India on gold hunt despite home turf woes-Sep 27, 2010,

India on gold hunt despite home turf woes

AFP, Sep 27, 2010, 09.10am IST

Tags:vijender singh|sushil kumar|sania mirza|saina nehwal|mahesh bhupathi|leander paes|commonwealth games|abhinav bindra
NEW DELHI: India's sportsmen hope to strike it rich at their own Commonwealth Games even though delays in building venues have deprived them of any home advantage.

A majority of the 440-member contingent that will compete in all the 17 disciplines in New Delhi have been unable to train at the competition venues because of the slow progress of work.

But officials were confident India will surpass its haul at the 2006 Games in Melbourne when they won 22 gold medals, 17 silver and 11 bronze to finish fourth behind Australia, England and Canada.

"What we achieved in Melbourne was out of the ordinary, but I am sure we will do much better at home," Indian Olympic Association secretary-general Randhir Singh said.

"With the crowds backing them, I expect our contingent to shine like never before. A lot of effort and money has gone into preparing for the Games."

Pistol king Samaresh Jung's five gold medals led India's heart-warming performance in Melbourne, placing the country among the elite at the Commonwealth level.

An encore was ruled out as Jung, now 40, qualified for only the standard pistol event at his home ranges.

Leading India's medal hunt will be Beijing Olympic stars like rifle shooter Abhinav Bindra, the country's lone individual Olympic gold medallist, wrestler Sushil Kumar and boxer Vijender Singh, who both won bronze.

Other stars include rising badminton star Saina Nehwal, the current world number three, and tennis players, Sania Mirza and doubles specialists Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi.

The shooters, who won 16 of the 22 Indian gold medals in Melbourne, are once again expected to lead the medal charge despite the absence of Athens Olympic silver medallist Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore.

Rathore, who declined to attend the trials in protest at selection policies, will be replaced in the double trap category by junior world champion Asher Noria.

Noria won the double trap event in the recent world championships in Munich with a record-equalling score.

India's long-serving shooting coach Sunny Thomas, who insisted Rathore will not be missed, was confident of a bagful of medals by his team.

"Rathore has not been in the team for almost two years, but look out for Ronjan Sodhi and Noria," said Thomas. "Our aim is to surpass the 27 medals we won in Melbourne."

India is also hoping to garner a majority of the 21 golds on offer in wrestling, despite four grapplers being involved in a doping row in the build-up to the Games.

The four wrestlers, along with a shot-putter and two swimmers, tested positive for methylhexaneamine, a banned stimulant used widely as a nasal decongestant.

However, their provisional suspensions have since been lifted.

"Forget the doping, we are well-prepared to win a medal in every event," boasted the country's wrestling chief G.S. Mander.

"The team has had good training from foreign coaches and a lot of exposure abroad."

India's medal count has been hampered in the past by virtual no-shows in popular events track and field and swimming, and that is unlikely to change.

India has not won a Commonwealth Games gold medal in athletics since Milkha Singh's 400m triumph in Cardiff in 1958, while the swimmers drew blanks in 2002 and 2006.