cwg 2022: I badly wanted to win this gold: PV Sindhu

PV Sindhu had come close at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games but had to settle for silver. Coming to the 2022 CWG, she was the overwhelming favorite after her Singapore Super Series win in July. But then it’s one thing to be a favorite and another thing to live up to the tag and deliver. He has done. More importantly, she won despite not doing her best. This is the hallmark of a real champion. This is what he has been able to accomplish, to his satisfaction, in Birmingham. Speaking to ET after winning the gold medal, Sindhu spoke about what her first CWG title was like, why multi-nation sports are different, her long-term goals and much more. Part:

It takes a lot to win even when you’re not doing your best. tell us about it.

Absolutely. I had to dig really deep during this contest. I made some unexpected mistakes in matches, but I didn’t give up. And winning on days when you’re not playing your best is a great thing. It gives you a lot of confidence and satisfaction. There were some really long matches, long rallies, and I’m glad I was able to pull it off. When you play for India in multidisciplinary sports, there is always an added incentive. I wanted to win it badly. To get another chance in the finals to do something for our country is quite extraordinary. In that sense, this medal is very cute.

It is not easy to play one match after another in 16 hours. Can you describe how you inspired yourself to run out of that last little stockpile of fuel to win?

It was another very difficult week. Like I said, there were really long rallies and it was no different in the earlier few matches as well. It was a question of fitness and temperament. We both (Sindhu and Michelle Lee) were pushing each other. We knew it was a question of last standing. There were some very difficult moments as well. But this is the game for you. It tests you, pushes you hard. And so you play the game.

You dedicated your victory to the fans and the people of India.

The kind of support I got from the people back home and my fans here was appreciable. Did you see the crowd here every time I played? Everyone I met wished me luck and said I had to win. Being able to do this for them has given me great satisfaction. They help make the game what it is, and I am grateful for all the support and affection from my fans and people back home.

Things have changed dramatically for you after the 2016 Rio Olympics. It was the Michelle Lee match in Rio that changed it all. And here it was again in the final.

It was a very different match. And life has changed a lot after Rio. Saying this I did not change. There are endorsements, media engagements, sponsor commitments and many other things that were not there before Rio. It’s a very different life. I can’t go out anymore and do things like I used to. But that’s fine. I know people love me because I have made them proud. I play badminton and that is my identity. So, all I want to do is keep playing well, keep winning as many as possible for my country. Relaxation will happen automatically. The next target would be to do well at the Asian Games next year and of course in Paris 2024. There is nothing that can match that feeling when you see the tricolor going up. I want to see this happen in Paris 2024.

Originally published at Pen 18

CWG 2022: Shuttlers, paddlers dazzle on last day; hockey team fizzles out; India finish 4th with 22 gold

Led by the iconic PV Sindhu, Indian shuttlers owned the badminton arena by winning all three titles that day, while paddler Sharath Kamal once again reminded his class and awe-inspiring longevity with a spectacular show as the country is wrapped. The Commonwealth Games campaign finished fourth with 61 medals.

It was expected that Sindhu, Lakshya Sen and the formidable pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy would rise to the top of the podium, but 40-year-old Sharath Kamal had a gold medal-winning show against one. Equally good opponent in Liam Pitchford.

That performance took India’s gold medal tally to 22, four less than the 2018 edition, but this time the sport of shooting was missing from the roster. The shooters had contributed seven golds to the Gold Coast’s 66 medals race, and given that, India certainly put up a decent show.

However, with Australia thrashing the men’s hockey team 0-7, when at least a spirited fight was expected, the game ended on a somewhat disappointing note.

The way India conceded defeat took away the joy of silver medal.

India got 22 gold, 16 silver and 23 bronze in the final tally and were behind third-placed Canada, who were ahead with 92 medals (26-32-34). Australia (67-57-54) finished on top ahead of hosts England (57-66-53).

