10th SAF Games-India wins five Gold medals

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India sweeps Badminton events, wins five Gold medals

Colombo, Aug. 18 (UNI): India made clean sweep at the badminton events of the 10th SAF Games, pocketing five individual Gold besides four Silver medals and a bronze at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium here today.

In the men's singles final, Chetan Anand braved a hamstring pull and beat compatriot Nikhil Kanetkar 21-14, 21-12 to win the Gold. Chetan, put Nikhil into a straitjacket, denying the southpaw any leeway to play his natural aggressive game and won the match with clinical precision.

"I was bit worried with my hamstring but though there was strain, I could move well in the court. Nikhil loves to smash his way to win but today I didn't let him the chance and instead he was at the receiving end of my hits," Chetan said after the match.

"I had come with the belief that it would be a tough match but in the end, everything went smoothly and I'm happy with my show," he added.

In the women's singles, Trupti Murgunde shrugged off the initial inertia to tame compatriot BR Meeenakshi in the summit clash 21-17, 21-14. Meenakshi started with a bang but in the end, had to be satisfied with the Silver medal.

Trupti was trailing 8-15 before she raised her game to equalise, overtake and finally edge out Meenakshi in the first game.

Things were easier for her in the second game and Trupti led right from the beginning and her smash crashed into Meenakshi's body as she won the final point to clinch the Gold.

Trupti admitted initially she was struggling in the middle.

"To be honest, I was not into the game for quite some time and Meenakshi was covering the court well. I was just going with the flow and hardly had any clue about what was going on there. But fortunately I found my rhythm before it was too late and there was no looking back since then," she explained.

Earlier, India won the first Gold in the mixed doubles event where V Diju teamed up with Jwala Gutta to tame the Thomas Kurien-Aparna Balan pair 21-11, 21-13 in yet another all-Indian final.

In the women's doubles final, Jwala teamed up with Shruti Kurien to beat Aparna and Meenakshi 18-21, 23-21, 21-12 to win the Gold medal.

In the men's doubles final, Rupesh Kumar and Thomas Sanave chalked out an effortless 21-16, 21-10 win against the Sri Lankan pair of Tushara Eidiresinghe and Duminda Jayakodi to add to the tally.

In the same event the Indian pair of Akshay Diwalkar and Jishnu Sanyal won the Bronze.

 

I can win 2008 Olympic medal: shuttler Chetan Anand (INTERVIEW)

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali, Indo-Asian News Service

Colombo, Aug 20 (IANS) Ace Indian shutter Chetan Anand, who won the gold at the ongoing South Asian Federation (SAF) Games here, says he is focused on winning a medal at the 2008 Olympic Games and is preparing with that aim in mind.

'My aim and focus is the 2008 Olympic Games, and I can win a medal in Beijing. Even if I don't win gold, any Olympic medal is prestigious,' Chetan told IANS in an interview here.

'Right now, I don't want to look at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. I am concentrating on the 2008 Olympics besides the World Championships and Thomas Cup and other important tournaments that I will play in between,' said the 2003 national title winner.

Currently ranked 25th in the world - the highest for an Indian -- 26-year-old Chetan said he wants to improve his ranking simultaneously.

'I also want to improve my ranking as well as my fitness. I feel if I have to play a few tough matches in week-long tournaments I tend to slow down on the third or fourth day,' he said in a matter-of-fact manner.

Chetan's next test will be the $250,000 Hong Kong Open, a six-star tournament to be played Aug 28-Sep 2, in which he is taking part at his own cost. In October, he plans to take part in the German Open and the Denmark Open.

He will also get opportunities to improve his ranking at the World Championships in Madrid between Sep 18-24. Then there are the 15th Asian Games in Doha, Qatar, in Dec.

But Asian Games are not yet in Chetan's radar. He is, however, looking forward to the brand new Super Series being launched by the International Badminton Federation next year.

'The Super Series is like the Grand Slam of tennis, and it will comprise 12 tournaments spread across the world. It will also carry big prize money. The Super Series calendar will also help players plan their yearly schedules,' he said.

With specific targets in mind, Chetan is trying to improve his game as well as fitness. And for this, he has a clear-cut plan - from training on his own in India to sharpening his skills abroad.

That was a reason Chetan skipped a recent preparatory camp under new national coach Gopi Chand. His decision seems to have created a controversy in India, with some people interpreting Chetan's decision not to train under the former All-England champion due to a clash of egos.

'There are no differences between me and Gopi or between me and BAI (Badminton Association of India). There is no ego involved between us,' he said, seeking to put the controversy to rest.

His wife Jawala Gutta, who won two SAF Games gold medals, also refuted charges of a battle of egos, saying she and Chetan look at Gopi respectfully.

'He calls him 'anna' (elder brother) and I call him 'bhayya' (elder brother). So how can it be an ego problem between us? And he knows me since I was four year old,' she said.

Chetan clarified further: 'It was the first camp that I had skipped since I started playing in 1989. I did it because there were mostly juniors in that camp and there was no point in training with them. Basically, I wanted to train on my own, and on specific areas- like the defence.'

He said he was also planning to train abroad in the near future. 'At times I would like to go abroad for training, and if I attend camps I can't go,' he reasoned.

 

Shuttlers launch India's gold rush

S.R. Suryanarayan


COLOMBO: The gold rush has begun for India in right earnest in the South Asian Games. At the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium, the Indian National anthem echoed as the badminton players did what was expected of them by winning the gold medals in the individual events which concluded on Friday. The team events get underway on Saturday.

First gold


To V. Diju and Jwala Gutta, the mixed doubles pair, went the honour of winning the first gold medal of the Games. They beat teammates Thomas Kurien and Aparna Balan in straight games in what was a scene from the National championship.

The Maharashtra girl Trupti Murugunde then came on to douse B.R. Meenakshi's fight, again in straight games to win the gold medal. Trupti, who is just back from a brief lay-off following illness, was worried that the match should not drag on. "I would not have been able to sustain then," she said, happy that her job was quick and smooth for the gold.

Meenakshi won the silver, Renu Chandrika de Silva (Sri Lanka) and Sumina Shrestha (Nepal) took the bronze.

Equally facile was Chetan Anand's demolition of Nikhil Kanetkar in the final. Chetan had appeared a tad slow in earlier matches but was in complete control for the all-important tie. Gone was the hesitancy or the lax movement. Chetan finished off his job in 24 minutes.

In the process Chetan, like Trupti earlier, successfully defended his title in this regional Games. Nikhil took the silver and Zeshan Umer and Waji Ali Choudhry (both Pakistan) the bronze.

In all India won five gold, four silver and one bronze medal. The lone bronze medal going to Akshay Dewalkar & Jishnu Sanyal as men's doubles semfinalists.

The results (all finals):

Men: Singles: B. Chetan Anand (Ind) bt Nikhil Kanetkar (Ind) 21-14, 21-12; Doubles: Sanave Thomas/ Rupesh Kumar (Ind) bt Thushara Eldirisinghe/ Duminda Jayakody (SL) 21-16, 21-10.

Women: Singles: Trupti Murugunde (Ind) bt B.R. Meenakshi (Ind) 21-17, 21-14; Doubles: Jwala Gutta/ Sruthi Kurien (Ind) bt B.R. Meenakshi/ Aparna Balan (Ind) 18-21, 23-21, 21-12

Mixed doubles: V. Diju/ Jwala Gutta (Ind) bt Thomas Kurien/Aparna Balan (Ind) 21-11, 21-13.

GOLDEN SHOW: Jwala Gutta proudly displays the two gold medals she won — in the women's doubles and mixed doubles events. — PHOTO: PTI