Commonwealth Games 2022

While addressing the nation during Mann Ki Baat, PM Modi said, "Friends, be it the classroom or the playground, today our youth, in every field, are making the country proud. This month, PV Sindhu has won her first title of the Singapore Open. "Neeraj Chopra also continued his excellent performance and won the silver medal for the country in the World Athletics Championship."

The 19-year-old, hailing from Aizawl in Mizoram, managed a total lift of 300kg (140kg in snatch and 160kg in clean & jerk) to win India's second gold medal in the ongoing competition and in weightlifting after Mirabai Chanu won gold in women's 49kg category on Saturday. Samoa's Vaipava Nevo Loane took the silver medal with 293kg (127kg and 166kg) while Nigeria's Edidiong Joseph Umoafia clinched the bronze medal with an overall lift of 290kg (130kg and 160kg) as the 10kg gap made in snatch by Jeremy proved to be decisive.

Vandana Katariya (26th, 48th) starred with a brace, while Gurjit Kaur (28th) scored a goal for India. Xenna Hughes (45th) got on the score-sheet for Wales. Riding high on confidence, India started aggressively, earning a penalty corner in the first minute of the match on Saturday evening.

Opening her campaign against New Zealand's Ariane Nicholson, an amateur boxer who otherwise has a day job as a hairdresser, Lovlina emerged a 5-0 winner, getting a unanimous decision from all five judges at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) here.

The 22-year-old Bindiyarani Devi from Manipur lifted a total weight of 202 kg with a superb attempt of 116 kg in her final turn in clean and jerk to leapfrog England's Fraer Morrow (198) and finished just 1kg adrift of Nigeria's Adijat Adenike Dlarindye, who ended with a total of 203 kg, a Games record.

Mirabai, who was the outright favourite to win her division, lived up to the billing with a total lift of 201kg (snatch - 88kg; clean and jerk - 113 kg). With her mark, she shattered the Commonwealth Games record in the category. The previous Games record, in fact, was held by Chanu herself courtesy a 191kg lift which brought her the 48kg gold medal at Gold Coast 2018. It was Chanu's third successive medal at the Commonwealth Games. She finished with silver at Glasgow 2014 and won gold at Gold Coast 2018

Poojary successfully pulled off a combined lift of 269kg, (118kg in snatch and 151kg in clean and jerk) to claim a podium finish at Birmingham 2022. This was also his second straight CWG medal after he won the men's 56kg silver medal at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in Australia. Malaysia's Aznil Bin Bidin Muhamad lifted a combined 285kg in both rounds to win the gold medal and create a new Commonwealth Games record in the category.

Throwing light on the philosophy ahead of their Group B opener against Ghana on Sunday, skipper Manpreet Singh said, "Our philosophy this time around at the Commonwealth Games is to 'zoom out and zoom in'. Our coaches have told us to zoom out and visualise what we have to achieve. We want to win a medal, but how can we achieve the same? The first thing that we have to do is not underestimate any team."

Though their performance was good for a team coming from India, both David Beckham Elkathchoongo and Ronaldo Laitonjam were in the spotlight for their first names, invariably getting asked whether their names were real for their resemblance with footballers. Asked how he got his name, David Beckham told the Games News Network that his father was a big fan of the English footballer David Beckham and named him after him.

In women's Cricket, India lost to Australia in their first group stage match by three wickets. India scored 154 runs in 20 overs for the loss of 8 wickets, India will face Pakistan in their second group match on July 31. In Hockey Women's team started with a dominant performance over Ghana (ranked 30th), defeating Ghana with a big margin 5-0. Here is India's first day at Birmingham Commonwealth Games: