CWG 2018, day 6, as it happened: Women’s hockey team joins the men in SF, Anas finishes 4th in 400m
Catch all the live scores and updates from day six of the 2018 Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast, Australia.
HIGHLIGHTS:
Shooting: Heena Sidhu won gold in Women’s 25m Pistol
Para powerlifting: Sachin Chaudhary wins bronze
Boxing: Five out of five for the boxers, as they assure themselves medals.
Hockey: Men’s team beat Malaysia 2-1, women’s team beat South Africa 1-0 - both through to semifinal.
Athletics, 400m: Muhammad Anas finishes 5th, Hima Das qualifies for final
Wrapping up...
06:30 pm: Another long action-packed day comes to an end. The headline belongs to Heena Sidhu, who set a games record on her way to a gold medal while the day’s other medal came from Sachin Chaudhary in the para-powerlifting event. While it won’t reflect in the medal’s tally below, five Indian boxers have confirmed medals with a perfect record in the rings during their respective quarter-final bouts. Both the hockey teams qualified for semi-finals as well. The disappointment of the day was, of course, Gagan Narang and Chain Singh finishing outside the medal positions in the 50m prone rifle.
Here’s how the medals table looks like as we take leave for the day...
06:00 pm: After a significant delay in the start of the final race of the day, the inspirational Caster Semenya clinches gold in the 1500m final.
05:45 pm: Here’s Arka Bhattacharya, who watched her race at the Federation Cup recently where she shot into limelight, offering his perspective on Hima Das.
Hima Das, the sprinter who had not heard of athletics till 2016, continues to surprise everybody. Her timings keep tumbling, with 53, then 52 and now 51.5. Her semifinal timing of 51.53 shaved 0.44 off her previous best of 51.97 set at the Federation Cup in March. Next in sight is Manjit Kaur’s national record of 51.05 set in 2004. She starts with the 7th best timing of the 8 finalists but Hima is unpredictable, and after this run, no one will be willing to predict her time in the final.
05:30 PM: This has been an incredible few minutes for Indian athletics! Isaac Makwala was always going to win it but Anas’ 45.31 seconds is a new national record, just pipping the 45.32 he had clocked at the Indian Grand Prix in New Delhi last year. Fought till the end and came within 0.2 seconds of a rare track medal.
05:23 pm: Isaac Makwala, the pre-race favourite has won the race but it was a fantastic run by Muhammad Anas ... he finishes 4th!
05:15 pm: Alright folks, as we digest the fact that one of our quarter-milers has incredibly made it to the final, time to sit back and enjoy a rare track final for a Indian athlete - not since Milkha Singh in 1958 has someone made it to the final of the one-lap race at the CWG. Muhammad Anas has, and he is in action right now.
05:15 pm: IT’S OFFICIAL! Hima Das, who surprised everyone in the Federation Cup by making the cut to CWG, has actually gone and qualified for the FINAL of the 400m! What an achievement! More to come...
05:05 pm: Hima Das clocks a personal best time of 51.53s to finish 3rd in the 400m semifinal heat. She can still go through as fastest loser but will have to wait till all heats are over... can she make it through? Will be quite an incredible achievement.
05:00 pm: BRONZE MEDAL ALERT... And away from the limelight (as is invariably the case, unfortunately) India’s Sachin Chaudhary finishes 3rd in men’s Para Powerlifting - heavyweight category! That’s India’s first medal in the para category in this games.
04:52 pm: AND INDIAN BOXERS HAVE MADE IT FIVE OUT OF FIVE! It was a tough bout, a brutal bout and Satish Kumar wins it by split decision to make it a memorable night for Indian boxers. That’s now six medals guaranteed for the boxing contingent - five today, and one earlier by Mary Kom.
04:50 pm: This is going to be extremely tight... both men looked dead beat at the end of the bout. Satish landed some good punches early in the 3rd. Has he done enough?
04:45 pm: Two rounds are done in this bout and it’s tough to tell which of the big men is winning. Satish started well but Paul landed some serious punches towards the end of the second round. And in this weight category, those could be telling punches!
