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CWG Live! Saina wins gold, India ranks second |
Smiles all around after India's dazzling finish in the Commonwealth Games.
As Saina Nehwal, the 20-year-old from Haryana, pushed India to second place in the medals tally with a 21-19 22-20 21-13 victory over Malaysia's Mew Chew Wong, an exciting, controversial and memorable Games draws to a close.
India, for one, will never forget -- the best performance -- many firsts -- at a CWG with a record 101 medal haul. England has 140 medals, but is a gold short at 37.
15:04:
Saina wins gold: India's last gold hope, world number 2, Saina Nehwal, beat Malaysia's Mew Choo Wang in the badminton singles 19-21, 23-21, 21-13. The win puts India firmly back in the number two position in the Commonwealth Games with 38 golds.
14:55:
Saina leads Wong 14-8 in the badminton gold decider...
14:49:
Saina plays for gold: The crucial Saina Nehwal-Mew Choo Wong match begins. Saina wins second game 23-21 against the Malaysian. A gold will take India to second place in medal's tally. Nehwal earns the decisive two-point break when Wong nets a return to force the final into an enthralling third-set decider.
14:26:
CWG's warmest moment: In what turned out to be a rare gesture in Indian sport, national hockey team's young centre back Dhananjay Mahadik carried a poster acknowledging the crowd support after their 0-8 drubbing at the hands of Australia in the final of the Commonwealth Games, Thursday.
"Thank You All For Your Kind Support" read the poster which Mahadik held aloft as he took a lap of honour along with his teammates at the end of the final. His gesture was received very well by the spectators as they gave a standing ovation despite an embarrassing defeat in the finals.
Normally, sports personalities are seen acknowledging the crowd support after tournaments but never has any Indian sportsperson carried a poster.
"It was a decision by the team. The crowd has been tremendous and been right behind us during the tournament. This is our way of acknowledging our fans for the great support that we have got," coach Jose Brasa stated.
It has been a sell-out crowd at the Dhyan Chand National Stadium in each and every India matches. People from all walks of life have thronged the stadium to support the national team including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
14:22:
Jwala slams BAI pres: And just as we were talking about badminton doubles gold medallist Jwala Gutta, a TV flash says: Jwala slams Badminton President of India VK Verma, saying, "Our federation chief didn't even come up and congratulate us after the win." More soon. Jwala and Ashwini Ponappa won India its 37th gold.
14:17:
Spotlight on Jwala: Moments After winning the first women's doubles gold for India at the Commonwealth Games along with Ashwini Ponnappa, ace shuttler Jwala Gutta said it was an "unbelievable" and the feeling will take time to sink in.
Second seed Jwala-Ashwini beat top seed Singaporeans Sari Shanti Mulia and Yao Lei 21-16 21-19 in the summit clash to win the coveted title. "I think it was long pending for me. I am quite emotional. The feeling is yet to sink in. Ashwini played exceptionally well and we hope to continue the good work," Jwala told reporters at the press conference.
13:51:
A nation's hopes rests on Saina: Here's England's take on the gold medal tie with India. "Defeat in the men's badminton doubles mean England cannot add any more heavy duty medalry to their collection, which means they finish with 37 golds, 58 silvers and 45 bronzes, a grand total of 140 and currently sit second in the medals table.
However, hosts India have the same number of golds and can usurp the red and white if Saina Nehwal can beat Malaysia's Wong Mew Choo in the women's badminton singles final. The odds are stacked in Nehwal's favour - she has yet to drop a game so far in the tournament."
Hope the BBC is right.
13:47:
India hits a century: Medal tally for host nation is 100 (37-27-36), but still tied with England at 37 golds. Achanta Sharath Kamal wins bronze in men's singles table tennis event.
13:44:
On rediff.com, a sampling of amazing calm on the hockey loss. "Though this 0-8 thrashing is going to take sometime to heal by, we have atleast some consolation ..1) we thrashed aussie 2-0 in cricket (good chances of winning ODIs too) 2) we thrashed ausies 3-0 in TT bronze medal match (women). Chill guys."
And another: Vishwak Sena writes, "What the heck? It'd have been better had we not been in the final. losing face in front of the whole world!" Warms the heart.
13:31:
Go Saina! All eyes on Saina Nehwal as she eyes gold in the badminton finals against Malaysia's Mew Choo Wong. This will be Saina's first CWG final appearance and if she clinches a gold, and England stays put at 37, India is back in second place.
13:29:
Bronze for women's doubles TT: Indian paddlers today assured the country of a total five medals from table tennis when reigning national champion Poulomi Ghatak and Mouma Das clinched a bronze, beating Australians Tan Z Vivian and Campbell-Innes Peri in women's doubles' third place play-off, Thursday .
13:25:
Integrity intact says, Fennell: CGF president Mike Fennell said the controversies in the lead up to the games did not damage the integrity of the Games. "No doubt the overall image of the Games has been good. Spectators have enjoyed, broadcasting has been good. People have seen extremely positive image of the Games right across the world," he said.
"There are some details to be called into (for scrutiny). There were a number of issues but the fact is that the end result is good. I don't think whatever has happened (in the lead-up) has damaged the image of the Games," he added.
The tainted Mr Kalmadi is one hell of a lucky man. Had India performed below par, the mood here would have been unforgiving post Games. Now, it's a more wait-and-watch kind of situation that awaits the man. Not the vengeful, angry India before the Games began.
13:09:
All nice-nice now that the Games are almost over: The Commmonwealth Games was today given a pat on the back by CGF chief Michael Fennell in his final press conference here. "Delhi has performed and the overall image of the Games has been extremely positive", declared CGF chief Fennell on the last day of the event.
"Leading up to the Games, people were not sure whether to go to India or not after all those reports came out. When I was going to India on September 23, I was even asked when would I announce the cancellation of the Games," Fennell told a press conference.
"I said our job is to fix the problems and not to give up. I had said in a press conference at that time (before the Games) when asked whether there was Plan B and I said Plan B is Delhi. It was always Delhi and Delhi has performed," Fennell said. The CGF president refused to buy the line that the controversies in the lead up have damaged the integrity of the Games.
13:00:
Olympian and former India hockey captain, Viren Rasquinha graciously accepted India's hockey defeat 0-8 against Australia saying the team's performance was below par and credited the gold medal winner saying, "they played like champions". This is India's first podium win in hockey. Ever!
12:53:
Kalmadi gives the slip on last day of Games: Commonwealth Games chief organiser Suresh Kalmadi, Thursday, evaded media grilling after at his last formal address to the press even as a question was fired at him by a scribe.
At the customary media conference on the last day of the Games, Kalmadi extended his vote of thanks and walked off the dias, even as a scribe asked 'Mr Kalmadi if you have a minute..."
Kalmadi's abrupt departure on the final day, after having skipped the mandatory conference on a few more occasions, left CGF chief Michael Fennell, CGF CEO Michael Hooper and OC secretary-general Lalit Bhanot to face the barrage of questions from the media.
Bhanot was also asked whether he saw himself as the 'villain' and was subjected to a certain amount of grilling with his boss Kalmadi missing from action.
12:32:
Heartbreak for India: India lose to Australia 8-0 in hockey against Australia. Yet, it is India's first ever silver medal in CWG hockey.
11:58:
India trail 4-0 against Australia in hockey in first half against defending Commonwealth, Olympic and world champions Australia . Though this is the first ever appearance for the hockey team in a Commonwealth Games final, it will be an uphill task to better the score.
11:52:
Gold glory: India's Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponappa created history as they beat Singapore's L Yao and SM Sari 21-16, 21-19 to clinch the gold medal in women's badminton, Thursday. With the gold, India is now in level with England in the gold medal tally with 37.
Top seed Saina Nehwal will be in action later in the day when she locks horns with Mew Choo Wong of Malaysia for the singles gold.
10:46:
Kenyans run away with marathon gold: Bad news for India as the two Indian marathon runners in the fray, Ram Singh Yadav and Bining Lyngkhoi finished eighth and ninth 2:21:24 and 2:23:01 respectively.
Not surprisingly, Kenyans ran away with two marathon gold medals on offer to bring down curtains on the athletics events on the last day of the Games, Thursday. John Eriku Kelai won gold in the men's marathon covering the 42.195km distance in two hours 14 minutes and 35 seconds.
Australia's Michael Shelly bagged the silver in 2:15:18 while another Kenyan Amos Tirop Matui pocketed the bronze in 2:15:58.
10:41:
Badminton mixed doubles gold medal match begin -- England vs Malaysia. India goes in later for the singles and doubles matches.
10:34:
The best bet remains top seed Saina Nehwal who is to battle it out against Mew Choo Wong of Malaysia for the singles gold this afternoon. The women's doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa will have a shot at the gold when it takes on Singapore duo Shinta Mulia Sari and Lei Yao.
The men's hockey team, which has never even won a medal let alone sail into the final at the Games, will have the nation's attention focused on it when it lines up against the world and defending champions Australia in the summit.
India are set to receive one more bronze medal when Achanta Sharath Kamal crosses swords with compatriot Soumyadeep Roy in the play-off tie for third place in men's singles table tennis event.
