India seek another strong show

Shooters, wrestlers will be aiming to strike it rich again while shuttlers and athletes will be eager to sparkle

The unprecedented success achieved in the last edition would be hard to replicate this time after the dropping of a few disciplines but upbeat after getting back in the Olympic fold, a 215-strong Indian contingent would nonetheless seek a top-five finish in the 20th Commonwealth Games, beginning here on Wednesday.

India finished second behind Australia with a record 101 medal haul in New Delhi four years ago. The Delhi Games triggered an ascent in sports achievements with another record-breaking show in the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou where India won 65 medals. Two years later, the country won six medals in London though a gold eluded them.

In Glasgow, the most realistic target for India would be a third-place finish with the top spot expected to go either to Australia or England.

India will be competing in 14 sports but their chances will be hit hard by the scrapping of archery and tennis from the programme and the reduction in the number of medal events in shooting and wrestling.

The country had won a combined 12 medals from archery and tennis in 2010 while bagging 14 medals from the 18 events dropped this time from shooting. Greco-Roman category in wrestling, from which India won eight medals in 2010, has also been done away with in Glasgow.

With several of the shooters, who had fetched 30 medals in 2010, also not in peak form, India’s medal tally is expected to reduce drastically from the 101 (39, 26, 36) in 2010 and anything above 60 can be considered an achievement.

While England will be battling it out with Australia for the top spot, India and Canada, which has sent a 265-strong team to Glasgow, it’s largest ever for a non-home Commonwealth Games, are expected to fight it out for the third place.

The Indian squad features nearly 30 medal winners of the last Games with the likes of Abhinav Bindra, Gagan Narang, Vijender Singh, Sushil Kumar, Yogeshwar Dutt, Krishna Poonia, Ashish Kumar, Achanta Sharath Kamal set to prove their mettle once again.

In Delhi, shooting had given 30 out of 101 medals India won and this time also, the country would look up to the likes of star marksman Abhinav Bindra, Gagan Narang, Vijay Kumar, Heena Sidhu to deliver, despite the events getting reduced this time.

In wrestling, Olympic medallists Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt will lead the campaign. The duo, though fighting in new weight classes due to tweaking of categories by world governing body FILA, would be looking for gold in 74kg and 65kg respectively.

In hockey, India will have it tough, with the likes of Australia, England and New Zealand figuring in the competition. The Indian men won a silver in 2010 CWG after a humiliating loss to Australia in the final and this time they will have to beat either New Zealand or England in the semifinals, if they reach that stage, to make it to the title round.

In women’s hockey, India will first hope to finish in the top two in their group with higher-ranked New Zealand and South Africa in the fray.

Medals will also be at a premium in athletics, which yielded 12 medals, including two gold, last time. Discus throwers Vikas Gowda, Krishna Poonia and Seema Antil again will be in spotlight while long jumper Mayookha Johny, triple jumper Arpinder Singh and the women’s 4x400 relay team will have to raise their levels.

Despite the pullout of Saina Nehwal India are expected to do well in badminton. P V Sindhu is the highest-ranked shuttler in women’s singles and she can win a gold this time while P Kashyap should win at least a medal if not gold in men’s singles.

Defending women’s doubles champions Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa may also get a medal though it will be tough for the Indian pair.

The loss in athletics may be compensated by weightlifting, as the country’s lifters had done exceedingly well in the Commonwealth Championships in November last year.

Indian boxers may be able to win the same number of seven medals which they bagged in 2010 though they may not match the three-gold tally.

For the first time, women’s boxing will be introduced in the Commonwealth Games in three weight categories — 51kg, 60kg and 75kg.

India should also win at least two medals in table tennis while gymnast Ashish Kumar, who won a silver and a bronze in men’s vault and floor exercise in the last Games in Delhi, will have it tough this time.