FLAVIO LOPES
MAPUSA: Team Goa-India won a whopping 14 medals, including four golds, in the prestigious track and field events held at the on Friday as part of the Lusofonia Games 2014, at the Athletic Stadium, Bambolim, on Friday.
Goa-India won its four gold medals in the Men’s 400 mts, Women’s 100 mts hurdles, Women’s 5000 mts and the Women’s 4×100 mts events. The Sri Lankan athletics squad was next best, winning three golds in the Women’s 400 mts, Men’s Triple Jump and the Men’s 4×100 relay events.
India’s best performances came from Sumit Jagadishkumar Malik who came 1st with a timing of 48.82 secs in Men’s 400 mts race. Anchu Mundananichal Mamachan also put in a power performance to come first in the Women’s 100 mts hurdles race with a timing of 14.21 secs, while Jayashri Shivshankar Boragi powered through the 5000 mts run to win a gold in the event.
Stellar team work by Bhagyashree Nanasaheb Shirke, Kirandeep Gurmit Kaur, Rengitha Chellah and
Neethu Mathew saw the team defeat their nearest rivals by 0.56 seconds with a timing of 47:11 seconds.
Indian women displayed a spectacular team effort to clinch the gold medal in women’s 4×100 relay.
Kirandeep Kaur gave the perfect start and Rengitha Chellah, Bhagyashree Shirke and Neethu Mathew made sure that the country’s flag kept flying high with a timing of 47.11 sec after resisting a tough challenge from second placed Sri Lanka. Macau settled for the bronze medal.
A total of 11 gold medals were at stake today with India claiming four while securing six silver and three bronze medals.
Sri Lanka claimed the gold medal in men’s 4*100m relay with a timing of 41:38sec. India bagged a hard fought silver through the efforts of Ganesh Satpute, Ajith Varghese, Robin Raju and Ritesh Choudhary while Macau settled for the bronze.
In the first event of the day, Women’s 400m, India’s Vijaykumari G (57:19sec) had to be content with the silver medal after Sri Lanka’s Urathna Kumari (56:72) clinched the top spot. Macau’s Leong Ka Man (58:32sec) came third.
Subsequently, all eyes went towards the track as India’s Sumit Malik ran with zeal in the men’s 400m. Sumit secured India’s first gold of the evening with a timing of 48:82sec although his personal best was 47:28sec. Sumit was happy to clinch his first gold of the Games but was disappointed with his timing.
India’s next gold medal came in women’s 100m hurdles with Anchu Mamachan (14:21sec) in first place followed by Witiney Barata of Angola and Silvia Panguana of Mozambique in the second and third spot respectively.
There was stopping for the hosts as Jayashi Borgai kept the momentum going in the women’s 5000m to finish first with a timing of 18:06.70min. India also bagged the silver through Pooja Varde while Angola’s Ernestina Paulino came third.
Zuber Mohamed and Dhiraj Mishra of India came second and third respectively in men’s triple jump after Sri Lanka’s Erand Meregngnage clinched the gold medal.
