Nadeeka caught off guard as boxing medal slips away

Nadeeka Pushpakumari Ranasinghe

Boxer Nadeeka Pushpakumari Ranasinghe a gallant display

A momentary loss of concentration cost Sri Lanka boxer Nadeeka Pushpakumari Ranasinghe a possible boxing medal in the women’s minimum weight class quarter-final against Botswana’s Lethabo Bokamoso Modukanele on the sixth day of competition at the XXII Commonwealth Games on Wednesday.

Lanky Ranasinghe, 31, boxed with great composure towering over her slightly shorter adversary displaying good body movements and unleashing speedy combinations. After being edged out in the first round she got the nod of the judges in the second round as she stepped up the tempo and took the fight to her opponent. It was a pretty even contest in the third round as both boxers fought toe to toe but the gritty 25-year-old from Botswana caught Ranasinghe off guard in the last 30 seconds forcing a mandatory standing ‘eight’ count after catching her with a left and right cross. Ranasinghe who was bouncing confidently till then even lost her mouthpiece thereafter with the Botswana lass finishing strongly to deny the Sri Lankan glory. It was one of the closest fights featuring a Sri Lankan with three judges scoring 29-28 in favour of Botswana and another surprisingly 30-26 while the other judge called it a tie.

Sri Lanka’s weightlifting campaign ended with heavyweights Thimali Nethmini Haputhenna and Ushan Charuka Widanapathirana finishing in eighth place in the women’s 87+kg and men’s 109+kg weight categories respectively.

England’s Emily Campbell won gold in the 87+kg weight setting Commonwealth and Games records with her total lift of 286kg and 162kg in the clean and jerk.

Pakistan won their first gold medal of the Games with Muhammad Nooh Dastgir Butt winning the 109+kg weight with Games records of 405kg (total), 137kg (snatch) and 232 (clean and jerk).

Shuttlers Dumindu Abeywickrama and veteran Niluka Karunaratne eased past the opposition in their opening men’s singles matches.

India confirmed their place in the women’s T20 cricket semi finals along with Australia from group A after thrashing Barbados by 100 runs at Edgbaston.

Tahlia McGrath impressed with bat and ball as Australia kept up their perfect record at the Games.

McGrath hit an unbeaten 78 – which included 10 fours and one maximum – and Beth Mooney added 70 as Australia finished with 160 for two

The favourites had been reduced to 19 for two after winning the toss and electing to bat first, but McGrath’s and Mooney’s unbroken 141-run partnership guided them to a solid total. Pakistan stuttered in reply, as McGrath took three for 13 to make it three wins from three in the group.

Jemimah Rodrigues hit 56 off 46 balls to lead India to a competitive total of 162 for four.

That proved to be beyond Barbados, who could only make 62 for eight as Renuka Singh Thakur claimed remarkable figures of four for 10 and India confirmed their place in the semi-finals.

Results

BADMINTON

Men’s Singles Round of 64: Dumindu Abeywickrama (Sri Lanka) bt Aatish Lubah (Morocco) 2-1 (21-7 20-22 21-11), Niluka Karunaratne (Sri Lanka) beat Friday Attama (Uganda) 2-0 (21-6 21-6)