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The 2014 Commonwealth Gameswill be held in Glasgow, Scotland, from 23 July to 3 August 2014. In the last edition of the Games,India finished at thesecond position behindAustralia by winning 101 medals in total, including 38 gold medals. However, this time there will be no medals in archeryand tennis as these disciplines have beenremovedand replaced on the sports program withtriathlonand judo respectively. Also, the shootingmedal eventshave dropped considerably,from 44 in 2010 to 19 this year.India will find it tough to replicate their success this time aroundas they won plenty of medals from these sports. Remember, India won threegold medals from archery and 1 gold medal from tennis atCWG 2010. Indian shooters also won 30 medals including 14 gold, 11 silver and 5 bronze medals.The sports ministry has announced the list of215 athletes from 14 sporting disciplines. Lets take a look at the top gold medal prospects for India at the Glasgow Games.
#13 P V Sindhu, badminton
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After the withdrawal of Saina Nehwal from the competition, P V Sindhu will take charge of the badminton contingent at the CWG. The 19-year-old Indian shuttler is now the highest-ranked player in the tournament. Her current world ranking is No. 11,and it will not be a surprise if she wins the gold medal inthe absence of the top-ranked players.
#12 Achanta Sharath Kamal, table tennis
Achanta Sharath Kamal is considered as the best table tennis player inIndia. He has a tremendous record at the Commonwealth Games, having won the gold medal at both the 2006 and 2010 editions. Currently ranked 44th in the world, he will play a key role in Indias campaign at the CWG according to coach Peter Engel. Sharath has failed to win the national table tennis the last three years, but looking at his records at CWG, he certainly cant be counted out in Glasgow.
#11 Manavjit Singh Sandhu, shooting
The former World No. 1 and three-time Olympian, Manavjit Singh Sandhu will represent India in trap shooting along with Mansher Singh. Currently ranked 8th in the world, he will be looking for a podium finish at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Recently he won the gold medal at the ISSF Shotgun World Cup in Tucson, USA by scoring 121 in the qualifying round and 13 in the final round. At the 2010 CWG, he was able to win a silver and a bronze medal. This time it looks like he will put all his efforts to win the yellow medal.
#10 Shiva Thapa, boxing
In 2012, Thapa was the youngest Indian boxer to qualify for the Olympics. In 2013, he became the youngest Indian to win a gold at the Asian Confederation Boxing Championship at Amman, Jordan. Thapa is also a former Youth Olympics silver medalist and 2013 World Championships quarterfinalist. He is currently ranked 3rd in the bantamweight (56kg) category, and will be a strong contender for India in Glasgow.
#9 K Ravi Kumar, weightlifting
K Ravi Kumar won the gold medal at the Delhi Commonwealth Games in the 69kg category, and is also a strong contender this time, despite the fact that he will be competing in the 77kg category.
#8 Pinki Jangra, boxing
The new sensation of Indian women’s boxing, Pinki is ranked No. 2 in the world in the 45-48kg category. She made nationwide headlines when she defeated five-time world champion and 2012 Olympic bronze medallist M C Mary Kom in the selection trials for Glasgow CWG. She will compete in the 51kg category in women’s boxing.
#7 Laishram Devendro Singh, boxing
The pint-sized dynamite of Indian boxing is currently World No. 3 in the 46-49 kg category. Devendro, who lost in the quarterfinals in a tough bout against Irish boxer Paddy Barnes at the 2012 Olympics, has won the silver medal at the Asian Confederation Boxing Championship. In February this year, Devendro won gold at the Bocskai Invitation Tournament in Hungary. He was the only gold medalist for India in the tournament.
#6 Jitu Rai, shooting
Jitu Rai could be called the best shooter in India at the moment. He has been in top form the last few months and has come into the limelight after winning three World Cup medals this year. He is currently ranked World No. 1 in men’s 10m Air Pistol category and World No. 4 in 50m pistol category. He will represent the nation in the 50m pistol category at the Games, and plenty of Indianhopes will be pinned on his shoulders.
#5 Yogeshwar Dutt, wrestling
The 2012 Summer Olympics bronze medalist and the 2010 CWG gold medalist is definitely one of the strongest candidates from India to win the gold medal in the 66kg category of wrestling. Recently he switched his class from 60kg to 66 kg category at the International Freestyle Championship in Sassari, and won the gold medal in the event. Dutt would undoubtedly be among India’s biggest hopes in Glasgow.
#4 Vikas Gowda, discus throw
Gowda is currently ranked 9th in the world rankings in discus throw. His personal best is 66.90 metres which is also the Indian national record in discus throw. Truth be told, he looks like the only athlete who can win a gold medal for India in athletics. Gowda won his first gold medal at the Asian Championships in 2013 in Pune, with a throw of 64.90 metres. While he is not exactly the favourite to win the event in Glasgow, he is certainly capable of coming out on top.
#3 Heena Sidhu, shooting
One can easily say that Sidhu is the best Indian woman shooter at present. She became the first Indian pistol shooter to be ranked World No. 1 in April 2014. Currently ranked World No. 4 in women’s 10m Air Pistol category, she holds the world record of scoring the maximum points (203.8) in the finals of the 10m Air Pistol event. Recently she also won the gold medal at the 7th Asian Championships held in Kuwait City from 7th March to 13th March. Considering the form she has been in this year, Sidhu could very well strike gold at the Commonwealth Games too.
#2 Sushil Kumar, wrestling
If you ever want to bet your money on an Indian athlete then there is no one better than Sushil Kumar. He always delivers whenever India requires a strong performance from him. He is the first Indian to win back-to-back individual Olympic medals. He also won gold medals in the 2010 World Wrestling Championships and Commonwealth Games. But all these meadals came from his 66kg category. This time, like Yogeshwar, he has also switched his category from 66kg to 74kg, so it won’t be easy for him to win the gold medal. He was only able to win the silver medal at the International Freestyle Championship in Sassari a few months ago.
#1 Gagan Narang, shooting
When it comes to CWG then undoubtedly Narang is the undisputed frontrunner for India. He won 4 gold medals at 2006 Melbourne CWG and another 4 gold medals at 2010 Delhi CWG. This time he will lead the Indian shooting contingent in two events: 50m rifle 3 Position and 50m Rifle Prone. Unfortunately, he failed to make the cut in his favourite 10m Air Rifle category. He had won the bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics in this category and he is also the world record holder, having scored a perfect 600 in qualification at the 2008 ISSF World Cup Final. Till now he is the only shooter to do so twice – in 2008 and 2010. Looking at his records we can expect another two gold medals from him.