Coming back to TT, Sharath and G Sathiyan lost to England’s Pitchford and Paul Drinkhall in the men’s doubles gold medal match, but both the Indians took their revenge on Monday.

Sathiyan then thrashed Drinkhall 11-9 11-3 11-5 8-1 9-11 10-12 11-9 in a thrilling bronze play-off.

Sharath defeated the 29-year-old agile-legged Briton 11-13 11-7 11-2 11-6 11-8 to win his second Commonwealth Games singles gold in 16 years. He won the singles title at the 2006 Melbourne Games.

Superstar will return with paddler

With a rich run of four medals, he won the men’s team and mixed team gold, in addition to silver in the men’s doubles.

With Monday’s sensational gold, Sharath has taken his total tally of medals at the Commonwealth Games to 13 since making his debut at the Games in 2006.

The final day of the Games began with superstar Sindhu adding a Commonwealth Games gold medal to her already piling up collection with a straight game win over Canada’s Michelle Lee.

India’s world number 7 defeated her 13th-ranked rival 21-15, 21-13 in front of a packed crowd at the NEC grounds.

Sindhu said after the final, “I was waiting for this gold for a long time and finally I got it. I am very happy. Thanks to the crowd, they got me the win today.”

Later, 10th-ranked Sen came in from behind to end Ng Tze Yong’s giant-killing race in the competition. The 20-year-old defeated the world number 42 from Malaysia 19-21, 21-9, 21-16.

Sen put up his best attack in the decider and led till the end. Yong tried his best to make a comeback, but Sen remained unstoppable. He converted his first match point after a long rally, leading to a frenzied celebration that saw him throw his racket into the stands.

“It was tense in the beginning, I had to work really hard. Yong also played a great tournament. Congratulations to him too,” Sen said after the tough fight.

India’s star doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy defeated England’s Ben Lane and Sean Mendy in straight games to win the country’s third gold medal from the badminton court at the Commonwealth Games.

The Indian pair won 21-15, 21-13.

Thus India ended a stellar badminton campaign with three gold, one silver and two bronze.

While shuttlers and paddlers dazzled, Australia blew India away in hockey with their quick pace and consistent attacks, increasing their dominance in the games.

Since the introduction of hockey in the Games in 1998, Australia has always been on top of the podium.

This is India’s third loss against Australia in the CWG final, having lost to them in the 2010 and 2014 editions of the Games.

Nathan Ephrams and Tom Wickham scored a goal each, while Blake Gowers, Jacob Anderson and Flynn Ogilvy also found the net in a one-sided contest.

It was a far cry from what was expected in the gold medal bout as Australia took the game away from India with five goals in the first half.

Originally published at Pen 18

Daddy’s daughter: Father Jai Bhagwan takes unpaid leave to fuel Nitu’s boxing dreams

After winning her maiden Commonwealth Games gold medal, young Indian boxer Neetu Ghanghas dedicated the trophy to her doting father Jai Bhagwan, who left no stone unturned to fulfill his daughter’s dream.

An employee of the Haryana Secretariat, Bhagwan is on unpaid leave for the past three years to coach two-time world youth champion Neetu.

On Sunday, all the sacrifices seemed worth it as Neetu stood on the podium with the gold medal around her neck.

Neetu said, “The biggest feeling was to see the tricolor going up, a long-standing wish of mine was fulfilled today. I am grateful for everyone’s blessings… This medal was awarded to our countrymen and father (Jai Bhagwan). Is for.” PTI.

“No stone is left unturned for me. He has left no stone unturned and has gone through many hardships but always made sure that I get the best. I would not be here without him.”

While the 21-year-old is an unstoppable force inside the ring, outside of it she seems very shy. You can hardly hear her voice when she speaks.

Intensifying the atmosphere with slogans of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ at the temporary stand inside the National Exhibition Center here, Neetu had to be escorted out of the mixed zone to a corner for a television interview.

But when she steps into the ring, she becomes a different person. His coach calls him the ‘Gabbar lioness’ of the ring.