Poulomi Ghatak and Mouma Das also have a chance to increase the bronze tally when they face their Australian rivals Zhenhua Vivian Tan and Peri Campbell Innes in women's doubles play-off tie.
10:13:
Can India do it? As India go into the last day of the Commonwealth Games today trailing second-placed England by a single gold medal, this is the question on everyone's mind. India have 96 medals in their kitty -- 36 gold, 26 silver and 34 bronze, while England have 138 (37-56-45). Australia have already ensured the top spot with a haul of 169 medals (72-50-47).
If India have to achieve their pre-Games target of ending up second, they would have to grab one gold more than England as a tie in gold tally will place the hosts in third place because of their inferior tally of silver.
10:06:
Medal possibilities today: Athletics: Marathon men: Ram Singh Yadav, Bining Lyngkhoi; Marathon women Preethi Rao;
Badminton: Doubles women's final: Jwala Gutta/ Ashwini Machimanda; Singles women's finals: Saina Nehwal;
Hockey: Men's final: Australia vs India;
TT: Men's singles Bronze play-off: Achanta Sharath Kamal, Soumyadeep Roy; Women's doubles bronze play-off: Poulomi Ghatak-Mouma Das.
9:59:
October 14, 2010, Day 11 India holds 36 gold medals, one less than England this morning. But both the countries have opportunities to add to their collection, Thursday. India still can, realistically, get back to the #2 slot.
18:03:
India win 33rd gold: Sharath Kamal and Saha win in gold men's table tennis doubles. But we have dropped a slot to number 3, behind England.
16:31:
Vijender is miffed: Considered the best bet for boxing gold in the Commonwealth Games, world number one Vijender Singh, Wednesday said he never thought he would have to settle for bronze due to "unfair" refereeing, which could have been prevented had the Indian federation been "proactive".
Vijender lost 3-4 to England's Anthony Ogogo in the semifinals after being handed twin warnings -- first for hitting his rival on the back of his head and the second for holding him towards the closing stages of the bout.
The Indian team protested against the referee's decisions but it was turned down by the International Boxing Association jury, which reviewed the bout.
16:16:
Lanka win first boxing gold medal... thank India: Sri Lanka today clinched its first boxing gold medal at the Commonwealth Games since 1938 through veteran Manju Wanniarachchi and thanked India for contributing to its historic feat.
The 31-year-old Wanniarachchi defeated Welshman Sean McGoldrick on countback after being tied 7-7 with him in the bantamweight 56kg finals at the Talkatora Stadium. Wanniarachchi became the first boxing medallist for Sri Lanka in 60 years and the first gold winner in 72 years.
The emotionally overwhelmed Wanniarachchi could not hold back the tears after the historic win and his coach Dian Gomes said a lot of credit for the triumph goes to the time he spent training at the National Institute of Sports in Patiala with Indian coaches. I thank India for helping Sri Lanka in achieving this historic triumph," he said hugging his boxer, who let the coach do the talking on his behalf.
16:08:
Yikes! Defending champion Achanta Sharath Kamal crashes out of the men's singles table tennis semi-finals.
15:38:
India continue to hold on to the number two position at the CWG. India nets 32 gold against England's 30. Fingers crossed, we'll make it.
15:37:
And down south, in India, Team India registered a comfortable seven-wicket victory over Australia shortly after tea on the fifth and final day of the second Test at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bangalore, Wednesday. The victory helped the hosts pocket the series 2-0 and consolidate their top spot in the rankings.
14:44:
On Twitter: Mark Sharma says, "I don't know why they call the Kiwi Female Hockey Team "blacksticks". 'All Blondes' would be so much better ;) " Incidentally, Australia win the women's hockey hold against New Zealand.
14:01:
More on Rani Yadav: The shamed athlete, who finished sixth in the walk race conducted on October 8 in 1 hour, 42 minutes, 54 seconds, tested positive for prohibited Anabolic Agent 19-Norandrosterone. She would either attend or will be represented at a provisional hearing before the CGF Court later, Wednesday .
The CGF statement said, "Ms Yadav has been provisionally suspended from the Games and, in accordance with the ADS, the athlete will attend, or be represented, at a Provisional Hearing before the CGF Federation Court later today." What a shame...
12:50:
Rani Yadav finshed sixth in the 20 km walk and tested positive for Nandrolone, which is a performance enhancing anabolic steroid banned by the the World Anti-doping Agency. It helps build muscle and physical strength.
12:44:
Indian athelete named: The CGF has just named the Indian athelete who flunked the dope test -- she is race walker Rani Yadav. Yadav tested positive for banned drug Nandrolone, a performance enhancing substance. The dope test was conducted, Tuesday night, 9 pm. More details soon.
12:34:
A pat on the back from none other than Sebastian Coe! British's legendary middle distance runner Sebastian Coe lavished rich praise on the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, saying the venues are one of the best he has ever seen.
Coe is the only man to have the Olympic gold medal in the 1500 metres twice, in 1980 and 1984, and is also known for setting eight outdoor and three indoor world records.
Coe, who is also the chairman of the Organising Committee of the 2012 London Olympic Games, spent a lot of time checking out the venues and the Games Village in Delhi. Coe speaks to rediff.com's Harish Kotian.
12:01:
Silver for shooter: Heena Sidhu wins silver in the women's 10m air pistol event.
11:39:
Will CWG chief guest be heckled? Activists have opposed India’s decision to invite Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa as the guest of honour at the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games. Rajapaksa will be flying into India, Wednesday.
The move has angered rights groups and the Tamil diaspora who have accused Rajapaksa of failing to protect many thousands of civilians who died in battles in the long civil war against Tamil separatists last year.
11:35:
Stadium turns into security fortress: Pakistan based terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba is planning to attack Delhi, Thursday, during the build-up to the closing ceremony of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, say Indian intelligence agencies. In fact, the terror threat to the CWG has been constantly on the radar even before the Games began. Quite naturally, the Indian government will turn the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and Connaught Place will into a security fortress ahead of the closing ceremony and the marathon, Thursday. Here's a sampling:
Hundreds of armed men will be deployed around the stadium.
Spectators will have to undergo checks at four security points.
IAF choppers in the skies, snipers at rooftops.
The stadium has 19 entry points where card readers, door frame metal detectors and X-Ray baggage machines have been installed.
Mobile quick reaction teams has been deployed on the outer perimeter of the venue.
At the outer cordon of the stadium, traffic will be stopped and access controlled. At the middle cordon, police will channelise the spectators to their designated seats while in the inner cordon, the barcode reading of tickets will take place and the spectators' photos captured.
At the centre will be the exclusion zone which is in the 30-metre radius of the stadium, where spectators and guests will undergo a check through door frame metal detectors and X-Ray scanning besides manual searching. Only those with valid parking stickers will be allowed near the stadium.
11:18:
The other two who failed the dope test: Nigerian Osayemi Oludamola, who had tested positive for Methylhexaneamine, was stripped of the women's 100 metres Commonwealth Games gold medal, Tuesday after her B sample confirmed the banned stimulant.
Her compatriot Samuel Okon, a 110 metres hurdler who also tested positive for Methylhexaneamine, waived his right to have his B Sample tested and has also been disqualified.
11:06:
No confirmation if athelete has been notified: Mike Fennell, president CGF confirmed the dope taint. He said the name of the athelete will not be released till the person receives a notification, which is as per anti-doping practices. The notice has been sent to both the athelete and the Chef de Mission. He said he had no confirmation yet whether the athelete had received the notification. Chef de Mission B Latika was informed this morning.
The dope test was conducted, Tuesday night, 9 pm. The athelete tested positive for Nandrolone which is a performance enhancing drug. Results for the B sample test are still awaited.
10:54:
More on the mystery Indian athelete: Banned substance Nandrolone was used by the track and field athelete, who, thankfully, is NOT a medal winner.
10:52:
Earlier in the day: India's men's doubles team comprising Olympian Achanta Sharath Kamal and former national champion Subhajit Saha made it to the finals of the table tennis event after defeating England 3-2, Wednesday.
The Indian duo overcame a 2-1 deficit and saved a match point to overcome the stiff challenge from the English pair of Baggley and Pitchford. Earlier, India had beaten Nigeria's 3-1 on Tuesday to make it to the final four.
10:42:
Gold rush on Day 10: With 29 gold medals at stake on the 10th day of the XIXth Commonwealth Games, Indian boxers Suranjoy Singh, Manoj Kumar and Paramjeet Samota will fight for gold medals in their respective finals.
Indian shooters, who have been in top form in the 2010 Games, have the last chance to seek greatness and give India''s medals tally a big boost.
On the last day of shooting events, all eyes will be on ''Golden Boy'' Gagan Narang, who has four gold medals so far at the Delhi Games. Narang will shoot for gold in the 50 m Rifle Prone Men event. Samresh Jung has already won the bronze in the 25 m Standard Pistol Men event.
Anu Raj Singh and Heena Sidhu, who won gold in pairs event , Tuesday, will compete in 10 m Air Pistol Women''s Singles event today.
The day will also see the 29 km women''s cycle road event where all hopes will be on India''s Helen Devi, Panna Chaudhary and Sunita Devi. In men''s 40 km cycle road event Amandeep Singh, Atul Kumar and Sombir will be in action.
