So far, India has won 22 medals at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, of which six are gold, nine silver and seven bronze. While veteran shooter Abhinav Bindra won a Commonwealth Games gold for the fourth time in his career, and others like weightlifters Sukhen Dey and judoka Navjot Chana became two-time medallists, most of the winners claimed medals for the first time this year.
Here are the 14 first-time medallists at the Glasgow games so far, in alphabetical order:
Gold medallists
Apurvi Chandela, shooting (women’s 10-metre air rifle)
This 21-year-old from Jaipur, Rajasthan, won her first gold at the 2012 National Shooting Championships in Delhi. She had been practising largely at home, where her father, hotelier Kuldeep Singh, had set up a shooting range for her.
Earlier this year, in March, Chandela won four medals – two individual ones and two in group events – at the Inter-Shoot Championships in the Netherlands. She was ranked World No. 17 before her first international medal at the Glasgow games. Chandela is also a sociology student at Delhi University.
Sanjita Khumukchan, weightlifting (women’s 48 kg)
Khumukchan, a 20-year-old from Manipur, managed a total lift of 173 kg (77 kg and 96 kg) on July 24 to clinch one of the first golds for India in Glasgow. Her coach, the veteran weightlifter Kunjarani Devi, is also from Manipur.
Sathish Kumar Sivalingam, weightlifting (men's 77 kg)
The latest to win a gold for India in Glasgow so far, 22-year-old Sivalingam had also won a gold in last year's Commonwealth weightlifting championships. Fellow Indian Ravi Katulu, who came in for a silver in the same category, has previously won a gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
Silver medallists
Ayonika Paul, shooting (women’s 10-metre air rifle)
Now 21, this engineering student from Mumbai has been a shooting achiever since 2008, when she won a gold at the International Junior Shooting Competition in Munich. Paul also won a bronze at the 2011 Asian Junior Championships in Kuwait and another bronze at the 2014 shooting world cup in Slovenia. At the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, she participated in the senior category, and now hopes to win medals at the 2016 Olympics.
Malaika Goel, shooting (women’s 10-metre air pistol)
This 16-year-old from Punjab is among the youngest Indian medal winners in Glasgow, and has been single-mindedly focusing on shooting ever since she opted for home-schooling after Class 6. As a junior, Goel won a gold at the 2009 Asian air gun championships in Germany, a silver at the same championships in 2012, followed by a gold in Tehran in 2013. In Glasgow, Goel managed to defeat World No. 1 Heena Sidhu, who is one of her idols.
Mirabai Chanu Saikhom, weightlifting (women’s 48 kg)
Saikhom, a 19-year-old from Manipur, trailed behind Sanjita Khumukcham – her senior from her own state – to win a silver. She lifted 75 kg and 77 kg to clinch the position. She is also being coached by Kunjarani Devi.
Prakash Nanjappa, shooting (men’s 10-metre air pistol)
Exactly a year ago, during the 2013 shooting world cup in Spain, Nanjappa suffered a paralytic attack on the right side of his face – an accident that could have seriously jeopardised his career. But after six weeks of treatment and rest, the 38-year-old air pistol shooter bounced back, trained twice as hard, and managed to win a silver in the 50-metre pistol event at the Tehran Asian air gun championship in October 2013. A software engineer, Nanjappa lives in Bangalore and was inspired by his father, national-level shooter PN Panappa, to take up the sport.
Shreyasi Singh, shooting (women’s double trap)
This Delhi-based 22-year-old missed the gold by just two shots, but brought India’s shooting medal tally to eight on July 27.
Sushila Likmabam, judo (women’s 48 kg)
A 19-year-old judo champion from Manipur, Likmabam took just over two minutes to defeat top Australian judoka Chloe Rayner in the semi-finals, but eventually lost to Scotland’s Kimberly Renick in the final, settling for a silver. She was the first to win a medal for India at the 2014 Glasgow Games.
Bronze medallists
Asab Mohammed, shooting (men’s double trap)
Mohammed, a 26-year-old from Meerut, won India’s ninth shooting medal on Sunday. He was a silver medallist at the national championships in Delhi last year.
