<![CDATA[ ]]>https://www.ptcnews.tv/cwg-2018en-usWed, 18 Apr 2018 10:08:43 +0530<![CDATA[PTC Special: Overseas Indians were among medals at Gold Coast also ]]>https://www.ptcnews.tv/ptc-special-overseas-indians-were-among-medals-at-gold-coast-commonwealth-games Other than 66 medals India won at just concluded XXI Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast, there were some outstanding sports persons of Indian origin who also had podium finish for their new countries of abode.
At least six medals went to sports persons of Indian origin at Gold Coast.
Overseas Indians were among medals at Gold Coast Commonwealth Games
And Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast were not the first time for the Overseas Indians to be among medals. In 2010 when New Delhi hosted the XIX Commonwealth Games, the flag bearer for Canada at opening ceremony was a Canadian hockey player of Indian origin. He was Ken Preira.
There is a long and unending list of sports persons of Indian origin who have represented many Commonwealth countries, including Canada, England  and New Zealand, in Commonwealth Games and won honours.Overseas Indians were among medals at Gold Coast Commonwealth Games
This time also there were Preira brothers playing for Canada in field hockey competition at Gold Coast. Besides Preira brothers, there were Panesar brothers also representing Canada in the same team.
But neither Preira brothers nor Panesar brothers were lucky enough to finish on podium as Canada failed to qualify for semi-finals.Overseas Indians were among medals at Gold Coast Commonwealth GamesThe overseas Indians to finish on podium came from England and New Zealand. They were Rajiv Ouseph (badminton) and Parag Patel (shooting) besides Arun Panchia and Jared Panchia (Hockey).
Rajiv Ouseph (badminton) lost to Kidambhi Srikanth in men's singles semi-finals but defeated HS Prannoy to win bronze medal. It was his second bronze medal of Gold Coast games. Earlier.he was a member of the combined England badminton team that finished third and won a bronze medal. India won the combined team gold.
Overseas Indians were among medals at Gold Coast Commonwealth Games
Parag Patel, a shooter, also was among medals. He won gold in Queens' Prize pairs. Queens prize is a special event that is run over few days. Parag not only got gold in pairs but also got a bronze in individual event.
A surgeon by profession, Parag had, like Rajiv Ouseph, represented England in New Delhi and Glasgow editions of Commonwealth games.Overseas Indians were among medals at Gold Coast Commonwealth Games
Arun Panchia and his brother Jared Panchia had silver medals tied around their necks as they were members of the second placed Black Sticks hockey team. Incidentally, Arun Panchia was the captain of the team that lost to Australia in the final.
It may be interesting to recall when New Zealand beat India for first time in Olympic hockey in 1968 Mexico, Ramesh Patel of Indian origin, was its captain. Subsequently, Ramesh served New Zealand hockey in various capacities, including its Secretary.
Overseas Indians were among medals at Gold Coast Commonwealth GamesAnd silver medal Rajiv Ram won in mixed doubles event of tennis at Rio Olympic Games. Of  course, there was Alexi Grewal, first person of Indian origin to win an individual Olympic gold medal. Alexi, who recently got married to Manjit Bhalla of Jabalpur, was the winner of  cycling road race at Los Angeles in 1984 summer Olympic Games.
Overseas Indians were among medals at Gold Coast Commonwealth Games
And also in 1984 when Great Britain had podium finish in field hockey, Kulbir Bhaura was a key player in the team. Kulbir is perhaps the only player of Indian origin to have won medals in two consecutive Olympic Games. He was also a member of the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games champion Great Britain hockey team.
Overseas Indians were among medals at Gold Coast Commonwealth Games
Kulbir has been the only other hockey player of Indian origin to get Olympic medal for a country other than India.
  —PTC News- ]]>
PTC NEWSWed, 18 Apr 2018 10:08:43 +053017981301798130
<![CDATA[Commonwealth Games boss sorry for dull closing ceremony ]]>https://www.ptcnews.tv/commonwealth-games-boss-sorry-dull-closing-ceremony Commonwealth Games boss sorry for dull closing ceremony Gold Coast Commonwealth Games chief Peter Beattie admits organizers botched Sunday's closing ceremony, accepting criticism that long-winded speeches had fans rushing for the exits while athletes were largely excluded from the broadcast. Organizing committee chairman Beattie apologized on Monday in the face of a barrage of criticism, saying "we got it wrong." Closing ceremonies of Olympic and Commonwealth Games are usually much more relaxed than formal openings, focusing on the athletes and celebrating their achievements. But the organizers' decision to have athletes enter the Carrara Stadium before the ceremony began meant television viewers saw little of the people the closing was meant to celebrate. In a series of Twitter posts Monday, Beattie said the ceremony had not worked out as organizers planned. "We wanted athletes to be part of and enjoy the Closing Ceremony," he said. "However, having them come into the stadium in the pre-show meant the TV audience were not able to see the athletes enter the stadium, alongside flag bearers. We got that wrong. Commonwealth Games boss sorry for dull closing ceremony "The speeches were too many and too long. I was part of that and I acknowledge it. Again, we got that wrong." In a later television interview, Beattie said "did we stuff it up? Yes. Should (athletes) have been a part of the actual ceremony that was broadcast? Of course. We got it wrong. I can't be more honest about it than that. "I am not interested in blaming anyone else. We stuffed it up and I apologize to the viewers and the athletes." Australians took to social media in large numbers to criticize the ceremony. In an unusual move, the television rights-holders Channel Seven joined in the criticism, saying the ceremony "had not lived up to expectations." Hosts Johanna Griggs and Basil Zempilas told viewers the absence of athletes from Channel Seven's coverage was beyond its control. "People are thinking that Channel Seven has chosen not to show pictures of athletes or not to show the flagbearer, Kurt Fearnley, or other flagbearers," Griggs said. "We can only show the pictures that are provided by the actual host broadcasters. They made a decision not to have athletes enter the stadium. "They made the decision not to show the flagbearers. I'm furious."- ]]>Nimrat KaurMon, 16 Apr 2018 16:12:42 +053017979661797966<![CDATA[Gold Coast bids memorable farewell to CWG athletes ]]>https://www.ptcnews.tv/gold-coast-bids-memorable-farewell-to-cwg-athletes If the opening was about history and traditions, the signing off was all about celebration as Gold Coast threw a big party to mark the end of the 21st Commonwealth Games with the legendary boxer M C Mary Kom carrying the flag for India at the closing ceremony. Gold Coast bids memorable farewell to CWG athletes A packed Carrara stadium bid goodbye to the thousands of athletes and officials, who descended on this coastal city for 12 days of competition during which India pulled off its third-best ever medal count of 66, 26 of them gold. "The calibre of athletes has been unparalleled, showcasing world record holders, sporting greats and breakthrough performances from young athletes," Commonwealth Games Federation President Louise Martin said in her address. Gold Coast bids memorable farewell to CWG athletes "While the Games is coming to a close, the future of sport in the Commonwealth is very bright indeed. In fact, in 2018, the Commonwealth and Commonwealth Sport are more relevant than ever before," she said. After an opening that revolved around Australia's aboriginal heritage and one which stirred emotions, it was all about letting hair down at the closing. Gold Coast bids memorable farewell to CWG athletes There were performances by several of Australia's singing stars, joined by flag-waving athletes. The Indian contingent was led by Mary Kom, who claimed a gold medal after making her event debut at 35. The ceremony also paid tribute to the 15,000 volunteers, called the Games Shapers, for their dedication in making the event a success. The volunteer force was made a part of the ceremony. The final farewell was given by representatives of language minority -- the Yugambeh, an aboriginal clan, which is considered the custodian of Queensland. PTI- ]]>PTC NEWSMon, 16 Apr 2018 07:46:46 +053017979041797904<![CDATA[India at CWG: Aggressive Saina clinches women's singles gold ]]>https://www.ptcnews.tv/india-at-cwg-aggressive-saina-clinches-womens-singles-gold Saina Nehwal's aggression and intensity quite literally wilted P V sindhu as she picked up the women's singles Commonwealth Games gold medal with exhilarating triumph in the final here today. Saina, who led the head-to-head count 3-1 before today's match, won 21-18, 23-21 in the high-pressure match that lasted an hour. The triumph marked a remarkable end to her CWG campaign this edition. She was the pillar of India's gold-winning campaign in the team championship earlier, playing every one of the singles matches due to Sindhu's injury. In a match that started on equal footing, Saina managed to dominate, bringing a rarely seen aggression to the court. The brute force of Sindhu's smashes was something that Saina found hard to deal with. On the other hand, Sindhu found it tough to adjust to the delicate placement of strokes of Saina, who took the pace off the shuttle by attacking the net.India at CWG: Aggressive Saina clinches women's singles gold  The strategy worked quite well for the London Olympics bronze-medallist and she raced to an 9-4 lead. As the gap widened, Saina's command on the baseline also improved. The two contrasting styles of the two shuttlers made for an exhilarating contest. What also stood out was Saina's sharper instincts to leave the returns that landed out. Sindhu struggled to control the power she put on her shots, losing at least four points for pushing the shuttle outside and trailed 6-11 at the lemon break. India at CWG: Aggressive Saina clinches women's singles gold  Sindhu came back strongly after the break and narrowed the gap a bit but the drift-factor affected her strokeplay way more than Saina, who also seemed the more pumped up of the two, grunting quite a bit after every point won. Saina's court coverage was also the more impressive of the two. A telling image of the opening game was when Sindhu was brought to her knees trying to return a smash that didn't really have any power in it but was just placed perfectly on the left corner. Sindhu found her bearings after Saina had taken a 20-14 lead and closed it 18-20 but Saina brought her own brute force to fore with a smash targeting Sindhu's body which was simply unreturnable. Saina claimed the opening game 21-18 in 23 minutes. The second game followed a similar tangent and despite having the more tired set of legs, Saina was a delight with her trademark angled smashes. But to Sindhu's credit, she too exhibited a better command on her smashes and improved considerably court-coverage to take a 9-7 lead, which she widened to 13-8 after the break. For the full house, mostly packed with the diaspora, it was a brilliant Sunday outing as the top two women of Indian badminton slugged it out, displaying an array of strokes. Sindhu led 19-16 at one stage but a 64-stroke rally to narrow it to 18-19 brought Saina right back and she equalised at 19-19. However, Sindhu edged ahead for a 20-19 lead and a game point. The see-saw battle continued when Sindhu hit one out to give Saina the equalising point yet again. This time, it was Saina who got the championship point when Sindhu struck a return out. The lady, who looked the hungrier of the two all through, was surprisingly late in picking one up as Sindhu made it 21-21. But Saina was back in lead with a cross-court smash that Sindhu just could not reach. Serving for the gold, Saina forced a wide stroke from Sindhu and then let out a scream to celebrate the triumph. PTI - ]]>PTC NEWSSun, 15 Apr 2018 09:01:33 +053017978351797835<![CDATA[Gold Coast 2018: Saina, Sindhu set up all-Indian singles final at CWG ]]>https://www.ptcnews.tv/gold-coast-2018-saina-sindhu-set-up-all-indian-singles-final-at-cwg India's badminton queens PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal set up the much-anticipated women's singles summit clash at the Commonwealth Games after winning their respective semifinals in contrasting fashion here today. The 22-year-old Olympic silver medallist Sindhu, who had missed the mixed team competition due to an ankle sprain, knocked out defending champion Michelle Li 21-18 21-8 in just 26 minutes while former World No. 1 Saina had to dig deep to struggle past 2014 silver medallist Kristy Gilmour 21-14 18-21 21-17 in 68 minutes. Sindhu said: "I was more consistent. Even though the first set was close, in the second set I took a huge lead and I finished strong. It was good for me that I finished it in two sets rather than prolonging the match." Timings: The Gold Medal events for Badminton will start at 4.30 Am on 15th april, Sunday & The Women's singles final between Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu is the second Match With the two star shuttlers reaching the final, India are assured of gold and silver in the women's singles. Newly-crowned World No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth also progressed to the final of the men's singles after defeating 2010 Commonwealth Games silver medallist Rajiv Ouseph of England 21-10 21-17 in little over half an hour. However, three-time Olympic silver medallist Lee Chong Wei prevented an all-Indian men's singles clash by getting the better of H S Prannoy 21-16 9-21 21-14 in the other semifinal. Prannoy later lost to Ouseph 21-17 23-25 9-21 in the bronze medal match that last 65 minutes. The Indian won the first game but could not kill the match in the second. Ouseph won the second game in a long-drawn deuce game. Prannoy did not give much fight in the third game which he lost 9-21 to miss the bronze. Earlier, young Indian pair of Satwik Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also stood one step away from a historic gold medal as they reached the finals of the men's doubles event with a 21-18 21-10 win over Sri Lanka's Sachin Dias and Buwaneka Goonethilleka. Women's doubles pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy, meanwhile, won a bronze medal after beating local hopes Setyana Mapasa and Gronya Somerville 21-19 21-19 later in the day. Earlier, the duo had lost 21-17 15-21 4-21 to Malaysian combo of Mei Kuan Chow and Vivian Hoo in women's doubles semifinals. Assured of at least a silver, Satwik and Chirag will be the first Indian pair to win a men's doubles medal at the Commonwealth Games. "We started off pretty badly like till 17 we were down and in the end we played a bit more steady and smarter to take the game. The second game we started off confidently right from first point and that's what helped us," Chirag told PTI. Satwik and Chirag will now face Rio Olympics bronze medallists Marcus Ellis and Chris Langridge tomorrow. 2010 Delhi Games champion Saina and 2014 bronze medallist Sindhu had clashed at the Senior National championship finals last November with the former having the last laugh after a gruelling match. Saina and Sindhu faced each other twice in the domestic league. While Saina, playing for Hyderabad Hotshots then, had defeated Sindhu (Awadhe Warriors) in the 2013 Indian Badminton League, Sindhu beat Saina in the PBL 2 semi-final in January, 2017. Talking about the final clash tomorrow, Sindhu said: "Everybody was hoping for this and it has finally come true. I think everyone will be watching on TV. It's going to be a good match. I'll just play my game and give my best. "It's definitely a good thing because any win for the country is a good thing and having both the girls in the final is a proud moment for everyone, especially for us because the gold and silver is going to India, which I'm very happy about." On whether they would train against each other in the lead up to the gold medal match, Sindhu said: "On court, we have to get aggressive against each other but apart from that, we will have our own training session so I don't think we are going to play together. Normally, we don't play because we have other players to go up against." In the mixed doubles, Ashwini and Satwik went down fighting 22-20 18-21 16-21 to England's Marcus Ellis and Lauren Smith in the semifinals and then lost to the Malaysian pair of Peng Soon Chan/Liu Ying Goh 19-21 19-21 in the bronze medal match. PTI- ]]>PTC NEWSSat, 14 Apr 2018 23:53:02 +053017978261797826<![CDATA[Vinesh, Sumit claim gold; Sakshi settles for bronze on last day of CWG wrestling ]]>https://www.ptcnews.tv/vinesh-sumit-claim-gold-sakshi-bronze-cwg-wrestling Vinesh, Sumit claim gold; Sakshi bronze on last day of CWG wrestling

There was no stopping the gold rush in wrestling as two more were added to the tally by Vinesh Phogat (50kg) and Sumit (125kg) but Olympic bronze-medallist Sakshi Malik (62kg) had to be content with a third place finish in the Commonwealth Games here today.

Adding another bronze to the count today was Somveer, in the 86kg category.

India signed off their wrestling campaign at the Games with five gold, three silver and four bronze medals.

The overall count was one less than the medals achieved in the 2014 edition of the Games but India kept its gold medal count at five, the number achieved the last time.

The weight categories of both Sakshi and Vinesh were competed on a round-robin format as the number of competitors in the draw were less than six.

Vinesh, Sumit claim gold; Sakshi bronze on last day of CWG wrestling

Sakshi went out of the gold medal contention in the first round itself after losses to Canada's Michelle Fazzari and Nigeria's Aminat Adeniyi following a win over Cameroon's Berthe Ngolle.

But she gathered herself after the setback to defeat New Zealand's Tayla Ford 6-5 in a close bout to avoid going without a medal. The heartbreak of missing the gold left her in tears during the medal ceremony.

"I am so disappointed, I should have won a gold medal and I have to settle for a bronze. It will be another four years before I can make this right. I could not get what I expected of myself," she said, wiping away her tears.

"I had a bad second bout because I thought I was winning till the last few seconds but then I lost and it destroyed my composure, I could never recover from that," she said referring to her defeat at the hands of Canadian Michelle Fazzari, the final scoreline read 8-11.

Asked what's next for her in the calendar, Sakshi said, "Next for me is the Asian Games and I will prepare hard for it."

However, Vinesh continued her tremendous comeback to big-ticket wrestling. The 23-year-old, who had sustained a career-threatening injury during the Rio Olympics, was in complete control of proceedings from her first bout.

"It was a tough fight as Jessica Macdonald is a world champion, but I am glad I lived up to the challenge. I have been waiting for this moment for four years, to lift my flag and listen to my national anthem being played," she said.

"When I saw Neeraj take the gold in javelin throw, I felt very inspired and wanted to claim one for myself," she added.

She ultimately did what her cousin Babita could not do and claimed a second successive gold medal at the Games. The Indian won two of her three bouts on technical superiority, raising 10-point leads before her rivals could open their accounts.

Sumit, on the other hand, competed in three bouts but didn't have to fight it out in the gold medal bout after his Nigerian rival Sinivie Boltic pulled out of the bout citing an injury sustained earlier in the day.

Sumit found himself in slight controversy after his second-round rival -- Korey Jarvis of Canada -- accused him of biting his hand during the bout. Jarvis' hand was heavily bandaged after the bout and he accused Sumit of being responsible for it.