10:35:
Breaking: Indian athelete fails dope test An Indian track and field athelete tests positive for a banned substance. The Commonwealth Games Federation has withheld the name of athelete. The B sample of the athelete is still awaited. The OC says enough precautions have been taken to raise awareness. More soon...
10:33:
Quick takes: Kashinath Naik bags bronze in javelin throw; Badminton women Saina Nehwal, Jwala-Ponappa in final; Chetan Ananad loses to World no 1 Lee Chong Wei -- will have to fight for the bronze now.
10:20:
India creates hockey history! Beat England through penalites to reach the hockey finals 5-4. Will play Australia in the finals.
10:17:
October 13, 2010, Day 10: What a great beginning! Samaresh Jung wins bronze in 25m standard pistol... and a biggie up next.
17:17:
On Twitter: torso_admirer says, "First London was stunned by Beijing at Olymics. Now Glasgow is challenged by Delhi at CWG. Yet BBC is still giving ugly negative publicity." Check out the Beeb website, torso -- there really is no India bashing.
17:07:
Boxers need a touch of gold: With the much-fancied Vijender Singh ousted after a shock loss, it is now left to Asian champion Suranjoy Singh and two other unexpected finalists to ensure that India's best-ever boxing medal haul in the Commonwealth Games gets a touch of gold in the summit bouts here tomorrow.
India are assured of seven medals in the Games, surpassing the six (a gold, two silver and an equal number of bronze) won in the previous edition of the quadrennial event in Melbourne.
Four of the medals this time are confirmed bronze because Amandeep Singh (49kg), Jai Bhagwan (60kg), Dilbag Singh (69kg) and Vijender (75kg) lost their respective semifinal bouts yesterday.
16:53:
With just two days for the Games to end, camping sites set up for tourists continue to stay empty. Not a single guest has checked in yet at the two well-furnished sites with 50 Swiss deluxe tents inaugurated with much fanfare at Dundahera near Gurgaon and Surajkund near Faridabad. Wonder why...
16:44:
India in TT singles semis: Soumyadeep Roy quelled a stiff challenge from Singapore's Xiaoli Cai to enter the men's singles semi-finals in the table tennis competition, Tuesday. The Bengal paddler started the quarter-final on a positive note and clinched the first game 11-7, but Cai clawed his way back into the match by winning the second 11-5. Go here for details of the match and more
16:04:
Hopes squashed: India's challenge in the squash team event came to an end after the fourth seeded pair of National champions Saurav Ghosal and Joshna Chinappa went down fighting to the Malaysians duo of Nicol David and Beng Hee Ong in the quarter-finals of the mixed doubles, Tuesday.
The Indian pair lost to the third seed Malaysian pair, 5-11, 11-7, 7-11, in a little under 60 minutes at the Siri Fort Sports Complex.
15:53:
Quick medals' roundup: Australia 64 (G) 42 (S) 40 (B ) 146; India 31(G) 25 (S) 28 (B ) 84 ; England 28 (G) 50 (S) 36 (B ) 114. Both India and England are one gold up from Monday.
15:50:
Positive. Patriotic. And realistic. With India firmly in second place, the mood in the country has been quite naturally, upbeat. A sampler: Sandeep Puru comments on rediff.com: "Being an Indian it was the best moment in sporting history when three Indian flags raised on the background of Janaganamana. We have many a unseen/unblushed roses which can yield golds in many an event." That was in response to India's gold, silver, bronze win at the discus throw yesterday.
And another from Mushtaq Mujalw : "With such a good performace from india i think this time the selection commity was good....looks like nobody took bribe and sent only the best for the games....Indiaa with 1 billion plus people always had the potential but because of bad politics in selection was not coming up...this is good... hope we do still good next time."
15:20:
And while we are on ceremonies -- Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa will be the Guest of Honour during the closing ceremony, Thursday.
15:18:
As we said earlier, thanda day for India. So, here's a poser. What was the biggest challenge before Bharat Bala, the man who can be credited for the incredible opening ceremony, Sunday? No, not bit parts of the stadium crashing down (thankfully, we didn't get that) but, presenting 5,000 years of Indian history and culture in just 60 minutes. Read how he did it.
14:48:
Oz hockey world champs: Australia did justice to their tournament favourite billing as they thrashed New Zealand 6-2 to storm into the final of the men's hockey event.
Even though New Zealand tried to force their way into the match in the second half,?Australia proved too strong for the Black Sticks as they pumped in three goals each?half?to register a comfortable win. New Zealand pulled two goals back in the second half, but the Kookaburras powered their way into the gold medal match with twin strikes in the last three minutes.
Incidentally, the match between Australia and New Zealand was an exhibition of field goals, as not a single strike was from set-pieces.
13:58:
Indian shooters Gagan Narang and Hari Om Singh missed their medal opportunity in the 50m rifle prone pairs after finishing fifth, Tuesday.
13:20:
It's going to be a trickle today. Frankly, a dull morning, despite a golden start by shooters. For one, Indian weightlifters ended their campaign at the CWG on a disappointing note, winning just eight medals, out of which only two were gold. Indian strongmen, who bagged nine medals (3 gold, 5 silver and 1 bronze) in this sporting discipline in the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games fell one short this time.
While that record is fine in itself, they were expected to better their performance, especially since they were competing on home turf. Possibly the only consolation for the Indian contingent was that weightlifting remains dope-free for now.
12:42:
Mens' doubles table tennis -- India's Sharath Kamal and Subhojit Saha enter semis after defeating Nigeria in the quarterfinal match.
12:41:
News just coming in. Good news! India women's table tennis team beat Australia to enter semis.
11:37:
Fennell on the unpronouncable banned drug: At the morning press briefing, Commonwealth Games chief Mike Fennell, in response to a query why the same substance is being found in the athletes' system following a spate of similar cases involving Indian sportspersons in the run-up to the Games, Fennell said, "...The same substance is coming up. I can't speak very definitively. It appears it may be coming from the use of (diet) supplements. The supplement industry is an unregulated industry worldwide, worth USD 86 billion."
He said, "It's a cause of great concern. World Anti-Doping Agency commissioned a survey on supplements, but I don't have the details.
Supplements are widely advertised and a lot of these supplements do not show presence of these banned substances in their content lists. Many are misled into using these supplements. More attention needs to be paid from an educational point of view."
11:24:
India's women's doubles team Poloumi Ghatak and Mouma Das play Australia in table tennis as you read this.
11:04:
Another Nigerian tested positive for banned substance methylhexaneamine. On Day 8, women's 100m gold medal winner Damola Osayem tested positive, and today 110m hurdler Samuel Okon, did as well. However, Okon finished sixth in the 110m hurdles final, so the test results don't really affect the podium places.
10:18:
Just in case you didn't know, though unconnected with the Games -- Sachin Tendulkar scored his sixth double hundred for India in the second Test against Australia in Bangalore.
10:14:
Indian shuttlers, who have been impressive so far in the 2010 Games, will be playing in their respective semi-finals. Chetan Anand, Jwala Gutta, V Diju, P Kashyap and Saina Nehwal would be hoping to book berths in the finals of their respective events. Events on at Siri Fort at 5 pm.
10:13:
And the silver lining! Shooters do it again -- Tejaswini Sawant bags silver in 50m rifle prone; Samresh Jung and Chandrashekhar Chaudhary win silver in 25 m standard pistol pairs. Incidentally, India, at 31 golds continues to hold second place in the medal tally; England's 27. Australia, of course, is way ahead with 64 golds.
10:07:
21 gold medals at stake today: All eyes will be on ace shooter Gagan Narang and the Indian men''s hockey team, who will lock horns with the unbeaten England team for a berth in the final.
Today''s win is important for the hockey team as it will assure them a maiden place in the gold medal match since hockey''s introduction in the Games in 1998 Kuala Lumpur edition.
Apart from hockey, India will be resting its hopes on Narang, who has already won four gold medals so far in the 2010 Games. Narang will represent India in Men''s Pairs 50 m Rifle Prone event along with Hariom Singh.
Tejaswini Sawant, who bagged a bronze on Monday, will also shoot for gold in the Women''s Singles 50 m Rifle Prone event along with Meena Kumari.
Samresh Jung will also be in action along with Chandrashekar Kumar Chaudhary in the Men''s Pairs 25 m Standard Pistol event.
Out of the 21 gold medals on offer today, nine are in athletics and four are in shooting.
10:04:
October 12, 2010, Day 9: Great morning for India as shooters Hina Sidhu and Anu Raj Singh win gold in air pistol pairs. This is India's 31st gold!
18:31:
And a bit of the bad: Boxer Vijender Kumar was knocked out of the 75 kg category by England's Anthony Ogogo 4-3. Ah well...
18:29:
And more on that historic win. This is India's first gold in athletics in 52 years and the first Commonwealth gold in womens athletics ever! In fact, India took a clean sweep at the discus throw -- winning the gold, silver and bronze!
18:23:
And it's a gold for India! Krishna Poonia wins the the gold in the discus throw at 61.51 m. Seema Antil and Harwant Kaur win silver and bronze respectively.