Her India coach Bhaskar Chandra Bhatt said, “She has always been like this. Whether in camp or outside, you hardly hear her voice, she talks hard but inside the ring she is like a ‘Gabbar lioness’. Is.”

Neetu, who was selected for her maiden Commonwealth Games in place of her ‘idol’ and six-time world champion Mary Kom, remained unbeaten.

“Mary Kom ma’am has a different world. She has given an identity to Indian boxing at the global level. I am nowhere in front of her,” Neetu told PTI.

After her selection, Neetu was seen as the ‘next Mary Kom’, but the boxer prefers to ignore the “conversations”.

“When I’m inside the ring, I’m not aware of the outside world and what’s happening around me, I just give everything.”

Just three months ago, Neetu had missed out on a World Championship medal, having crashed out in the quarter-finals following a fever.

“I had a fever all night and couldn’t sleep. But thankfully it wasn’t like that,” she recalls of Kazakhstan’s 2-3 loss to Alua Balkibekova in the quarters.

A day after her victory via RSC (referee-stop-competition) in the semi-finals, Neetu overcame local favorite Demi-Jade Rezton, the 2019 World Championship bronze and European silver medalist.

Bhatt said of Neetu, “I would say this is just the beginning for her. There are more good things in store for her.”

Originally published at Pen 18

commonwealth games: CWG: Sharath-Sathiyan lose to familiar foes again, settle for silver

The experienced Indian pair of Sharath Kamal and G Sathiyan were defeated by England’s Paul Drinkhall and Liam Pitchford in the men’s doubles final of the Commonwealth Games here on Sunday.

The Indian pair had to settle for silver for the second consecutive edition after losing 11-8, 8-11, 3-11, 11-7, 4-11 to the England pair.

It was a repeat of the 2018 final in Gold Coast and much to the dismay of the Indians, it was the same result.

The Indian contingent is getting a lot of support from the crowd here, but the English fans outshone the Indians on the NEC table tennis ground on Sunday.

With little separation of the two pairs, the Indians got off to a good start as Sathiyan beat the forehand winner to take a 1-0 lead in the gold medal match.

Drinkhall and Pitchford made a comeback in the second game. A down the line backhand from Pitchford made it 5–1 for England. The Indians were having a tough time reclaiming serve with their opponents mixing things up.

Sharath’s comeback from the backhand was giving mixed results. The cross court winner of Pitchford gave England a 7-5 lead before leveling the tie after a long rally.

The English pair got away with the third game, having the best rally of the match, which the Indians won after trading a series of forehands too far off the table.

After improving in the fourth game, the Indians were able to reach the final.

However, Drinkhall and Pitchford took a huge six-point lead at 4-4 to collect six gold medal points in the fifth game. He converted the first one, drawing a huge roar from the crowd. The Indian pair shook hands with their opponents who once again proved better on the day.

With silver, 40-year-old Sharath increased his CWG medal tally to 11 with a mixed doubles gold medal match to be held later on Sunday. He is also in the running for the singles medal.

Originally published at Pen 18

Be angry, be frustrated, but move on: Janneke Schopman’s message to Savita & Co after semifinal loss

Be angry, disappointed, you have every right, but go ahead and settle down before the crucial bronze medal match.” -FINAL.

And his words of wisdom worked like magic as an injured India beat New Zealand 2-1 to win a CWG medal – a bronze – in a 1-1 shoot-out after a gap of 16 years. ,

The Indians were undone by Fox, a formidable stopwatch by technical officials in the shoot-out against Australia, who eventually lost 0-3 after a 1-1 stalemate after 60 minutes.

“We gave it all against Australia but how the shoot-out started it wasn’t great. But it is what it is and we have to accept it and move on,” Schopman said excitedly.

“After yesterday’s game, we had a team meeting and I said to the girls ‘Get angry, get frustrated, get all your anger out… But tomorrow is a new game and we need to settle down. We have to move on. We knew we could fight for any team and the girls showed great resilience.”

