CWG Triumphs: Indian Sportspersons Shine At The Event
CWG Triumphs: Indian Sportspersons Shine At The Event
Currently, the Commonwealth Games are ongoing and with a medal tally of 7 on Day 1, India's sportspersons have once again shown that they can fight against the odds and emerge triumphant. Britisher Astley Cooper proposed the Games concept and he started the idea of a sporting event between nations that were members of the British Commonwealth as far back as 1891. Cooper had written an article in a magazine where he suggested a festival that blended sporting , military and literary events. The aim was to involve members of the British Commonwealth in a festival that would promote goodwill and closer ties.
The first recorded Games between Commonwealth athletes consisted of track and field athletics as well as boxing, wrestling and swimming events. Indian athletes gained opening day honours in the weightlifting competition at what is currently the 20th CWG games. Sukhen Dey and K . Sanjita Chanu shone at the event . Both won gold medals in their respective events. The Inian team also bagged 4 of 6 medals on offer on the first day itself. Sajita and Saikohm Mirabai Chanu won the gold and silver respectively in women's 48 kg and Dey as well as Ganesh mali bagged the first and third position in the men's 56kg to achieve a remarkable spot for India at the event. 25 year old Dey also won the silver medal at the 2010 CWG at Delhi besides the gold in the 2013 Commonwealth Championships.
21 year old Mali settled for bronze with a total lift of 244 kg while Malyasia's Mohd Pisol Zulheimi bagged the silver medal with a total lift of 245 kg. Dey has been quoted as saying this CWG gold medal was the best achievement of his career by media reports. He also shared how "I have won a bronze in junior World Championships, then a silver in 2010 CWG before today's gold. I lost out on a gold in Delhi because of a technical mistake. I would say today's gold is the best of my career. Now my target is to do well in the Asian Games".
"I would like to dedicate my win to the nation, the federation officials and my coaches. The exposure we got before the Games has been of immense help. We have had a training camp in Birmingham since June and that has helped a lot," he said. He indicated that he was "worried after missing two snatch attempts". Dey, who is currently a subedar naik at the Indian Air Force in Chandigarh, hoped that he would get promotion after this feat. Hopefully, the government will reward him with an increase in rank following his record win at the CWG.
Ace Indian shooter Abhinav Bindra also bagged the 10m Air Rifle hold medal in a spell-binding finale. Schoolgirl Malaika Goel won the silver medal in the 10m Air Pistol event . Apart from the 2 medals at the shooting range, 20 year old Santoshi Matsa finished third in the women's 53 kg category. This brought the total of 3 medals on Day 2. Bindra won 9 medals before this including a gold in the pairs event. He was also the first Indian Olympic individual gold medalist who shot an aggregate of 205.3 to achieve a Game record. "This is my last Commonwealth Games. Five CWG and nine medals, it is enough for me," Bindra said while speaking to Indian media personnel."It was a well-earned medal because I work hard and I am happy to have achieved the feat. I got the desired result." he said to them. He was also quoted as jokingly saying that after retirement he would take up journalism as career. "Journalism is an easy job, I may become a journalist after my shooting career." The ace shooter seemed quite happy with his swansong achievment at the CWG.