18:18:
Yikes! Jwala, Diju out: Mixed doubles pair Jwala Gutta and V Diju knocked out in quarter finals against Ce Hui, K W Woon 21-13 21-19. There goes a medal hope.
17:56:
Another silver medal: Manoj Kumar reaches the finals in the 64 kg category beating Valentino Knowles of the Bahamas.
17:34:
Yipee! Suranjoy Singh enters the boxing finals in the 52 kg category beating Iqbal Haroon of Pakistan 7-2 in the semis. He is assured of a silver medal.
17:30:
Oz team want out of the heat: Nothing to do with India's perforamance today, but some news nevertheless. The Australian Commonwealth team, who were angry after being forced to wait in “cauldron-like” conditions in the stadium tunnel for an hour before the opening ceremony, have told the Games or
ganisers that they won’t put up with more unacceptable treatment at the closing ceremony, Thursday. Only about 300 athletes out of the 400-plus squad are expected to be left in New Delhi when the closing ceremony is held.
Chef de mission Steve Moneghetti said Australian Commonwealth Games Association chief executive Perry Crosswhite had demanded more consideration for the athletes at the closing ceremony.
16:21:
Just looked at the medals tally, it's certainly a close fight between India and England -- 29 golds to their 26. Fingers crossed, we stay put.
16:03:
Our friend Suresh Kalmadi seems to have got his facts wrong. This is a family portal, so we're not going to call him names, but isn't it time he admitted to the goof-ups, so that there isn't yet another controversy?
The chairman of the Delhi Organising Committee, in an exclusive interview with the BBC said that the dirty loo pics at the Games Village were in fact, taken in the staff accommodation at the Village. The photographs of paan-stained bathrooms, pug prints on mattresses, leaking basements, dirty stairwells, almost led to the Games being cancelled.
The BBC says Michael Kavanagh, chairman of the Commonwealth Games Scotland, refutes Kalmadi's claims saying, there was in fact, NO staff accommodation in the village! If Kalmadi plays Truth or Dare, we know what he's going to choose.
15:53:
India beat Canada 3-0 in women's hockey, but it's not a medal win. India takes fifth place in the line up. Sad. A hockey win, seems so important somehow.
15:32:
Another gold gone: Gold Women shooters Tejaswini Sawant and Meena Kumari had to settle for a bronze after missing the gold medal by a whisker in the women's 50 metres rifle prone event, Monday, at the Karni Singh Shooting Range.
Scotland's Jen McIntosh (591) and Kay Copland (578) took the gold, while English girls Michelle Smith (590) and Sharon Lee (579) got the silver.
14:56:
Just in: India's Dilbag Singh loses 69kg boxing semifinals, settles for bronze.
14:37:
Big brother Charles and wife are back in London, but Britain's Prince Edward is still in Delhi, practicing his namastes. Eyewitnesses say its easy on the eye, not the stiff, bharatnatyam pose most firangs adopt.
14:29:
Did you know, when Sushil Kumar clinched the gold in wrestling at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, in Delhi, on Sunday, he also made Commowealth history. India entered the record book as the first country to win 10 golds in wrestling at a single Commonwealth Games. And that, folks, happened on October 10, 2010. A 10/10/10 for India. Read more.
14:05:
We're back: India's Amandeep Singh and Jai Bhagwan have won a bronze in boxing.
11:54:
We are taking a break from the Games for a bit. Low on action for India at least till 1.30 pm. Catch the action later.
11:51:
Saina Nehwal crushed a hapless Caroline Black of Northern Ireland 21-0, 21-2 in the pre-quarterfinals to advance into the next round in the 19th Commonwealth Games, Monday. It was a completely one sided affair as Black had little answers to Saina's powerful shots and effective volleys.
10:58:
So what happens to the Nigerian's gold then? Natasha Mayers of St Vincent and the Grenadines would be promoted, earning what would be her country's second ever Commonwealth gold medal. And England's Katherine Endacott -- who finished fourth -- would get the silver.
10:42:
And more news on Osayemi Oludamola's failed dope test. The sprinter showed traces of a banned substance called Methylhexaneamine, only recently added to the World Anti-Doping Agency's prohibited list. This is the same substance for which Indian weightlifters had positive.
10:39:
Nigerian fails dope test: In what may turn out to be the first case of doping at the Commonwealth Games here, Nigeria's women's 100m gold medallist Osayemi Oludamola has reportedly tested positive for a banned substance.
The 24-year-old, who won the event after Australian Sally Pearson's disqualification for making a false start, has tested positive for a banned stimulant. According to 'Fairfax' news service, her B sample is yet to be tested.
The Athletics Federation of Nigeria has said the positive result is the result of the prescription medication she took for a toothache. "She took medication for her toothache and we strongly suspect that it was that, which led to her failed drug test," AFN President Solomon Ogba told Nigerian news site 'Vanguard'.
Oludamola finished behind Pearson in 11.32 seconds before the Australian was disqualified.
10:26:
Day 8, Monday: Saina wins: Saina Nehwal beat Nothern Ireland's Caroline Black 21-0 21-2 in straight sets. Saina enters quarter-finals.
10:09:
Good morning! On Day 8 of the Commowealth Games, India is looking up to their star-studded boxing squad, that includes Olympic Games bronze medallist Vijender Singh, Hopefully, it will provide further impetus to our medal harvest today. Seven boxers would be seen in the ring -- Anandeep Singh (lt.-fly), Suranjoy Singh (fly), Jai Bhagwan (lt. welter), Manoj Kumar (lt. welter), Dilbag Singh (welter), Vijender Singh (middle) and Paramjeet Samota (super heavy). Their opponents are from Northern Ireland, Pakistan, England, Bahamas and Tonga.
Today's winners would progress to the finals on Wednesday after tomorrow's break. Thus far India's tally includes 29 gold, just one shy of their all-time best of 30 in 2002 at Manchester, 22 silver and as many bronze medals and is made up mainly of those won in the shooting range and on the wrestling mat.
Out of the total gold heist, the shooters, who are still in fray, have scooped up 13, the all-powerful wrestlers and the fast-improving archers - both through with their campaign - have picked up 10 and 3 respectively.
18:35:
As the sun sets on day 5 of the Commonwealth Games, catch more of all that's happening at the venues, only on rediff.com. All the news, all the time...
18:28:
India's top archer embarassed: Admitting that he and his two other recurve teammates were embarrassed that the much fancied squad failed to win the gold on a day the corresponding women's trio triumphed in the Commonwealth Games, Jayanta Talukdar said, "We are very disappointed, especially as we failed to live up to the expectations.
"The competition (for us) is now with the women's team. They have already won a gold, now we have to live up to our reputation," Talukdar said.
Dejected at the team's shock loss to Australia in the semi finals before settling for the bronze, Talukdar said it would now be a fresh challenge to earn the individual gold since the women's team had already earned the top place.
18:16:
Gossip. The India archery head coach Limba Ram, Friday, was allegedly abused by an English official, who was miffed at his team's loss to India in the final of the women's recurve team event. Yup, the very event that has drawn much anger and petulance from the losing side.
Just after the Indian recurve trio of Dola Banerjee, Bombayla Devi Laishram and Deepika Kumari registered a thrilling one-point win over their English opponents to bag the gold, Limba walked over to shake hands with the officials of the English team.
But to the utter shock of the three-time Olympian, an English official allegedly showed him his elbow in a rude gesture and abused him on his face saying "F*** ***" More on this.
18:07:
So who will you root for? Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi lost the men's doubles semifinal 2-6 2-6 to Australia's Paul Hanley and Peter Luczak, and will now play for the bronze medal against compatriots Somdev Devvarman and Rohan Bopanna. Tough one.
17:59:
Bad news: Top seeds and favourites Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupati knocked out in men's doubles.
17:50:
And the gold goes to... Anita wins India 19th gold in the 67 kg wrestling women's final.
17:40:
Atheletes could rack up 20,000 condoms by Game end: When Indian Olympic Association president and Commonwealth Games organsing committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi was trumpeting that the Delhi Games would witness a number of firsts, little did he think there would be one unique record -- the number of condoms used by athletes.
It's just five days since the Games kicked off and more then 10,000 condoms have already been used. A senior official at the Games Village told rediff.com: "We have filled the condom vending machines three times. If the present trend continues, by the end of the Games more then more than 20,000 condoms could be used by athletes from the participating nations." More on this story...
17:28:
And a smidgen of information: Wrestler Babita Kumari, who won a silver in the free-style 51-kg category is the younger sister of wrestler Geeta, who won gold in the 55-kg freestyle category, Thursday.
17:17:
Medals ahoy: Alka Tomar wins gold in the 59 kg free style wrestling, while Ashish kumar, the 19-year-old from Allahabad created history by bagging the first-ever Commonwealth Games medal in gymnastics, a silver, for India in pole vault. More on these soon...
16:53:
And another medal... Babita Kumari picks up silver in the 51kg wrestling.
