Commonwealth Games 2014 Day 10 Highlights: Chinappa-Pallikal Win Squash Gold, Boxers Settle for Four Silvers
Dipika Pallikal and Joshana Chinappa etched their name in Indian squash history by winning the country’s first Commonwealth Games medal - a gold - from the discipline, while boxers, powerlifters and shuttlers, and a triple jumper picked up a clutch of prized metals on the penultimate day of competition.
Dipika Pallikal and Joshana Chinappa created history by winning the first-ever gold medal in squash, but a gold medal eluded the Indian boxers through the evening and the four pugilists in fray for the top prize had to be content with a silver each.. Highlights of Day 10: (Schedule and Results | Medal Standings)
07:15 (IST): India's Arpinder Singh wins the bronze medal in men's triple jump event.
00.40 (IST): In some bad news for India, the women's 4*400m relay team is disqualified. They even dropped the baton during the race to languish behind the others.
© PTI
00.33 (IST): It's all over and after three rounds, Vijender has to settle for a silver after losing to England's Anhtony Fowler. So that's four silvers where there could have been four golds for India from boxing today. (Read report here)
00.29 (IST): Vijender has been trying hard to get his punches in but it appears - quite clearly at that - that Fowler had the better fight in round two too. The Englishman can now afford to relax a bit as Vijender feels the pressure... (...and feel the gold slipping away)
00.25 (IST): Vijender under pressure from Anthony Fowler of England in 1st round of 75kg boxing final.
00.23 (IST):Boxing: A huge welcome for Vijender Singh. He comes out for 75kg boxing final vs England's Anthony Fowler.
00.22 (IST): In track and field, Arpinder Singh takes early lead in men's triple jump with a superb effort of 16.63.
00:21 (IST): In boxing today, India have lost three of four bouts for gold. Vijender's match in the final coming up.
00:20 (IST): Did you know? Nicola Adams from England wins first woman's CWG boxing title. (Read report here)
00:08 (IST): Rajinder Rahelu wins silver medal in the men's heavyweight powerlifting event.
00:05 (IST): RMV Gurusaidutt wins bronze after beating Rajiv Ouseph of England 21-15, 14-21, 21-19 in men's singles badminton.
00:02 (IST): Mandeep Jangra gets silver in 69kg boxing after losing to England's Scott Fitzgerald.
23:58 (IST): Mandeep Jangra loses 2nd round also now vs Scott Fitzgerald (ENG) in 69 kg boxing final.
23:54 (IST): Mandeep Jangra loses 1st round vs Scott Fitzgerald (ENG) in 69 kg boxing final.
22:49 (IST): India's Mandeep Jangra will take on Scott Fitzgerald (ENG) in 69 kg boxing final bout now.
22:42 (IST): Badminton: Gurusaidatt loses 2nd game 21-14 vs Rajiv Ouseph in men's singles bronze match, 1 game all now. (21-15, 14-21).
23:33 (IST): Table Tennis: Sharath Kamal loses to Liam Pitchford of England in men's singles bronze medal match. (6-11, 8-11, 11-4, 9-11, 11-6, 10-12).
© AP
23:27 (IST): Powerlifting: India's Rajinder Rahelu is second after lifting 180.5kg in Men's Heavyweight (From 72.1kg).
23:25 (IST): Table Tennis: Sharath Kamal wins 5th game 11-6 vs Liam Pitchford (ENG) in bronze medal match. He trails 3-2. (6-11, 8-11, 11-4, 9-11, 11-6).
23:23 (IST): Badminton: RMV Gurusaidatt wins 1st game 21-15 vs Rajiv Ouseph (ENG) in men's singles bronze medal match.
23:18 (IST): Table Tennis: Liam Pitchford now takes a 3-1 lead over Sharath Kamal (IND) in men's singles bronze medal match. He wins the fourth game 11-9 in the best-of-seven contest.
23:11 (IST): Table Tennis: Sharath Kamal wins 3rd game 11-4 vs Liam Pitchford (ENG) in bronze medal match. He trails 2-1.
© AP
23:08 (IST): Powerlifting: India's Rajinder Rahelu is leading after lifting 177.5kg in Men's Heavyweight Group A (From 72.1kg).
23:07 (IST): Badminton: RMV Gurusaidatt is leading 4-0 (Game 1) vs Rajiv Ouseph of England in men's singles bronze medal match.