"I don't think it would've made me win but there was no need to poke me in the eye orbite me. "It happens a lot with Indian guys. They poke a lot and theybite, but it's part of the sport," Jarvis said.

Sumit, however, denied the charge.

Later, in the last India bout of the day Somveer ensured that it ended on a bright note for India as he clinched the 86kg category bronze. Somveer rallied from a 1-3 deficit to defeat Canadian Alexander Moore in the play-off bout.

"In my bronze medal bout, I was very distracted due to my loss to Muhammad Inam of Pakistan. The intense rivalry between India and Pakistan in sports was constantly on my mind," he said.

"I am disappointed, ashamed, that an Indian was defeated by a Pakistani today and it had to be me," he added.

Earlier, double Olympic-medallistSushil Kumar, Rahul Aware and Bajrang Punia had picked up gold medals forIndia on the first two days of the competition. PTI

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Nimrat KaurSat, 14 Apr 2018 18:23:02 +053017977991797799
<![CDATA[Mary Kom to be India's flagbearer at CWG closing ceremony ]]>https://www.ptcnews.tv/mary-kom-flagbearer-cwg-closing-ceremony

Mary Kom to be India's flagbearer at CWG closing ceremony

Indian boxing legend M C Mary Kom, who claimed a gold medal on debut at the Commonwealth Games and inspired millions, will be India's flagbearer at the event's closing ceremony, as per official information.

The 35-year-old five-time world champion claimed her maiden CWG gold after beating Northern Ireland's Kristina O'Hara in the light flyweight (48kg) final today.

Also an Olympic bronze-medallist, Mary Kom said, "This is the first time I will be India's flag-bearer in an event like this. I don't know if I deserve it but I am certainly very proud of it."

The boxer also cleared the air on the wrong spelling of her name being used by the organisers. Her name has ben spelt Mery instead of Mary.

"Actually it is Mary but because my passport has the spelling Mery, the organisers have gone with that spelling. I will be getting it corrected once I am done with the Games and back in India," she said.

