CWG 2018 | Day 9, Live: Indian Men’s Hockey Team Lose S/F 3-2

There’s a lot to look forward to on Day 9 as the boxers gear up for the semi-finals, their first medal event.

The likes of Amit Phangal, Gaurav Solanki, Naman Tanwar and Manoj Kumar will be seen in action.

Meanwhile, after the Women's Hockey team faced disappointment at the hands of Australia in the semi-final on 12 April, the men's team will look to ease the pain as they face New Zealand in the semi-finals.

Olympic medalist PV Sindhu, along with Saina Nehwal and Srikanth Kidambi, will compete in the Badminton singles quarterfinals.

Athlete Neeraj Chopra will be compete the Men's Javelin Throw qualifications. If he qualifies, then medal events await.

Other sports to watch out for include squash, table tennis and 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Shooting.

Sharath Kamal and Sathiyan Gnansekaran progressed to the semi-finals of the doubles event with a convincing 11-7, 11-8, 12-10 win over England's David McBeath and Samuel Walker. The duo will face the winner of the quarter-final match between Singapore's Yew En Koen Pang-Shao Feng Ethan Poh or Nigeria's Quadri Aruna-Segun Toriola.

Harmeet Desai and Sanil Shetty join Sharath and Sathiyan in the doubles semis with a win over Australia's Heming Hu and Xin Yan. The Indian duo won 11-8, 10-12, 12-10, 11-8.

Neeraj Chopra, needing to throw 78m or more to qualify for the finals, throws 80.42m in his first attempt to qualify for the final.

India's Anjum Moudgil shoots a total score of 589 in the women's 50m 3 position qualifier to break the Games qualification record! In fact, the second and third shooters, Martina Lindsay Veloso and India's Tejaswini Sawant also cleared the previous Games record to qualify for the final!

Anish and Neeraj pick up from where they left off yesterday as 294 and 288 for a cumulative score of 580 and 579 points respectively to move to the finals of the men's 25m pistol shooting event.

Brahm Richards finds himself on the backfoot early on as Bajrang wins eight points with a gut wrench but somehow, the Kiwi survives to get back on his feet. However, Bajrang quicky wins the two points needed and wins the bout by technical superiority and progresses to the quarter-finals of the men's 65kg event.

Bajrang Punia beats Nigeria’s Amas Daniel by technical superiority to reach the semi-finals of the 65 kg category. The Indian raced away to a 10-point lead with five two-pointers.

Bajrang Punia has no issues in dispatching Canada’s Vincent De Marinis by technical superiority to reach the gold medal match of the 65 kg category.

Indian race walker KT Irfan and triple jumper V Rakesh Babu were sent home in disgrace from the Commonwealth Games and a strong reprimand has been issued to the Indian officials in Gold Coast after the duo were found guilty of breaching the event's strict no needle policy.

"Rakesh Babu and Irfan Kolothum Thodi are with immediate effect not permitted to participate in the Games. The accreditation of Rakesh Babu and Irfan Kolothum Thodi was suspended with effect from 09:00 hours on April 13, 2018. Both athletes were removed from the Games Village," the Commonwealth Games Federation President Louise Martin said in a strongly-worded statement.

"We have asked the Commonwealth Games Association of India to ensure both athletes depart Australia on the first flight available," it added.

While Irfan was already through with his 20 km race walk event, finishing 13th, the 28-year-old Babu was to participate in Friday’s triple jump final after qualifying 12th for the competition.

The CGF, though, said there was no doping offence involved.

Tejaswini Sawant set a Commonwealth Games record of 457.9 to win the gold medal in 50 m rifle 3 positions. Anjum Moudgil settled for a silver medal with a score of 455.7.

Moudgil had finished first in the qualification round, while Sawant finished third.

Tejaswini Sawant won a silver medal in women's 50 m rifle prone event earlier in the tournament.

Mausam Khatri assures India of another medal in wrestling after reaching the final of the 97 kg category. The Indian beat Nigeria’s Soso Tamarau 10-7 in the semi-final.

Gold medallists in the team event, Manika Batra/Mouma Das secure another medal for themselves after reaching the women’s doubles final. Manika Batra/Mouma Das beat Ying Ho/Karen Lyne 11-4, 11-6, 11-5.

India’s team Jeevan Karekoppa Suresh, Jacob Amoj, Muhammed Anas and Arokia Rajiv finish second in the 4x400 m with a timing of 3 minutes and 4 seconds. Jamaica finish first with a timing of 3 minutes and 3 seconds.

Amit Phangal reaches the final of the 46-49 kg category after defeating Uganda’s Juma Miiro 5-0 in the semi-finals.

Gaurav Solanki beats M Vidanalange Ishan Bandara 4-0 in the semi-final of the 52 kg category. India have a chance to win two gold medals in boxing!

India’s excellent form in shooting continues. The 15-year-old Anish Bhanwala wins gold in 25 m rapid fire pistol event with a Commonwealth Games record score of 30.

The other Indian in the competition Neeraj Kumar finished at the fifth position with a score of 13.

Kidambi Srikanth enters semi-finals of the men’s singles event after beating Singapore’s Zin Rei Ryan Ng 21-15, 21-12 in the quarter-finals.

