NEW DELHI: India on Monday enjoyed one of its best days at the Commonwealth Games with six medals in total, with Sharmila Dhankar making history after becoming the country’s first ever para-athletics gold medallist. On Day 5 of the event, she won the women’s F57 shot put title with a season’s best throw of 9.81m, ending India’s 20-year wait for a medal in para-athletics at the Games. Category F57 is for athletes with lower body disabilities, leg disabilities or reduced muscle strength. Shilpa K. Shyla bagged bronze in the women’s shot put F57 event.The celebrations continued in athletics where Sarvesh Kushare became the first Indian to win a silver medal in the men’s high jump. The national record holder cleared 2.25m and narrowly missed out on gold on countback after tying Jamaica’s Romaine Beckford. AdarshRam finished fifth, while Tejaswin Shankar withdrew early as a precaution before the decathlon.
Weightlifters continue their medal rush
Weightlifting once again delivered for India. Valluri Ajaya Babu won silver in the men’s 79kg event after finishing just one kilogram behind Malaysia’s Erry Hidayat Muhammad in a thrilling contest. Gyaneshwari Yadav also claimed silver in the women’s 53kg category with career-best lifts, while Bindyarani Devi added a bronze in the 58kg class, taking India’s weightlifting medal tally to six.
Boxers thrived, mixed fortunes elsewhere
Indian boxing also had a productive day as Sachin Siwach, Ankush and Sakshi Chaudhary advanced to the quarterfinals with convincing wins, though Sumit went out after narrow defeats.There were also disappointments. Sprinter Gurindervir Singh failed to qualify for the 100m semifinals, while hurdler Tejas Shirse finished last in the 110m hurdles final after battling injury. “In the warm-up, I suffered a Navicular stress fracture in my left leg. I didn’t want to pull so I told my physio to tape it,” Shirse told news agency PTI. “I am the first Indian to qualify for the 110m hurdles final at the CWG, so I don’t want to let the whole country down (by pulling out),” he added. Swimming also brought some success, with Sajan Prakash, Aryan Nehra and para-swimmer Swatik Patil finishing outside the medals.