4.40 pm: The final boxing match of the day involving an Indian is underway, with Satish Kumar taking on Trinidad and Tobago’s Nigel Paul in the men’s +91 kg quarter-final.
4.34 pm: It’s been a good day for Indian hockey, with both the men’s and women’s teams progressing to the semi-finals.
4.32 pm: “I can watch that goal all day,” says Viren Rasquinha on air about Rampal’s winner. “Not just for the world-class finish by Rani Rampal, but for the build-up from their own half and the assist by Vandana.”
4.30 pm: IND 1-0 SA – Full time
India sail through to the semi-finals after finishing second in their group behind England. India and England have the same number of points (9) but Rani Rampal’s team is behind on goal difference.
4.10 pm: GOAL!! (IND 1-0 SA)
Rani Rampal scores a beautiful goal to break the deadlock in the fourth quarter! You can follow the action on our hockey live blog here.
4 pm: Boxing Men’s 69 kg quarter-final
Manoj Kumar wins the bout by a 4:1 split decision and is through to the semis, meaning he too is assured of a medal! Only one of the five judges seemed to think Terry Nickolas did better than Manoj across the three rounds.
3.47 pm: India’s Manoj Kumar is know taking on Australia’s Terry Nickolas in the Men’s 69 kg boxing quarter-final. Can Manoj join his compatriots in the semis? Find out soon...
3.45 pm: IND 0-0 SA at half time
No goals so far but the Indians have been aggressive and made more inroads than their South African counterparts. You can follow the action on our hockey live blog here.
3.11 pm: Meanwhile, a big game for the Indian women’s hockey team has kicked off. Semi-final qualification is at stake, and India are up against South Africa who face a must-win situation. You can follow the action on our hockey live blog here.
3.09 pm: Husamuddin Mohammed is through to the semi-finals in the men’s 56 kg boxing category and is assured of a medal. The quarter-final win was pretty straightforward. Here is how the judges saw it.
3.05 pm: Boxing men’s 56 kg quarter-final
Round 3: A pretty scrappy affair comes to an end and apart from the last few seconds of the bout, there wasn’t much aggression from either side. Husamuddin was clearly the better boxer out of the two and is awarded the bout 5-0 via a unanimous decision!
3 pm: Boxing men’s 56 kg quarter-final
Round 2: Husamuddin looks the better of the two boxers so far. He’s doing really well to avoid Mulenga’s hooks.
2.56 pm: Boxing men’s 56 kg quarter-final
Round 1: A pretty ugly fight so far, with none of the two boxers really managing to connect properly. Pretty even so far.
2.50 pm: It’s time for the men’s 56 kg boxing quarter-final between India’s Husamuddin Mohammed and Zambia’s Everisto Mulenga. Stay tuned...
2.45 pm: No trouble for Deepika Pallikal and Saurav Ghoshal as they breeze past the Pakistanis in Pool C. The Indians have now played two and won two.
2.35 pm: Dipika Pallikal and Saurav Ghoshal record a convincing win in the opening game against the Pakistanis – 11-2 – in just six minutes.
2.20 pm: Meanwhile, New Zealand’s Hamish Bond, who won two Olympic golds in rowing, grabbed Commonwealth Games bronze in cycling on Tuesday. The 32-year-old took up rowing less than two years ago, reports AFP. Some people have just got it in them!
2.15 pm: Hope you’re done with your lunch because the evening session at Gold Coast is about to commence, with mixed doubles squash. India’s Dipika Pallikal and Saurav Ghoshal will be taking on the Pakistani pair of Madina Zafar and Tayyab Aslam moments from now.
2.10 pm: Kidambi Srikanth, who begins his men’s singles campaign on Wednesday, is set to become the first Indian male badminton player to be ranked world No 1 later this week. It’s been quite a week for the 25-year-old, who helped India win their first ever gold medal in the mixed-team event at CWG.