-PTC News- ]]>
Nimrat KaurSat, 14 Apr 2018 18:18:24 +053017977971797797
<![CDATA[Gold Coast 2018 Hockey : England completes a historic double, avenges defeats ]]>https://www.ptcnews.tv/gold-coast-2018-hockey-england-historic-double England completed a historic double of bronze medals in hockey competition of XXI Commonwealth games avenging pool game defeats at hands of India. While English women team trounced India 6-0, men's team had some agonizing moments before emerging 2-1 victors.
Indian teams, both men and women, thus finished fourth in their respective sections.
Sam Ward, who scored both the goals for England, emerged the top scorer in the men's competition with seven goals, three of which came from penalty corners. Today in the bronze medal match, Sam Ward scored in the seventh and 43rd  minutes.
India also got its solitary goal through a penalty corner conversion. The goal scorer was young Varun Kumar.
Unlike the bronze medal match for women in which English women went on a scoring spree in the last quarter, it was India that dominated the last quarter, putting its best to repeat the pool game performance. India had scored two goals in last 90 seconds to stun England 4-3 in the last pool match to top the table. Today, however, belonged to England as it took the lead first in the seventh minute and again in the 43rd minute and managed to held on to it till the finish.
India tried desperately various combinations but nothing worked against a determined England team that was out to reassert its supremacy over India. The Commonwealth Games, that have come four months before the Asian Games,have provided a great opportunity to do introspection as the challenge in the Jakarta Asian Games in August is expected to be much tougher.
Besides, Korea, Japan, China and Malaysia, Pakistan may emerge as a major threat to India in the Asian Games. Pakistan was the only team that neither won nor lost any of the four pool games. Under new coach Roland Oltmans, Pakistan threatens to revive its supremacy in hockey.
India had its major weaknesses of poor defence and execution of penalty corners exposed during the Games. It also needs to strengthen its midfield in case it wants to use the Jakarta games to qualify for Tokyo Olympics.
-PTC News
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Nimrat KaurSat, 14 Apr 2018 16:39:24 +053017977781797778
<![CDATA[Neeraj Chopra becomes the first Indian javelin thrower to claim a gold medal ]]>https://www.ptcnews.tv/neeraj-chopra-indian-win-gold-javelin-throw-cwg
Neeraj Chopra becomes first Indian to win gold in javelin throw at CWG
  Neeraj Chopra became the first Indian javelin thrower to claim a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games on Saturday. 20-year-old Neeraj had made the final after achieving the qualifying mark in his first throw on Friday and on Saturday again. “It is a very important medal for me, I wanted to touch my personal best but I missed it by a centimetre. In my desperation for that, I tried so hard that I tumbled over in my last two attempts. But I am very happy and I have lot of competitions this year to achieve the personal best,” Neeraj said after his triumph. Neeraj thus became only the second javelin thrower to claim a CWG medal--the first being Kashinath Naik, who fetched a bronze in the 2010 Delhi Games. “The competition was very good here, the world champion was here but he could not qualify. It was still quite tough but I was very sure of myself,” Neeraj said. Overall, Neeraj’s medal is only the fifth track-and-field gold for India in the quadrennial event--the other four being sprinter Milkha Singh (1958), discus thrower Krishna Poonia (2010), the women’s 4x400m relay quartet of Manjeet Kaur, Sini Jose, Ashwini Akkunji and Mandeep Kaur (2010) and shot-putter Vikas Gowda (2014). “It makes a lot of difference when you manage to get a first throw like that. It builds pressure on others. As for me, I was not under any pressure or nerves, I was well-prepared,” he said. “One shouldn’t be too serious in life, it’s good to be disciplined but you should not overdo food restrictions. A bit of enjoyment always works. One should have faith that their training is good enough. It’s not healthy to just lock yourself in a room before a big competition,” he added. -PTC News- ]]>
Nimrat KaurSat, 14 Apr 2018 12:42:38 +053017977581797758
<![CDATA[India at CWG: Wrestler Sumit claims gold in men's 125 kg freestyle ]]>https://www.ptcnews.tv/india-at-cwg-wrestler-sumit-claims-gold-in-mens-125-kg-freestyle Indian wrestler Sumit Malik claimed the gold medal in the men's freestyle 125 kg after his opponent Nigeria's Sinivie Boltic was ruled out of the final due to an injury at the 21st Commonwealth Games, here. Sumit defeated Pakistan's Tayab Raza 10-4 in a dramatic bout. It turned out to be an pulsating contest as Sumit was leading early on but Raza came back to reduce the deficit to 2-3 after attacking the Indian's legs. Wrestler Sumit claims gold in men's 125 kg freestyle However, Sumit didn't allow his rival to dominate as he displayed incredible athleticism, hopping around the mat to avoid stepping outside the bound after Raza once again had grabbed his leg. The Indian counterattacked and eventually won comfortably with a big margin. Earlier, Sumit made an incredible comeback to win this bout against Korey Jarvis of Canada. Lagging 0-2 initially, the Indian turned it around to make it 3-2 before drawing level at 3-3. Wrestler Sumit claims gold in men's 125 kg freestyle In the dying moments, Sumit flipped Jarvis to win 6-4 in the end. Among others, Rio Olympic bronze medallist Sakshi Malik went down to Aminat Adeniyi of Nigeria 3-6 in a nervous bout to end her golden dreams. She will try for bronze now. Wrestler Sumit claims gold in men's 125 kg freestyle Vinesh Phogat, meanwhile, defeated Rupinder Kaur of Australia in the 50kg freestyle to enter final, while Somveer defeated Australia's Jayden Lawrence 7-0 for a victory by fall in the 86kg freestyle repechage to go through to the bronze medal match. PTI- ]]>PTC NEWSSat, 14 Apr 2018 10:00:19 +053017977441797744<![CDATA[Gold Coast 2018: England on scoring spree, wrap up bronze medal match with a 6-0 win ]]>https://www.ptcnews.tv/gold-coast-2018-england-on-scoring-spree-wrap-up-bronze-medal-match-with-a-6-0-win On a goal scoring in the last and fourth quarter English girls made mincemeat of India to wrap up the bronze medal with a splendid 6-0 win in XXI Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast on Saturday. England scored four of its six goals in the last quarter to avenge the defeat it suffered in earlier pool match. England on scoring spree, wrap up bronze medal match with a 6-0 win Shattered and tottered Indian girls were clueless in the last quarter. Even the change of goalkeeper Savita, six minutes from the final whistle, did not prevent England from scoring as two more goals were scored even after India's number one goaltender Savita had been replaced. It was not only India's biggest defeat in this tournament this time but also was an anti-climax as hockey fans and administrators were expecting a repeat performance from India of the earlier pool game. England took the lead in the 27th minute when Pearne-Webb Hollie scored from a penalty corner. Till then, the two teams had even exchanges. India, too, had its chances, including penalty corners. Sophie Bray, who scored three goals for England in 44th, 49th and 56th minute, was outstanding. She did not let any scoring chance go waste in the striking circle. After England consolidated its lead in the 44th minute through Bray's first goal, there was no looking back.. Fourth and last quarter brought doom to India shattering all hopes of a come back. Intriguingly, India started on a dismal note against Wales and ended with a disaster against England. Coach Harendra Singh will have an uphill task to rebuild the shattered morale of the team for the Asian games that are just four months away.- ]]>PTC NEWSSat, 14 Apr 2018 09:50:34 +053017977411797741<![CDATA[India at CWG: Mary Kom claims gold on CWG debut ]]>https://www.ptcnews.tv/india-at-cwg-mary-kom-claims-gold-on-cwg-debut The legend of M C Mary Kom (48kg) grew larger as she added the Commonwealth Games gold to her packed medal cabinet, thrashing Northern Ireland's Kristina O'Hara in the final here today. The 35-year-old five-time world champion and Olympic bronze-medallist was competing in her debut Commonwealh Games, also perhaps her last, and made it a memorable one with yet another dominating performance to claim an unanimous verdict of 5-0. India at CWG: Mary Kom claims gold on CWG debut The 22-year-old O'Hara, who works as a carer at a nursing home when she is not trading punches in the ring, lacked the finesse to counter the experienced Indian and failed to take advantage of her longer reach. Mary Kom struck her at will, her right hooks being especially telling. By the second round, Mary Kom seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself in the ring against her timid rival. Mary Kom had claimed the Asian Championships gold five months ago, before ensnaring the top honours at the India Open in January. She had won a silver medal at the Strandja Memorial Tournament in Bulgaria before coming here. PTI - ]]>PTC NEWSSat, 14 Apr 2018 09:39:55 +053017977371797737<![CDATA[India at CWG: 5 Indians in boxing finals, 3 settle for bronze ]]>https://www.ptcnews.tv/india-cwg-5-indians-boxing-finals-3-settle-bronze India at CWG: 5 Indians in boxing finals, 3 settle for bronze

Asian Games medallists Vikas Krishan (75kg) and Satish Kumar (+91kg) were among the five Indian boxers who entered the finals today, while three others settled for bronze medals in what is turning out to be India's best ever performance inside the ring at the Commonwealth Games.

Joining Vikas and Satish in the finals was the fast-rising trio of Amit Panghal (49kg), Gaurav Solanki (52kg) and Manish kaushik (60kg). But teenager Naman Tanwar (91kg), former CWG gold-medallist Manoj Kumar (69kg) and Mohammed Husammuddin (56kg) had to be content with bronze medals.

"I am very happy with what we have achieved. It is an unprecedented performance and the challenge now is to ensure that each one of the finalists get gold medals. It is challenging but I am confident that we will do it," India's High Performance Director Santiago Nieva told PTI at the end of the day's proceedings.

Among the third-place finishers, Husammuddin lost 0-5 to Peter McGrail of England, Manoj was beaten by England's Pat McCormack, while the 19-year-old Naman bowed out to local favourite Jason Whateley in an exciting contest to sign off with the biggest medal of his nascent career so far.

