Taufiq defenses it by backhand in World Championship 2006

Saina praises performance of Jwala, Aswani at CWG

Saina Nehwal believes that the 'golden performance' of the Indian badminton team in the recently-held Delhi Commonwealth Games should be a huge morale booster for the next months' Asian Games in China. "This is an unbelievable performance, especially given the fact that not many have given us a chance in the women's doubles. Hats off to the doubles pair of Jwala and Aswani for their magnificent performance," she commented on arrival along with her teammates here on Saturday after a successful campaign in the Games.

The badminton players were given a warm reception on their arrival. However, the officials of the AP Olympic Association and the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh were not there to receive the players.

'No doubt, Asian Games is a totally different proposition with the Chinese and the Indonesians taking part. But going into that with the gold in your kitty should make you confident, if not complacent," India's best woman shuttler remarked.

Twenty-year-old Saina, who clinched the women's singles gold on the final day to help India finish second overall in the standings of the Games, is delighted that her victory contributed to India's medal tally. "Yes, there was pressure being the last gold at stake for India. But, once I was on the court, the whole focus was on my game and I was not thinking about anything else," she recalled. "It was obviously the most memorable fight back in my career and I am happy that I could win the gold eventually holding off a spirited challenge from the Malaysian girl," she explained. "I won't say I was surprised by Mew Choo Wong's game in the final but this should be expected in an international competition and also a reminder that no match is won till it is actually clinched in any event," she pointed out.

Jwala Gutta and Aswani Ponappa, the women's doubles pair which clinched the gold, are equally delighted. 'It has been a fabulous week in Delhi. We defied all odds and surprised many with our gold," remarked Jwala. "The understanding between us was amazing and I should reiterate that Ashwani played much better than many would have expected. She is a fantastic player and never really showed any nerve in the final," Jwala pointed out.

Referring to her adverse comments on BAI president B. K. Varma, Jwala said she was only expressing her regret at not being congratulated on winning the doubles and that she did not say anything more. "Even now I am yet to get a congratulatory message from him," she moaned.

Commonwealth Games - badminton - Men's Singles - Y.Z.A.Chen vs C.W.Lee - Quarter final - part 1/2

Commonwealth Games - badminton - Men's Singles - Y.Z.A.Chen vs C.W.Lee - Quarter final - part 2/2

Skybadminton

Lee Chong Wei Gold in Men's Single -Kien Keat nets a hat-trick of golds as Malaysia win in three finals

Skybadminton : Malaysians in Commonwealth Badminton ! Hit the SkY!

KOO Kien Keat turned up a super-charged performance to earn a historic breakthrough for Malaysia in Commonwealth Games badminton at the Siri Fort Sports Complex yesterday.

Kien Keat hit the jackpot in his maiden mixed doubles partnership with Chin Eei Hui and they nailed the only gold medal to elude by beating top seeds Nathan Robertson-Jenny Wallwork of England 22-20, 21-12 in 36 minutes.

Kien Keat returned to the court barely two hours later to bag the men’s doubles gold medal. Partnering Tan Boon Heong, they beat Robertson-Anthony Clark 21-19, 21-14.

The unseeded Kien Keat-Eei Hui had taken a comfortable 19-14 lead in the first game but allowed Robertson-Wallwork to grab six consecutive points.

Kien Keat covered well for the error-prone Eei Hui and he single-handedly won the next three points to take the tight first game.

There was some early resistance from Robertson-Wallwork in the second game but they were resigned to taking silver after Kien Keat-Eei Hui collected nine straight points to lead 17-8.

There were no display of emotional joy, knowing the gold was already in the bag, even after Robertson sent the shuttle wide at the baseline, to hand the match and the gold to Kien Keat-Eei Hui.

However, Kien Keat was aware of the significance of the mixed doubles triumph.

“The schedule has been taxing but we were only one match from the gold and I was all pumped up today,” he said.

“We were very tensed in the opening minutes and we conceded easy points.

“They were keeping me away from the net as it was our strong point.

“But we were patient and I am glad that it paid off.”

The three gold medals won by Kien Keat in Delhi, the other from the mixed team competition, made him the most successful Malaysian athlete at the 19th Commonwealth Games.

