Glasgow, Jul 31 (PTI) India’s historic first-ever judo gold medals, a javelin throw double podium led by Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra, and a stunning day in the boxing ring, where 10 pugilists marched into the finals, highlighted another memorable day for the country’s athletes at the Commonwealth Games here on Friday.
Judokas Asmita Dey and Harsh Singh created history by becoming India’s first Commonwealth Games gold medallists in the sport, while Yamini Mourya added a silver to complete the country’s best-ever campaign in judo.
In athletics, Neeraj settled for silver in the men’s javelin throw under challenging conditions, while debutant Yashvir Singh produced a sensational personal best with his final attempt to snatch bronze.
National record holder Tejaswin Shankar also entered the history books by becoming the first Indian to win a Commonwealth Games medal in the decathlon with a bronze.
The boxing contingent enjoyed a near-flawless day as Arundhati Choudhary upset defending champion Rosie Eccles, while world champion Jaismine Lamboria, Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain and seven other Indians booked places in their respective gold medal bouts.
India also continued its impressive run in lawn bowls, with the men’s pairs team extending its unbeaten streak to four matches, while the cyclists endured a disappointing outing at the Chris Hoy Velodrome.
Judo: Historic breakthrough with twin golds ========================== India’s judokas finally climbed the top step of the Commonwealth Games podium after more than three decades as Asmita Dey and Harsh Singh won the country’s maiden gold medals in the sport.
Asmita, competing in the women’s -48kg category, fought back from behind to defeat Canada’s Heidi Quach in golden score after conceding an early yuko and penalty.
Moments later, Harsh produced a tactical masterclass to upset Australia’s Olympian Joshua Katz in the men’s -60kg final, scoring a decisive waza-ari with just 41 seconds left.
Yamini Mourya narrowly missed making it a golden treble, losing a gripping women’s -57kg final to England’s Acelya Toprak in golden score to settle for silver.
The haul of two gold and one silver marked India’s finest-ever performance in Commonwealth Games judo.
Athletics: Neeraj, Yashvir on podium; Tejaswin scripts history ====================================== Neeraj Chopra claimed silver with a season-best effort of 85.83m in difficult windy conditions, finishing behind Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage (89.75m).
Debutant Yashvir Singh stunned the field by launching his final throw to a personal best 85.41m to clinch bronze, giving India a memorable double podium finish.
Tejaswin added another bronze after collecting 7,976 points in the decathlon to become the first Indian to win a Commonwealth Games medal in the gruelling 10-event discipline.
Competing despite a chronic knee injury that had forced him out of the high jump competition earlier in the Games, Tejaswin climbed to third after the javelin event and held on with a strong 1500m finish.
Boxing: Ten Indians enter finals ===================== India’s boxers produced one of their most dominant displays of the Games as 10 pugilists advanced to the finals.
Arundhati Choudhary scored the biggest upset of the day by defeating defending champion Rosie Eccles of Wales 4-0 in the women’s 70kg semifinals.
World champion Jaismine Lamboria overwhelmed her Lesotho opponent via Referee Stops Contest in the women’s 57kg semifinals, while Olympic bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain cruised to a one-sided 5-0 win in the women’s 75kg event.
Preeti Pawar (54kg), Sakshi Chaudhary (51kg), Priya Ghanghas (60kg), Ankush Panghal (80kg), Jadumani Singh (55kg) and heavyweight Narender (90+kg) also registered commanding victories to move within one win of gold.
Lawn bowls: Unbeaten run continues ======================= Navneet Singh and Dinesh Kumar maintained their unbeaten run in the men’s pairs competition by thrashing the Falkland Islands 6-3, 10-0 for their fourth successive victory.
The Indian duo remained second in Section B behind England on points difference, with the two unbeaten teams set to meet in the final group fixture.
In the women’s singles, Nayanmoni Saikia defeated Zambia’s Mildred Mkandawire 2-0.
Cycling: Indians struggle on the track ======================== It was a disappointing day for Indian cyclists as Dinesh Kumar and Harshveer Singh Sekhon finished 17th and 19th respectively in the men’s 4000m individual pursuit qualification.
India’s riders also failed to progress in the men’s keirin, where David Beckham was the best among the three Indians with a fifth-place finish in his heat.
Harshveer later finished 21st in the men’s elimination race final. PTI APS AM APS AM AM
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