Tokyo Olympics: India highlights: Mary Kom, Manika Batra win; Manish Kaushik, G. Sathiyan knocked out

Manika Batra and Mary Kom were the bright spots for India in an otherwise forgettable Sunday at the Tokyo Olympics.

P.V. Sindhu will begin her badminton campaign at the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday. (File Photo)

Hello and welcome to Sportstar's Live coverage of the Tokyo Olympics where we will take you through the events of the day with Indian athletes P.V. Sindhu, Sania Mirza, Ankita Raina and Mary Kom headlining the day's action.

 

That brings an end to today's coverage of Indian athletes in individual events. Not a great day for India. Apart from P.V. Sindhu, Mary Kom and Manika Batra, no other result went India's way today. Hopefully, things turn for the better tomorrow for India. Here's what is in store for Indians tomorrow ( July 26 schedule ). Do join us for real-time updates on Monday. Goodbye!

Srihari Nataraj finishes fifth in Heat 3 with a timing of 54.31s in the men's 100m backstroke. His personal best is 53.77 which he recently achieved in a time trial at Setti Colli Trophy in Rome last month. It is a creditable showing from the 20-year-old who is competing in his maiden Olympics.  He finishes 27th out of 40 swimmers who started and will not be competing in the semifinals.

The last Indian in action today in individual events is Srihari Nataraj. He will compete in Heat 3 of men's 100m backstroke at 16:26 IST.

SWIMMING: Maana Patel finishes the 100m backstroke heat in 1:05.20. Finishes second in the three-member Heat 1. The Top 16 athletes at the end of six heats will qualify for the semifinals. It was lower than her personal best time of 1:03.77.  Though she had the best reaction time of 0.58s among the three swimmers in the heat, she couldn't challenge Zimbabwe's Donata Katai who clocked 1:02.73. She finishes 39th overall out of 41 swimmers. 

She made it based on a Universality quota and her performance is certainly not a surprise. It was always going to be about bettering her national mark and sadly, that didn't happen today.

• MANISH KAUSHIK loses in a split decision 1-4.
• Nothing much to separate the two. Both are going for their punches at every opportunity. Some clean hits and Manish is certainly in with a chance. McCormack warned against going for the back of the head.  McCormack lands the last punch. All the five judges vote in favour of the Brit in the third round.
• Manish Kaushik shows aggression. He has left himself open and is going for the jabs He has managed to land a few punches. The Indian southpaw is trying to get the Brit to the middle of the ring.  Has he done enough? Yes, he has. He manages to impress three judges for a 3-2 verdict in the second round.
• The Brit has managed to keep Manish Kaushik at bay with his strong defense. McCormack is dominating the centre of the ring at the moment. Some fiesty counter punches from Kaushik after giving a bit of a leeway for the Brit.  McCormack gets the first round's result in his favour 3-2.

BOXING: Manish Kaushik vs Luke McCormack

- It's time for live action again. India is playing Australia in its second pool game in hockey. Catch the live updates here.

Boxing: Next up is a Round of 32 clash in the men's lightweight 63kg category where India's Manish Kaushik, world championships bronze medallist, will take on European Games and Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Luke McCormack of Great Britain. Manish Kaushik has overcome COVID before making his way to Tokyo. The match is scheduled to begin at 15:06 IST.

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MARY KOM WINS 4-1. She is through to the Round of 16.

• Miguelina is leaving herself open and going on the attack in the third round which means Mary has managed to find her way to land some punches. It was an aggressive start from the two in the third round. Round 3 also belongs to Mary Kom. It's a unananimous verdict this time from the five judges.
• Mary Kom is looking for authoratitive in the second round. She is opening up to lure her opponent and managing to land punches. But Miguelina has recovered well in the second half and has managed to land a few blows.  Mary gets a similar verdict in the second round. 3-2 from the five judges again.
• Mary Kom is going for a lot of counter punches. It has been an interesting Round 1 with oscillating fortunes. Mary Kom gets 3-2 in her favour in the first round. But nothing much to separate the two. Mary Kom has to hold her guard up.

Boxing: We are moments away from watching India's six-time World Champion Mary Kom in action in the women's 51kg category. She faces Garcia Miguelina of Dominican Republic in the first round.

