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Day 2 of the Asian games had so many Indian superstars on it's roster. Many of them were medal contenders. The day had the likes of Olympic Bronze medalist Sakshi Malik, Olympic Silver medalist P V Sindhu, India's another ace shuttler Saina Nehwal, Kidambi Srikanth, Vinesh Phogat in action. Also in action were the Men's and Women's Kabaddi Team, Men's Hockey Team, Shooters like Apurvi Chandela, Manvanjit Sandhu, Ravi Kumar, Deepak Kumar and Shreyasi Singh. So India had a lot of expectation going into the second day of the Asian Games. India managed to bag three more medals to its tally on day 2.
It was a very promising start to the day as Indian shooter Deepak Kumar managed to win a Silver Medal in the Men's 10m Air Rifle Event. He was 5th in the qualification round with total score of 626.3. Contesting along side him was another Indian shooter Ravi Kumar who along with Apurvi Chandela gave India their first medal on day 1. Ravi was one place ahead (at 4th place) of Deepak Kumar in the qualification round with a score of 626.7. In the Finals, a bad shot of 9.2 in the 6th series cost Ravi his chances for the medal. Whereas, Deepak upped the ante in Final's and shot consistently well throughout the Final Series. He ended the Final with a total score of 247.7 just falling short of China's Yang Haoran who finished with a games record of 249.1. The second Silver of the day also came in shooting, in the Men's Trap event where young 19-year old Indian shooter Lakshay won Silver hitting 43 out of 50. Apurvi also qualified for the finals in Women's 10m Air Rifle event. But unfortunately she could not win a medal and finished 5th.
Let us review the top 5 things from day 2 of the Asian Games 2018.
#1 Vinesh Phogat creates history
The biggest story of the day came in Wrestling when Vinesh Phogat created history by winning Gold in Women's Freestyle 50 Kg category. She became the first Indian women wrestler to win a Gold in Asian Games. Vinesh was in a fabulous form as she won two of her four bouts on technical superiority. On her road to the podium to finish with a Gold she beat China's Sun Yanan by 8-2, Korea's Kim Hyungjoo by 11-0 in the quarterfinals, Uzbekistan's Yakshimurato by 10-0 in the semi-finals and Japan's Irie Yuki by 6-2.
Unfortunately, other Indian Wrestlers were not able to add a medal to the tally. The biggest disappointment being Olympic Bronze Medalist Sakshi Malik. Sakshi lost in the semi-finals of her bout and she also failed to win her bronze medal match. Another medal contender Pooja Dhanda started so well to reach the semi-finals. On the other hand, Sakshi lost in the semis and was not able to win her Bronze Medal bout. All in all, it was a bittersweet performance in Wrestling on Day 2.
#2 Deepak Kumar, Lakshay Bags Silver for India
Deepak Kumar gave early joy on day 2 when he managed to win a Silver medal in Men's 10m Air Rifle Event. Two Indians were contesting in this event viz. Deepak Kumar and Ravi Kumar. India had medal hopes from Ravi who gave India their first medal along with Apurvi Chandela on Day 1 in the mixed event. But it was the latter who prevailed and gave the nation a reason to cheer. With a total score of 247.7, Deepak bagged the Silver falling just short of China's Yang Haoran.
Another surprising yet welcomed Silver came in the Men's Trap event where the 19-years Old Lakshay won Silver Medal. He scored 43 out of 50 in the Finals. Manavjit Singh Sandhu was also competing in the same event and had topped the qualifications round. Unfortunately, he failed to win any medal in the finals. India were hoping a medal from him especially after his performance in the qualification rounds. But nonetheless, the medal did come. Lakshay performed very well in the Finals. The Gold was won by Taipei's Kung Yong who equaled the games record by scoring 48 out 50.
#3 Disappointment in Badminton Team Event
India were handed a very tough draw in both Men's and Women's Badminton Team Event. Both Men's and Women's Team lost their quarterfinal bouts by 3-1. The Women's Team was playing against a formidable Japanese side, while Men's Team were up against the Indonesian's. Star Indian shuttler P V Sindhu won her bout against Akane Yamaguchi 21-18, 21-19. But Saina lost a very close match against Okuhara 21-11, 23-25, 21-16.
#4 Indian Hockey Team Registers a Record 17-0 Win Against Indonesia
It was raining goals when India took on Indonesia in their opener in the Asian Games 2018. India won the match with a staggering scoreline of 17-0. This marked the biggest goal difference win for India in the Asian Games as they broke their previous record of 12-0 against Bangladesh in 1982. Not one, not two but three players scored a hat-trick in the match. India scored 10 field goals and 6 goals on short corner. It was a nice and flawless match to watch. India plays Hong Kong next on Wednesday.
#5 South Korea upset India in Kabaddi
This was perhaps the biggest upset on Day 2 when the seven-time Gold medalist India suffered a shocking loss against South Korea. This is the first ever defeat that team India has faced since the inclusion of Kabaddi in Asian games. India lost 23-24 to South Korea, who are Bronze Medalists from the last Asian Games. Indian team was a bit sluggish against Korea which might be because they had to play 3 matches within a span of 24 hours. The only good thing about this loss is this shows the popularity that Kabaddi is gaining and the rising depth of the sport in the world. This result is huge in the larger context of the game as India now might have to face a formidable Iran in the semi-finals. This loss gives a fair indication that the game of Kabaddi is evolving.
Well, these were the top 5 things that happened on Day 2 of the Asian Games 2018. India is currently at 8th position in the medal tally with 2 Golds, 2 Silver and 1 Bronze Medal.
Let's hope India continues to perform well and add more medals to their tally.