Ganesh Mali, weightlifting (men’s 56 kg)
Twenty-one-year-old Mali was born in Pune and hails from Kolhapur in Maharashtra. He is the son of a daily-wage labourer. He managed his bronze with a total lift of 244 kg, while the gold in the same category was won by West Bengal champion Sukhen Dey, who had also won a silver in the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
Kalpana Thoudam, judo (women’s 52 kg)
This 24-year-old from Manipur won the bronze for India after picking up two penalty points and defeating Christianne Legentil from Mauritius. Previously, Thoudam has won a gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Judo Championships in Singapore and a bronze at the International Judo Federation Grand Prix in Uzbekistan.
Omkar Otari, weightlifting (men’s 69 kg)
Lifting a total weight of 296 kg (136 kg and 160 kg), 26-year-old Omkar Otari won India its 17th medal at the Glasgow games. His win also took India’s weightlifting medal tally to six. Otari hails from Sangli in Maharashtra.
Punam Yadav, weightlifting (women's 63 kg)
Yadav, 19, is the daughter of poor farmers in Varanasi. She has been training for four years and managed the bronze on July 27 after making a total lift of 202 kg.
Rajwinder Kaur, judo (women’s 78 kg)
Rajwinder Kaur, 30, hails from Jalandhar in Punjab. She won the bronze after defeating Kenya’s Esther Akinyi Ratugi on penalty points. Another Indian in the same category – Jina Devi Chongtham – did not manage to win any medals.
Santoshi Matsa, weightlifting (women’s 53 kg)
A 20-year-old from Andhra Pradesh, Matsa won India’s fifth weightlifting medal at Glasgow by lifting a total weight of 188 kg. She managed to defeat another Indian, Swati Singh (who eventually came fourth) but was defeated by lifters from Nigeria and Papua New Guinea, who bagged the gold and silver.
Matsa’s hometown, Kondavelagada, does not have adequate training facilities, but it has also nurtured Valluri Srinivasa Rao, a 2010 Commonwealth Games silver medal winner.
Here are the 14 first-time medallists at the Glasgow games so far, in alphabetical order:
Gold medallists
Apurvi Chandela, shooting (women’s 10-metre air rifle)
Paul Ellis/AFP
This 21-year-old from Jaipur, Rajasthan, won her first gold at the 2012 National Shooting Championships in Delhi. She had been practising largely at home, where her father, hotelier Kuldeep Singh, had set up a shooting range for her.
Earlier this year, in March, Chandela won four medals – two individual ones and two in group events – at the Inter-Shoot Championships in the Netherlands. She was ranked World No. 17 before her first international medal at the Glasgow games. Chandela is also a sociology student at Delhi University.
Sanjita Khumukchan, weightlifting (women’s 48 kg)
Andy Buchanan/AFP
Khumukchan, a 20-year-old from Manipur, managed a total lift of 173 kg (77 kg and 96 kg) on July 24 to clinch one of the first golds for India in Glasgow. Her coach, the veteran weightlifter Kunjarani Devi, is also from Manipur.
Sathish Kumar Sivalingam, weightlifting (men's 77 kg)
Ben Stansall/AFP
The latest to win a gold for India in Glasgow so far, 22-year-old Sivalingam had also won a gold in last year's Commonwealth weightlifting championships. Fellow Indian Ravi Katulu, who came in for a silver in the same category, has previously won a gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
Silver medallists
Ayonika Paul, shooting (women’s 10-metre air rifle)
Now 21, this engineering student from Mumbai has been a shooting achiever since 2008, when she won a gold at the International Junior Shooting Competition in Munich. Paul also won a bronze at the 2011 Asian Junior Championships in Kuwait and another bronze at the 2014 shooting world cup in Slovenia. At the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, she participated in the senior category, and now hopes to win medals at the 2016 Olympics.
