NEW DELHI: India on Monday enjoyed one of its best days at the Commonwealth Games with six medals overall, with Sharmila Dhankar making history after becoming the country’s first para-athletics gold medallist. On Day 5 of the event, she won the women’s F57 shot put title with a season-long throw of 9.81m, ending India’s 20-year wait for a para-athletics medal at the Games. Category F57 is for athletes with lower limb dysfunction, limb deficiencies or reduced muscle power. Shilpa K. Shyla won a bronze in the women’s shot put F57 event.The celebrations continued in athletics with Sarvesh Kushare becoming the first Indian to win a silver medal in the men’s high jump. The national record holder cleared 2.25m and narrowly missed out on gold in the count after tying with Jamaica’s Romaine Beckford. AdarshRam finished fifth, while Tejaswin Shankar retired early as a precaution before the decathlon.
Weightlifters keep the medal race alive
Weightlifting has again delivered for India. Valluri Ajaya Babu won silver in the men’s 79kg event after finishing just one kilogram behind Malaysia’s Erry Hidayat Muhammad in a thrilling contest. Gyaneshwari Yadav also claimed silver in the women’s 53kg category with career-best lifts, while Bindyarani Devi added a bronze in the 58kg class, taking India’s weight medal tally to six.
Boxers progress, mixed fortunes elsewhere
Indian boxing also had a productive day as Sachin Siwach, Ankush and Sakshi Chaudhary advanced to the quarter-finals with convincing wins, although Sumit bowed out after a narrow defeat.There have also been disappointments. Sprinter Gurindervir Singh failed to qualify for the 100m semi-final, while hurdler Tejas Shirse finished last in the 110m hurdles final after competing with an injury. “In the warm up, I suffered a Navicular stress fracture in my left leg. I didn’t want to pull out, so I told my physio to tape it,” Shirse told news agency PTI. “I am the first Indian to qualify for the 110m hurdles final in the CWG, so I didn’t want to let the whole nation (pull out),” he added. Swimming also brought little success, with Sajan Prakash, Aryan Nehra and para-swimmer Swatik Patil finishing out of the medals.