16:34:
Heartbreak at sundown: Rohan Bopanna and Somdev Devvarman crash out of men's double losing in semis to third seeds, English duo, Ross Hutchkins and Ken Skupski 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
16:09:
It's unofficially 'trending' at the CWG, Friday. The big, fat fuss over India's gold at the women's team recurve archery -- a hot, hot topic that refuses to die down. On the one hand, Mr Fennell is bugged about empty stadiums, on the other, when packed stadiums root for India, England and the rest of the Commonwealth storm on about 'bad etiquette'. Indians don't do silence. Watch our festivals or our funerals. We emote and we emote well.
So get on with it, guys, and do stop complaining. In fact, take a cue from England archer Alison Williamson, who steadfastly refused to blame the crowd for the team's dramatic failure in what could easily have been a Commonwealth archery gold.
And for more news on this and that... go here.
15:51:
India miss gold: Mansher Singh and Manavjit Singh Sandhu lose to Australia in the finals of the men's trap pairs. They scored 197-198 to settle for silver.
15:36:
On Twitter: Suhel Seth writes: "For his comments on Princess Diana, the Brain Dead Institute of America welcomes Kalmadi to its Hall of Fame. He replaces George W Bush."
For those of you who've just been to Mars and back... Suresh Kalmadi, chairman of the organising committee, scored a massive howler, October 3 during the Games' opening ceremony, before Prince Charles saying he was being accompanied to India by Princess Diana, instead of Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla Parker Bowles. Princess Diana died in a car crash in 1997.
15:07:
India medal tally at 39: And for those of you who have just joined us -- India's medal tally on day 5 -- stands at 39. That's 17 gold, 11 silver and 11bronze. And just as you read this, we hope, or rather are sure, the numbers will only rise!
15:01:
India is having a ball. The women's Group A hockey match demolished minnows Trinidad and Tobago 7-0! Surely, a long overdue win for India hockey.
India also wins a bronze in the men's team recurve event. Rahul Banerjee, Jayant Talukdar and Tarundeep Rai beat England.
14:48:
Pak's controversy chef alleges theft: The chef-de-mission of the Pakistan contingent in the Commonwealth Games has filed a complaint with the Organising Committee that unknown persons broke into his room and stole cash.
Muhammad Ali Shah he had filed a complaint with the organisers that Rs 24,800 had been stolen from his room in the Athletes' Village.
"It came as a shock to me because the security is so high in the village," Shah said. "The organisers have questioned four people who had the master key of my room and I am hoping the cash will be recovered," he said.
Shah was earlier involved in a controversy at the Opening Ceremony of the Games when he carried the Pakistan flag to lead the team's parade instead of weightlifter Shuja Malik, a Commonwealth Games gold medallist.
14:44:
Shoaib cheers for Sania: India is seemingly on a winning run... every time we send you an update, there's yet another medal win. And for all the Sania Mirza naysayers, a moment of humility, and we hope a return of faith. Sania, who looked fetching in fuschia, staged a grand recovery after losing the first set to get the better of Australia's Olivia Rogowska 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the women's singles semi-finals.
Incidentally, her husband Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik was at the match, but apparently will not be when she plays the finals. India is assured of two medals from tennis at the Commonwealth Games after Sania Mirza and Somdev Devvarman made it to the final of their respective events.
14:17:
Sania eyes gold: Tennis ace Sania Mirza beats Australia's Olivia Rogowska 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. You do the math -- medal tally up to seven now.
14:09:
Oops! India's medal haul is six. Wrestler Babita Kumari ensured another medal for India when she defeated England's challenge to storm to the finals of the women's 51 KG freestyle wrestling event. She is assured a silver. Bad miss, apologies.
13:57:
India's medal haul on day 5.
The women’s recurve archery team beat England 207-206 at the Yamuna Sports Complex to win a gold. The team comprised Deepika Kumari, Dola Banerjee and Bombayala Devi Laishram.
Gagan Narang and Imran Khan shot 2325 in the 50m rifle three position event winning a gold and also setting a new Games record.
India's Somdev Devvarman beats Australian Matt Ebden 6-3 6-1, and reaches the tennis finals. He is assured of a silver medal.
Vijay Kumar bagged gold in the 25 m rapid fire pistol and finally (so far today),
Gurpreet Singh took home a bronze in the same category.
If you haven't been counting, that's a total of five medals, including three gold. Impressive!
13:41:
Vijay Kumar bagged gold in the 25 m rapid fire pistol, while Gurpreet Singh took home a bronze in the same category. Will give you the morning's take in a bit.
13:35:
Just to remind you, on at 4 pm, is the table-tennis finals where India plays Singapore. Hope DD's mandarins condescend to cover it.
13:27:
Judges, officials threaten strike if transport isn't improved: On Wednesday, India's Renu Bala Chanu, who gave India its first gold medal in weightlifting after finishing on top in women's 58-kg category at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium Sports Complex, was stranded at the stadium without transport back to the Village. After waiting it out for five hours, Chanu finally took a rickshaw.
Apparently, lack of transport for atheletes and officials to and from the Village has reached such epic proportions that, Thursday, judges for the athletics competition at the Jawaharal Nehru Stadium have threatened to down tools and walk out, unless there was a discnerible improvement .
The UK's Telegraph reports that officials were kept waiting for buses to take them to their hotels for four hours on the opening night of the athletics programme, Wednesday, with many not getting to bed until 2am before having to return to the stadium six hours later.
Now, the organising committee has been put on notice -- a repeat will lead to a strike by the hundreds of judges and technical staff needed to run the athletics competition.
We hope that notice/threat whatever you call it, is enough.
12:51:
The OC's grand plan to fill stadiums: The Commonwealth Games Organising Committee secretary general Lalit Bhanot said the Delhi government had been given complimentary passes to be handed over to schools. NGOs are also being given free tickets. Bhanot said many events have attracted large crowds but tickets for competitions like net ball and archery have not sold out.
Interestingly, nine lakh tickets have been sold with the government earning Rs 32 crore, Bhanot has claimed.
October 8, 2010, 12:20:
And a little more on the Gagan Narang and Imran Hasan Khan gold. The Indian pair, who shot 2325 in the 50m rifle three position -- also set a new Games record. Woo hoo!
October 8, 2010, 12:18:
Somdev goes for gold: Top seed Somdev Devvarman assured India of at least a silver medal in the tennis competition by storming into the men's singles final with a straight set win over Australia's Matthew Ebden here today.
Somdev, ranked 97th, outplayed third seed and world number 165 Ebden, 6-3 6-1 in one hour and 11 minutes in the men's singles semifinals at the Centre Court of the R K Khanna Tennis stadium.
His next opponent will also be an Australian as the other semifinal is an all-Australian affair between second seed Peter Luczak and fifth seed Greg Jones. Hope he's a golden boy.
October 8, 2010, 12:12:
Meanwhile, India's Somdev Devvarman beats Australian Matt Ebden 6-3 6-1, and reaches the tennis finals.
October 8, 2010, 12:10:
Shooters Gagan Narang and Imran Khan win 50m 3 position pairs event. More to follow...
October 8, 2010, 12:01:
Why did Paes-Sania crash out of the mixed doubles in a shock defeat? The 2006 Asian Games gold medallists' loss, came as a rude jolt as they were considered favourites to win the event. Well, Hari Nair, who commented on our message board and many others, seems to think they have the answer. Find out.
October 8, 2010, 11:49:
Still no spectators: CWG Federation chief Mike Fennell's concern over sparse crowds at the stadiums remain. The UK's Telegraph reports that there were just 10,000 spectators in a 60,000-seat stadium — and half that the day before. The atmosphere is funereal when compared to the full houses that were the norm in Melbourne four years ago and in Manchester in 2002. Didn't Mr Kalmadi say that tickets for many events had been sold out? What's happening?
October 8, 2010, 11:35:
Want a CWG memento? Try the Chanderi angavastrams. Apparently, medal winners are being gifted with an angavastram instead of the traditional bouquet of flowers. The angavastram, complete with the CWG colours, woven logo and a miniature Shera -- has been crafted from Chanderi fabric. The CWG Organising Committee has ordered 1,375 stoles for athletes and another 10,000 as merchandise on the initiative of the textile ministry, in a porject which costs Rs 50 lakh.
The stoles -- resplendent in red, blue, green and purple with a golden border (watch the medal ceremonies closely) -- are also available at merchandise shops at Games venues. The price would be available at the CWG website. Don't pay a paisa more.
October 8, 2010, 11:19:
Talk about poor losers. Here's what the BBC commentary says about the Indian win in archery. India took gold, England silver in a close competion. "...In the archery there was controversy at the Yamuna Sports Complex, with a rowdy Indian crowd making it difficult for England as the hosts won gold in the women's recurve.
Here's Alison Williamson, who threw an eight when she needed a nine to tie with the last arrow: "Obviously, this is not a typical archery crowd but we’re not making any excuses because we shoot as a team. I liken it to golf, though. You don’t get people clapping and shouting when someone is teeing off. But, as I say, it’s not an excuse. We respect the Indian team and they were worthy winners."
When the home team wins, we cheer, we hoot, we dance. It's called celebration.
October 8, 2010, 11:13:
Oz athelete stripped of gold is heartbroken: Australian track and field athlete Sally Pearson, who was stripped of her 100m gold medal for a false start, has been left heartbroken after her disqualification. Pearson was stripped of her gold medal after England protested that she had a false start in a controversial 100metre race at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Thursday.