As for the winners, Satish's victory was the most awe-inspiring as the Indian's thrashing of Seychelles Keddy Agnes forced his team to throw in the towel in the first round at the Oxenford Studios here.

Vikas, on the other hand, defeated Steven Donnelly of Northern Ireland by a 5-0 margin.

Earlier, Manish edged past Northern Ireland's James McGivern in a closely-contested bout to emerge 4-1 victorious.

The 22-year-old, who claimed a gold medal at the Asian Games test event, was at the receiving end of some clean hitting by McGivern but pulled off just enough to get the judges' nod.

"I will be fighting the Aussie (Harry Garside who has qualified for the final). Coach has told me focus on my opponent's mistakes and deliver," he said after the bout.

His opponent today, meanwhile, seemed livid at the decision.

"The bronze medal can stay in Australia, I don't do bronze medals," McGivern said after leaving the ring.

In the flyweight 52kg category, Gaurav got the better of Sri Lanka's M Ishan Bandara, overcoming a sluggish start, which included being at the receiving end of two eight counts in the first round itself.

"Sometimes in boxing these things happen, but by the second round I felt much more in control," he said.

"I have a good team behind me and now I'm preparing to take the gold," said the Games debutant, who will square off Northern Ireland's Brendan Irvine in the summit clash.

In contrast, Amit had an easy outing against Uganda's Juma Miiro, completely dominating the light flyweight 49kg semifinal.

"It was very comfortable for me. I used my left a lot as it is my strongest punch," he said.

PTI

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Nimrat KaurFri, 13 Apr 2018 19:28:34 +053017976921797692
<![CDATA[India at CWG: Bajrang 'Bahubali' wins gold as wrestlers bag four more medals ]]>https://www.ptcnews.tv/india-cwg-bajrang-bahubali-gold-as-wrestlers India at CWG: Bajrang 'Bahubali' wins gold as wrestlers bag four more medals

Bajrang Punia (65kg) was the lone gold-medallist but it was nonetheless an admirable haul of four medals by Indian grapplers on the second day of Commonwealth Games' wrestling competition here today.

Punia, the prodigy of Olympic bronze-medallist Yogeshwar Dutt, claimed all his four bouts on technical superiority to finish on top, the most dominating performance of the day by an Indian wrestler

His final bout against Welshman Kane Charig lasted just over a minute.

Finishing with silver medals were Pooja Dhanda (57kg) and Mausam Khatri (97kg), while Divya Kakran (68kg) settled for a bronze.

"This gold medal proves the significant improvement in my wrestling career as I won silver at the last Commonwealth Games. I played four bouts, and I was prepared quite well for the competition," he added.

Asked about his thoughts on the extremely short final bout, Punia said, "I didn't see the time but I wanted to finish it as quickly as possible."

"I respect all my opponents, but I fear none. We all tried our absolute best, but the sky was my limit today," he added.

Punia defeated New Zealand's Brahm Richards, Nigeria's Amas Daniel and Canada's Vincent De Marinis en route the final.

Pooja, on other hand, claimed easy wins in the preliminary stage before being out-witted by defending champion Odunayo Adekuoroye in the final clash. The Indian lost 5-7 in a close contest, during which she did remarkably well in the second round.

"Had I performed the way whole bout the way I performed in the second round, I could have won. I lacked in attack and could not take my chances. I would look to to change the colour of the medal next time. It was hard luck for India," she said.

Joining her in the second place was Khatri, making his debut at the Games. The former Asian Games bronze-medallist had a smooth-sailing preliminary campaign before hitting a roadblock in South African Martin Erasmus.

Erasmus prevailed 12-2 in the bout as Khatri had no response to his relentless attacks.

"I wanted a gold which could not happen and I have myself to blame. I will just move forward and ensure that mistakes don't get repeated," he said.

Earlier, Divya Kakran lost to Nigeria's two-time CWG medalist Blessing Oborududu in the semifinal but recovered quickly to easily get past Bangladesh's Sherin Sultana for a bronze medal.

Yesterday, India had won two gold, one silver and a bronze in the three-day competition. PTI

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Nimrat KaurFri, 13 Apr 2018 19:24:37 +053017976911797691
<![CDATA[India at CWG: Badminton Juggernaut continues ]]>https://www.ptcnews.tv/india-at-commonwealth-games-badminton-juggernaut-continues India at Commonwealth Games: Badminton Juggernaut continues

Indian shuttlers continued their impressive show with top stars P V Sindhu, Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth progressing to the semifinals of their respective events in the 21st Commonwealth Games' badminton competition here today.

It was yet another successful day for Indian badminton players as they dominated the proceedings at the Carrara Sports Arena.

Olympic and World Championship silver medalist Sindhu, who recovered from an ankle strain that kept her away from the mixed team event, beat Canada's Brittney Tam 21-14 21-17 to set up a semifinal clash with defending champion Michelle Li of Canada. It was Michelle who had ended Sindhu's golden dream at GlasgowCWG in 2014.

"I think I could have finished it off much sooner. I played simpler on my side and I should not have done that. Overall, it is a game that I was leading but never take a chance. I think it was a good game overall," Sindhu said.

Newly-crowned World No. 1 and top seed Kidambi Srikanth registered a 21-15 21-12 win over Singapore's Zin Rei Ryan Ng in 34 minutes to set up a clash with 2010 CWG silver medalist Rajiv Ouseph of England in the semifinals tomorrow.

"I think it was a tough one but, overall, it was a really good match and I am really happy with the way it went today," he said.

On his semifinal match against Rajiv, Srikanth said: "Rajiv is someone who has a lot of experience, so playing him is definitely going to be tough. I will go back and recover for tomorrow and play my best."

2010 Commonwealth Games champion Saina, meanwhile, took 32 minutes to dispatch Canada's Rachel Honderich 21-8 21-13 and sail into the semifinals. The London Olympics bronze medalist will face Scotland's Kristy Gilmour, who had clinched the silver medal in the last edition in 2014.