Malaika Goel, shooting (women’s 10-metre air pistol)
Paul Ellis/AFP
This 16-year-old from Punjab is among the youngest Indian medal winners in Glasgow, and has been single-mindedly focusing on shooting ever since she opted for home-schooling after Class 6. As a junior, Goel won a gold at the 2009 Asian air gun championships in Germany, a silver at the same championships in 2012, followed by a gold in Tehran in 2013. In Glasgow, Goel managed to defeat World No. 1 Heena Sidhu, who is one of her idols.
Mirabai Chanu Saikhom, weightlifting (women’s 48 kg)
Andy Buchanan/AFP
Saikhom, a 19-year-old from Manipur, trailed behind Sanjita Khumukcham – her senior from her own state – to win a silver. She lifted 75 kg and 77 kg to clinch the position. She is also being coached by Kunjarani Devi.
Prakash Nanjappa, shooting (men’s 10-metre air pistol)
Paul Ellis/AFP
Exactly a year ago, during the 2013 shooting world cup in Spain, Nanjappa suffered a paralytic attack on the right side of his face – an accident that could have seriously jeopardised his career. But after six weeks of treatment and rest, the 38-year-old air pistol shooter bounced back, trained twice as hard, and managed to win a silver in the 50-metre pistol event at the Tehran Asian air gun championship in October 2013. A software engineer, Nanjappa lives in Bangalore and was inspired by his father, national-level shooter PN Panappa, to take up the sport.
Shreyasi Singh, shooting (women’s double trap)
This Delhi-based 22-year-old missed the gold by just two shots, but brought India’s shooting medal tally to eight on July 27.
Sushila Likmabam, judo (women’s 48 kg)
A 19-year-old judo champion from Manipur, Likmabam took just over two minutes to defeat top Australian judoka Chloe Rayner in the semi-finals, but eventually lost to Scotland’s Kimberly Renick in the final, settling for a silver. She was the first to win a medal for India at the 2014 Glasgow Games.
Bronze medallists
Asab Mohammed, shooting (men’s double trap)
Mohammed, a 26-year-old from Meerut, won India’s ninth shooting medal on Sunday. He was a silver medallist at the national championships in Delhi last year.
Ganesh Mali, weightlifting (men’s 56 kg)
Andy Buchanan/AFP
Twenty-one-year-old Mali was born in Pune and hails from Kolhapur in Maharashtra. He is the son of a daily-wage labourer. He managed his bronze with a total lift of 244 kg, while the gold in the same category was won by West Bengal champion Sukhen Dey, who had also won a silver in the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
Kalpana Thoudam, judo (women’s 52 kg)
This 24-year-old from Manipur won the bronze for India after picking up two penalty points and defeating Christianne Legentil from Mauritius. Previously, Thoudam has won a gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Judo Championships in Singapore and a bronze at the International Judo Federation Grand Prix in Uzbekistan.
Omkar Otari, weightlifting (men’s 69 kg)
Carl Court/AFP
Lifting a total weight of 296 kg (136 kg and 160 kg), 26-year-old Omkar Otari won India its 17th medal at the Glasgow games. His win also took India’s weightlifting medal tally to six. Otari hails from Sangli in Maharashtra.
Punam Yadav, weightlifting (women's 63 kg)
Yadav, 19, is the daughter of poor farmers in Varanasi. She has been training for four years and managed the bronze on July 27 after making a total lift of 202 kg.
Rajwinder Kaur, judo (women’s 78 kg)
Carl Court/AFP
Rajwinder Kaur, 30, hails from Jalandhar in Punjab. She won the bronze after defeating Kenya’s Esther Akinyi Ratugi on penalty points. Another Indian in the same category – Jina Devi Chongtham – did not manage to win any medals.
Santoshi Matsa, weightlifting (women’s 53 kg)
Andy Buchanan/AFP
A 20-year-old from Andhra Pradesh, Matsa won India’s fifth weightlifting medal at Glasgow by lifting a total weight of 188 kg. She managed to defeat another Indian, Swati Singh (who eventually came fourth) but was defeated by lifters from Nigeria and Papua New Guinea, who bagged the gold and silver.
Matsa’s hometown, Kondavelagada, does not have adequate training facilities, but it has also nurtured Valluri Srinivasa Rao, a 2010 Commonwealth Games silver medal winner.
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