23:05 (IST): Table Tennis: Sharath Kamal has now also lost the second game 11-8 to Liam Pitchford (ENG) in men's singles bronze medal match. He trails 2-0 in the best-of-seven contest. (6-11, 8-11).
22:58 (IST): Table Tennis: Sharath Kamal has lost the first game 11-6 to Liam Pitchford (ENG) in men's singles bronze medal match. It is a best-of-seven contest.
22:56 (IST): Badminton: PV Sindhu beats Jing Yi Tee of Malaysia 23-21, 21-9 to win bronze in women's singles event.
22:51 (IST): Table Tennis: Sharath Kamal is now in action in men's singles bronze medal match vs Liam Pitchford (ENG).
22:47 (IST): Badminton: Sindhu storms ahead to a 8-1 lead in the 2nd game vs Jing Yi Tee of Malaysia. She already leads 1-0 and only needs to win this game to win the women's singles bronze medal.
22:42 (IST): PV Sindhu wins 1st game 23-21 vs Jing Yi Tee (Malaysia) in badminton women's singles bronze medal match.
22:34 (IST): Powerlifting: India's Rajinder Rahelu will now be in action in Men's Heavyweight (From 72.1 kg) Group A.
22:30 (IST): PV Sindhu goes into the break with a 11-10 lead vs Jing Yi Tee (Malaysia) in badminton women's singles bronze medal match.
22:20 (IST): PV Sindhu finally on court now for her badminton women's singles bronze medal match vs Malaysia's Jing Yi Tee.
22:10 (IST): In other athletics events, Arpinder Singh will be in action in the Men's Triple Jump Finals later tonight as will be Ravinder Singh Khaira and Vipin Kasana in the Men's Javelin Throw finals.
22:05 (IST): The Indian women's 4X400m relay team will also be in action later tonight. India won a gold medal in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in the same event.
22:00 (IST): India's Mandeep Jangra and Vijender Singh will compete in the finals of the 69kg and 75kg boxing categories respectively later tonight.
21:52 (IST): Also coming up: Sharath Kamal will take on England's Liam Pitchford in men's table tennis bronze medal match at 10:50 pm.
21:39 (IST): Indian shuttlers waiting for the mixed doubles bronze medal competition to end before they can take court for their matches.
© PTI
21:30 (IST): Shuttlers Gurusaidutt & PV Sindhu will play their men's and women's singles bronze medal matches in a few minutes. Sindhu's match was earlier scheduled at 10:30 pm later today. Sindhu will take on Jing Yi Tee of Malaysia.
21:18 (IST): India are currently placed fifth in the medal tally with 14 golds, 25 silvers and 16 bronze medals.
21:10 (IST): Joshna Chinappa & Dipika Pallikal sing along the Indian national anthem as the flag goes up.
21:05 (IST): Squash: The medal ceremony for the women's doubles event has now begun. India's Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal beaming with joy.
21:04 (IST): Former world 400 metres champion Amantle Montsho has failed a drugs test at the Commonwealth Games, the Games Federation announced on Saturday.ÂÂ
© PTI
21:01 (IST): Coming up: India's RMV Gurusaidutt will take on Rajiv Ouseph of England in badminton men's singles bronze medal match at 9:30 pm.
20:50 (IST): India's Farman Basha finishes last in men's lightweight powerlifting Group A.
20:41 (IST): Squash: India's Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal win gold medal in women's doubles event. They beat Jenny Duncalf and Laura Massaro of England 11-6, 11-8. This is India's first ever squash medal in Commonwealth Games history.
20:32 (IST): Chinnapa and Pallikal fall behind 6-1 in second game vs Duncalf/Massaro. The Indian pair still leads 1-0 in this best-of-three contest (11-6, 1-6).
20:25 (IST): Squash: Chinnapa/Pallikal win 1st game 11-6 vs Duncalf/Massaro (ENG) in women's doubles final.
20:23 (IST): An interesting stat before we come to the conclusion of this first game in squash. Do you know Indian weightlifter Lila Ram (100kg) was the first one from the country to win a CWG Gold medal in the 1958 games?
20:16 (IST): Chinnapa and Pallikal lead 4-3 in the first game vs Duncalf/Massaro.
