Marrakech (Morocco): Paralympic Games silver medallist high jumper Nishad Kumar set a new Asian record while Neeraj Yadav set a new National Record on his way to gold in the Marrakech Para Athletics Grand Prix in Morocco. On the final day, Neeraj won the gold medal in the discus throw F55/56 category as India ended the prestigious meet with 19 medals -- eight gold, eight silver and three bronze medals. Nishad won silve and set the new record in the process. Ajeet Kumar won gold in the javelin throw F46 category while compatriot and two-time Paralympic gold medallist Devendra Jhajaria won silver. Ramsinghbhai Govindbhai won gold in long jump T42 as did Vinay Kumar Lal in men's 400m T20/35/36/44 as did Deepthi Jeevanji in women's 400m T-13/20/37. Sprinter Shiek Abdul Kadhar won the 100m T46 race while Neeraj Yadav also topped the Discus Throw F56. Hokato Sema won silver in shotput F57 while Ajit Kumar Panchal won silver in the Discus F52 category. Anil Kumar (100m T54), Shailesh Kumar (Long Jump T42) and Mohd Yasser (Shot put F42/43/44/46) also won silver medals. Ranjeet Bhati (Javelin F57), Fathima Khatoon (Discus F56) and Shailesh Kumar (High Jump T42/47). Nearly 120 track and field medal events were conducted at the Grand Stadium de Marrakech with plenty of local stars to watch. This was the first time in the history of para-athletics, Morocco hosted a World Para Athletics Grand Prix.
—IANS&nbsp;

Paralympic Games silver medallist high jumper Nishad Kumar set a new Asian record while Neeraj Yadav set a new National Record on his way to gold in the Marrakech Para Athletics Grand Prix in Morocco.

 Indian athletes shine in Marrakech Para Athletics Grand Prix with 19 medals

Athletics

New Delhi: Indian athletes expressed their elation at being honoured by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for their superlative showing at Birmingham Commonwealth Games with Nikhat Zareen gifting him her boxing gloves and sprinter Hima Das giving the traditional Assamese gamocha. Modi, on Saturday, hosted the Indian contingent at his residence to felicitate the players. The Indian athletes produced a sensational show in Birmingham, claiming 61 medals, including 22 gold, 16 silver and 23 bronze. "Honoured to gift the boxing gloves signed by all the pugilists to our honourable Prime Minister @narendramodi sir. Thank you for this amazing opportunity. A great day spent with my fellow athletes who have made the country proud," Nikhat tweeted. The star boxer, world championship gold medallist, won the yellow metal in her weight category at the Games. Hima wrote on her Twitter handle, "Elated to receive blessings from our honourable Prime Minister - Shri @narendramodi Ji, by virtue of Commonwealth Games 2022. Fortunate to have presented him with our traditional gamcha, wrapped with immense gratitude from all of Assam." Champion weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, who won the gold medal without breaking a sweat, a year after her historic silver at the Tokyo Olympics, thanked the PM for his words of encouragement. "Honoured to meet &amp; interact with our Honourable Prime Minister @narendramodi Sir. Thank you so much sir for all your support &amp; encouragement. Jai Hind," Chanu said. The golden period of Indian sports is knocking on the door, said the prime minister as he hailed the fine show of the Indian contingent. "Thank You Sir for sparing your valuable time and inviting us over to your residence. It was like always a delight to speak with you," wrote shuttler Chirag Shetty on the microblogging site. His young badminton colleague Lakshya Sen, who won the men's singles title in spectacular fashion, too expressed his gratitude at being honoured by the PM. "What a great day for all the Athletes #gratitude. Thank you so much Sir for appreciating our hard work and for your words of encouragement. We are all very grateful for your support. Will continue to make our nation proud. Jai Hind!" Sen tweeted. Star Indian para table tennis player Bhavina Patel, who won the gold medal in the women's singles class 3-5, called the interaction with Modi motivating. "Meeting Hon. PM @narendramodi ji once again, interacting with him and seeking blessing was motivating and inspiring as always. His keen interest in our performances and detailed conversations are very gratifying!" Bhavina said. After the felicitation programme, the prime minister said the "CWG 2022 will always be remembered for memorable performances and diversifying our pursuit for excellence.&nbsp;
—PTI

Indian athletes expressed their elation at being honoured by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for their superlative showing at Birmingham Commonwealth Games with Nikhat Zareen gifting him her boxing gloves and sprinter Hima Das giving the traditional Assamese gamocha.

