Asian Games 2018: Probable Medals for India today, 1st September 2018
The Indian contingent at the 2018 Asian Games being held in the cities of Jakarta and Palembang in Indonesia had a fairly decent showing on Day 13 of the multi-sporting quadrennial mega-event. Indian athletes added six medals to the overall tally taking it to 65 medals (13 gold medals, 23 silver medals, and 29 bronze medals) as they equalled the best medal haul ever for the country at the Asian Games, which was 65 medals at the 2010 Guangzhou Games.
The six medals for India came in hockey, squash, boxing, and sailing with two silver medals and four bronze medals on the day.
Boxing saw the first of the four bronze medals as Indian pugilist Vikas Krishan Yadav had to settle for the bronze medal after being medically unfit to compete in the Men's Middleweight (75kg) semifinals.
Fellow boxer Amit Panghal was the lone man standing for the boxing contingent winning his semifinal bout against Philipines' Carlo Paalam to enter the gold medal bout of the Men's Light Fly (49kg).
The women's squash team overcame the challenge from Malaysian side to book their spot in the gold medal match. On the other hand, the men's team faced defeat against Hong Kong, China in the semifinals and settled for the bronze medal.
Sailing proved to be a pleasant surprise and got three medals for India. The duo of Varsha Gautham and Sweta Shervegar won the silver medal in the Women's 49er FX which comprised of a massive fifteen races. Harshita Tomar won a bronze medal in the Open Laser 4.7 event which was a mixed event comprising both men and women. The other bronze medal was won by the pairing of Varun Ashok Thakkar and Ganapathy Chengappa Kelapanda in the Men's 49er event.
The women's hockey team's splendid run in the tournament came to an end at the hands of Japan in the gold medal match as the Indian eves lost with a 2-1 scoreline winning the second silver medal of the day for India.
With that, we reach the Day 14 of the 2018 Asian Games which will see a plethora of Indian athletes to take on the competition for a spot on the podium. We take a look at some of the athletes who have a good shot at ending up on the podium today and flourish the tricolor in Indonesia.
Amit Panghal - Men's Light Fly (49 kg) - Boxing
The 22-year old Indian Army man from Rohtak District of Haryana will be up in the Men's Light Fly (49 kg) category against Uzbekistan's Hasanboy Dusmatov in the gold medal match.
Panghal is the lone boxer with a shot at a gold medal in Indonesia for India after fellow countryman Vikas Krishan Yadav had to settle for the bronze medal after he was termed unfit to compete in the semifinal.
Panghal is a bronze medalist from the 2017 Asian Championships and won the silver at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and will be raring to go all the way to the gold today.
Pranab Bardhan and Shibhnath Sarkar - Men's Pair - Bridge
The duo of Pranab Bardhan and Shibnath Sarkar have been performing well throughout the classification rounds of the bridge tournament.
They currently occupy the top spot in the Final 1 standings and will be strong favourites to end up with a podium finish after the Final 2 in the Men's Pair event.
Hema Deora and Marianne Karmarkar - Women's Pair - Bridge
Hema Deora has already won a bronze medal for the country in the Mixed Team event earlier in the Asian Games. Along with Marianne Karmarkar, the duo will be hoping to add another medal to Deora' tally in Indonesia and claim a podium finish in the Women's Pair event.
Prakant Sharma and Oinam Jamesboy Singh - Canoe Double (C2) 200m Men - Canoe
The Indian pairing of Prakant Sharma and Oinam Jamesboy Singh did well yesterday in the water as they made the cut for the semifinals and later went on to finish atop the standings going into the final. They will be a top contender to finish on the podium and grab a Canoe medal for India.
Indian Women's Squash Team - Squash Team Final
The star-studded women's squash team comprising of Dipila Pallikal Karthik, Joshna Chinappa, Sunayna Kuruvilla and Tanvi Khanna defeated teams from Iran and Malaysia to make it to the gold medal match. They will be up against the team from Hong Kong, China and will hope to win the first medal for Indian women's team in the history of the Asiads.
Indian Men's Hockey Team - Hockey Bronze Medal Play-off
The Indian men's hockey team suffered a major setback when they were edged by the Malaysian team in the semifinals of the competition. After a 2-2 score at full time, India lost their nerves in the shootout and lost their shot at defending the gold medal.
The opponents Pakistan also lost out narrowly against Japan and set up a mouth-watering clash in the bronze medal playoff.
This is just the second time in the history of the Asian Games when the finals will not have India or Pakistan competing for the gold medal (the previous occasion was the 2006 Doha Games when South Korea defeated China for the gold)
Which of these probables do you think will end up with the gold on the podium? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.