20:04 (IST): Squash: Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal walk out on the court for their women's doubles final match vs Duncalf/Massaro (ENG).
© PTI
20:02 (IST): The Indian President once again congratulated the country's medal winners at the 2014 Commonwealth Games today.
19:53 (IST): Commonwealth Games 2014 gold medallists Babita and Vinesh, along with their elder sister Geeta, who missed the Games due to an injury, were felicitated outside the Maruti Suzuki Kamgar Union office at the car manufacturing giant's Gurgaon plant. The trio were awarded Rs.11,000 each.
19:46 (IST): Squash: Chinappa/Pallikal (India) will play the women's doubles final vs Duncalf/Massaro (ENG) at 8 pm.
19:42 (IST): Diving: India's Siddharth Pardeshi has qualified for the men's 10m Platform finals.
19:33 (IST): Devendro Laishram loses to Paddy Barnes in men's light fly (49kg) boxing final to get India's 25th silver. This is the second successive Commonwealth Games gold medal for Northern Ireland's Barnes.
© AFP
19:30 (IST): Devendro Laishram loses 2nd round also now vs Paddy Barnes (NIR) in Men's Light Fly (49kg) boxing final.
19:26 (IST): Devendro Laishram loses 1st round vs Paddy Barnes (NIR) in Men's Light Fly (49kg) boxing final.
19:19 (IST): Devendro Laishram will now be in action vs Paddy Barnes (NIR) in Men's Light Fly (49kg) boxing final.
19:14 (IST): Recap: Indian powerlifter Sakina Khatun won bronze today in the lightweight category while Parupalli Kashyap reached the men's singles final in badminton. RMV Gurusaidutt lost out in the men's singles badminton semis along with PV Sindhu, who lost her women's singles semi match. Table tennis player Achanta Sharath Kamal today lost out in the men's singles semifinal match after taking silver in the men's doubles yesterday. All semifinal losers will now play for bronze later today. Laishram Devi gave India its second medal of the day after taking silver in the women's 57-60kg boxing event. The Indian men's hockey team also made the final, where they will take on Australia after beating New Zealand 3-2.
19:03 (IST): Laishram Sarita Devi gets silver medal in the women's 57-60kg boxing event. Australia's Shelley Watts wins gold.
© AFP
19:00 (IST): Shelly Watts is now ahead of Laishram after getting a perfect 10 from all three judges in Round 3 too, Laishram gets nine each.
18:56 (IST): Shelley Watts fights back and she is the one who gets ten points from all the three judges after Round 2, Laishram gets nine each from Judge A, B and C. It's all neck-and-neck now.
18:53 (IST): Laishram Devi has got ten points from all the three judges after Round 1 while Watts has got nine each from Judge A, B and C.
18:50 (IST): Laishram Devi and Shelley Watts now in the boxing ring as they are introduced by the official commentators.
18:35 (IST): Boxing: India's Laishram Devi will take on Shelley Watts of Australia in women's light (57-60kg) final in about ten minutes from now.
18:20 (IST): Indian men had lost 2-4 to Australia in their Pool A match earlier. Can they stun them this time to win a fabulous gold?
18:16 (IST): Indian men reach hockey final. Fantastic fight back from the side to beat New Zealand 3-2 despite missing captain Sardar Singh in this match.
18:05 (IST): Sreejesh in some trouble with a Kiwi forward crashing into him while trying to score. The goalkeeper gets medical attention and opts to play on.
18:01 (IST): The Indians have hardly looked to defend their lead as the forward line continues to hunt for more goals against New Zealand. This is solid and positive hockey from the team.
17: 50 (IST): Hockey: Goal! India take 3-2 lead against New Zealand. Akashdeep Singh dives to score a fantastic field goal in the 46th minute.
17:46 (IST): Badminton: Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponappa beat Lim/Jing of Malaysia to reach final of women's doubles. (Also read: Kashyap assures India of silver, Sindhu left stunned)
17:45 (IST): Goal! India make it 2-2. Ramandeep scores a field goal to put his side back on level terms.
17:43 (IST): Indians have been a bit more forceful than the Kiwis so far in the second half. The winner of this match will face Australia who beat England 4-1 in the other semi.
17: 32 (IST): Second half of the second semifinal match between India and New Zealand starts. Both teams on the attack but no breakthrough in the early minutes. This despite a few close calls.