Nikhat gifts PM Modi boxing gloves, Hima gives traditional gamocha

New Delhi: The 2022 CommonwealthGames in Birmingham was a huge success for India and athletics was one such discipline which gave fans opportunities to celebrate record-breaking moments.
As expected, India experienced a medal rush in boxing, wrestling, weightlifting, badminton and table tennis in CWG. However, the one field which helped shoot up the country's medal tally was athletics .
At Gold Coast 2018, India could only manage three medals in the discipline. But this time around, India's athletes set new benchmark, winning eight medals, including one gold, four silver and three bronze, which augurs well for next year's Asian Games and the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
The performances in track and field by youngsters like steeplechaser Avinash Sable, triple jumpers Eldhose Paul and Abdulla Aboobacker, walkers Priyanka Goswami and Sandeep Kumar, javelin thrower Annu Rani, long jumper Murali Sreeshankar and high jumper Tejaswin Shankar were heartening which stole the show.
The undoubted star for India in track and field in Birmingham was Avinash Sable, who challenged the Kenyan hegemony in the 3000m steeplechase, finishing second, losing the gold medal by 500th of a second.
Abraham Kibiwot, the gold medallist, presented a brave front but it was sure he had his heart in his mouth for a few seconds as Sable made a late charge to the finish line, virtually hanging onto the Kenyan runner's shoulder as he crossed the finishing line.
It was tactically a brilliant race as Sable broke to the front early and forced the Kenyans to speed up and exert energy early so as to keep ahead and thus, they could not produce a strong finishing kick.
Sable found some hidden reserves somewhere in his body and produced a deadline finishing kick. His timing of 8:11.20 is a new personal best and the national record while Kibiwot took gold in 8:11.15 with his compatriot Amos Serem taking the bronze in 8:16.83.
Eldhose Paul, who led a 1-2 finish in triple jump, was the other big gain for India from track and field, one who could be further groomed into a medal winner at Paris. He hopped, skipped and jumped into history books as India's first gold medallist in the triple jump.
Prior to this, the silver won by Mohinderpal Singh Gill in 1974 was India's best finish in triple jump. Paul had the best effort of 17.03 metres for gold while his compatriot Abdulla Aboobacker finished with 17.02 to take the silver. India's Praveen Chithravel finished fourth, narrowly missing the bronze medal.
"I am happy that the national anthem was playing and the first two athletes were from India. I felt proud. We were already preparing for CWG and Asian Games. The World Championships gave us an experience that benefitted us. Neeraj Chopra's gold (in Tokyo 2020 Olympics) changed our mentality,'' Paul said after returning from Birmingham.
In men's long jump, Murali Sreeshankar won the first-ever silver medal for India in the event. His jump of 8.08 metres was equal to that of gold winner Laquan Nairn, but Sreeshankar had to settle for silver as Nairn had made the jump in his second attempt while the Indian nailed it in his fifth.
Sandeep Kumar, who won bronze in men's 10km race walk, did it with a personal best timing, while Priyanka Goswami took the silver in the women's event, shattering the national record with a personal best timing of 43:38.83.
By clinching the bronze, Annu Rani won a first-ever medal for India in women's javelin throw at CWG.
Tejaswin Shankar's bronze in men's high jump was another big achievement for Indian athletes in the marque event.
Around one year ago, Neeraj Chopra's gold at the Tokyo Olympics gave Indian athletics a new lease of life. It changed the mentality of Indian athletes and gave them a new identity at the global level.
Going by India's credible show at CWG 2022, one can say that the success in Birmingham could be the beginning of a new era in athletics for India.
There are many major events, including next year's Asian Games, where India can perform well and announce itself as an upcoming athletics powerhouse. The top performance in these events will also be a massive boost for their confidence ahead of the much-awaited 2024 Paris Olympics.
However, Indian athletes will have to be careful about their fitness and recovery, which has hampered the country's progress for a long time. They will also have to take care of the doping issue.
All said, the upswing has already begun and it will, hopefully, result in greater achievements in the near future.&nbsp;
—IANS

The 2022 CommonwealthGames in Birmingham was a huge success for India and athletics was one such discipline which gave fans opportunities to celebrate record-breaking moments.

