India Had One Of Their Best-ever Finishes At The Commonwealth Games, With Youngsters Adding To The Glitter And The Promise Of A Much-improved Finish In The Upcoming Asian Games In Jakarta.
AN ALL-INDIAN women’s singles badminton final. Team gold in the same sport. One-two finishes in the shooting range. Team gold in table tennis, for both women and men. These Commonwealth Games, held in sunny Gold Coast in Australia, brought 66 medals of which 26 were gold, more than their silver and bronze medal hauls. Unprecedented in comparison to previous tallies in the Games, save for the one in New Delhi, in 2010. The third position bettered the 2014 performance in Glasgow by just two medals (India had finished in fifth place then), but were far superior in terms of the aggregate gold medal count.
While it has added to the promise for the Asian Games, the 2022 edition of the CWG in Birmingham will pose bigger threats, with shooting not a part of the Games roster, a sport that fetched India a total of 16 medals this time, including seven gold. By winning medals outside the traditional bastions of shooting, wrestling and weightlifting, India made a quantum leap in multi-sporting events, raising its profile, and indeed expectations, ahead of the Asian Games, set to take place in August.
Long considered India’s favourite multi-discipline event, India’s athletes thrived once again at Gold Coast. The success was eye-catching: India medalled in nine out of the 16 events it participated in, some of them by teenagers making their Games debut. Anish Bhanwala, 15, became India’s youngest-ever Commonwealth Games medallist, while 16-year-old Manu Bhaker triumphed over compatriot and former World No. 1 Heena Sidhu (above). The vast gulf in the ages of athletes meant the younger ones made a victorious start to their careers, while seasoned campaigners like Sushil Kumar, MC Mary Kom and Saina Nehwal cemented their reputation as Games greats.
Whether or not it will translate into continental success at the Asian Games, and indeed later at the 2020 Olympics, remains to be seen. But hopes are high.
Bu hikaye Sports Illustrated India dergisinin May 2018 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Sports Illustrated India dergisinin May 2018 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Hockey World Cup- India Gears Up For Glory
Hosts India will have to play out of their skins to win their second Hockey Men’s World Cup title.
The Drive For Consistency
Find something you love doing and use that to fall in love with your body, so you can embrace change and sustain a pattern that lets you unlock the best version of yourself
The Phenomenon
Kevin Pietersen may have retired from playing, but he will remain a part of the game and Test cricket folklore for a long time
Powering The Action
The IPL is intense. Players let off the fireworks on the pitch, but it is the coaches and support staff that light the fuses. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED traces the evolution of this critical aspect of the game, and why Indians still need to make a mark
A Steep Learning Curve
Making the transition from the junior level to the senior team has been quite challenging but a hugely rewarding experience.
Scorecard - Don't Blame It on Rio
Apathy towards the Olympics could cast golf in a negative light and jeo paradise its standing with the IOC for the 2024 Games and beyond.
Bench Strength
With the Likes of Nair, Yadav, Jadhav and Chahal Performing With Maturity Over the Past Year, Team India’s Bench Strength Looks Strong Ahead of the Champions Trophy.
Sir Roger Bannister (1929-2018)
A legend in his own time, Sir Roger was most proud of his neurology research but his historic sub-four mile run in 1954 is still regarded as one of his best breakthroughs
Battle Ready
A star-studded Indian contingent seeks to reshape its approach with rising talent, even as seasoned warriors in badminton, weight-lifting, shooting and wrestling aim for gold
Safe Passage
The Dustup That Marred the Return of Chris Paul to L.a. Has Faded. As the Point God Settles Into a New Home, He Has a New Running Buddy and a Group of Teammates Who Feel Like a Family
