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India’s women’s TT team clinches gold at CWG (Lead)
Gold Coast, April 8 (IANS) Singles star Manika Batra won two matches as India’s women’s table tennis team upset favourites Singapore to clinch its maiden gold medal at the 21st Commonwealth Games here on Sunday.
Singapore came into this match as the defending champions and have won the event at every edition since it was first introduced in 2002 while India’s best display was a runner-up finish in Delhi in 2010.
Unperturbed by the status of their opposition, Indian paddlers played valiantly till the end to taste the gold.
In the first rubber, World No.58 Batra upset World No.4 Tianwei Feng 3-2 (11-8, 8-11, 7-11, 11-9, 11-7) to take the 1-0 lead.
In all the five close games, Batra held her nerves and stood up to the pressure situation. At one point she had no answers to her opponents’ questions but then she rebuilt her strategy and played sensibly till the end.
The second game saw Singapore bouncing back in style. Mengyu Yu outplayed Madhurika Patkar (3-0) 13-11, 11-2, 11-6 in straight games to equalise. The Indian player, however, attacked and played some furious forehands but that was not enough to win the game as her opponent possessed superior technical skills.
In the third match, doubles pair of Mouma Das and Patkar played attacking game throughout to seal the issue 3-1 (11-7, 11-6, 8-11, 11-7) against Mengyu and Yihan Zhou and hand India a 2-1 crucial advantage.
At some stages of the game, Yu-Zhou appeared to recover from their slow starts but aggressive counter attacking game from the Indian duo helped them outplaying their opponents.
India were now ahead 2-1 and they only have to win their next match to clinch the medal.
India’s best ranked player assigned for her job, Batra did it in style by applying pressure with an attacking approach which saw her outscoring Yihan (3-0) 11-7, 11-4, 11-7 in straight games.
Earlier, India thrashed England 3-0 in the semi-final to enter the gold medal match of the prestigious meet.
Seasoned campaigner Batra gave India an early 1-0 lead after bouncing back from one game down to beat Kelly Sibley 9-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-7 in the first singles tie and Patkar doubled India’s lead after overcoming a stiff contest from Tin-Tin Ho to win 11-7, 13-11, 10-12, 11-8 in the second singles match.
India’s win was sealed by the doubles pair of Das and Patkar, who edged past Maria Tsaptsinos and Kelly 11-7, 8-11, 11-7, 11-1.
–IANS
gau/pur/vd
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.