• MANIKA WINS THE MATCH 4-3. She is through to Round 3. Score: 4-11, 4-11, 11-7, 12-10, 8-11, 11-5, 11-7
• 10-7 Pesotska saves two match points
• 8-3 - Pesotska is feeling the heat .   Errors are coming in thick and fast from the player from Ukraine.
• 4-1 - Manika is on fire. She is dictating the play here and getting her winners in.
• Game 6 for Manika - 11-5 - MANIKA takes it to the decider by capturing Game 6. 8 continuous points to seal the game and that will hold her in good stead for the decider.
•   She is forcing the player from Ukraine to play topspins to set up attacking options.
• 5-5 - Backhand has been the go-to shot from Manika throughout the match. A sudden change of pace from Manika forces Pesotska to make an error. She levels the score. 
• 2-5 - Manika goes for a forehand but finds the net to concede 3-point lead in this crucial game.
• 2-4 - A flurry of errors from Manika.
• Game 5 to Pesotska 11-8. She is one game away from showing the door to Manika. Can Manika make a comeback from here?
• 8-10 - Two net errors from Manika gives Ukraine's Pesotska game point.
• 7-8 - Manika has made a strong comeback. She sets her opponent up nicely to execute a powerful smash.
• 4-8 - Three back-to-back errors gives the player from Ukraine a considerable lead.
• 2-2 - Manika is playing a lot of backhand with her anti-spin rubber and forcing her opponent to make error in the forehand top-spin.
• Game 4 for Manika 12-10. It's now 2-2 in the best-of-seven match.
• TT: 10-9: A 21-shot rally and Manika gets a powerful backhand winner to get to game point.  It has been a game of rallies.

Sailing update: Nethra Kumanan finishes 27th at the end of two races in the Laser Radial class. The top 10 qualify for the medal race. Nethra finished 33rd in Race 1 but improved tremendously to finish 16th in the second race.  She was the first Indian woman sailor to qualify for Olympics.

• 6-6 - A powerful acute forehand winner from Pesotska to level the score.
• 6-3-  Manika is showing a lot more intent to keep the ball in play with long rallies. She is not attacking rightaway and that ploy seems to be working so far.
• Game 4:  1-1 A 28-stroke rally ends in Pesotska's favour after Manika swats it long.
• Game 3 goes to Manika 11-7. A attacking forehand to seal the gamepoint.
• 10-6: An attacking forehand to capture her fifth successive points
• 7-6: Manika keeps the ball in play and gets Pesotska to make an error. The ploy works as Pesotska hits a forehand long.
• Game 3:  3-3: For the first time, Manika is level on the score with Pesotska.  The Ukrainian is putting her backhand to good use and has been able to put Manika on the wrong foot to stay ahead throughout the game.
• Game 2 for Pesotska. An net error from Manika to concede the game 11-5. Score: 11-4, 11-5.
• 3-8: Manika is playing with the anti spin rubber which is great for changing the pace. But no change in her luck so far. Pesotska races away to an 8-3 lead.
• Game 2 - 1-2: Manika gets a point with a forehand smash.
• Game 1 -4-11 - Game one for Pesotska. She never really let Manika take the lead through the first game and pockets it in no time.
• 3-8 - Ukraine's Pesotska gets six consecutive points for a runaway lead.
• 3-4 - Manika has been playing aggressively which means there have also been misses. A couple of backhand smashes helps her keep the margin close.

The players are warming up. The match is about to begin. Ukraine's Margaryta Pesotska is the 20th seed.

Up Next is Manika Batra who will face Margaryta Pesotska in the women's singles.

• 7-11 (7-11, 11-7,11-4, 11-5, 9-11, 10-12, 6-11) - This is a massive upset and Lam Siu Hang has pulled off a stunning victory, his first win over Sathiyan. He earned four game points and rattled the Indian who won three games on the trot. Lam Siu Hang came back from 3-1 down to beat Sathiyan and progress into the third round. He just ambushed the Indian with his attacking play and caught Sathiyan off guard.

• 7-5 - Lam Siu Hang on the charge and despite Sathiyan earning a point, Lam with a powerful forehand has pushed the Indian back. Important serve for Sathiyan.