© AP
17: 28 (IST): Hockey: Indian men go into half time trailing New Zealand 1-2.
17:27 (IST): Badminton: India's Gutta/Ponappa win first game 21-7 vs Lim/Jing of Malaysia in women's doubles semis.
17:19 (IST): GOAL! India pull one back. Rupinder Singh scores from a penalty stroke in the 27th minute. It's 1-2 against India now.
17:14 (IST): India make forays into the New Zealand half with clear intent to attack as much as possible with 11' to go in first half. Kiwi defence though stands firm and thwarts the attacks.
17:08 (IST): GOAL! New Zealand make it 2-0. Kiwis get a penalty corner despite protests from India - no referrals left of course. Nick Haig strikes after a rebound to put his side firmly in the lead after 17 minutes.
17:05 (IST): Kiwis still lead 1-0 against India after 15 minutes in the first half. There have been some attacking moves from India but the goal against them has clearly given their play a sense of panic.
17:01 (IST): Hockey: New Zealand go on the attack against India once again. Get a penalty corner but unable to convert it as Indians clear their line.
16:57 (IST): Badminton: Gurusaidutt leading 12-11 against Singapore's Wong in the third and deciding game. Can he land himself into an all-Indian final against Kashyap tomorrow? (21-16, 19-21, 12-11). UPDATE: Gurusaidutt loses the singles semifinal match (21-16, 19-21, 15-21).
16:56 (IST): TT: Achanta Sharath Kamal is now three games down in his men's singles semifinal. It's a best-of-seven, so Achanta can't lose any more. It's 4-2 in the favour of the Singaporean Zhan in the fourth game too though. Things looking ominous. (6-11, 6-11, 6-11, 2-4). UPDATE: Achanta Kamal loses to Zhan (6-11, 6-11, 6-11 and 8-11). He will now play England's Liam Pitchford for bronze at 10:50 (IST) tonight.
16:52 (IST): GOAL! 3' Simon Child has already put New Zealand ahead in the semifinal. New Zealand 1 India 0.
16:49 (IST): The men's hockey semifinal match between India and New Zealand has now started.
© AFP
16:45 (IST): Achanta Sharath Kamal has lost the first 2 games 6-11 to Singapore's Jian Zhan in men's singles table tennis semis.
16:45 (IST): Gurusaidutt loses 19-21 vs Wong in game 2 and now it's level 1-1 with the decider to be played.
16:30 (IST): Achanta Sharath Kamal is in action vs Singapore's Jian Zhan in the men's table tennis singles semis.
16:24 (IST): Gurusaidutt wins game 1 21-16 vs Wong in men's singles semis.
16:19 (IST): Gurusaidutt set to wrap up the first game with a 19-15 lead.
16:06 (IST): Gurusaidutt leads 8-5 in game 1 vs Wong, a chance for India to be assured of gold and silver in badminton men's singles.
15:59 (IST): Sindhu will play in the bronze medal match at 22:30 IST tonight while Kashyap's gold medal match is at 16:30 IST tomorrow. RV Gurusaidutt's semifinal gets underway as he faces Derek Wong of Singapore.
15:54 (IST): Bad news for India as PV Sindhu loses 20-22, 20-22 to Michelle Li of Canada in the women's badminton singles semis.
15:44 (IST): Sindhu leads Li 17-14 in game 2 of women's badminton singles semis.
15:41 (IST): Parupalli Kashyap beats England's Rajiv Ouseph 18-21, 21-17, 21-18 to enter badminton men's singles final. India assured of at least a silver in men's badminton.
15:24 (IST): Sakina Khatun has won bronze in the women's powerlifting lightweight event. In badminton, Sindhu has lost the opening game to Li 20-22. ( Read full report here)
15:18 (IST): Sakina Khatun is currently in 3rd position in the women's powerlifting lightweight event.
15:15 (IST): It's a tight game between Sindhu and Li as they are locked at 16-16.
15:08 (IST): Kashyap wins 21-17 to make it a game apiece. It's everything to play for now. Meanwhile Sindhu is leading Li 11-10 in the women's singles semi.
14:56 (IST): Sindhu's match vs Michelle Li of Canada gets underway.
14:52 (IST): Kashyap looking to make amends in the second and leads Ouseph 11-9 at the break.