“To do the victory lap everything, ok, and then be told: ‘Oh no you can’t have your medal now’ it’s horrible. But I have to deal with it because that’s just the way sport is,” The Courier Mail quoted Pearson, as saying.
The 2008 Beijing Olympics silver medallist further said that the New Delhi officials were not helpful during the protest process. “I didn’t know anything was going on. I was told that I was in the clear. I was walking out to do my medal ceremony and they called us back and said there were still protests going on,” Pearson said. "I was getting told all these different stories and I was not ever once told the truth. Never once told what was going on and I don’t think that is fair.”
Pearson had crossed the line first ahead of Nigeria’s Osayemi Oludamola (11.32) and Natasha Mayers of St. Vincent and the Grenadines (11.37), with England’s Katherine Endacott fourth.
October 8, 2010, 11:03:
Here's something we need to remember, before we run down sportspersons for a loss. Every single competitior at the Games is there because the person trained relentlessly, tirelessly to give it everything they've got on that day.
Yet, a lifetime of training can never prepare a sportsperson for the disappointment of not being able to compete -- for no fault of theirs.
That's what happened to the Singapore swimming team competing in the 4x200 freestyle relay. The coach failed to register the team in time and the entire team was disqualified without getting a chance to compete. The coach now blames it on Delhi traffic.
October 8, 2010, 10:54:
Pigeon droppings contaminated pool? The 'gastro swimming pool' story continues to stay afloat. The Commonwealth Games Federation has played down fears of contamination at the Dr SP Mukherjee Aquatics Complex with a CGF spokesman saying that the water quality testing conducted by the Organizing Committee had given the pools the “all clear”.
The test was conducted after CGF President Mike Fennell said that the issue of suspected cases of gastroenteritis among swimmers was being considered “as a matter of urgency”. “If there’s something unsafe, you can’t swim in that water, so we will have to deal with it,” The Australian quoted Fennell, as saying.
It was earlier speculated that pigeon droppings might have contaminated the water. Pigeons are roosting in the rafters of the building, and their droppings are visible in the grandstands. Swimmers who have complained of stomach upsets in the past week include Robert Hurley, Ryan Napoleon, Marieke Guehrer, Ashley Delaney and Daniel Arnamnart.
October 8, 2010, 10:46:
42 gold medals up for grabs on day 5: The action will hot up on the fifth day of the XIXth Commonwealth Games as a total of 42 gold medals will be up for grabs in various disciplines. India''s star on day fourth with two gold medals Gurpreet Singh has a chance to increase his tally to four, as he will compete in the 10m Air Pistol Men singles and 25 m Rapid Fire Pistol Men events. He can expect tough competition from compatriots and gold medal winners Vijay Kumar and Omkar Singh.
Swimming has 10 medals at stake. In boxing too, Olympic bronze medallist Vijender Singh will be in action along with Jai Bhagwan as they will try and maintain the Indian pugilists'' perfect start to the competition.
The Indian women''s hockey team will take on minnows Trinidad and Tobago while squash will see the likes of Dipika Pallikal and Joshna Chinappa.
Gold medals at stake on day 5: Swimming (11) Archery (1) Athletics (8) Badminton (1) Cycling (3) Gymnastics (5) Shooting (5) Squash (2) Table-tennis (1), Weightlifting (2), Wrestling (3). Following is Friday''s complete schedule of Indian participation:
Swimming: 50m Freestyle Men: Aaron Agnel Dsouza, Arjun Jayaprakash, Virdhawal Vikram Khade, Anshul Kothari.
200m Backstroke Women: Arti Bajarang Ghorpade, Ananya Panigrahi.
1500m Freestyle Men: Mandar Anandrao Divase, Ullalmath Adaveeshaiah Pu Gagan.
400m Freestyle Women: Surabhi Tipre.
200m Individual Medley Men: Agnishwar Jayaprakash, Rehan Jahangir Poncha.
4 x 100m Freestyle Relay Women: Pooja Raghava Alva, Shubha Chittaranjan, Ghorpade Arti Bajarang, Talasha Satish Prabhu, Sneha Thirugnanasambandam, Surabhi Tipre
Athletics: Decathlon 110m Hurdles: JOSEPH Vinod Pulimoottil, Bharat Inder Singh
110m Hurdles Men: Muthuswamy Pandi, Siddhanth Thingalaya
800m Men: Manjit,Pankaj Dimri,Francis Sagayaraj Pathi
Boxing: Light Weight (60kg) Men: Jai Bhagwan
Welter Weight (69 kg) Men: Dilbag Singh
Middle Weight (75kg) Men: Vijender Singh
Super Heavy Weight (+91 kg): Paramjeet Samota
Cycling: 3000m Individual Pursuit Women: Ch. Rameshwori Devi, Mahitha Mohan, P.O. Sayona
Team Sprint Men: Rajesh Chandrashekhar, Amrit Singh, Bikram Singh
Hockey: Women Group A: Trinidad and Tobago vs India
Lawn bowls: Triples Men:India vs Scotland, India vs Canada
Pairs Women: India vs Canada, India vs New Zealand
Triples Women: Namibia vs India, India vs New Zealand
Pairs Men: Jersey vs India, England vs India
Squash: Men''s Singles: Saurav Ghosal, Sandeep Jangra, Harinder Pal Sandhu, Siddharth Suchde Women''s Singles: Anaka Alankamony, Joshna Chinappa, Surbhi Misra, Dipika Pallikal,Anwesha Reddy
Shooting: Singles 10m Air Pistol Men: Gurpreet Singh, Omkar Singh
25 m Rapid Fire Pistol Men: Vijay Kumar, Gurpreet Singh
October 8, 2010, 10:26:
15th gold for India: A fantastic beginning for Day 5! India wins 15th gold at the CWG with the women’s recurve archery team beating England 207-206 at the Yamuna Sports Complex. It was high drama at the stadium in a closely-competed match, but England's Amy Oliver and Alison Williamson just didn't make the cut .
October 8, 2010, 10:15:
So what are India's chances of holding on their No 2 slot? For one, India will once again have to depend on their shooters, who provided 50 per cent of their gold medals (14 so far) in the first four days, to help them stay ahead of England and Canada.
In tennis, Somdev Devvarman and Sania Mirza will aim to reach the finals of the men's and women's singles events. Somdev and Rohan Bopanna are also set to play the men's doubles semi finals along with the "Indian Express" duo Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi while Nirupama Sanjeev and Pooja Venkatesha would be striving to make the women's doubles final.
In table tennis, the Indian women are up against Singapore in the tie for the gold medal and the men are up against England for a spot in the final.
Preliminary rounds of the individual events are to commence.
In badminton India are up against Malaysia in the mixed team final to settle the gold and silver medals. The men's and women's recurve team would also be in the race for medals and the members of the strong boxing squad would look to advance further in their endeavour to attain medal standard.
October 8, 2010, 10:11:
Who's up for seconds? The race for grabbing the immediate spot behind Australia is expected to become hotter as the Commonwealth Games moves into its fifth day of competitions today.
With Australia seemingly having taken an unassailable lead with 32 golds in their kitty, the race for finishing No 2 in the Games has narrowed down to a three-horse race between second-placed India, No 3 England and No 4 Canada.
While India, dominating the shooting range and also doing well in disciplines like wrestling and weightlifting, had 14 gold going into the day's events, England were two behind the hosts while Canada were one gold further adrift.
October 7, 2010, 17:57:
Seven Indian swimmers advance to semis: Sandeep Sejwal advanced to the semi-finals with an impressive fourth place finish even as six other Indian swimmers made the cut in their respective events on Thursday, to boost India's medals hopes in the pool. All that and more...
October 7, 2010, 17:37:
Wrestler Geeta wins first gold for women in India in the 55 kg category, beating Australia's Emily Bensted. This takes India's gold haul to 14.
October 7, 2010, 17:22:
And yet more wins for India: Paulomi Ghatak makes history for India by becoming the first Indian paddler to enter a CWG final. Ghatak beat England's Hannah Hicks -- 11-3, 11-3, 11-6 in the semis.
Tennis doubles stars Leander Paes-Mahesh Bhupati beat Goodall-Ward 6-2, 6-7, 7-6 to enter the semis.
India beat England 3-0 in the women's table tennis team championship to reach the finals.
October 7, 2010, 17:18:
Another gold for shooters: Vijay Kumar and Gurpreet Singh win a gold in the Pairs 25 metres Rapid Fire pistol event at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range. The duo created a new Games record, with a final total of 1162, as each shot 293 in the second stage.
Malaysia's Hafiz Adzha and Hasli Izwan took the silver with a tally of 1144 while Australia settled for bronze, scoring 1125. This is the sixth gold medal for India in the shooting event, taking their tally to 12 gold medals in the Games.
October 7, 2010, 17:04:
India wins silver in 48 kg freestyle wrestling: Nirmala Devi earned India another silver medal, Thursday, with the gold going to Canada's Carol Huynh in the freestyle wrestling 48 kg category.