• 4-2 - Lam Siu Hang on the run and Sathiyan is clearly feeling the pressure. This is the decider and after winning three games, the Indian has suddenly lost the fizz...

  12-10 (3-3) Game Lam Sui Hang! Lam counters back to halt Sathiyan's streak and earns a two game points at 10-8. But a net and a slow rebound saw Sathiyan down the deficit and then a strong forehand helps Sathiyan earn deuce. Counter, Block and block but Lam earns a third game point. Back hand and Sathiyan errs as Lam takes the game to the decider...  We are heading into the seventh game! Phew, what an intense competition.

• 4-8 Lam Siu Hang isn't throwing this away as he has made a strong comeback and Sathiyan is clearly under pressure. Four points between them and if Lam Siu Hang wins, we will go to the decider.
• 3-1 Lam Siu Hang serves the sixth game and starts strong by earning the lead but Sathiyan with a good backhand draws level. The Indian is fired up and keeping the racket high gets the top spin in to take the lead.
• 9-11 - Terrific fightback from Lam Siu Hang after losing the last three games as he blocked Sathiyan's way and escapes with a very thin margin winning the fifth game. Remember, Sathiyan has the advantage as another game and the Indian will be through to the next round.
• 5-7 Lam Sui Hang continues to dominate and Sathiyan is taken by surprise and his aggression is not paying dividends.
• 2-4 - The fifth game is in progress and Sathiyan with his forehand flicks has kept Lam Sui Hang at bay. But Lam Sui Hang was quick to grab the lead after losing two sets and he continues to stage a mini comeback with a 4-2 lead.
• 3-1 (11-5) Game Sathiyan and this has been complete dominance despite Lam Sui Hang pocketing four consecutive points. But, the Indian broke the four-point streak and earned a six game point. Sathiyan then closed out with five game points to take a 3-1 lead.
• 9-0 - Sathiyan is oozing confidence and is now toying with Lam Siu Hang. Long rallies, stance, power and so controlled execution of forehand and backhand.
• 5-0 - We are into the fourth game and Sathiyan takes a massive 4-0 lead and Lam Siu Hang is clearly feeling the heat. And Sathiyan makes it 5-0
• 2-1 (11-4) Game Sathiyan! And what a comeback after losing the first set. Wonderful exhibition and the Indian has found his rhythm. At 10-3, Sathiyan earned seven game points and then a comfortable block wins games three.
• 7-2 - Sathiyan is calling the shots and has pushed Lam Siu Hang with some wonderful fast forehand flicks. The positioning has been superb.
• 3-0 - Sathiyan is on fire as he takes a three-point lead in the third game after winning the second.
• 1-1 (11-7) Sathiyan earned three game points with a 10-7 lead and then demolishes the ball to pocket the game 11-7 .
• 7-5 Lam Sui Hang is getting back in the game but Sathiyan is serving well and keeping the ball in the play, indulging in long rallies.
• 4-2 Sathiyan starts with a bang in the second game as he takes a two-point lead and is depending on strong spin and has got into a rhythm.
• 1-0 (11-7) Lam Siu Hang takes the game and after Sathiyan had a slender lead, the paddler forced him on the defensive and from then kept him chasing.
• 4-3 Sathiyan is up for the challenge but Lam Siu Hang is putting the pressure.
• Table Tennis: We are all set for the men's singles between Sathiyan Gnanasekaran vs Lam Siu Hang. Sathiyan will start with the serve. Best of seven match, the player who wins four sets, wins the match.

Update: Gymnast Pranati Nayak finishes 12th in the qualification round with an overall score of 42.565 as the event continues.

Sailing: Indian sailor Nethra Kumanan finishes Race 1 at 33rd position in the women's laser radial event. Weather conditions in Kamakura have delayed the start of Race 2, where Nethra Kumanan will be in action again.

Update from Sania-Ankita's game: The Ukrainian take the set 7-6 to force a decider and both Sania and Ankita allowed their opponents to make a comeback after leading 5-4 in the second set.

Indian rowers Arjun Lal Jat and Arvind Singh qualified for the repechage semifinal A/B in lightweight Men's Double Sculls at Sea Forest Waterway on Sunday.

