“Yes, I am extremely happy that I won three medals again in the Commonwealth Games 2022. It is always a special event, especially for Table Tennis and it’s a special feeling to win and perform well in the multi-sport event. It’s a different aura and for me to win and defend the team title is amazing,” stated an elated Sathiyan in an exclusive interview with Cricket Country.

He said, “Of course, the very special singles medal for the first time. I really was aiming in these games to win a singles medal and winning that bronze medal was special. So, winning again the three medals and a total of six in the Commonwealth Games so far, is a very very special feeling and definitely, the years of hardwork paid off.”

Sathiyan won his first individual medal in Commonwealth Games in the recent edition when clinched a bronze medal in the men’s singles event. He also clinched gold in the men’s team event, while a silver in the men’s doubles event with his partner and veteran Indian table tennis player Sharath Kamal.

” I won a silver in the men’s double and certainly it was a great match in the doubles final. We gave our best as it was a very tough match. I think it was one of the best matches in the doubles event for sure but unfortunately in the decider, we gave them the early lead which cost us the match. We should have changed our strategy a little bit in the last game but credits to them they are very seasoned players in the men’s doubles category,” stated Sathiyan.

He added, ” They are World No. 10 ahead of us, so I think we put up a great fight and we were very close again to winning that doubles gold but I am sure that we got a lot of learnings from that and we will try to do better and win a gold medal in the next edition.”

The Indian player also looked confident about breaching the Chinese wall in the upcoming Paris Olympics. China is a powerhouse in table tennis but Sathiyan believes that with the right planning India can beat the Chinese in their own game.

He remarked, “Certainly, China have developed the system in not just one or two years, they developed it over a period of time. It has taken a lot of years actually as they were nowhere near the top 50-60 years back but then they came back strongly and developed a huge system with infrastructure, putting coaching facilities, sports sciences and nurturing young talent. They pick them up at a very young age and give them all the kinds of training and facilities. So, it’s a process and China have been doing exactly what we do for our school, it’s like an academic curriculum.”

“Millions of kids play table tennis there so it’s bound to happen, it’s like a religion in China and I have seen stadiums with 100 tables on different floors and that kind of infrastructure they have there, so certainly they have invested a huge amount of money to come up to this level. There are doing great but you could see even a lot of Chinese are losing now in international events and the gap is certainly reduced to some extent but still, they are at the top of the world,” added Sathiyan.

The Indian paddler also revealed how India can bring down the Chinese wall in the table tennis arena. He said, “I am sure the way Indian sport is progressing with the right kind of support from all around we can make a difference. We still need a lot of infrastructure, and stadiums, especially for table tennis. I think we are much faster in observing things than the Chinese, so if you could get the right infrastructure with the right kind of sports science support and coaching right from a young age then I am sure India will break the Chinese wall.”

Despite winning the medals in the recently concluded Games, Sathiyan is not satisfied with his performance and will work hard to improve his game before the Olympics. He stated,”Commonwealth Games was an excellent confidence booster for us, the way we played under pressure and performed as a unit. We played great and won some good matches which has given us a lot of confidence but certainly a lot of things we learned as well from wins and loses on areas where I need to improve.”

The player added, “I need to improve my physical strength and conditing which I will be working on with my coach Raman sir and of course the skills as well. We will work a lot on this and ensure fine-tuning. I will watch a lot of my match videos to analyse my game and improve upon my skills and fitness part. Mental conditing is also important to stay calm under pressure in big games like this, so emphasising on these areas will really help us.”

He has won a total of six medals in Commonwealth Games and one in Asian Games in his career so far.

The post Exclusive: ‘We Are Faster In Observing Things Than Chinese’- G Sathiyan Reveals How Indian TT Can Reach New Heights appeared first on Cricket Country.

PM Modi, on Saturday, hosted the Indian contingent at his residence to felicitate the players. The Indian athletes produced a sensational show in Birmingham, claiming 61 medals, including 22 gold, 16 silver and 23 bronze.

