Commonwealth Games 2018: Bajrang Punia, Anish Bhanwala win gold, updates

The 15-year-old Anish Bhanwala strikes a gold medal in the 25m rapid fire pistol shooting event at the 21st Commonwealth Games. Hailing from Haryana, Anish Bhanwala smashed the Commonwealth Games record in the final with 30 including four series of 5 each. Earlier, his team-mate Manu Bhaker won the gold medal in 10m air rifle final. 

A dominant Bajrang Punia overpowered his opponents with remarkable ease to claim gold medal in the men's freestyle 65 kg event.

The day starts with Tejaswini Sawant clinching the gold medal in the women's 50m rifle 3 positions. Tejaswini made a new record of 457.9 points to win the title. Indian shooter Anjum Moudgil won silver in the same event. 

The world no 1 shuttler Kidambi Srikanth and ace shuttler Saina Nehwal secure their positions in the semi-finals. 

What a day for Indian boxers! Indian boxers Amit Panghal, Gaurav Solanki and Manish Kaushik entered the finals of their respective freestyle categories, assuring at least two more silver medals for India. 

Giving outstanding performances in the semi- finals, Indian athelete  Neeraj Chopra, Vipin Kashana entered the final of the men's Javelin Throw.

Jinson Johnson reached the finals of 1,500-metre event. 

The men's 4X400m relay team with Jeevan Suresh, Jacob Amoj, Muhammed Anas and Arokia Rajiv qualified for the finals. 

Indian squash players beat Canada's Samantha Cornett and Nikki Todd 7-11, 11-5, 11-9 to reach the semi-finals. 


1. Bajrang Punia wins gold in wrestling: 

The 24-year-old from Haryana, Bajrang Punia dominated the proceedings against Wales' Kane Charig to register an emphatic 10-0 win to claim India's 16th gold medal on the eighth day at the Commonwealth Games.

Bajrang, who won a silver in Glasgow four years ago, was awarded the victory by technical superiority as he didn't give an inch to his opponent.

In fact, such was his dominance that Bajrang won all his bouts today on Technical Superiority as none of his rivals could pose a threat to him.

2. Indian shooter Anish Bhanwala clinches gold medal: 

The 15-year-old boy from Haryana, Anish Bhanwala won gold medal in 25m rapid fire pistol event at the 21st Commonwealth Games. Anish scored 30 points in the finals to finish two points ahead of Australia's Sergei Evglevski. Trained by former player, Jaspal Rana, Anish is India's youngest gold medallist at the Commonwealth Games.

3. Tejaswini Sawant breaks Commonwealth Games record to clinch gold

Tejaswini broke a Commonwealth Games record with a best score of 457.9, clinching the gold medals.  The 37-year-old Tejaswini brought her years of experience into play as she shot 407.3, 417.4, 427.4, 437.4, 447.4 and 457.9 over six series in the finals to clinch her seventh Commonwealth medal. This is India's sixth gold medal in shooting.

4. Anjum Moudgil wins silver in women's 50m Rifle 3 Positions

Anjum clinched the silver medal in women's 50m Rifle 3 positions in the qualification standings with a Commonwealth Games record of 589 points. This is India's second silver from women's 50m Rifle 3 positions. 

5. Indian Boxers qualified for the final

Assuring at least a silver medal at 21st Commonwealth Games, Indian boxers Amit Panghal, Gaurav Solanki, Manish Kaushik, entered the finals. 

Amit Panghal defeated Juma Miiro of Uganda by a unanimous 5:0 verdict in the semi-finals of the men's 49kg category. Gaurav overcame a tough fight from Vidanalange Ishan Bandara of Sri Lanka in the last four stage of the men's 52kg division. Kaushik defeated James McGivern of Ireland in a tough, tactical battle in the men's 60kg semi-finals.

6. Indian wrestlers in finals: 

Indian wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Mausam Khatri entered the finals of their respective freestyle categories. Bajrang came up with an awe inspiring performance to win all his bouts by technical superiority and enter the summit clash of the men's 65 kilogram category in style. Bajrang overpowered Vincent De Marinis of Canada in the semi-finals. Khatri entered the final of the men's 97kg category.

7. Boxer Naman Tanwar wins bronze in 91kg category

The 19-year-old youngster from India clinches bronze medal in the 91kg boxing event. Naman Tanwar's open guarded stance had him in trouble from the start. 

8. Kidami Srikanth storms into semi-finals

The world no 1 Kidambi Srikanth stormed into the badminton men's singles semi-finals of the 21st Commonwealth Games, thrashing Singapore's Zin Rei Ryan in straight games. Srikanth didn't sweat much in thrashing the Singaporean 21-15, 21-12 at the Carrara Sports Arena.

World No. 1 will face England's Rajiv Ouseph in the semi-final on Saturday. 

9. Manika Batra and Mouma Das qualified for finals

Indian paddlers Manika Batra and Mouma Das stormed into the final of the women's doubles competition. Manika and Mouma yet again proved their dominance on the table with a 3-0 (11-4, 11-6, 11-5) thrashing of Malaysian pair of Ying Ho and Karen Lyne in the first semi-final. Manika and Mouma will face the Singaporean duo of Tianwei Feng and Mengyu Yu in the gold medal match, later on Friday.

10. Saina Nehwal cruises through semi-finals

London bronze medallist  Saina Nehwal thrashed Canada's Rachel Honderich to cruise through to the women's singles semi-finals. World no 12 dominated the match from the start, defeated her opponent by 21-8, 21-13. Saina will next face World No 18 Kirsty Gilmour of Scotland in the semi-final on Saturday

11. Indian badminton players Satwik Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty in men's doubles semi-finals

India's Satwik Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty stormed into the badminton men's doubles semi-finals with a 21-14, 15-21, 21-9 win over Malaysia's Peng Soon Chan and Soon Huat Goh, at the 21st Commonwealth Games. Satwik and Chirag started strongly in the opening game which lasted for 15 minutes but lost focus in the second game, as the Malaysian duo squared it 1-1 in 19 minutes.

12. Ashwini Ponnappa and N.Sikki Reddy in semi-finals

India's Ashwini Ponnappa and N.Sikki Reddy entered the semi-finals of badminton women's doubles. Ashwini and Sikki, the lone Indian pair in the quarters, comfortably thrashed the Sri Lankan pair of Hasini Ambalangodage and Madushika Dilrukshi Beruwelage 21-11, 21-13 in a match that lasted merely 26 minutes.

13. Athletes Rakesh, Irfan sent home for suspected doping

Indian athletes Rakesh Babu and K.T. Irfan have been sent home form the ongoing Commonwealth Games (CWG) here for breaching the 'no-needles' policy of the Commonwealth Games Federation. The CGF acted on a complaint made by the its medical commission on Thursday against members of the Indian squad competing at the Commonwealth Games.

According to the CGF, a needle has been found in the living quarters of the two athletes in the games village. The needle was reportedly found by a cleaner in a cup on the bedside table in a bedroom occupied by Irfan and Babu. The duo have thus been sent home with immediate effect for suspected doping.

The world no 1 shuttler Kidambi Srikanth and ace shuttler Saina Nehwal secure their positions in the semi-finals.