World No. 11 H S Prannoy also sent Sri Lankan Dinuka Karunaratna packing with a 21-13 21-6 victory to enter the semifinals. He will face three-time Olympic silver medallist Lee Chong Wei tomorrow. The Indian will look back at his two wins against the Malaysian legend at Indonesia and Denmark last year for inspiration ahead of the clash.

In the women's doubles, N Sikki Reddy and Ashwini Ponnappa saw off Sri Lankan pair of Hasini Ambalangodage and Madushika Dilrukshi Beruwelage 21-11 21-13 in just 26 minutes to enter the semifinals.

Men's doubles pair of Satwik Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty took another step closer to earning a maiden medal for India when they outwitted Malaysian pair of Chan Peng Soon and Goh Soon Huat 21-14 15-21 21-9 to make it to the semifinal. They will face unseeded Sri Lankan pair of Sachin Dias and Buwaneka Goonethilleka tomorrow.

Satwik and Ashwini also reached the last four with a thrilling 21-19 21-19 win over the Malaysian pair of Goh Soon Huat and Lai Shevon Jemie. The Indian duo will face the English pair of Marcus Ellis and Lauren Smith tomorrow.

However, the mixed doubles pair of Pranaav Chopra and Sikki suffered a 17-21 12-21 loss to Malaysiann Chan Peng Soon and Goh Liu Ying to crash out of the tournament.

Young Ruthvika Gadde's campaign also came to a painful end after suffering a lower back injury and had to retire midway in the opening game of the match against Scotland's Kristy Gilmour.