“Honoured to gift the boxing gloves signed by all the pugilists to our honourable Prime Minister @narendramodi sir. Thank you for this amazing opportunity. A great day spent with my fellow athletes who have made the country proud,” Nikhat tweeted.

Honoured to gift the boxing gloves signed by all the pugilists to our honorable Prime Minister @narendramodi sir. Thank you for this amazing opportunity.🙏

A great day spent with my fellow athletes who have made the country proud. 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/A0YtlOujUA

— Nikhat Zareen (@nikhat_zareen) August 14, 2022

The star boxer, world championship gold medallist, won the yellow metal in her weight category at the Games. Hima Das wrote on her Twitter handle, “Elated to receive blessings from our honourable Prime Minister – Shri @narendramodi Ji, by virtue of Commonwealth Games 2022. Fortunate to have presented him with our traditional gamcha, wrapped with immense gratitude from all of Assam.”

Champion weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, who won the gold medal without breaking a sweat, a year after her historic silver at the Tokyo Olympics, thanked the PM for his words of encouragement.

“Honoured to meet & interact with our Honourable Prime Minister @narendramodi

Sir. Thank you so much sir for all your support & encouragement. Jai Hind,” Chanu said.

The golden period of Indian sports is knocking on the door, said the prime minister as he hailed the fine show of the Indian contingent.

Elated to receive blessings from our honourable Prime Minister – Shri @narendramodi Ji, by virtue of Commonwealth Games 2022 🙏🏻🇮🇳
Fortunate to have presented him with our traditional gamcha, wrapped with immense gratitude from all of Assam 😇@narendramodi pic.twitter.com/Q5tZvNd0M9

— Hima (mon jai) (@HimaDas8) August 14, 2022

“Thank You Sir for sparing your valuable time and inviting us over to your residence. It was like always a delight to speak with you,” wrote shuttler Chirag Shetty on the microblogging site.

His young badminton colleague Lakshya Sen, who won the men’s singles title in spectacular fashion, too expressed his gratitude at being honoured by the PM.

“What a great day for all the Athletes #gratitude. Thank you so much Sir for appreciating our hard work and for your words of encouragement. We are all very grateful for your support. Will continue to make our nation proud. Jai Hind!” Sen tweeted.

Star Indian para table tennis player Bhavina Patel, who won the gold medal in the women’s singles class 3-5, called the interaction with Modi motivating.

“Meeting Hon. PM @narendramodi ji once again, interacting with him and seeking blessing was motivating and inspiring as always. His keen interest in our performances and detailed conversations are very gratifying!” Bhavina said.

After the felicitation programme, the prime minister said, “CWG 2022 will always be remembered for memorable performances and diversifying our pursuit for excellence.”

The post Nikhat Zareen Gifts PM Modi Boxing Gloves, Hima Das Gives Traditional Gamocha appeared first on Cricket Country.

Six days after winning a historic silver at the Birmingham CWG, Sreeshankar competed in his much-anticipated maiden Diamond League but was far from his best in a strong field under conditions not very ideal for jumping on Wednesday night. Most of the 10 jumpers faced headwind of above 1m/s in the first round but it got better as the competition progressed.

Sreeshankar had won silver in the CWG six days ago with a best jump of 8.08m. He has a season’s and personal best of 8.36m. He had finished seventh in the World Championships in Eugene, USA, last month with a best jump of 7.96m.

The 23-year-old opened with a 7.61m under a 1.5m/s headwind. He bettered it to 7.84m and then followed it by 7.83m. From sixth in the first round, he slipped to eight after the third and just about squeezed into the top eight to save himself from elimination. Sreeshankar had 7.69m in his fourth attempt and 7.94m in his fifth to leave him at the sixth spot.

Under the revised ‘Final Three’ rule of the Diamond League, only the top three get the sixth and last attempt.Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Maykel Masso of Cuba won the event with a best effort of 8.35m.

World Championships silver medallist and reigning Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece (8.31m) finished second ahead of Marquis Dendy (8.31m) of USA though both had identical best jumps. Tentoglou had two 8.30m jumps as his second best while Dendy had 8.30m and 8.17m as second and third best jumps.

