The Indian contingent had a mixed bag on the fifth day of the 2018 Asian Games. While the 15-year-old Shardul Vihan bagged a silver in the men’s double trap shooting event, the men’s Kabaddi team was in for a shock after losing the semi-final’s to Iran. Tennis star Ankita Raina bowed out of the Women’s Singles finals with a bronze.
Though men’s Kabaddi team contributed a bronze to the tally, it was the biggest disappointment of the day. Seven-time champions at the Games, India were defeated 18-27 by ever-improving Iran in the semi-finals.
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It will be the first time that India will not be part of the Asiad Kabaddi final since the sport’s introduction in 1990. “We lost the match due to the captain’s over confidence, injury played a part, and super tackle,” PTI quoted India coach Ram Mehar Singh saying after the defeat.
Vihan, who became India’s youngest ever medal winner at the Asiad, was just one point behind of Korea’s Shin Hyunwoo who won the gold medal (74 points). With no gold medals on Thursday, India slipped to the 10th the spot on the table.
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The medal tally at the end of the day was:
Gold — 4
Silver — 4
Bronze — 10
Total: 18
Elsewhere in Pencak Silat India’s Naorem Boynao Singh defeated Kyrgystan’s Turatbek Sulaimankul Uulu to progress to the quarter-finals.
Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan’s gritty win to enter the men’s doubles final has assured India of a silver. Another tennis medal was assured when world number 161 Prajnesh Gunneswaran outlasted 273rd ranked Kwon Soonwoo of South Korea 6-7 (2 ), 6-4, 7-6 (8) in a marathon quarterfinal lasting almost four hours.
PV Sindhu had to dig deep to down a fighting Vu Thi Trang of Vietnam but Saina Nehwal did not break into any sweat as India’s top two shuttlers advanced to the women’s singles second round.
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In the squash competition as the country’s top-ranked player Saurav Ghosal set up a quarterfinal clash with compatriot Harinder Pal Sandhu in the men’s singles event.
Disappointments
In archery, Deepika Kumari bowed out in recurve archers event while in swimming, national records were shattered but no medals came off the effort. In weightlifting Commonwealth Games, gold-medallist Sathish Sivalingam got injured in the men’s 77kg category competition. Sivalingam’s injury occurred in his attempt of 178 kg in clean and jerk (lifting a total of 314kg).
Indian rowing contingent had a disastrous day, missing out on as many as four medals. Dattu Bhokanal was a major disappointment as he finished sixth and last in the single sculls final, clocking 8:28.56. Indonesia beat India in women’s basketball