Eei Hui will be delighted to improve on the silver medal she earned in her outing in the mixed doubles at the 2002 Manchester Games with Chew Choon Eng, which was until yesterday the best Malaysia effort in the event.

Doubles coach Rexy Mainaky said they knew that the key to success for Kien Keat-Eei Hui was to pile on the pressure on Wallwork.

“She gets tense under attack and with her making mistakes, Robertson’s concentration was affected. It worked in our favour today,” he said.

Wallwork praised Kien Keat for his performance.

“We could not keep up with the pace. Koo is a fantastic player. He is very strong and creative.

He played the best I’ve seen him play,” she said.

THE GOLDEN PATHS

KOO KIEN KEAT-CHIN EEI HUI
(mixed doubles)

First round: Saheer Ramrakha-Foo Kune (Mri) 21-10, 21-16
Second round: Kieran Merrilees- Kirsty Gilmour (Sco) 21-7, 21-14
Third round: Toby Ng-Grace Gao (Can) 21-7, 21-16
Quarter-finals: Valiyaveetil Diju-Jwala Gutta (Ind) 21-13, 21-19
Semi-finals: Triyachart Chayut-Yao Lei (Sin) 19-21, 21-16, 21-18
Final: Nathan Robertson-Jenny Wallwork (Eng) 22-20, 21-12

LEE CHONG WEI (men’s singles)

First round: bye
Second round: Alex Pang (Can) 21-11, 21-10
Third round: Juma Muwowo (Zam) 21-9, 21-9
Quarter-finals: Ashton Chen (Sin) 21-13, 21-11
Semi-finals: Chetan Anand (Ind) 21- 11, 21-12;
Final: Rajiv Ouseph (Eng) 21-10, 21-8

KOO KIEN KEAT-TAN BOON HEONG
(men’s doubles)

First round: bye
Second round: Joe Morgan-James Phillips (Wal) 21-11, 21-18
Quarter-finals: Oliver Leydon-Davis- Henry Tam (Nzl) 21-16, 21-13
Semi-finals: Hendri Kurniawan Saputra- Hendra Wijaya (Sin) 21-11, 21-8
Final: Nathan Robertson-Anthony Clark (Eng) 21-19, 21-14

Commonwealth Games India and England Burst the Season 2010

New Delhi, Oct 14 (IANS) India won 100 medals at the Commownealth Games, its higest in the Games' history, and battle is on with England for the second spot in the overall medals table on the concluding of the biggest sporting event the country has hosted since the Asian Games in 1982.

A gold in badminton women's doubles from Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa, a silver in men's hockey and two bronze from table tennis Thursday took the medal count to 100 and one more medal, possibly gold, is expected from Saina Nehwal in badminton singles before the curtains come down on the Games that started with a spectacular opening ceremony on Oct 3.

The Indian gold count at 1400 hours IST was 37. With 27 silver and 36 bronze the total was 100.

Hours before the end of the Games, India and England were in close race for the second spot on the medals table as both had 37 gold. England, however, have more silver -- 58 to India's 27 -- and 45 bronze.

While Jwala and Ashwini just took 39 minutes to pack off Singapore's top-seeded duo Yao Lei and Sari Shinta Mulia 21-16, 21-19, the men's hockey squad were thrashed by world champion Australia in the final of the event 0-8.

Jwala and Ashwini received a standing ovation from the packed hall at the Siri Fort Complex for their splendid showing in the finals.

However, the men's hockey team were no match to Australia who scored four goals in the first half and an equal number in the second.

The Indian men could not score a single goal despite the thousands of spectators -- led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh himself -- at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium cheering them on.

Singh was at the stadium at the start of the match and was seated in the VIP enclosure along with many hockey greats.

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, Home Minister P. Chidambaram, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal and CWG Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi were also present at the venue.

The bronze came from Mouma Das and Poulomi Ghatak in the table tennis doubles. They beat Peri Campbell-Innes and Vivian Tan (AUS) 11-4, 11-7, 11-1 at the Yamuna Sports Complex on Thursday. The second bronze was won by Sharath Kamal in an all-Indian battle. He beat Soumyadeep Roy 11-8, 11-5, 12-10, 11-9.