October 7, 2010, 16:55:
India bows out of netball with 3rd defeat: Little known Trinidad and Tobago today handed over to India the third consecutive defeat in the netball event and went out of medal contention in the Commonwealth Games. The home team's nightmare on the court continued as they surrendered 26-77 to the aggressive Caribbeans at the Thyagaraj Sports Complex.
A shoddy performance by the Indian attack which has managed just 70 goals in three games so far contributed to the loss. The defence, however, showed some signs of improvement and conceded 77 goals, five fewer than yesterday's match against Malawi.
Indian coach Panchali Tatke blamed it on poor defence and aggressive opponents. We just haven't been able to net this game... yet.
October 7, 2010, 16:35:
Shooter Ronjan Singh Sodhi wins silver in the double trap event, Thursday. On Day 3, Sodhi and Noria Asher won the silver in the men's double trap pairs. Details soon.
October 7, 2010, 16:23:
News alert: Sudhir Kumar wins bronze in the 77 kg weightlifting category. More on that soon.
October 7, 2010, 16:06:
Synchronised swimmer who learnt moves from YouTube! Little wonder then, that India's Avani Dave finished 21 points below behind Canadian gold medallist Marie-Pier Boudreau-Gagnon in the solo event at the SP Mukherjee Aquatics Complex, Thursday. Yet, Dave was all smiles. Read why.
October 7, 2010, 15:57:
India gets silver, Eng gold in archery: India settles for silver in the compound archery team event, with England winning the gold. Team India comprised C Sreedhar, Ch. Jignas and Rahul Chatterjee. Good show, guys.
October 7, 2010, 15:50:
Condoms clog the Internet: According to Mr Kalmadi, ticket sales have been going up, and if the venerable gent is to be believed, Indians have taken to the Games finally. Rugby 7, boxing and badminton are the biggies, Thursday, says Mr K, registering 100 percent sales. For the rest of India, which did not or could not get to the Games, the news that grabbed the most eyeballs was -- no not Saina or Sania's wins -- but condoms clogging the Village toilets. Rediff.com has an ever-increasing tribe writing in with comments, suggestions, and quips. Check it out.
October 7, 2010, 15:39:
Chetan, Saina in semis: Ace Indian shuttlers Chetan Anand and Saina Nehwal notched contrasting victories as India thrashed Canada 3-0 to set up a semi-final clash with England in the mixed badminton team event at the Commonwealth Games, Thursday.
The mixed doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and V Diju just took 19 make short work of N G Toby and Gao Grace, winning 21-8, 21-12 in the first match of the day to give India a 1-0 lead. More news, more stories...
October 7, 2010, 15:29:
England diving team finds venue 'amazing'! And more accolades for the CWG... The English diving contingent, including world champion Tom Daley, today gave a thumbs up to the Dr S P Mukherjee Aquatics Complex, saying the diving facilities at the venue are "amazing". "The venues are good. We went to pool last night. The facility looks amazing. We are looking forward for good sports," Daley told PTI.
He also denied reports that there were problems with the diving platforms and steps at the competition venue. The 16-year-old English diver, who won 10m platform gold at the World Championships in Rome last year, also looked excited about his stay in New Delhi.
The 12-member English diving team, including six officials, had arrived here yesterday to participate in their respective events, starting from October 10.
October 7, 2010, 15:17:
The men's team archery compound final is well under way between England and India. England got off to a sensational start with Liam Grimwood, Chris White and Duncan Busby all nailing maximum points. England lead 60-57 after the first end. All the best, C Sreedhar, Ch. Jignas and Rahul Chatterjee!
October 7, 2010, 14:59:
Sania Mirza joined Somdev Devvarman in the tennis semi-finals, Thursday. The Indian ace easily won her women's singles quarter-final, disposing off Australia's Marina Erakovic 6-2, 6-3. Somdev had earlier beaten sixth seed Rubin Statham of New Zealand 6-3, 6-4 to make the grade in the men's singles.
October 7, 2010, 14:51:
I have stopped thinking about Khel Ratna: Down with medal fatigue? Here's a nice, quick read you can stop by. Country's ace shooter Gagan Narang, who struck a pot of gold at the Commonwealth Games, said he has stopped thinking about the prestigious Khel Ratna award, a honour that missed him thrice.Narang, who has set his eyes on the 2012 Olympics in London, had earlier this year made his displeasure public after losing out on the award.
Read: Why Gagan thinks he deserves the award.
And for everything else you wanted to know about the CWG, but didn't know where to look: go here.
October 7, 2010, 14:38:
India compound archery team in finals: And just as we were talking about archery, here's a happy smidgen -- India's compound archery team comprising C Sreedhar, Ch. Jignas and Rahul Chatterjee move to the finals, defeating South Africa, Thursday. The trio will now take on England. Quiver, England, quiver in fear.
October 7, 2010, 14:26:
Archery returns after 28 yrs! Archery, the event where India has high stakes, has made only its second appearance in the history of Commonwealth Games at Delhi after a gap of 28 years -- last held in 1982 in Brisbane. The next edition of the Games at Glasgow, however, will give a miss to archery as the event is an optional sport.
The return of archery in the Games after a 28-year gap sets a new record for sports that have been on the programme more than once.
As for India: We won a bronze in the compound team event in archery by beating Malaysia in a play-off. The winning team comprised Bheigyabati Chanu, Jhano Hansdah and Gagandeep Kaur. A total of eight gold medals, including four for men, are up for grabs.
BTW, did you know: The baby of the archery competitions is 14-year-old Aalin Ellisse from the Isle of Man? If you didn't know that, scroll down and read our commentary.
October 7, 2010, 14:10:
Uganda wants OC to apologise: The Ugandan sports minister, Thursday, lashed out at the organising committee, saying the three injured officials, including the Chef De Mission, had not been treated properly. The minister has now demanded an apology from the OC and has reportedly refused to attend a lunch hosted by Indian sports minsiter MS Gill.
The incident happened at the gate of the Village, when a tyre killer - a barrier which stays below the ground when authorised vehicles are let in - rose and hit the car, throwing its three occupants about as it braked sharply and hit the barrier early Wednesday morning.
The three were rushed to hospital with forehead and eye injuries. Police sources said the accident could have been caused by a device malfunction.
October 7, 2010, 13:55:
Nariyal Anna writes in to rediff.com -- and this is really the mood of the moment in India after the racist slur over Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit's name. Here's what 'Nariyal' says: "Somdev qualified for Mens Singles Semi Final... he defeated OZ in quarter ... it gives a great feeling when India beats OZ in anything." Haven't heard/read about the Kiwi slur on Dikshit? Read it now.
October 7, 2010, 13:46:
Wales athelete in photo finish: Angry and upset, an athlete from Wales has lodged a complaint with the Delhi police claiming she was harassed by unknown persons, Wednesday.
"A case of harassment has been registered against an unknown person. The althlete claimed that someone took her photograph using a mobile phone," a senior police official said. Thankfully, this is the first such complaint from an athlete participating in the Games... so far.
October 7, 2010, 13:38:
The S African on an Indian safari: With a fan in one hand and a journal in another, an elderly South African sports enthusiast Daniel Kruger landed in Delhi with a bunchful of tickets to witness the ongoing Commonwealth Games .
Travelling solo, Krugar, a diehard sports buff says he picks countries that host major global sporting events and plans his itenary to kill two birds with one stone - combining wanderlust with his love for sports. "Whenever I visit a country, I link it to a big sporting event. I love to travel and am not too much into museums or other such things but am a big fan of sports," says Krugar.
Landing in Delhi on October 4, the South African has purchased tickets worth Rs 13,200 to view a range of sports including athletics, swimming, netball and Rugby 7 among others during the duration of the Games before leaving for his country on October 16.
October 7, 2010, 13:34:
Somdev Devvarman in semis: India's tennis hope beat Rubin Statham of New Zealand 6-3, 6-4 to enter the semi-finals.
October 7, 2010, 13:30:
Atheletes Jhuma, Shankar in finals: Jhuma Khatun clocked her personal best to qualify for the women's 1500m final while compatriot Sushma Devi fell by the wayside after a disappointing performance, at the Commonwealth Games, Thursday.
Jhuma bettered her personal best of 4:14.32s which she set in July, to finish sixth in women's 1500m heat one. Sushma clocked 4:22.05s, way below her personal best of 4:13.22s and season's best of 4:14.06s, to finish seventh in the second heat and crashed out of the competition.
October 7, 2010, 12:53:
Pakistan wins first medal: Azhar Hussain bagged silver in the 55-kg wrestling event, Wednesday. Hussain lost to India’s Rajender Kumar in the final of the 55-kilogram event. Reigning champion Kumar successfully defended his title without conceding a single point in the tournament, making it four wrestling golds for the hosts. He dominated Hussain in a one-sided final of two sessions, winning 11-0 to roars of approval from the home crowd.
October 7, 2010, 12:42:
How Avatar tech will help atheletes: This is an aside, but an interesting aside... Some professional sports teams have been using motion capture technology to track how athletes perform, and how they could perform better.
In other words, they are using 3 D technology to look out for the safety of their players. For instance, If the team coaches know exactly how their sportsmen move during an event, coaches can make sure their players aren''t damaging their bodies.
