Weightlifters Open India’s Medal Tally at Gold Coast Commonwealth Games

India clinched two medals on Day 2 of the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games 2018, with hopes for more during the 11-day event. On April 6, Indian weightlifters continued to show a good performance, with Sanjita Chanu winning gold in Women’s 53 kg and Deepak Lather winning bronze in the Men’s 69 kg category.

On Day 1, two other Indian weightlifters had a podium finish — Saikhom Mirabai Chanu won India’s first gold of the 2018 Commonwealth Games while P Gururaja was awarded India’s first medal of the Games when he received silver.

Saikhom broke the Commonwealth Games record by lifting a total of 196 kg (snatch, clean and jerk) in the 48 kg category. Gururaja won silver in the 56 kg category.

India was ranked five in the medals tally at the time of publishing of this article, with two gold, one silver and one bronze, behind Scotland (No.4), Canada (No. 3), England (No.2) and Australia (No. 1). Australia has 11 gold medals so far while England has nine, and Canada and Scotland have two each.

India’s star badminton player Saina Nehwal beat her Sri Lankan opponent, Madushika Dilrukshi, 21-8, 21-4. Boxer Manoj Kumar advanced to round-of-16 in the 69 kg category after beating Osita Umeh of Nigeria 5-0.

In other badminton matches, World No. 2 player Kidambi Srikanth beat Sri Lanka’s Niluka Karunaratne 21-16, 21-10 to clinch the men’s singles match. In mixed doubles, Ruthvika Shivani Gadde and Pranaav Jerry Chopra beat Sri Lanka’s Sachin Dias and Thilini Pramodika Hendahewa 21-15, 19-21, 22-20 to give India a winning start. India’s Ashwini Ponappa and N Sikki Reddy beat Sri Lanka’s Thilini Pramodika Hendahewa and Kavidi Sirimannage 21-12, 21-14.

India women’s hockey team beat Malaysia 4-1 on Day 2, as well after losing to Wales.

In squash, Harinderpal Sandhu defeated Cameron Stafford of Cayman Islands 3-1 to qualify for the round-of-32 while Vikram Malhotra beat Manda Chilambwe of Zambia 3-0 (11-6, 11-5, 11-2) in men’s singles round-of-64. Also, Joshna Chinappa beat Lynette Vai of Papua New Guinea 11-3, 11-7, 11-2 while Dipika Pallikal Karthik beat Charlotte Knaggs (Trinidad and Tobago) 11-6, 11-5, 11-5 in women’s singles in squash.

The Commonwealth Games began on April 4 and will go on till April 15. India’s boxing team got engulfed in a controversy earlier after a syringe was found in their room at the Commonwealth Games village. The team doctor was let off with a written reprimand since the syringe was used to administer vitamin B to a player who had been unwell. However, with a “No Needles” Policy at the village, the Indian team had broken some rules by not declaring the necessity to use a syringe beforehand.