The curtain comes down on the Games later Thursday with a laser show. While the opening ceremony showcased cultural diversity, the closing will highlight contemporary India.

Saina wins singles gold, India finish second

Women shuttlers led by singles title—favourite Saina Nehwal provided India with a golden double to pilot the country to a historic second—place finish in the Commonwealth Games that ended here today.

Saina rallied brilliantly from a first—game loss to put it across Mew Choo Wong of Malaysia 19—21 23—21 21—13 in the women’s singles final after Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa had captured the doubles crown.

The men’s hockey team crashed to a humiliating 0—8 defeat against world and defending champions Australia in the final, but the two—gold final flourish in badminton enabled India to rise to the second spot in the medals tally with 38 gold, 27 silver and 36 bronze medals.

England, ahead of India going into the last day of the Games, finished in third place with a total haul of 37—59—45 while Australia ended up in the top position with a huge heist of 74—54—48.

The push for the second spot on the concluding day was started by Jwala and Ashwini. The duo overwhelmed Singapore’s Sari Shanti Mulia and Yao Lei in straight games to become India’s first women’s doubles pair to win a gold medal in badminton.

The second—seeded Indian pair subdued their top—seeded rivals 21—16 21—19 by combining attack and defense in the right mixture in front of the packed crowd at the Siri Fort complex.

Then came Saina’s crucial gold—winning effort that pushed the country ahead of England, in their bitter fight for the runner—up position in the Games.

The hosts clinched another medal, a bronze, in table tennis when Poulomi Ghatak and Mouma Das prevailed in the women’s doubles bronze medal play—off against Australian duo Tan Zed Vivian and Peri Campbell—Innes.

But in men’s hockey gold medal—deciding clash, the Indian team suffered one of their worst—ever defeats in front of a huge crowd that included Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

High—flying India were brought down to earth rudely and ruthlessly by Australia who dished out a clinical display to spank the hosts in a totally lopsided summit clash.

The Indians, who had pipped England in a thrilling penalty shoot—out in the semis two days ago to make their maiden entry into the final, came up with a rather pathetic show when it mattered most and had to be content with the silver medal.

The capacity crowd at the national stadium were left heart—broken as the hosts conceded goals with embarrassing ease in the summit showdown.

The sweltering conditions had no effect on Australia’s performance as they proved too strong for the erstwhile Asian giants and completely outplayed the hosts with their power hockey.

Keywords: Saina Nehwal, Commonwealth Games

Nehwal wins badminton women's singles gold

Skybadminton
Top seed Saina Nehwal became the first women Indian shuttler to win a gold medal in the Commonwealth Games after a grueling three-game victory over Malaysian Mew Choo Wong in the individual badminton event here today. World number three Saina bounced back from a game down to battle past Wong 19-21

23-21 21-13 in a nerve-wrecking 70-minute title clash in the women's singles amid the continuous cheering from the vociferous crowd at the Siri Fort Sports Complex.

Aparna Popat won a silver in women's singles at Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games in 1998, while Prakash Padukone was the first Indian to win a gold at the 1978 Edmonton edition, followed by Syed Modi, the last shuttler to win a gold in the quadrennial event in 1982 Brisbane Games.

In the first game, Saina found it difficult to judge the shuttle and lost few points at the forecourt and nets to see the game slip out of her hands after she trailed 8-11 at the break.

But the Indian came back strongly in the second. Saina started playing more cross shots and kept pushing the shuttle at the back in the long rallies to come back from a 0-2 deficit to lead 14-10.

But Wong narrowed the gap and wrested the lead at 21-10 before the Indian closed the game with two more points to roar back into the contest.

In the decider, Saina employed a similar strategy and kept her rival away from the nets and used her deceptive drops and tosses to lead 11-7. She consolidated on her lead as Wong's game crumbled.

The Malaysian kept hitting the shuttle out of the court and hit the nets in the final point as Saina burst into tears and run into her mentor Pullela Gopichand's arms.

Commonwealth Games 2010: India beat England to second

BBC to Skybadminton Today !