Manish Kaushik moves into the final of 60 kg category after beating Northern Ireland’s James Mcgivern 4-1.

Saina Nehwal eases into the semi-finals of the women’s singles draw after defeating Canada’s Rachel Honderich 21-8, 21-13.

If Nehwal goes onto win the semis, she could meet PV Sindhu in the final.

Naman Tanwar settles for a bronze medal after losing 0-4 to Australia’s Jason Whateley in the semi-final of 91 kg category.

Shreyasi Singh, who has won a gold medal in double trap, is currently competing in the trap finals.

Shreyasi Singh finishes tied third with two other shooters at the score of 17 after 25 shots. Scotland’s Sharon Niven bows out of the competition with a score of 14.

Shreyasi Singh finishes fifth in women’s trap final with a score of 19.

Pooja Dhanda moves to the final of the 57 kg category after defeating Cameroon’s Joseph Essombe Tiako 3-1.

Divya Kakran’s bows out in the semi-finals of the 68 kg category after losing 1-11 to Nigeria’s Blessing Oborududu. She will face Bangladesh’s Sherin Sultana in the bronze medal match.

Wrestler Bajrang Punia wins gold in 65 kg category after beating Wales’ Kane Charig by technical superiority (10-0). Punia wraps up the match before the end of the first round.

Pooja Dhanda settles for a silver medal in the 57 kg category after losing 5-7 to Nigeria's Odunayo Adekuoroye in the final.

Divya Kakran wins a bronze medal after beating Bangladesh’s Sherin Sultana 4-0 (victory by fall) in the 68 kg category.

Mausam Khatri takes on South Africa’s Martin Erasmus in the gold medal match of the 97 kg category shortly.

Mausam Khatri settles for a silver after losing by technical superiority (12-2) to South Africa’s Martin Erasmus in the 97 kg category.

Dipika Pallikal and Saurav Ghosal overcome top seeds Joelle King and Paul Coll of New Zealand 2-1 to enter the gold medal match.

In a match that lasted 50 minutes, the fifth seeded Indian pair lost the first game 9-11. However, they fought back in the second game 11-8, levelling the tie at 1-1. The match then went down to the wire with both teams toiling for victory with Pallikal and Ghosal eventually succeeding 11-10 in the third game.

The hockey semi-final between India and New Zealand is now underway in Gold Coast. India come into the game on the heels of a 4-3 victory over England in Pool B.

Halfway into the first quarter and the Black Sticks are on the board. Hugo Inglis finding Sreejesh well outside his goal and manages to sweep it straight past the Indian keeper.

1-0 to New Zealand.

3 minutes to the end of the first quarter and New Zealand have found their second goal. A string of errors by the Indian defence as Manpreet Singh loses the ball and Stephen Jenness manages to beat Sreejesh with ease.

India trailing 0-2.

India's seasoned pair of Sharath Achanta and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran are in the finals of the men’s doubles event but Harmeet Desai and Sanil Shankar Shetty have been knocked out in the semis on Friday.

In the first semi-final, Sharath and Sathiyan made a stunning comeback after losing the first game and went on to thrash their Singapore opponents Yew En Koen Pang and Shao Feng Ethan Poh 3-1 (7-11, 11-5, 11-1, 11-3). They will now face Paul Drinkhall and Liam Pitchford from England in the gold medal match on Saturday.

Harmeet and Sanil lost to England’s Drinkhall and Pitchford 3-0 (11-7, 13-11, 13-11).

India finally get on the board, with just two minutes to go to half time. Harmanpreet Singh takes the penalty stroke and the New Zealand keeper is sent the wrong way.

2-1 with New Zealand still in the lead.

Manika Batra and Mouma Das have been beaten 0-3 by Tianwei Feng and Mengyu Yu of Singapore in the women’s doubles final.

A silver for the Indian pair to add to the gold they won in the team event earlier this week.

10 minutes into the third quarter and the Black Sticks have a penalty corner.

The first shot is brilliantly saved by Sreejesh but Marcus Child manages to push the deflection into the back of the post. His first goal of the tournament.

India now in big danger of missing the final.

Mohammed Husammuddin (56kg) and Manoj Kumar (69kg) both have lost their semifinal bouts and will settle for bronze in their respective categories.

India have an extra player in the attack with Sreejesh being taken out. Harmanpreet Singh, wearing the yellow jersey, is in the middle of the action.

A minute in and India have a penalty corner. Harmanpreet–in the keeper’s jersey– sends it to the back of the goal.

India 2-3!

India’s men’s hockey team have been beaten 3-2 by New Zealand in the semifinal and will now play for the bronze medal on Saturday.

India conceded two goals in the first quarter with Hugo Inglis (seventh minute) and Stephen Jenness (13th) capitalising. But Harmanpreet Singh converted a penalty stroke in the 29th minute as India trailed 1-2 at half-time.

Markus Child regained New Zealand's two-goal lead in the 40th minute. India kept chasing and reduced the deficit to one in the 57th minute through a penalty corner conversion but it proved be too late to find an equaliser.

India will now head to the bronze medal playoff against the loser between Australia and England.