 Birmingham 2022 successes could mark the start of a new era in Indian athletics

Birmingham: Canada won the gold medal in the women’s 4x400m relay at the Commonwealth Games 2022 after England were disqualified from the race under controversial circumstances.England’s 4 x 400m women’s quartet including Jessie Knight, Ama Pipi, Jodie Williams and Victoria Ohuruogu disqualified due to a lane infringement. Team England Athletics did not appeal the DQ decision, after reviewing the footage they said that there was an acceptance that an appeal would have had no grounds.After the disqualification, the Canadian team, including Natassha McDonald, Aiyanna Stiverne, Micha Powell and Kyra Constantine awarded gold medal while Jamaica take silver and team Scotland win the bronze medal.The England team felt that they had clinched victory by one thousandth of a second ahead of Canada’s Constantine. However, to their dismay, the judges noticed that Williams’ foot had strayed over the lane on the first changeover with Ohuruogu. Hence, they took the decision to disqualify England.Earlier England defended the men’s 4x100m title at the Commonwealth Games on Sunday while its women’s relay team finished second and bagged silver medal in the same event.The England men’s team of Jona Efoloko, Zharnel Hughes, Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake and Ojie Edoburun claimed the victory comfortably in 38.85 seconds, 0.35 seconds ahead of second-placed Trinidad and Tobago. Nigeria finished third in 38.81 seconds.—IANS

Canada won the gold medal in the women’s 4x400m relay at the Commonwealth Games 2022 after England were disqualified from the race under controversial circumstances.

 CWG 2022: Canada win gold after England disqualified from women's 4x400m relay

Birmingham:&nbsp;India would have won a gold medal in long jump at the 2022 Commonwealth Games here but for a laser-equipped take-off board that twice flagged Murali Sreeshankar by extremely narrow margins for crossing the line and committing a foul.Earlier, the take-off board was monitored manually with an official sitting close to the board and raising a red or white flag to declare whether a jumper had transgressed the line and committed a foul or electronically.With titles decided by a margin of centimetres, overstepping the line could turn out to be an advantage, World Athletics has recently introduced a digital take-off board in which a laser beam acts like the take-off line. Thus interrupting or breaking that laser beam could result in the jumper’s effort being declared a foul.“The laser beam is very sensitive and could be triggered by an athlete’s foot overstepping by even a millimetre. It was introduced for the first time at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in March this year and had caused an uproar as the participants were not happy with some of the narrow margins that were flagged as foul,” explained Adille Sumariwalla, Athletics Federation of India (AFI), president, who is here as a jury member.So, on Thursday two of Murali Sreeshankar’s jumps were adjudged fouls by this new system with even the athlete himself surprised by the margin by which he was shown to have crossed the line — especially on his fourth jump.“I was very surprised by the narrow margin by which I was shown to have crossed the line. It was too small a magin,” said Sreeshankar. According to the system, Sreeshankar’s toe was a millimetre across the line and his jump, which would have been in the range of 8.30, was declared illegal.Similarly, his effort on his sixth and last jump too was flagged as illegal by a narrow margin, and the 23-year-old Indian athlete was denied a gold medal as he needed an effort of more than 7.94 to overtake his opponent from the Bahamas on the second jump to win the gold.But that was not to be. Laquan Nairn of Bahamas, the eventual gold medallist, too was fouled out in his last jump.—IANS

India would have won a gold medal in long jump at the 2022 Commonwealth Games here but for a laser-equipped take-off board that twice flagged Murali Sreeshankar by extremely narrow margins for crossing the line and committing a foul.