14:45 (IST): The second game is a tight affair as Kashyap and Ouseph exchange a series of good shots to keep it at 4-4.
14:40 (IST): Kashyap loses the first game 18-21 after squandering an early lead. It's advantage Ouseph.
14:34 (IST): Ouseph stages a comeback and Kashyap is locked at 15-15 as the first game heads towards a tense finish.
14:27 (IST): Kashyap clearly has the upper hand as Ouseph struggles to find answers to his shots. Kashyap leads 11-8.
14:23 (IST): Kashyap races to a 8-4 lead vs Ouseph in game 1.
14:19 (IST): The action begins in badminton as Parupalli Kashyap takes on Rajiv Ouseph of England in the semis.
14:08 (IST): There is a possibility of an two Indians meeting in the final as RMV Gurusaidutt is playing the badminton men's singles semis. It could be Kashyap vs Gurusaidutt in the final.
13:56 (IST): The badminton men's and women's singles semis will now take place at 14:30 IST as the mixed doubles semis are currently going on.
13:44 (IST): India are currently at 5th spot with 51 medals which include 13 gold, 23 silver and 15 bronze. England take top spot with 140 medals of which 48 are gold.
13:38 (IST): India will face New Zealand in the men's hockey semis. A win will assure them of a medal. India lost 8-0 to Australia in the 2010 final to claim silver. A big blow to India's hopes is the fact that skipper Sardar Singh will miss the match due to a suspension.
13:24 (IST): Laishram Devi will clash with Australia's Shelley Watts in the women's boxing lightweight final at 18:45 IST.
13:14 (IST): PV Sindhu and Parupalli Kashyap will be in action at 13:30 IST in the women's and men's badminton singles semis respectively.
© PTI
Having spent a lot of her boxing career in the shadows of the great Mary Kom, Saturday will be a big day for Laishram Sarita Devi. Her life story has a few similarities with Mary. They come from the same state of Manipur, conquered odds in life and the hunger for international glory keep burning even after becoming a mother. Thirty-two-year old Sarita Devi will be the first Indian in the boxing ring on Saturday as she fights for the lightfly (57-60 kgs) gold.
Sarita, a Muhammad Ali fan, will take on Shelly Watts, 26, of Australia in the final. Sarita punched her way to the final, hammering Maria Machongua of Mozambique in a lop-sided contest. A former world championships silver medallist, Sarita will be the favourite against the Aussie.
Saturday evening will see plenty of boxing action . Following Sarita Devi will be Laishram Devendro Singh (men's 46-49kg) and Mandeep Jangra (men's 69kg). Both look strong contenders for gold. Big Boys play at night. So, Vijender Singh will be in action shortly after midnight as India will look to complete a quartet of gold medals.
© AP
On Friday night, Vijender produced yet another dominating performance against Connor Coyle of Northern Ireland in the men's middleweight (75kg) in a unanimous 3-0 verdict. Vijender takes on England's Antony Fowler. The 23-year-old from Liverpool is yet to taste a big international success.
India's men's hockey team will be up against New Zealand in the semifinals. India's international performance under new coach Terry Walsh has been poor and a place in the final will help Sardar Singh's team erase horrible memories of the FIH World Cup earlier this year.
© AP
India, will be without their captain. The inspirational Sardar has been suspended for a match but India have enough on the bench to fight the Black Sticks, who have always been tough to beat. A lot will depend on how well the defence plays. India have conceded some bad goals but if they can produce the attacking game they dished out against Australia in a group match, the semifinal will be well contested.
In racquet sports, the script has unfolded the way it was expected. PV Sindhu and Parupalli Kashyap are a win away from the badminton singles finals and in table tennis, Sharath Kamal needs a win to enter the gold round. The final matches are scheduled on Sunday, the last day of the Commonwealth Games.
India's returns from track and field events have never been great. Vikas Gowda (men's discus) has won the only gold so far. Krishna Poonia (women's discus) was a great disappointment on Friday. Traditionally, the women's relay teams have done well. They will be seen in action in the 4x400 and 4x100 where the Jamaicans are expected to dominate.
England (140 medals, 48 gold) lead the medal tally. Australia (124 with 40 gold) and Canada (75 with 30 gold) are No. 2 and 3. Scotland (49 with 17 gold) lead India at fourth place. India need four gold medals more to go past the hosts. Boxing could prove the answer.