A wrong timekeeping move by a technical official in the shootout robbed India of India’s chances against Australia on Saturday. Rosie Malone thwarts Australia’s first attempt in a penalty shoot-out as India

Savita pulled out a brilliant block.

But Malone got a second chance after a timekeeping error by the officials and this time the striker scored to change the pace of the game.

“It’s not the umpire’s fault, they were really apologetic. I urge the FIH not to just look at the rules because there’s more to the rules than the rules,” Schopman said.

“There’s no point in filing a complaint. Have we been robbed? Maybe, but it doesn’t matter…”

The Dutch coach said that he always believed in the potential of his players, despite having a normal World Cup ahead of the Commonwealth Games.

“I knew we can play hockey and we have shown. India has a lot of talent, they have very good hands so why shouldn’t they have more balls than the opponent.

“The World Cup taught us a valuable lesson but the belief is always there. It takes time but we know we can compete against anyone,” Schopman said.

After going through some rough times taking over the reigns of the team, Schopman finally tasted success and apparently got emotional.

“I’m still emotional. It’s been a tough few weeks for me. Many of our matches in the World Cup were tight 50-50. So I wanted the girls to win and get a medal they deserve.”

India captain Savita, who went on to star in the win over New Zealand with her scintillating performance in the shoot-out, gave credit to Schopman.

“As a captain and a senior player, I would give all the credit for the medal to our coach Janneke. He inspired us and told us not to give up till the last minute,” she said.

Returning to the Games Village, the Indian women received a warm welcome from the men and Manpreet Singh and his teammates lined up from both sides to applaud their female counterparts.

Savita said, “It was special for us. It was a surprise. We didn’t know that they were waiting for us to welcome us. Now we want to have a gold from them.”

Originally published at Pen 18

sanket sargar: CWG silver medallist Sanket Sargar undergoes elbow surgery, Ministry sanctions Rs 30 lakh for treatment

Weightlifter Sanket Sargar, who opened the medal account for India at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, suffered an elbow injury on Sunday and the Sports Ministry approved Rs 30 lakh for the surgery. The 21-year-old injured his right elbow while attempting to lift 139kg in his second clean and jerk attempt on his way to his maiden Commonwealth Games silver medal in the 55kg category.

The ministry said, “He was given immediate medical aid and doctors in the UK advised him for surgery. The Indian government decided to bear the cost of the young athlete’s surgery and today approved the full cost of the operation at Rs 30 lakh, The ministry said. a release.

“The athlete is now stable and recovering in a UK hospital.”

Sanket managed a total of 248 kg (113 kg + 135 kg) to win the gold medal, just one kg behind Malaysia’s Mohamed Anik, who broke a Games record in clean and jerk.

Olympic silver medalist and Commonwealth Games gold-winning weightlifter Mirabai Chanu thanked the government and the weightlifting federation for the support extended to Sanket.

“I would like to thank Government @Media_SAI, TOPS for conducting elbow surgery for our silver medalist Sanket Sargar in London. He got injured during his competition at CWG. At the request of the Weightlifting Federation, the government immediately funded Released and received. She has undergone surgery,” Mirabai wrote in a tweet on Sunday.

Originally published at Pen 18

Pallikal-Ghosal bag mixed doubles bronze in squash at CWG

Indian mixed doubles pair of Saurav Ghoshal and Dipika Pallikal won a bronze medal in the squash event of the Commonwealth Games here on Sunday. In a repeat of the previous edition’s final, Ghosal and Pallikal barely broke a sweat as they registered an 11-8, 11-4 win over the Australian combination of Donna Lobban and Cameron Pillay in the bronze medal play-off.

The Indian pair, who won a silver medal in the mixed team event at the 2018 Gold Coast edition, lost to Joel King and Paul Cole in the semi-finals.

This is the second medal for Ghosal at the Games, having won India’s first medal in the men’s singles event earlier this week.

Originally published at Pen 18