2.05 pm: As Muhammed Anas prepares for his 400m final later today, here’s a story Arka Bhattacharya had done last year after he broke the national record.
1.40 pm: Meanwhile, the parents of Indian athletes at the Commonwealth Games continue to stir controversy. The Press Trust of India has reported that an unidentified Indian shooter’s father tried to enter the athletes’ lounge at at the Belmont Shooting Centre at Gold Coast before being told to leave as his accreditation was invalid.
The man claimed to be the personal coach of one of the female shooters in the Indian contingent, the report said, but was told to leave by the National Rifles Association of India President Raninder Singh.
1.05 pm: Here’s Indian boxer Amit Panghal speaking after winning his quarter-final bout earlier today. He is assured of winning a medal.
12.25 pm: Heena Sidhu’s coach and husband Ronak Pandit told the broadcaster before the Games that the aim was to go for gold in the 10m air pistol and just hope to get medal in the 25m pistol event. Having missed out to Manu Bhaker in her pet event, Heena made it count in some style in the 25m pistol!
11.55 am: There’s the gold medal! India’s 11th of this colour and 20th overall at CWG 2018! Take a bow, Heena Sidhu!
11.37 am: Not only has Heena Sidhu won India’s eighth medal in shooting at CWG 2018, but she’s also the first double medallist from India at this edition!
11.35 am: Here are the three medallists in the Women’s 25m Pistol:
11.27 am: The final standings in the Women’s 25m Pistol final, which Heena Sidhu won after setting a Commonwealth Games record! Super stuff!
11.24 am: And it’s GOLD for Heena Sidhu in the women’s 25m Pistol!!
11.22 am: Heena Sidhu takes a two-point lead into the gold-medal round! Can she maintain her lead? This is getting tense!!!
11.20 am: After the eighth series of the 25m Pistol final, not only has Heena Sidhu guaranteed a medal for herself, but she has stretched her lead at the top by three points! She is on course for gold!
11.18 am: Heena Sidhu has taken the lead in the 25m Pistol final after the seventh series! She’s got a two-point lead over Galiabovitch but that could change very soon!
11.14 am: Unfortunately for India, Annu Singh has been eliminated after the sixth series. But Heena is still battling for gold with Australia’s Elena Galiabovitch!
11.12 am: Annu Singh survives elimination after the fifth series as well, but just by a whisker!
11.09 am: Here are the standings after series 4. Heena Sidhu still in second, but Annu Singh is in danger of being eliminated if she does not improve in the next series.
11.06 am: The Women’s 25m Pistol Finals has begun and Heena Sidhu is in joint second after the first stage, which included three series of five shots each. Annu Singh is in joint fifth. We now move into the elimination stage of the competition.
10.48 am: Men’s 91kg Quarterfinal.
Round 3: Some stunning upper cuts by Naman in that round. The Samoan kept charging forward, he had to and Naman kept landing punch after punch. A standing count for the Samoan. That is how dominant Naman was. Easy win for the Indian. Just too good. Another medal assured!
10.48 am: Men’s 91kg Quarterfinal.
Round 2: Nice jabs keeping the Samoan at bay here. Naman’s unorthodox style is making it difficult for his opponents. Commentator: “I see a great future for this young Indian. He could become a great professional or even an Olympic champion.” High praise. Another round to the Indian. The Samoan will need a KO to win this.
10.48 am: Men’s 91kg Quarterfinal.
Round 1: Tanwar supremely confident. He is in command here. Good strong punches. He should get this round. Great reach too. Twinkle toes. For someone in the 91 kg class, that is awesome.
10.48 am: Time for 19-year-old Naman Tanwar’s bout. This should be fun. Men’s 91kg Quarterfinal.
10.35 am: #Podcast. The young Indian athletes are all shining. So this is a good time to listen to our podcast. What exactly are India’s young athletes doing differently?
On the podcast are former India hockey skipper and Olympic Gold Quest CEO Viren Rasquinha, former India cricketer and ex-Nike India marketing head Jatin Paranjpe, former India tennis player and JSW Sports CEO Mustafa Ghouse and Ashish Magotra, Editor of The Field.
Note: The podcast was recorded just before the start of the Commonwealth Games.
10.31 am: Quick analysis of the early morning men’s hockey match. India beat Malaysia 2-1.
“Results are very important. And we are through to the semis. If you look at the performance, not the best and coach Marijne will have to look into this. But the important thing is that we are into the semis,” former India hockey skipper Viren Rasquinha.
“Confidence and momentum are important for dragflickers. Harmanpreet is looking very good and he is the key against England too.”
10.22 am: Coming up in the next 10-odd minutes is the Men’s 91kg Quarterfinal 1. The young Tanwar has a very nice style – his hands hang low and he is fun to watch. Can he make it to the semis? The bout is scheduled to start at 10.32 am.
10.15 am: Solid data story by Anand Katakam.
Shooters have won 32 medals and wrestlers have taken 15 medals at the Asian Games since 2002. In the same period, India’s weightlifters have won a solitary silver medal in 1998.
9.28 am: Men’s 46-49kg Quarterfinal
Round 3: A medal is confirmed – at least a bronze. It could be silver or gold too. Ahmed is trying things, Amit is trying to counter. Fascinating bout. But in the end, Amit comes out on top. Split decision.
9.28 am: Men’s 46-49kg Quarterfinal
Round 2: Amit stepping up in this round. Certainly being more positive and he has the quicker hands too. Superb counterpunching. Each time, the Scot had him on the ropes, Amit would just find a way. This round should go to Amit.
9.28 am: Men’s 46-49kg Quarterfinal
Round 1: A good, tight contest. Amit is not having it go all his way. Good movement by both sponsors. Ahmed is also a chess player and he is showing good awareness. Not much between them. This round probably went to Ahmed.
9.22 am: And onwards we march to the boxing arena now. The first of five bouts today for India. Amit will face Aqeel Ahmed of Scotland in Men’s 46-49kg Quarterfinal
9.19 am: She swam virtually blind and she won!!! How can you not love sport?
9.16 am: Lest we forget, Para events are also on. In the Women’s TT6-10 Singles Group 2-Game 2, Vaishnavi Sutar has lost.
09.10 am: Meanwhile, winning starts for India in badminton and squash.
Stars of India’s mixed team gold on Monday, Ashwini Ponnappa and Satwik Rankireddy are through to the mixed doubles round of 32 in no time.
In squash, Dipika Pallikal and Saurav Ghosal record a comfortable win in their opening Pool E mixed doubles game.
9.06 am: “Disappointing result for India. Gagan Narang was a guaranteed medallist in this event. But it’s unpredictable, in outdoor conditions, as the low Qual scores showed,” says Anjali Bhagwat, former Olympian.
“Good shooting by Chain Singh. His master event is three positions. But he has has enough practice in prone as well. He was let down by a poor 4th round, he went down from 2nd to 4th there. But he could have recovered. He is an experienced shooter,” Bhagwat further added.
8.53 am: David Phelps (right, below) wins his second Commonwealth Games gold medal. His first one came in 2006. Wonderful shooting! A Games Record for him too!
8.51 am: Team events are done, and now it’s time for the singles and doubles formats to begin. For India, Satwiksairaj & Ashwini are in round-of-64 action and have taken the first game with some ease in 10 mins.
8.50 am: Chain Singh finishes at 4th. Well done to the athlete from Jammu and Kashmir. Let down by a 9.3 but a solid performance.
8.47 am: Very tight at the top.
8.45 am: Daly, the top qualifier, is now eliminated. But Chain is staying in there. He is in 4th at the moment.
08.39 am: The 34-year-old Gagan has been eliminated. Chain Singh still going strong. But Chain Singh is shooting very well.
08.39 am: Is it the wind? No, the wind is fine for now. But it keeps changing. The first elimination has happened. Gagan next in line.
08.39 am: Not a great round for Gagan. He is two points off the leader. But Chain keeps it going.
08.36 am: Gagan Narang makes a solid start. After the first five shots, he is in joint second. Chain Singh is in joint fourth.
08.31 am: The wind is going to be a big factor. Dead still at the moment but it was blowing fairly hard just a few seconds ago. Gagan Narang won a silver four years ago.
08.26 am: A quick look back at the qualifying scores. These scores won’t matter in the final but if you want to get an idea of form. Still, the finals are an all new ball – in this case, shooting – game.
8.20 am: This is how they line up for the 50m Rifle Prone Men’s Finals
8.15 am: Right, so after a brief lull, here’s what’s coming up in the next couple of hours, starting with the men’s 50m rifle prone finals, featuring Gagan Narang and Chain Singh!
8.12 am: Some perspective on A Dharun’s 400m hurdles performance earlier today, even though he failed to qualify for the final:
7.50 am: India’s Farman Basha finishes fifth in the para powerlifting men’s lightweight category after scoring 169.4 points. The other Indian, Ashok, comes last after failing all three attempts.
7.38 am: One of India’s 10 gold medallists so far at the Games, Sathish Kumar Sivalingam, has posted a message on Twitter. Rough translation (via Google Translate): “The love and support of the people, my mother, for my country, made my journey easier. I am very grateful for the people’s love and encouragement.”
7.20 am: India’s para powerlifter Farman Basha has only one successful attempt in the men’s lightweight category and his 169.4 points won’t be enough to secure a medal. The other Indian in the fray, Ashok, has failed his first two attempts of 160 kg but is going for 171 kg next in a bid to stay in contention.
7.15 am: Good start for India in the squash women’s doubles Pool C, as Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal beat Faiza and Madina Zafar 10-11, 11-0, 11-1 in just 18 minutes.
7.09 am: In women’s doubles squash, Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal win the third game against Pakistan’s Faiza and Madina Zafar 11-1 to take the match 2-1.
7.03 am: In women’s para swimming event, Vaishnavi Jagtap clocks a time of 41.63 seconds in the S8 50m freestyle. She finishes sixth in the heat but still qualifies for the final because there are only seven participants in this category. The final will be held at 4 pm IST.
7 am: A confirmation of the eight shooters who qualified for the Women’s 25m Pistol Final, including India’s Annu Singh and Heena Sidhu. The final will take place at 11 am today.
6.54 am: India’s Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal were edged by Pakistan’s Faiza and Madina Zafar in the first game of their pool match 11-10, but the Indian pair steamrolled the Pakistanis 11-0 in the second!
6.49 am: India’s Ayyasamy Dharun fails to qualify for the men’s 400m hurdles final after finishing 5th in his semi-final heat with a timing of 49.85. Only the top two qualify for the final.
6.40 am: Heena Sidhu scores a brilliant 99, while Annu Singh records 97 in the final Rapid series. Both are through to the Women’s 25m Pistol Final after ending the qualification round in 3rd and 2nd respectively!
6.37 am: India are through to the semi-final, but the last Pool B game against England could still be crucial to decide top spot – and in all likelihood, to avoid Australia in the semi-final.
6.30 am: India are through to the semi-finals of the men’s hockey event at CWG after winning their final pool match against Malaysia 2-1! If you missed the match, you can catch up on it in our hockey live blog here.
6.22 am: Correction – Heena Sidhu scores 95, and not 85, in the first Rapid series and is very much in contention for the final! Apologies for the error!
6.18 am: Annu Singh scores a strong 98 in the first Rapid series to stay on top of the Women’s 25m Pistol Qualification, but Heena Sidhu faces elimination after a poor 85. Can she recover in the next two series?
6.11 am: Harmanpreet Singh scores for India via a penalty corner in the dying seconds of the third quarter to give his team a 1-0 lead against Malaysia in the men’s hockey match. You can follow the live updates in our hockey live blog here.
6 am: The Rapid round of the Women’s 25m Pistol Qualification has just begun, with India’s Annu Singh and Heena Sidhu vying for a spot in the final. Stay tuned for updates...