The 2019 World Championships gold medallist Tajay Gayle of Jamaica was fourth with a best of 8.06m while world indoor silver medallist Thobias Montler of Sweden was fifth with a best effort of 7.96m. Sreeshankar’s next event could be in Lausanne, Switzerland as he has said he has entered his name for World Athletics Tour silver label event there on August 30.

He collected three Diamond League points to be at 10th in the qualification ranking for the final in Zurich on September 7-8. He will not make the season-ending finale as only the top six qualify for it and there is no men’s long jump event in the remaining two legs in Lausanne (August 26) and Brussels (September 2).

Tentoglou is at the top of the Diamond League rankings with 31 points, followed by Masso (20) and Montler (16). A new Diamond League format for jumps and throws was approved in December, following outrage from the athletes regarding the controversial ‘Final Three’ — winner-takes-all last round — format.

Under the new format, the best throw or jump from the entire competition, not just the final three, win the event. But only the top three competitors after the fifth round will get the sixth and final attempt.

Moreover, the best throwers/jumpers are seeded to perform at the start of each round.

After round 3, only the top eight will remain in the competition and the order of jumps will be redrawn with the best performing athlete starting first in the next two rounds (rounds 4 and 5). After round 5, the top three athletes get one additional attempt each. The order of the three remaining athletes is redrawn so that the best-placed athlete after round five goes first in the ‘Final 3’.

There will be a two-minute break from the end of round five to the start of the final 3. Any ‘live’ field and track events will be stopped for the duration of a ‘Final 3’ competition. The old format did not consider marks achieved in the previous five attempts, with the top three athletes going into a fresh competition in the sixth and final round to pick the champion.

In the men’s long jump event at the 2020 Stockholm Diamond League, Montler was leading after five rounds with 8.13m but South African Samaai Ruswahl took the gold with a last-round jump of 8.09m.

The post CWG Medallist M. Sreeshankar Finishes 6th On Diamond League Debut In Monaco appeared first on Cricket Country.

Modi on Saturday hosted the Indian contingent at his residence to felicitate the players here.

The Indian athletes produced a sensational show in Birmingham, claiming 61 medals, including 22 gold, 16 silver and 23 bronze.

Visuals from PM @narendramodi ’s interaction with #CWG2022 contingent at his residence.#Cheer4India#HarGharTiranga#AmritMahotsav pic.twitter.com/pFhBx2ZgfU

— DD News (@DDNewslive) August 13, 2022

“The real assessment of this performance can’t be made with just number of medals, our athletes competed for neck-to-neck. There may have been a difference of 1s or 1cm but we will make that up I am confident of that,” Modi said during his speech.

He added, “It is just a start and we are not going to just sit quietly, the golden period of Indian sports is knocking on the doors. We have the responsibility of making a sporting system which is the best in the world, inclusive, diverse and dynamic. No talent should be left out as they are all assets.”

While India produced a dominating show in badminton, wrestling and weightlifting, the athletes also did well in athletics, judo and lawn bowl, where they won India’s first-ever medal in the Games.

“Not only are we strengthening the sports that we have been strong in but have also left a mark in new sports. In hockey we trying to get our legacy back,” Modi said.

“Since last time, we have won medals in four new sports, from lawn bowls to athletics, our performance has been spectacular. This performance will help increase youth’s interest in new sports. We have to improve our performance in new sports.” The Indian team also won a silver in women’s T20 cricket which was introduced for the first time at the CWG.

“Under Harmanpreet’s leadership, India has produced a fantastic performance in cricket. All players have done well but no one had the antidote to Renuka’s swing bowling. It is not a small feat to be the top wicket-taker among the greats.”

Modi also noted that the achievements of the athletes coincided with the celebrations of India’s 75th independence day. The felicitation program was attended by most of the CWG-returned athletes, including the wrestlers, weightlifters, boxers, shuttlers and table tennis players.