England were beaten to second place in the Commonwealth Games medals table by India at the very last opportunity as the 2010 Games in Delhi closed.

Saina Nehwal's badminton victory handed India their 38th gold medal, one more than England's tally of 37, as English badminton players lost three finals.

Australia topped the medals table at a canter, winning 74 gold medals.

Scotland's nine golds placed them 10th, Northern Ireland's three boxing titles earned them 13th, and Wales came 15th.

Both England and India had three more strong chances to add further gold medals to their tallies on Thursday, as the race for second place went down to the wire.

COMMONWEALTH MEDALS TABLE Gold medals and total medals won: 1. Australia 74 gold, 177 overall 2. India 38, 101 3. England 37, 142 4. Canada 26, 75 5. South Africa 12, 33 10. Scotland 9, 26 13. Northern Ireland 3, 10 10. Wales 2, 19

Once India had lost the men's hockey final - defeated 8-0 by Australia - the remaining gold medal possibilities for the two nations lay at the Delhi badminton court, where Malaysians played a vital role in shaping the medals table.

English duo Nathan Robertson and Jenny Wallwork lost to Malaysia's Koo Kien Keat and Chin Eei Hui in the mixed doubles final, before English number one male singles star, Rajiv Ouseph, was defeated in that event by Malaysian defending champion Lee Chong Wei.

India's Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Machimanda won the women's doubles badminton title, which drew the host nation level with England at 37 golds apiece, while Robertson and Anthony Clark missed another gold medal when they lost to Koo and Malaysian men's doubles partner Tan Boon Heong.

In the final action of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, Nehwal overcame another Malaysian in her women's singles final - coming from behind to defeat Wong Mew Choo 19-21 23-21 21-13 - and, with that, India reached 38 gold medals and second place.

Had Nehwal lost her final, England would have taken second place by virtue of silver medals, of which the English had 59 to India's 27.

Third on the table is exactly where we wanted to be  Craig Hunter Team England chef de mission

"We thought that India, with home Games advantage, would be significantly ahead of us, and we're proud of the fact that we have got to the wire with them," said Craig Hunter, Team England's chef de mission.

"Our medal tally here is higher than it was in Melbourne 2006, although it's difficult to do like-by-like comparisons because sports are different.

"But there's no doubt our team has been enormously successful, and to be third on the table is exactly where we wanted to be.

"We have missed some of our stars who haven't come out, but I think that's not what it's about, it's about those who did come out here and achieve."

The hosts finish the 2010 Commonwealth Games with 101 medals overall while England garnered 141, 36 behind leaders Australia.

England's badminton players could only win silver medals

Scotland's competitors contributed 10 silver and seven bronze medals to their overall tally of 26, with Scottish gold-medal successes including the mixed doubles tennis, several shooting titles and David Millar's cycling time trial gold.

Northern Irish boxers Paddy Barnes, Paddy Gallacher and Eamonn O'Kane were solely responsible for their country's 13th-place finish after each won gold in the ring on Wednesday.

Their compatriots added three silver and four bronze medals to the tally, enough to propel Northern Ireland above Samoa, who also won three golds.

Northern Ireland would have placed 12th but for Chrystalleni Trikomiti, who moved Cyprus above them in the table with victory in rhythmic gymnastics' ribbon event on Thursday, the Cypriots' fourth gold of the Games.

Wales won a total of 19 medals, including two gold, seven silver and 10 bronze.

Welsh competitors won two Commonwealth titles, lawn bowler Robert Weale's gold medal on the penultimate day of the Games adding to Dai Greene's 400m hurdles win.

The Isle of Man placed 31st having won four medals - two silver and two bronze - tied with Tonga and Mauritius.

Sania Won GOLD in Commonwelth Badminton Today ! Sania won the women Single Final Badminton ..Hurrahhh

The country's competitors came out with flying colours and helped India finish a historic second in the final pecking order with more than 100 medals as the Commonwealth Games, that had a troubled build-up but proceeded smoothly thereafter, came to a close on Thursday.

A record medal haul of 38 gold, 27 silver and 36 bronze medals, the best-ever harvest for the country in the Games history, helped India climb to the record-high second position and end the multi-discipline event on a thumping note.

