Glasgow, Jul 26 (PTI): Olympic medallist Mirabai Chanu underlined her status as India's greatest weightlifter of her generation with a record-shattering third successive Commonwealth Games gold, while Rishikanta Singh and Raja Muthupandi claimed a silver each as the country enjoyed a productive day at the Games here Sunday.
Weightlifters reigned supreme for India on the fourth day of the Games, as the medal tally swelled to four (1 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze). India occupy the eight spot in the medal tally, with Australia on top with 33 (14 gold, 8 silver, 11 bronze).
Mirabai was in a league of her own in the women's 48kg competition, rewriting the Commonwealth and Commonwealth Games record books en route to lifting 190kg (85kg snatch and 105kg clean and jerk).
It was India's first gold in this edition of the Games and third medal overall so far. Para powerlifter Jhandu Kumar had opened India's medal account with a bronze in the men's heavyweight event on Friday.
The 31-year-old Manipuri overcame a missed opening attempt in both the snatch and clean and jerk before recovering in trademark fashion to finish a massive 22kg ahead of Nigeria's Ruth Asuquo Nyong, who settled for silver with 168kg.
Having already secured the title and with the Asian Games less than two months away, Mirabai opted to skip her final clean and jerk attempt after breaking the Commonwealth Games records in clean and jerk and total lift.
Before Mirabai's gold-winning show, Rishikanta Singh settled for a silver in the men's 60kg category after an injury denied him a realistic shot at gold.
The Manipuri lifter matched the Commonwealth Games record in the snatch with a 121kg effort and entered the clean and jerk in the lead.
However, he could manage only 143kg after failing his final two attempts, finishing with a total of 264kg.
Malaysia's Mohamad Aniq Kasdan seized the opportunity by producing a Games record 152kg clean and jerk for a winning total of 273kg, while Kenya's Joshua Amunga Mboya claimed bronze with 260kg.
Rishikanta later revealed that a knee injury suffered a week before the competition resurfaced during the clean and jerk phase, robbing him of the power needed to complete his heavier lifts.
"I came here for gold. After the snatch, I was in the leading position, but my knee created a problem. I was able to clean the weight but could not push because one thigh was not working properly. I tried my best," he told PTI.
The 28-year-old nevertheless scripted history by becoming the first male weightlifter from Manipur to win a Commonwealth Games medal.
Raja Muthupandi then ensured that India won a medal each in all the three weightlifting events of the day, clinching a silver in the men's 65kg category.
Muthupandi lifted 126kg in snatch, and 160kg in the clean and jerk to finish with a total of 286kg.
Malaysia's Muhamad Aznil Bin Bidin won the gold with a Games record total lift of 299kg, while Papua New Guinea's Morea Baru took the bronze with combined lift of 282kg.
Boxers Jadumani and Preeti one win away from medal ======================================== Jadumani Singh outclassed Pakistan's Sumama Rehman in a high-voltage contest while Asian Games bronze medallist Preeti Pawar barely broke a sweat as the Indian duo marched into the quarterfinals.
Amid thunderous chants of "Bharat Mata ki Jai" and "India, India" ringing around the SEC centre, the atmosphere crackled with emotion long before the opening bell of Jadumani's bout.
The Army boxer responded in style, registering a unanimous 5-0 victory through superior technique, speed and ringcraft.
Jadumani, who had dedicated his victory to the heroes of the Kargil War on Kargil Vijay Diwas, reiterated his ambition after another commanding performance.
"I want to dedicate this win to Kargil heroes. I want to defeat everyone and get gold for India," he said.
After a watchful opening round, Jadumani quickly figured out his opponent's rhythm and took complete control of the contest.
He is now one win away from a medal as is Preeti (54kg), who won her pre-quarterfinals contest against Deborah Mtenje of Malawi via Referee Stop Contest (RSC) decision in the second round of the bout.
Preeti, who won a bronze in the 2022 Asian Games as well as a gold in the New Delhi World Cup last year, toyed with her opponent.
The Malawi boxer faced two standing counts, one in each round, and it was enough for the referee to stop the bout with 47 seconds left in the second round. Preeti got the unanimous nod of all the five judges in the first round.
The third boxer in action, Aditya Pratap, however, lost his opening round 65kg bout to Uganda's Nuhu Batte 2:3.
Disappointment from Lawn Bowls Arena ============================== India endured a disappointing day at the lawn bowls as the women's pairs team was knocked out after England won a tense tie-break, while Putul Sonowal's hopes of reaching the men's singles semifinals also came to an end.
Pinki Singh and Rupa Rani Tirkey's women's pairs campaign ended in heartbreak after they lost to England in a dramatic tie-break in their final Group B sectional match.
After the two sides shared the opening two sets, England held their nerve in the decisive single-end tie-break to seal a 1-1 (3-4, 10-3) victory and eliminate India from semifinal contention.
Sonowal on the other hand suffered a 0.5-1.5 defeat to Malta's Shaun James Parnis in his penultimate Group D match on Sunday.
Sonowal, currently third in the table, will conclude his campaign against bottom-placed Kenya's Anwar Hamada in his final sectional match on Monday. PTI APA APS PDS AM PDS
(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)
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