PTI
GUWAHATI, FEBRUARY 13
The Indian juggernaut rolled on unabated as the star-studded boxing squad joined the shooters in what is turning out to be an outing of unprecedented dominance by the host country at the 12th South Asian Games here today.
Indian shooters grabbed all the 6 Gold medals on offer while triathlon players joined the party by winning both the Gold as the hosts swept aside the challenge from other countries.
In the ring, star boxers Devendro Singh and Shiva Thapa bludgeoned their way to convincing wins over their hapless opponents, Tashi Wangdi of Bhutan, and Nepal’s Shrestha Dinesh, respectively. Asian Gold medallist Vikas Krishnan also tasted success on the first day of event.
India stood atop with 265 medals (155 Gold, 84 Silver And 26 Bronze), way ahead of second placed Sri Lanka 161 (25, 55, 81). Pakistan were at third with 79 medals (8, 26. 45).
In the capital city of Assam, there were just eight medal events and the Indians won all of them — 6 by shooters and 2 by triathlon players.Omkar Singh (men’s 10m air pistol), Rahi Sarnobat (women’s 25m pistol) and Anjum Moudgil (women’s 50m rifle 3 positions) grabbed a Gold each while India also bagged the top spot in all the three team events to simply brush aside their rivals at the Kahilipara Shooting Range here.
The home country’s domination in shooting was such that in the three individual events of the day, India swept all the medals in two while winning a Gold and a Bronze in the remaining one.
Pakistan’s Kaleemullah (men’s 10m air pistol) was the lone non-Indian to get a medal today in shooting, bagging a Silver.
With today’s show, the star-studded Indian shooting team, which has six Rio Olympics bound shooters, has taken its tally to 18 Gold, 8 Silver and 8 Bronze in four days. Two days are left in the competition.
The day also saw Olympics bound Gurpreet Singh coming up with a disappointing performance in men’s 10m Air Pistol as he finished sixth in the event won by compatriot Omkar who shot 198.8. Another Indian, Jitendra Vibhute, bagged the Bronze.
Omkar, Gurpreet and Jitendra then took the team Gold in men’s 10m Air Pistol event with a total score of 1735.
Pakistan (1700) and Sri Lanka (1663) took the Silver and Bronze respectively.
India U-23 march into SAG football final
The Indian Under-23 team registered a comprehensive 3-0 triumph over Bangladesh to breeze into the final of the men’s football championship at the ongoing South Asian Games (SAG) here on Saturday.
Udanta Singh put the hosts into the lead in the 22nd minute. Mawihmingthanga (45th minute) then followed it up with a “fantastic” strike from outside the box five minutes before the interval. After the restart, it was Jayesh Rane (65th) who scored the third goal for India.
The second-half also saw Bangladesh coach Gonzalo Moreno being sent to the stands. “We were more organised in defence and midfield and though Bangladesh had more possession they were not able to penetrate,” India head coach Lee Johnson said.
For the first goal it was Jerry who pressed Razaul Karim inside the 18-yard box forcing a bit of indecision on part of the latter. Udanta, who was complementing Jerry, took advantage, side-stepped Topu Barman and pushed the ball into the net.
Jerry, 18, once again got into the thick of things and unleashed a screamer from outside the box which dug deep into the right bottom corner. A stunning goal that is bound to be remembered for long.
“It was so encouraging to have two U-18s and a U-19 player on the field in the second half. Jerry’s goal was fantastic. But he still has a long way to go,” Johnson stated, referring to Zuala, Jerry and Vinit Rai.
The India coach added he could have fielded other players but then opted to play the young guns to test them at a big stage.
“There were players whom we could have selected who were available but we preferred to give these boys a chance. It’s a big achievement and good for the development of football in India,” said Johnson.
“The scouting network set up by the AIFF (All India Football Federation) is allowing us to get new boys and without giving a chance to players you don’t get to know their potential.”
Jayesh put it beyond the reach of the rivals in the 65th minute, thumping one in from inside the box.
The final is slated for February 15.