Modi also congratulated the chess players who competed and won medals at the Olympiad which was hosted in Chennai.

The post Watch Video: PM Modi Meets India’s Commonwealth Games 2022 contingent appeared first on Cricket Country.

Paris Olympics will only allow 50kg, 54kg, 57kg, 60kg, 66kg, and 75kg weight categories in the women’s boxing competition. Nikhat Zareen recently won the medal at the Commonwealth Games in the 50kg flyweight category and might compete in the upcoming Olympics with the same weight. A battle between Nitu Ghangas and Nikhat Zareen would keep Indian boxing fans on the edge, especially after both won medals in the Commonwealth Games.

“I have to work hard on increasing my weight and strength. I will try to qualify for the Olympics in the 50kg weight category. This might out me against Nikhat Zareen in the boxing ring and I am completely ready for the fight. I will give my 100 percent against Nikhat Zareen or any other boxer. She is a world champion boxer it won’t affect my focus,” said excited Nitu Ghangas, who recently returned to her home in Bhiwani after achieving success in Birmingham.

Nitu Ghangas had qualified for the Olympics after beating her idol and one of the all-time greats MC Mary Kom. The young boxer idolises Mary Kom and said she learned a lot from the six-time world champion boxer in her journey to Commonwealth Games gold medal. Just like Mary Kom, Nitu Ghangas’ special qualities are her speed and strength in the ring which she used to the full extent to win in her recent gold medal run

“MC Mary Kom has always been my idol. She is a southpaw boxer just like me and I see her a lot to learn more about boxing. I fought against her in the trials for the Commonwealth Games and defeated her to qualify for the tournament. However, I wasn’t satisfied since she got injured in the middle of the bout. It was my idol Mary Kom, so I wanted her to finish the match,” said Nitu Ghangas.

Even after defeating Mary Kom, Nitu Ghangas regards her as the greatest women boxer in the world. She remarked, “Mary Kom is the greatest women boxer in the world. She has put Indian women’s boxing on the world map and we are all grateful for it. A lot of girls have chosen boxing due to Mary Kom and now we also get a lot of facilities to improve our performance.”

Nitu Ghangas is busy in facilitation ceremonies right now after the Commonwealth Games, but she will be back in the ring soon to win more medals for India.

The post EXCLUSIVE: Inspired By Mary Kom, Nitu Ghanghas Ready To Fight Nikhat Zareen For Place In Paris Olympics appeared first on Cricket Country.

“Relax everyone. It’s a photo of a boat in the water with the name Salty. I thought it was clever. Stop trying to read anything other into it. But if it makes you feel better to reply cruelly go nuts. Water off a ducks back!” Healy tweeted on Tuesday quoting her photo post from Monday.

pic.twitter.com/dp6lkLkL9l

— Alyssa Healy (@ahealy77) August 8, 2022

Meanwhile, this is not the first time Healy has been on the receiving end of Indian fans. Healy was previously trolled by Indian fans for criticising Indian men’s team for their complaints about strict quarantine rules in Australia during the 2020-21 tour.

Coming back to Australia’s campaign in the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, the team won the gold medal after defeating India by 9 runs. Australia won the tournament undefeated but they faced a stiff challenge from the Indian team. In their opening game, a half-century by Ashleigh Gardner saved Australia from defeat after Renuka Singh ran riot. In the final, India were cruising to a win, at 118-2, chasing 162, before a collapse handed Australia women a close win.

The post Alyssa Healy Clarifies Her ‘Salty’ Tweet After Being Brutally Trolled By Indian Fans appeared first on Cricket Country.

The 20-year-old said he skipped a couple of events in Malaysia to give himself the time to recover from a shoulder issue that was bothering him and prepare for Commonwealth Games. “Thanks to the Target Olympic Podium Scheme, I was able to draw on the vast experience of physiotherapist Heath Mathews both in the run up to and during the Games,” said Lakshya Sen.

