After an enthralling 11 days at the 2018 Commonwealth Games (CWG) in Gold Coast, Australia, India took home a staggering 66 medals, 26 gold, 20 silver and 20 bronze. This year’s 66 medal win makes it the third highest number of medals clinched by India in the history of the Commonwealth Games.
The final day of the games saw ace badminton player Saina Nehwal beat PV Sindhu to clinch gold with a 21-18, 23-21 defeat. Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei defeated Kidambi Srinath in an intense 19-21, 21-14, 21-14 victory to claim the fifth CWG title of his career. In the mens’ doubles round, Satwik Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty played against England’s Marcus Ellis and Chris Langridge, and took home a silver medal.
Manika Batra won her 4th medal at CWG with a bronze, adding to her tally of 2 gold medals and 1 silver taking her tally to a healthy 4 medals. Sathiyan Gyanasekaran and Manika Batra put up a strong fight as they beat their seniors, Achanta Sharath and Mouma Das 11-6, 11-2, 11-4 in three straight games in the Mixed Doubles bronze medal match.
Squash champions Dipika Pallikal and Joshna Chinappa played against New Zealand’s Joelle King and Amanda Landers-Murphy, and bagged a silver medal after a 9-11, 8-11 defeat.
Prince Edward declared the Games to be over at a spectacular closing ceremony which featured an appearance by eight-time Olympic champion Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt. The flag of the Commonwealth Games Federation was lowered and presented to Birmingham, hosts in 2022.
Here’s some of India’s shining moments at the Commonwealth Games 2018 in Gold Coast:
- Sushil Kumar won a record third gold medal at the Commonwealth Games after defeating South Africa’s Botha Johannes by technical superiority in men’s 74kg wrestling.
- Discus thrower Navjeet Kaur Dhillon grabbed bronze on Day 8 of Commonwealth Games.
- Wrestler Rahul Aware defeated Canada’s Steven Takahashi with 15-7 on the scoreboard to clinch the top podium finish.
- Tejaswini Sawant clinched silver in 50m Rifle Prone Women at the Belmont Shooting Centre.
- Shreyasi Singh, who previously won the silver medal in Double Trap Shooting event in Glasgow 2014, bagged the top podium finish.
- Ankur Mittal won the bronze medal for India in Men’s Double Trap for India.
- Om Mitharval extended his reputation in Commonwealth Games 2018 as he clinched the second bronze in Gold Coast.
- Heena Sidhu gave India its 11th gold medal on day 6 of 2018 Commonwealth Games.
- Sachin Chaudhary claimed a bronze in men’s heavyweight final on Tuesday.
- India won a historic gold in the badminton mixed-doubles event at Commonwealth Games 2018.
- India swept the table tennis team events at the 21st Commonwealth Games after the men’s team clinched gold with an emphatic win over Nigeria.
- Jitu Rai created a new Commonwealth Games record and returned to his triumphant ways by snapping up the gold medal at CWG 2018.
- Mehuli Ghosh returns home with a silver.
- Apurvi Chandela’s run came to an end in 10m air rifle after she shot a series of nine-plus pointers to take home bronze.
- Hardeep Singh missed out on the opportunity to claim India’s eighth gold medal at the 21st Commonwealth Games in the men’s 105kg category, but eventually settled for a silver in a closely contested event
- India’s Manu Bhaker won the nation’s sixth gold medal at this year’s CWG.
- India’s Heena Sidhu shot 379/400 to come in second after Manu Bhaker, winning silver in 10m air pistol finals. She also won a silver at the Delhi Games in 2010.
- Indian shooter Ravi Kumar won a bronze medal in the men’s 10m air rifle event at the 21st Commonwealth Games.
- Vikas Thakur added a shade of bronze to Indian weightlifters’ golden run at the Commonwealth Games.
- Rahul Venkat Ragala won the gold medal in men’s weightlifting 85kg category.
- Deepak Lather became India’s youngest weightlifter to win a Commonwealth Games medal after he won the bronze medal in men’s 69kg weight category.
- Sanjita Chanu struck her second consecutive gold medal on the 2nd day of the CWG 2018.
- P Gururaja struck the silver medal in the men’s 56kg final with a total lift of 249 kg.
- Saina Nehwal beat PV Sindhu in the finals to clinch gold. Sindhu took home silver.
- Kidambi Srikant lost to Lee Chong Wei to settle for silver.
- Satwik Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty earned silver medals in mens’ doubles final badminton.
- Neeraj Chopra won gold for javelin.
- Mary Kom won against Kristina O’Hara in 48kg category to clinch gold.
- Manika Batra was the first Indian woman to win gold in table tennis singles.
- Ashwini Ponnapa and N Sikki Reddy won bronze in women doubles for badminton
