yadav was unsuccessful in her first attempt in the clean and jerk round, where she had listed 95kg. However, the 27-year-old did well to lift the same weight in her second attempt.
For her third attempt, Punam has opted for a 3kg increase, listing 98kg.
Besides weightlifting, high jump is also currently underway, where two Indian athletes are competing. Murali Sreeshankar is in Group A of the men’s qualification round, while Muhammed Anees Yahiya is in Group B.
Weightlifter Punam Yadav is currently competing in women’s 76kg finals, aiming to become India’s tenth medallist at the Commonwealth Games 2022.
For her first attempt in the snatch round, she has listed 95kg. Canada’s Maya Laylor has listed the same weight, while every other lifter has listed a lower weight.
Day 5 of the Commonwealth Games may see India win its biggest single day haul of gold medals yet with the men's table-tennis team, the mixed badminton team and the women's fours lawn bowls team all in gold medal matches.
Here's a look at the schedule for the day:
200m backstroke - heat 2 - Srihari Natraj (3.04 pm)
1500m freestyle - heat 1 - Advait Page (4.10 pm)
1500m freestyle - heat 2 - Kushagra Rawat (4.28 pm) Artistic
Vault final - Satyajit Mondal - 5.30 pm
Parallel Bars finals - Saif Sadak Tamboli (6.35 pm)
Mixed Team Gold Medal Match - India vs Malaysia (10:00 pm)
63.5kg-67 kg (welterweight) - round of 16 - Rohit Tokas (11.45 pm)
Women's Fours Gold medal match - (4.15 PM)
Women's Pool A - India versus England - (06.30 pm)
Long Jump qualifying round - M Sreeshankar, Muhammad Anees Yahiya - (2.30 pm)
High jump qualifying round - Tejaswini Shakar - 12.03 am (Wednesday)
Discus throw final - Seema Punia, Navjeet Kaur Dhillon - 12.52 am (Wednesday)
Women's Shot Put Qualifying Round - Manpreet Kaur - (3:30 pm)
Women's 100m Round 1 - Dutee Chand - (5:15 pm onwards)
Women's singles plate semi-finals - Sunayna Sara Kuruvilla - 8.30 pm
Men's singles semi-final - Saurav Ghosal 9.15 pm
Men's Gold Medal Match - India vs Singapore (6:00 pm IST)
Women 76kg - Punam Yadav (2 pm)
87 kg - Usha Bannaur NK - (11 pm)
Men's 96 kg - Vikas Thakur - (06.30 pm)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)