He added, “His expertise helped me get back in shape in time to train for the Games. I am thankful that TOPS also sanctioned Heath Mathews’ travel to Birmingham to be with me,” he said. “I also think that it helped me that I took a break from competition to work on regaining the fitness that I needed. I hope I can continue with this form in the World Championships.”

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports’ Mission Olympic Cell underwrote the entire cost of engaging Heath Mathews for a week in Bengaluru from July 17 and for 16 days in Birmingham to assist Lakshya Sen’s recovery.

“It was very good to win a Commonwealth Games Gold in my first multi-discipline event in the senior ranks. I have had a lot of things to learn from the Games. It has been a great experience. The team atmosphere was very good. We jelled and played well in the team event,” he said, moments before he boarded the aircraft that would bring him home.

Lakshya Sen said he felt more motivated when he heard the National Anthem being played in the medal ceremony after the women’s singles where PV Sindhu won Gold.

“I was warming up for my match when the National Anthem was played. It motivated me to try and repeat it after my final,” he concluded. The shuttler now intends to practice hard for the upcoming tournaments.

(SAI)

The post Lakshya Sen Revealed The Name Behind His Gold Medal In Commonwealth Games appeared first on Cricket Country.

Arshad Nadeem and Neeraj share a great bond outside the field. After Nadeem’s gold medal win in the CWG 2022, Neeraj took to Twitter and congratulated his Pakistani counterpart. Neeraj and Nadeem are old rivals and their rivalry dates back to 2016 when both competed in the South Asian Games. In the previous edition of the Commonwealth Games, Neeraj secured a gold medal while Arshad settled for a prized silver. Meanwhile, Nadeem’s coach Syed Hussain Bukhari is a great admirer of Neeraj Chopra as well. He recently heaped praise on Neeraj Chopra and said that he wants to see Neeraj compete in Pakistan as well.

“Most of the time, Arshad trains at the Jinnah Stadium in Islamabad and Lahore too, my wish is to see Arshad and Neeraj compete at a packed stadium in Lahore or Islamabad. Neeraj is also like our son. I as a Pakistani promise you that if Neeraj wins, we will shower him the same love we showered on Milkha Singh Ji when he won against Abdul Khaliq in Lahore in 1960. Athletes share a common bond of love for the sports,” Bukhari told Indian Express.

Bukhari further praised Nadeem for his gold medal win and said that his success over the years has inspired many young Pakistanis to take up Javelin. “After Arshad’s Asian Games bronze and Tokyo Olympics qualification topping, I can say I get to see 30-40 javelin throwers in almost each training ground in Lahore. In recent months, I have seen youth coming from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and from near the Pakistan-China border areas come to enquire about trials at Lahore. What Neeraj did for India, Arshad’s Olympic participation and today’s record can do the same in Pakistan,” he said.

The post ‘Neeraj Is Also Like Our Son, I As A Pakistani Promise You That…,’Arshad Nadeem’s Coach Showers Love On Neeraj Chopra appeared first on Cricket Country.

