CWG, Day 5: Shooters bring 1 gold, 2 silvers

mangaloretoday.com/ India Today

Glasgow, July 28: ’Pistol King’ Jitu Rai kept his reputation intact by clinching the gold medal before Gagan Narang and Gurpal Singh claimed a silver each to continue the shooters’ heroics while Vijender Singh led the charge in boxing by advancing to the quarterfinals on the fifth day of competitions in the 20th Commonwealth Games here today.

The 26-year-old Rai, world number 4 in the event, gave ample display of his class by taking the honour in the men’s 50 m pistol event as the Indian shooters continued to dominate the ranges.

 

Gurpal Singh also took the spotlight with his silver-winning effort in the same event while Narang, taking part for the first time in the 50 m rifle prone event, had to be content with a silver as the shooters did the bulk of the medal shopping during the day.

Star Indian boxer Vijender (75kg) continued his sublime form to enter the quarterfinals along with gritty youngster L Devendro Singh (49kg), but there was heartbreak for Shiva Thapa (56kg), who went down to Olympic bronze-medallist Michael Conlan of Northern Ireland.

Vijender, a former Olympic and World Championships bronze-medallist, outpunched Namibia’s Mujandjae Kasuto 3-0 in a lopsided contest to make the last-eight stage.

Such was the former world number one’s domination that he managed a perfect 10 score from every judge in each of the three rounds.

With the addition of three more medals, India’s overall haul swelled to 25 with seven gold, 11 silver and seven bronze and were placed fourth in the medal standings.

Australia were at the top with 27 gold, 21 silver and 27 bronze medals, followed by England (24 gold, 17 silver, 19 bronze) and hosts Scotland (12 gold, eight silver and 11 bronze).

Rai shot 194.1 to bag his first Commonwealth Games gold on debut while Gurpal had an aggregate of 187.2 to win the silver, his first international medal. Australia’s Daniel Repacholi was third.

With the three medals, India’s medal tally from the Barry Buddon Shooting Center has shot up to 12 (4, 7, 1), three more than England who have eight, including three gold medals.