5.46 am: The men in blue have improved going forward since the equaliser, but – yet again – not a performance to rave about. Fairly ordinary. Shots taken:- India: 4 MAS: 2
You can follow the live updates in our hockey live blog here.
5.44 am: At half-time in the men’s hockey pool match between India and Malaysia, the score is still tied 1-1. You can follow the live updates in our hockey live blog here.
5.33 am: Malaysia equalise against India early in the second quarter of the men’s hockey pool match. It’s 1-1 now. You can follow the live updates in our hockey live blog here.
5.27 am: Annu Singh is at the top of the table after the Precision round of the Women’s 25m Pistol Qualification with a sub-total of 293 after three series. Heena Sidhu is in seventh spot with 286. The Rapid round will begin at 6 am IST. The top eight after both rounds will qualify for the final.
5.24 am: The Indian men’s team’s hockey match against Malaysia has kicked off, with India leading 1-0 after the first quarter. You can follow the live updates in our hockey live blog here.
5.22 am: Chain Singh shoots only a 99.4 in the sixth and final series but still keeps himself in the top eight who will progress to the 50m Rifle Prone Men’s Final. Gagan Narang ends up third in qualification after a 100.8 in the sixth round, taking his total to 617.0, behind Australia’s James Daly (620.5) and New Zealand’s Ryan Taylor (619.4).
5.16 am: Gagan Narang shoots a 103.4 and Chain Singh 102.3 in the fifth series of the 50m Rifle Prone Men’s Qualification round and both are still in contention for the final.
5.08 am: Gagan Narang (103.2) and Chain Singh (100.9) are both still in contention for the 50m Rifle Prone Men’s after the fourth series in the qualification round. Chain Singh had a poor fourth series but his earlier scores have kept him in contention.
5.05 am: Annu Singh shoots a 99 in the second series to take her to the top of the table in the Women’s 25m Pistol Qualification – Precision. But Heena Sidhu has dropped out of the qualifying spots with a 93! She needs a really good third series to make it to the final.
5 am: Gagan Narang shoots 102.3 in the third series of the 50m Rifle Prone Men’s Qualification but still rises a few spots to second in the table because of his 104.8 in the second series. Chain Singh drops to fifth with 103.1. The top eight after six series qualify for the finals.
4.55 am: In the Women’s 25m Pistol Qualification – Precision, India’s Annu Singh (96) and Heena Sidhu (95) are both in the qualification spots for the final after the first of three series.
4.50 am: Chain Singh continues with his good form and shoots 104.2 in the second series to take him to the top of the table as David Phelps drops a couple of spots with a 102.5. Gagan Narang rises to fifth with 104.8!
4.42 am: Chain Singh finishes Series 1 of the 50m Rifle Prone Men’s Qualification with a score of 104.3, putting him in second place behind Wales’s David Phelps (105.0). Gagan Narang, with 102.5, is in the eighth and final qualification spot, but there is still some time to go.
4.30 am: First up, we have the 50m Rifle Prone Men’s Qualification, in which veteran Gagan Narang and Chain Singh are competing. There’s also the Women’s 25m Pistol Qual. Precision with Heena Sidhu and Annu Singh. Both events begin momentarily.
4 am: Good morning everyone and welcome to The Field’s live blog for Day 6 of the 2018 Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast, Australia.
The shooters take centre-stage on Tuesday, with the veteran Gagan Narang looking to add to his 10 medals at CWG.
After a day’s break, hockey returns with India’s men’s team taking on Malaysia. The women, fresh from a memorable 2-1 upset of England, will face South Africa.
The highly-rated boxing contingent will look to progress to the next rounds as five male boxers will have their quarterfinal bouts.
In athletics, Muhammed Anas will be participating in the 400-metre final. Hima Das in the women’s 400 metres semis and national record holder Ayyasamy Dharun in the 400 m hurdles heats are also ones to look out for.
Here is the entire schedule for Day 6 for India.
If you missed the action on Day 5, here is a recap.