Host India scores its most medals

29-22-22. Read in the sequence of gold-silver-bronze, India’s vital stats represent its highest haul in CWG history. With a total of 73 medals on the scoreboard and four days of play remaining in Delhi 2010, the previous record 69-medal tally of Manchester 2002 has been relegated to a footnote. Burdened by complaints against the organisers, even as the host nation finds itself put to the test, its athletes have delivered their best.

On a day that has been India’s most profitable yet at this CWG, with 15 medals accruing, nowhere was the atmosphere more electric than at the Dhyan Chand National Stadium where, cheered lustily by Sonia and Rahul Gandhi seated in a gallery for the general public, the home team scored against Pakistan a 7-4 victory that is being celebrated as a resounding retort for the 1-7 insult suffered in the 1982 Asiad final. A ticket scam might well have forced empty stands elsewhere, but this venue was bursting at the seams.

Similarly for India’s bag of medals. The gold count is up courtesy Harpreet Singh (shooting), Sushil Kumar (wrestling), Somdev Devvarman (tennis), Deepika Kumari and Rahul Banerjee (archery). More silver is ours thanks to Vikas Gowda (discus), MA Prajusha (long jump), Vijay Kumar (shooting), Joginder Kumar and Anuj Kumar (wrestling). And bronze gains have been enhanced by Manavjit Singh Sandhu (shooting), Sania Mirza-Rushmi Chakravarthy (tennis), Anil Kumar (wrestling), Dola Banerjee and Jayant Talukdar (archery).

After a 5-5-5 harvest on 10-10-10, comes the preview for Monday: keep counting.