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Nimrat KaurFri, 13 Apr 2018 18:54:42 +053017976881797688
<![CDATA[Gold Coast 2018: Overseas sports of Indian origin do well in Commonwealth Games ]]>https://www.ptcnews.tv/gold-coast-2018-sports-indian-commonwealth-games Sports persons of Indian origin have been winning laurels for new countries of their abode in the XXI Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast in Australia.
On Friday, when New Zealand beat India 3-2 in the first semi-final of men's section in hockey competition, it was led by Arun Panchia of Indian origin. His brother, Jared, too, is representing New Zealand.
Twentynine-year-old Arun Panchia has represented New Zealand in 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympic Games as well. And Gold Coast has been his third Commonwealth Games. Known to hockey players and fans as "Magic", Arun Panchia is a midfielder. Besides Arun and Jared playing for New Zealand, there are two other pairs of brothers of Indian origin playing in Gold Coast.
They are Panesar and Preira brothers of Canada. Balraj Panesar and Sukhpal Panesar play for United Brothers of British Columbia. Besides Panesar brothers, there are Preira brothers - Brandon and Keegan - who too have been regular in Canada's field hockey team.
Panchia brothers are now confident of carrying home a minimum of silver medal each from Gold Coast as their team has entered the final. Canada, on the other hand, would be playing for seventh and eighth position.
Other than Panchia, Panesar and Preira brothers, there are several other sports persons representing England, New Zealand and Australia here.
Badminton player Rajiv Ouseph is a veteran badminton player of England. He has represented England and Great Britain in Olympics. World Championships and  Commonwealth games. In Gold Coast, he was a member of the bronze medalist combined team of England In individual events, he qualified for Friday's  quarter-finals.
Akash Khullar, who comes from Jandiala in Punjab, represented New Zealand in wrestling competition. Twentyseven-year-old Akash lost in semi-finals in 74 kg category after winning his quarter-final bout against Jean Frederic.
Only woman of India origin to represented Australia in the Gold Coast games is wrestler Rupinder Kaur Sandhu, who also hails from the Majha belt. Thirtytwo-year-old Rupinder represented Australia in Glasgow Commonwealth games also. She is competing in 50 kg category.
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Nimrat KaurFri, 13 Apr 2018 18:08:06 +053017976811797681
<![CDATA[CWG 2018: Anish Bhanwala becomes India’s youngest gold medalist ]]>https://www.ptcnews.tv/anish-bhanwala-becomes-indias-youngest-gold-medallist CWG 2018: Anish Bhanwala becomes India’s youngest gold medalist 15 years old Anish Bhanwala scripted history on Friday by becoming the youngest ever gold medalist at the Commonwealth Games (CWG) for India. Anish, a resident of Sector 6 Karnal bagged the top prize in the men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol event in Gold Coast, Australia. But it seems like the youngest medalist is more worried about his upcoming exam rather than just celebrating the victory! 'I have my class X exams just after landing in India.There is hindi, social studies and maths. I am a little worried about maths, I haven't practiced enough for that," the sporting parlance slipping in effortlessly into matters of routine life as he spoke to PTI. “Not only me but the entire country happy over Anish’s achievement as he has brought laurels for India”Jagpal Bhanwala, his father said. “Anish had also tried his hand in different games but shooting was always his favourite sport”, he added. “though no one from his family having any interest in it besides my elder daughter Muskan, then I supported him and borrowed a pistol for him for practice when he was only 7”, he said adding, even Anish had to go to Delhi for practice regularly. Appealing for a shooting range in Haryana for the youths like Anish, his father said, “We have to go Delhi for practice of my son and daughter as there is no shooting range in the state”. Whereas, his mother Poonam also lauded her son saying, “I knew it that he will come with flying colours”. He said that now he was also preparing for another tournament in Korea. According to his father Anish has also represented India at the 2013 Modern Pentathlon Junior World Championships but later decided to switch sport. -PTC News- ]]>Nimrat KaurFri, 13 Apr 2018 18:05:53 +053017976741797674<![CDATA[Breaking News: Gold Coast 2018: India goes down fighting to New Zealand in semis ]]>https://www.ptcnews.tv/gold-coast-2018-india-fighting-new-zealand-in-semis
Breaking News: Gold Coast 2018: India goes down fighting to New Zealand in semis
True to the adage that luck favours brave, New Zealand overcame a stiff resistance to beat India 3-2 in the first semi-final of men's section in hockey competition of XXi Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast on Friday.New Zealand led 2-1 at the breather.
It was a mixed day for India as its  sports persons, including wrestlers, paddlers, shuttlers, shooters and athletes were not consistent with their performances on the ninth day of competitions.
Yesterday, women';s hockey team went down fighting to the hosts Australia by a solitary goal and today it was the turn of men's team to go down to less fancied New Zealand 2-3 after conceding two early goals.
In the absence of drag flicker and defender Rupinderpal Singh, who had a hamsting in the game against England day before yesterday, India had problems on hands both in defence and penalty corner conversions. Of nine penalty corners, India got two goals, both by Harmanpreet Singh, one by direct conversion and other through penalty stroke that followed a rebound.
Other than that Indian scoring limitations came to fore as it not only missed several good scoring chances but also lacked the killers instinct in the striking circle.
On the other hand, New Zealand made full use of opportunities coming its way, including capitalisation on defence lapses of India.
Hugo Inglish (seventh minute) and Stephen Jenness (13th minute) gave two major shocks to India even before it had settled down. It was only in the dying seconds of first half that harmanpreet converted a penalty corner to reduce the margin.
After changing over when India pressed hard for equaliser, it was New Zealand that scored again, this time Marcus Child. Four minutes from the final whistle India withdrew goalkeeper but the move, unlike game against England, did not work today. India did press hard for the equalizer but luck eluded hard working Indian team.
India's dream of making the third successive final this went unfulfilled.
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Nimrat KaurFri, 13 Apr 2018 17:16:27 +053017976701797670
<![CDATA[Commonwealth Games 2018: Bajrang Punia wins Gold in men’s freestyle 65 kg ]]>https://www.ptcnews.tv/cwg-2018-bajrang-punia-wins-gold-mens-freestyle-65-kg CWG 2018: Bajrang Punia wins Gold in men’s freestyle 65 kg Another Gold for India as Wrestler Bajrang Punia won Gold medal in freestyle 65 kg wrestling at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games on Friday afternoon. This was India’s 17th Gold medal at the tournament strengthening its position on 3rd spot in the points table. Punia’s win came a day after Sushil Kumar had won a Gold in the 74 kg category. Punia dominated his match against Wales’ Charig Kane from the very start and sealed the victory with on technical superiority with the score reading 10-0. -PTC News- ]]>Nimrat KaurFri, 13 Apr 2018 14:01:50 +053017976511797651<![CDATA[India at CWG: K T Irfan, Rakesh Babu sent home from CWG for breach of No Needle Policy ]]>https://www.ptcnews.tv/india-at-cwg-k-t-irfan-rakesh-babu-sent-home-from-cwg-for-breach-of-no-needle-policy Indian race walker K T Irfan and triple jumper V Rakesh Babu were today sent home in disgrace from the Commonwealth Games and a strong reprimand issued to the Indian officials here after the duo was found guilty of breaching the event's strict no needle policy. "Rakesh Babu and Irfan Kolothum Thodi are with immediate effect not permitted to participate in the Games. The accreditation of Rakesh Babu and Irfan Kolothum Thodi was suspended with effect from 09:00 hours on April 13, 2018. Both athletes were removed from the Games Village," the Commonwealth Games Federation President Louise Martin said in a strongly-worded statement. "We have asked the Commonwealth Games Association of India to ensure both athletes depart Australia on the first flight available," it added. While Irfan was already through with his 20km race walk event, finishing 13th, the 28-year-old Babu was to participate in today's triple jump final after qualifying 12th for the competition. The CGF, though, said there was no doping offence involved. Despite repeated attempts, India's chef-de-mission Vikram Singh Sisodia did not respond to the latest embarrassment after the Indian contingent escaped unscathed when a needle was found outside a boxer's room. At that time the CGF had merely issued a reprimand for not disposing the syringe as prescribed, clearing India of any norms violations. The Commonwealth Games Federation Court heard the latest complaint yesterday after its notice by the CGF Medical Commission. "The Chef de Mission of the Commonwealth Games Association of India, General Team Manager, Namdev Shirgaonker; Athletics Team Manager, Ravinder Chaudhry; two athletes, Rakesh Babu and Irfan Kolothum Thodi; and other individuals (Team Managers) associated with CGA India were found by the CGF Federation Court to be in breach of the CGF No Needle Policy for the Games (the “No Needle Policy”). All five individuals were found to be in breach of the Policy," the CGF stated. Athletes are barred from using syringes unless there is prior declaration made to the medical commission or a declaration is made within 24 hours of usage. "...Persons acting on behalf of the Commonwealth Games Association of India (“CGA India”) are in breach of the CGF No Needle Policy for the Games (the “No Needle Policy”) in that they failed to ensure compliance with the No Needle Policy," the CGF said. The CGF court found that the testimonies given by a cleaner manager at the Games and Australia Anti-Doping Authority Principal Investigator were credible. "The testimony of athletes Rakesh Babu and Irfan Kolothum Thodi who denied all knowledge of the needle in the cup in Bedroom 2 and the further testimony of Rakesh Babu that he had no knowledge of the syringe found in his bag in Bedroom 2 are both unreliable and evasive," the CGF said. Babu and Irfan are in breach of the No Needle Policy in that they failed to ensure compliance with the No Needle Policy and, in particular, failed to ensure compliance with paragraphs I, II, III and IV of the No Needle Policy. All the four paragraphs refer to the norms related to the declaration of needle usage. "The CGF shall issue a strong reprimand to Vikram Singh Sisodia, Namdev Shirgaonker and Ravinder Chaudhry that they and other persons failed to ensure compliance with the No Needle Policy. "The CGF shall advise Vikram Singh Sisodia, Namdev Shirgaonker and Ravinder Chaudhry that any further infractions by any member of the Indian Team of the No Needle Policy could result in the withdrawal of accreditation of the offending person." "When the Commonwealth Games Federation says no tolerance, the Commonwealth Games Federation means no tolerance." PTI - ]]>PTC NEWSFri, 13 Apr 2018 11:34:19 +053017976351797635