This motion capture technology is still in its infancy, and so only a few teams have access to it. This technolgy combines the technology that captures the human movements at the heart of three-dimensional animations like "Avatar" with sophisticated sensors.
This technique provides a fully interactive three-dimensional model of the athlete on a computer that can do anything the human can do: jump, pitch, run, and, well, you get the picture. Using this computer model, sports medical researchers can calculate precise limb angles, stresses on joints, and ball speeds.
October 7, 2010, 12:37:
Brit athelete's footwear goes missing! In a bizarre incident, British track and field athlete Mark Lewis-Francis’ shoes were stolen while performing at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. The incident took place when Lewis-Francis left his trainers in a kit basket at the start line, and switched to spikes for the opening round of his 100 metres campaign, Wednesday. According to the Sun, when the 28-year-old went back to collect his stuff, he discovered that his footwear was missing.
October 7, 2010, 12:32:
Why substandard is the norm in India: OK, this is an entry for Ripley's. After the disgraceful prelude to the Commonwealth Games 2010, now playing out in Delhi, Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi's wish is to host the 2020 Olympics. Sounds like an outrageous joke. Shall we laugh? Or cry, asks rediff.com's Barun Roy. Read more.
October 7, 2010, 12:29:
Why swimming bronze medallist is ashamed to be a Bengali: Upset over his alleged ill treatment by the West Bengal Sports Ministry, bronze medalist Prasanta Karmakar, Thursday, said he is "ashamed" to be called a Bengali swimmer. Karmakar, who created history by bagging the country's first medal in swimming, said he was given "step-motherly" treatment by the West Bengal sports ministry.
He said his silver medal at the Asian championship in 2006 was ignored by the Bengal sports department and as a result, the swimmer, who lost his right palm in a road accident, shifted base to Haryana.
"I showed my Asian silver medal to the then sports minister Subhas Chakraborty. We were made to wait for hours to meet him. They just said khub bhalo (good achievement). But nobody came forward to support me despite my several requests," Karmakar said.
He added, "After the step-motherly treatment, I am ashamed to be called a Bengali swimmer. I am proud to represent Haryana who have supported me all the way along." Asked if given a fresh offer, would be go back to Bengal, the Kolkata swimmer, who is the Asian No 3 in S-9 category, said, "Never."
October 7, 2010, 12:14:
So, what are some of the big ticket sellers at the CWG? According to Organising Committee Chairman Suresh Kalmadi, "All tickets for rugby have been sold out, as are tickets to the boxing and badminton semi-finals."
Even as some of the disciplines in the Commonwealth Games are being staged in front of near-empty stands, Kalmadi, Thursday, claimed the ticket sales were "surging" day by day. Yesterday 1.25 lakh tickets were sold. 80 per cent tickets of tennis and swimming competitions are also sold out," Kalmadi said. His comments came even as stars like Olympic champion shooter Abhinav Bindra and tennis player Sania Mirza performed in front of empty seats.
October 7, 2010, 12:01:
Commonwealth Games chief Mike Fennell began his day with an apology. On Wednesday evening, at the athletes' village, three Ugandan officials, including the team's chef de mission, were injured when a "tyre killer" electronic device malfunctioned outside the athletes' village. The sharp-edged barrier, which stays below the ground when authorised vehicles pass over it, rose suddenly and hit the vehicle causing cuts around the eyes to the officials. Meanwhile, we brace ourselves for more Kalmadi calamities.
October 7, 2010, 11:56:
Ace shooters Vijay Kumar and Gurpreet Singh bagged gold on the fourth day of the 19th Commonwealth Games in the 25 Metre Rapid Fire Pistol in New Delhi, Thursday. The Indian duo scored 1162 points to set a new Commonwealth Games record. Malaysia won the silver, while Australia bagged the bronze in the event.
October 7, 2010, 11:54:
India to take on Australia in men's hockey today. And here's a rundown of what else is happening on day 4 of the Delhi CWG. But before that, India is in second place with a overall medal tally of 27 (that's 12 golds!)as against Australia's 46.
Archery: 0830-1100, 1330-1600 (Yamuna Sports Complex)
Athletics: 1730-2040 (J N Stadium)
Artistic Gymnastics: 1330-1600, 1700-1900 (I G Sports Complex)
Badminton: 0900-1300, 1400-1800, 1900-2300 (Siri Fort Sports Complex)
Boxing: 1300-1700, 1830-2230 (Talkatoora Indoor Stadium)
Cycling: 1130-1530, 1630-2035 (I G Sports Complex)
Hockey: 0830-1200, 1330-1700, 1830-2200(Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium)
Lawn Bowls: 0900-1200, 1230-1530, 1600-1900, 1930-2230 (J N Sports Complex)
Netball: 0930-1300, 1500-1830 (Thyagaraj Sports Complex)
Shooting: 1000-1630, 0900-1800(Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range)
Squash: 1300-1600, 1700-2000 (Siri Fort Sports Complex)
Swimming: 0830-1100, 1200-1400, 1600-1817 (Dr SPM Swimming Complex)
Table Tennis: 0930-1430, 1600-2100 (Yamuna Sports Complex)
Tennis: 1000-1500, 1700-2200 (RK Khanna Tennis Stadium)
Weightlifting: 1400-1630, 1830-2100 (J N Sports Complex)
Wrestling: 0900-1300, 1630-1930 (I G Sports Complex)
October 7, 2010, 11:38:
And more on the stomach flu ... if you can stomach it. England's Fran Halsall was physically sick poolside before winning her 50m freestyle heat. The England team doctor confirmed 20% of the swimming team are suffering stomach problems. Andrew Lauterstein (50m butterfly) and Hayden Stoeckel (100m backstroke) are confirmed to have gastro. Both have been quarantined from the team as protocol dictates. But they do have a secret weapon -- the stiff upper lip.
Halsall said, "I had the shakes for a while yesterday and had to get warm quickly. I had a piece of bread for dinner last night but I am glad I didn't have anything more because I arrived here today and the toilets were blocked. We are struggling on and showing the true British spirit."
October 7, 2010, 11:29:
Australian and English swimmers are complaining of a mysterious stomach flu at the Delhi Commonwealth Games and the reason, they think, may be 'contaminated' water in the pool. Fifty English athletes have been confirmed ill, with 40 swimmers from the four British nations affected, the report stated. Australia's chef de mission Steve Moneghetti said contaminated water in the pool could "possibly" be the reason for the outbreak.
Moneghetti, however, conceded that the pool was being tested every day. "They've tested the water quality and we wouldn't go into the pool without the water quality reports having come through. "The water quality at the pool, as far as I know, from reports from head coach Leigh Nugent, he said they were happy to compete in it." Australian team doctor Peter Harcourt said the illness doesn't look food-related because it has been by and large limited to swimmers.
October 7, 2010, 11:23:
And speaking of weightlifting, did you know Renu Bala Chanu, who gave India its first gold medal in weightlifting after finishing on top in women's 58-kg category at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium Sports Complex, Wednesday, was stranded at the stadium without transport back to the Village. After waiting it out for five hours, Chanu finally took a rickshaw. Incredible India.
October 7, 2010, 11:20:
A 16-year-old grammar school pupil, made history by becoming the youngest athlete to take part in a Commonwealth Games weightlifting competition. Britain’s strongest schoolgirl, Zoe Smith, took the bronze medal behind India’s Renu Balu Chanu Yumnum, the defending champion, and Australia’s Seen Lee
Smith, one of the most exciting young weightlifting talents Britain has ever produced, has amassed a string of age-group titles and records since taking up the sport at the age of 12, including the gold medal at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune, India, two years ago.
October 7, 2010, 11:09:
Ratan Goswami wrote in to rediff.com with an interesting observation. He says, "I was watching the gymnastics yesterday when i saw an Indian name on the board. I hung on to it to see the Indian male gymnast perform.
And let me tell you he was putting his heart and soul into it and although i am not a expert what i could make out was that he was missing the finishing touches for which you need special training and skills. We can do it guys all we need to do is make the corrupt govt support them financially.
Let all the money go to a central coffer, and take out the politicians and manage it by professionals."
Well said, Ratan. And guys, please note, despite all our scepticism and critcism of the CWG, Indians have always, always supported their sportspersons.
October 7, 2010, 11:00:
The BBC's Martin Gough in Delhi reports: "Slightly embarrassing scenes as Commonwealth Games chief Mike Fennell is asked about reports of condoms blocking toilets in the athletes village. If that is happening, it shows there is use of condoms and I think that is a very positive story, that athletes are being responsible,' he says."
October 7, 2010, 10:55:
Some good news and some not quite so good: India's woman wrestler Geeta was assured of a silver when she defeated Lovina Odohi Edward of Nigeria in the 55kg freestyle category, Thursday. But in the 63kg category, Suman Kundu of India lost her semi-final bout. Win some, lose some...
October 7, 2010, 10:52:
India tots up their medal tally of 25 with another bronze from the archery team. Women archers beat their Malaysian counterparts 223-219 to win the bronze medal in the compound section, at the Commonwealth Games, Thursday. This is India's sixth bronze medal. Go India!
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