   Commonwealth Games 2022 Medals Tally

                                                                Indian Medal Winners

Sanket Sargar (Weightlifting) — Silver

Mirabai Chanu (Weightlifting)– Gold

Gururaja Poojary (Weightlifting)– Bronze

Bidyarani Devi (Weightlifting)– Silver

Jeremy Lalrinnunga (Weightlifting) — Gold

Achinta Sheuli (Weightlifting) — Gold

Sushila Devi (Judo) — Silver

Vijay Yadav (Judo)– Bronze

Harjinder Kaur (Weighlifting)– Bronze

Women’s Four Team (Lawn Bowls)– Gold

Men’s Team (Table Tennis)– Gold

Vikas Thakur (Weightlifting) — Silver

Mixed Team (Badminton)– Silver

Tulika Mann (Judo) — Silver

Lovepreet Singh (Weightlifting)– Bronze

Saurav Ghoshal (Squash)– Bronze

Gurdeep Singh (Weightlifting)– Bronze

Tejaswin Shankar (High-jump) — Bronze

Murali Sreeshankar (Long jump)– Silver

Sudhir (Power-lifting)– Gold

Anshu Malik (Wrestling)– Silver

Bajrang Punia (Wrestling)– Gold

Sakshi Malik (Wrestling)– Gold

Deepak Punia (Wrestling)– Gold

Divya Kakran (Wrestling)– Bronze

Mohit Grewal (Wrestling)– Bronze

Priyanka Goswami (Women’s 10km race walk)– Silver

Avinash Sable (Men’s 3000m steeplechase) — Silver

India Men’s Team (Lawn Bowls)– Silver

Jaismine Lamboria (Boxing)– Bronze

Pooja Gehlot (Wrestling)– Bronze

Ravi Dahiya (Wrestling)– Gold

Vinesh Phogat (Wrestling) — Gold

Naveen (Wrestling)– Gold

Bhavina Patel (Para table tennis) — Gold

Pooja Sihag (Wrestling)– Bronze

Mohammad Hussamuddin (Boxing)– Bronze

Deepak Nehra (Wrestling) — Bronze

Rohit Tokas (Boxing)– Bronze

Sonalben Patel (Para table tennis)– Bronze

Women’s Team (Hockey)– Bronze

Nitu Ganghas (Boxing)– Gold

Amit Panghal (Boxing) — Gold

Nikhat Zareen (Boxing)– Gold

Eldhose Paul (Men’s Triple Jump) — Gold

Abdulla Aboobacker (Men’s Triple Jump) — Silver

Sandeep Kumar (men’s 10km race walk) — Bronze

Annu Rani (Women’s Javelin Throw) — Bronze

Sharath Kamal/G Sathiyan (Table Tennis) — Silver

Dipika Pallikal/Saurav Ghoshal (Squash)– Bronze

Women’s Team (Cricket) — Silver

Kidambi Srikanth (Badminton)– Bronze

Sharath Kamal/Sreeja Akula (Table tennis)– Gold

Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand (Badminton) — Bronze

Sagar Ahlawat (Boxing) — Silver

PV Sindhu (Badminton)– Gold

Lakhshya Sen (Badminton)– Gold

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty (Badminton)– Gold

Achanta Sharath Kamal (TT)– Gold

Sathiyan Gnanasekaran (TT)- Bronze

Men’s Team (Hockey)– Silver

The post Commonwealth Games 2022 Medals Tally: A Full List Of Indian Medal Winners appeared first on Cricket Country.

Here are the details of the Commonwealth Games 2022 closing ceremony which includes when and where to watch it India.

When CWG 2022 closing ceremony will take place?

The Commonwealth Games 2022 will take place at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium on August 9, 2022, at 12.30 am (IST).

Where you can watch CWG 2022 closing ceremony on TV in India?

You can watch Commonwealth Games 2022 closing ceremony on Sony Six, Sony Ten 2, Sony Ten 3 and Sony Ten 4.

Where you can live stream CWG 2022 closing ceremony online?

You can watch Commonwealth Games 2022 closing ceremony online on Sony Liv app.

Which country will host the next Commonwealth Games?

The next Commonwealth Games 2022 will be held at Melbourne and the Victoria region of Australia in 2026.

Who will be seen performing live in CWG 2022 closing ceremony?

Your Closing Ceremony line-up is here. This is a party you definitely do not want to miss.@JorjaSmith, @ub40official, @mahalia, @DexysOfficial, @lauramvula and more.

Last remaining tickets available at https://t.co/8u2EKSwAjk#B2022 #CommonwealthGames pic.twitter.com/YhvB5drNoI

— Birmingham 2022 (@birminghamcg22) August 8, 2022

You will be going to witness the performance of Apache Indian, Beverley Knight, Dexys, Rambert Goldie, Jacob Banks, Jaykae , Jorja Smith Laura Mvula, Ash, Mahalia, Musical Youth Neelam Gill, Panjabi Mc, Raza Hussain, Talulah, Eve The Selecter and UB40.

The post Commonwealth Games 2022 Closing Ceremony Events, Venue: All You Need To Know appeared first on Cricket Country.