Parupalli Kashyap brought the curtains down on India’s campaign in the 20th Commonwealth Games to a thunderous applause, winning a gold medal in men’s singles badminton competition in Glasgow on Sunday.
Kashyap rose to the occasion to eke out a breathtaking 21-14, 11-21, 21-19 triumph over Derek Wong of Singapore.
The women’s doubles combination of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa finished with a silver medal after losing to Malaysian Vivian Kah Mun Hoo and Khe Wei Woon 17-21, 21-23 in 41-minutes.
Jwala and Ashwini had won a historic gold at the Delhi Commonwealth Games but could not recreate the magic.
RMV Gurusaidutt and P.V. Sindhu had won bronze medals in singles events on Saturday, taking the medal count in badminton to four.
The quest for a CWG hockey gold though remained unfulfilled as the men’s team went down tamely 0-4 to title holders and world champions Australia in the final.
The three podium finishes on the final day of the Games meant India finished fifth with 64 medals (15 gold, 30 silver, 19 bronze).
India had finished second in the previous Games in Delhi with a total of 101 medals.
Traditional powerhouse England led the overall standings in Glasgow with 171 medals, followed by Australia (135), Canada (82) and hosts Scotland, which ended the multi-sport extravaganza with 53 medals.
The story on the final day of the Games was Kashyap.
Playing like a man possessed, the 27-year-old stole the limelight as he etched his name in history by becoming the first Indian male shuttler in 32 years to win gold in the Commonwealth Games.
Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa with the Tricolour after winning the silver medal in the women’s doubles event.
A bronze-medallist at the Delhi Games, Kashyap played with patience to win the battle of nerves in over an hour.
The shuttler from Hyderabad thus joined badminton legend Prakash Padukone and the late Syed Modi, who had won the title in the past.
While Padukone won the men’s singles gold medal at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Canada, Modi retained it four years later.
World No. 22 Kashyap bagged the biggest title of his career. He had reached the quarter-finals of the London Olympics and won the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold in 2012, but this was a new high.
“I’m so happy. This championship means a lot to me.
“I knew when I came into the tournament that I wanted the gold medal. I have not played up to my ability before but with this gold medal I am just so happy for myself and for my country.
“It is a proud moment for me,” said Kashyap.
India takes silver as Aus run riot
Lacklustre India were outclassed 0-4 by Olympic and World champions Australia in the men’s hockey final in the Commonwealth Games on Sunday.
Chris Ciriello scored a hat-trick by converting three penalty corners in the 13th, 29th and 48th minutes while Eddie Ockenden got the fourth goal in the 51st minute in the summit clash played under heavy downpour at the Glasgow National Hockey Center.
Even though the two teams are class apart, it was an ideal opportunity for eight-time Olympic champions India to avenge their 0-8 thrashing at the hands of mighty Australia in the 2010 edition of the Games in New Delhi.
But it was not to be as Australia produced a clinical performance and dominated the match by scoring two goals in each half to secure their fifth consecutive Commonwealth Games title since the introduction of hockey in the quadrennial event in 1998, where India finished fourth.
Starting as underdogs, there was nothing to lose for the Indian team in the gold medal match against a formidable Australia, who beat them 4-2 in the group stages.
The Indian defence performed below par and conceded soft penalty corners and the Australians scored thrice to take the game away from their opponents.
The Indians failed to create a clear chance and also wasted two penalty corners that came their way.
Captain Sardar Singh’s return after serving a one-match suspension failed to inspire the team against the quick-passing Australians, who have rested a few key players and blood in youngsters.
The Kookaburras found space and penetrated the Indian defence on numerous occasions.
The Indians, on the other hand, showed glimpses of brilliance with some bright moves but the Aussie defence was too hard to break.
Dipa targets Asiad
The wide smile on her face would not subside even for a moment. Dipa Karmakar is basking in the glory of becoming the first Indian woman gymnast to win a medal at the Commonwealth Games.
Her bronze in vault could serve as an inspiration to those taking up the low-profile sport in India. She is just 20 and an international medal could give her career a big push.
“Since the time I saw Ashish [Kumar] bhaiya win the CWG medal in 2010 at home, I wanted to win one.
“I am just elated to win the bronze at the Commonwealth Games,” Dipa told Mail Today.
The Tripura girl said finishing on the podium in a field where Olympic contestants were participating has given her immense belief in her abilities.
“I did not have a good first round so I was nervous. There were several girls in fray who had competed at the Olympics. It was not easy,” she said.
Ashish Kumar had won a historic medal in Delhi but that did not change the plight of gymnasts.
The infighting within the federation meant there was no proper training and exposure before the Games. However, Dipa was happy with whatever facilities they got.
“We have been continuously training at the IG stadium here and that helped. I was confident about my preparations for the Games.”
Dipa was initiated into the sport early in her career. Her father Dulal Karmakar is a SAI weightlifting coach but he chose gymnastics for his daughter. She learnt the nuances of the sport under coach B.S. Nandi.
“My next target is Asian Games,” Dipa said.
Leave a reply