The main haul of these 101 medals came from the shooting range, wrestling mat, boxing ring, archery range and, to everyone's surprise, the track and field events, to provide the country with a reasonably strong sports foundation on which to build a more powerful edifice on.

The country had several highs and a number of sports heroes and heroines in the 12-day sports festival that commenced with a spectacular opening ceremony on October 3.

Badminton woe for England in Commonwealth 2010 games

Nathan Robertson and Jenny Wallwork had to settle for Commonwealth silver in the mixed doubles after a one-sided defeat to Malaysian duo Koo Kien Kiet and Chin Eei Hui.

The top seeds saw their gold medal hopes evaporate as they were beaten 22-20 21-12 in just 36 minutes at the Siri Fort Complex.

Kiet and Hui edged ahead towards the end of a tight first game and took the advantage in the match when Robertson smashed into the net at a crucial time.

The Malaysian pair then took full control in the second game and went on to round out victory by taking it 21-12.

"Unfortunately we couldn't keep up with them today. I have never seen them play like that," Wallwork said.

Ouseph beaten

England's Rajiv Ouseph also failed in his bid for singles badminton gold as he was comfortably defeated by Malaysia's world number one Chong Wei Lee.

After his early lead was pegged back, Ouseph never threatened to challenge the 27-year-old, who won the first game in just 12 minutes.

Lee continued his domination in the second game as his unstoppable form carried him to a 21-10 21-8 victory in only 26 minutes.

Ouseph said: "Obviously I knew going into the match he was going to be the favourite so I was just trying to enjoy it as much as possible which was a bit difficult as he was controlling most of it. But I am happy overall with my Games."

The final chance for England to secure a badminton gold on Thursday also slipped away as Robertson and Anthony Clark were beaten in the men's doubles final.

It was another Malaysian partnership, Kien Keat Koo and Boon Heong Tan, who emerged as 21-19 21-14 winners in 37 minutes.

Saina Nehwal then took the women's singles title and in the process helped India edge out England in the race for second spot in the overall medals table.

Jones wins silver

There was silver for Wales in the rhythmic gymnastics as Francesca Jones finished second behind Malaysian Elaine Koon in the hoop final.

"This will change my future in a good way. Right now I just have to concentrate on my next two routines. I will appreciate this win much more later," she said.

England's netball team easily saw off Jamaica 71-47 to clinch a bronze medal, with goal shooter Louisa Brownfield starring in the victory. New Zealand claimed the gold after beating rivals Australia in the final.

Elsewhere, Kenya continued their success in the athletics events as John Kelai and Irene Jerotich Kosgei took gold in the men's and women's marathons respectively.

Kelai took a comfortable victory in the men's race as he clocked a time of 2 hours 14 minutes 35 seconds to finish almost a minute ahead of Australia's Michael Shelley.

In the women's event, Kosgei came out on top in a battle with compatriot Irene Mogake to take victory in 2:34:32.

In the final of the men's hockey, the host nation were disappointed as world champions Australia thrashed India 8-0 to claim their fourth Commonwealth title in a row.

Wilson-Smith breaks Australia's badminton medal drought

South Australia's Kate Wilson-Smith paired with He Tian Tang to win Australia's first Commonwealth Games medal in Badminton in 12 years.
The pair claimed the Doubles Women bronze medal in a closely fought match between England's Jenny Wallwork and Gabby White last night at the Siri Fort Sports Complex.
It is the first medal Australia has won in the sport in the Commonwealth Games since they won two bronze at the Kuala Lumpur Games in 1998.
For Kate Wilson-Smith, it was a perfect pay off for her personal commitment of taking 14 months of leave-without-pay from her job to ensure she was in peak condition for the Games.
"I eat, I sleep, I train ... there's not a lot of luxuries in my life," Kate said of her training regime before she left for Delhi.
The bronze medal play off did not go without a little controversy, after an English player was shown a yellow card for arguing with the chair umpire about a disputed line call.
After losing the first set, Australia won the bronze in the final.
A late third set comeback from the English pair unable to be converted in a result.
The final score 21-23, 21-12, 21-16.