 

• Japan's Yuto Horigome makes history by claiming the first Olympic skateboarding gold medal
• Defending taekwondo champion Jade Jones suffers shock first round defeat.
• TENNIS: World No. 48 Sara Sorribes Tormo beats World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty in the first round 6-4, 6-3.
• TENNIS: Sania Mirza and Ankita Raina lost 6-0, 6-7 (0), 8-10 to Nadiia and Liudmyla Kichenok of Ukraine.

  The Indian duo had won the 1st set 6-0 and was leading 5-3 in the 2nd.

• UPDATE: Andy Murray has withdrawn from the singles draw at the Olympics. He was the two times defending champion.
• In Tennis, Sania Mirza and Ankita Raina have won the first set 6-0 against Ukraine's Kichenok Liudmyla and Kichenok Nadiia. The Indian duo is 2-1 up in the second set.
• Meanwhile, rowers Arjun, Arvind qualify for semifinals after finishing third in repechage 2 of Lightweight Double Sculls.
• Sindhu wins the match 21-7, 21-10 and hammers Polikarpova to progress ahead.
• 2-0: Sindhu has faltered twice while playing the backhand and has lost three match points but finally she seals the second game 21-10.
• The Indian is just hammering the Israeli and she has widen the gap and is favourite to win the second set. Sindhu leading by 14-5
• 1-0 : It took just 13 minutes for Sindhu to wrap up the game and she makes it 21-7 to win the first game.
• Sindhu has taken the last 12 points in a row and is now leading by 18-5 and the Olympic debutant is certainly feeling the heat.
• At the mid-game interval, Sindhu has only increased the gap and has taken a lead of 11-5
• Sindhu takes the lead at 5-4 and is indulging Polikarpova in long rallies and the Indian has increased the lead to 8-5.
• Sindhu taking a bit of time to settle in as the Polikarpova has a slender lead of 3-1 and quickly makes 4-2.
• Ready to play, says the chair umpire with Polikarpova to serve.
• The players are warming up and this should be an easy outing for Sindhu with head to head record 2-0 in favour of the Indian.
• Right then Group J Women's singles match between Sindhu and Polikarpova is all set to start. Sindhu starts favourite against her opponent, who is making her Olympic debut.
• The match is set to begin at 7:10 AM and we are moments away from the scheduled start of play.
• We are all set for the biggest match of the day as Sindhu takes on Polikarpova in the first round of the badminton match.

Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Shooting LIVE Updates

A day after Mirabai Chanu won India's first Olympic medal at the Tokyo Olympics, all eyes are now on ace shuttler P.V. Sindhu, who will open her badminton campaign against Ksenia Polikarpova of Israel.

Meanwhile, the Indian rowing duo of Arvind Singh and Arjun Lal Jat qualified for the repechage round after finishing fifth in the men's lightweight double sculls heats.

Indian gymnast Pranati Nayak will participate in the women's all-around qualification. In sailing, Nethra Kumanan and Vishnu Saravanan will be in action.

 

July 25 Schedule

TBD – Table tennis – Women’s singles round 2 – Manika Batra vs Margaryta Pesotska (Ukraine)

TBD – Table tennis – Men’s singles round 2 – G. Sathiyan vs TBD

5:30 – Shooting – Women’s 10m air pistol qualification – Manu Bhaker, Yashaswini Deswal

6:30 – Gymnastics – Women’s all-around qualification – Pranati Nayak

6:30 – Rowing – Men’s lightweight double sculls repechage – Arjun Lal & Arvind Singh

6:30 – Shooting – Men’s skeet qualification – Angad Bajwa, Mairaj Ahmad Khan

7:10 – Badminton – Women singles – P. V. Sindhu vs Ksenia Polikarpova (Israel)

7:45 – Shooting – Women’s 10m air pistol final

8:35 – Sailing – Women’s Laser Radial heats – Nethra Kumanan

9:30 – Shooting – Men’s 10m air rifle qualification – Deepak Kumar, Divyansh Singh Panwar

11:05 – Sailing – Men’s Laser heats – Vishnu Saravanan

12:00 – Shooting – Men’s 10m air rifle final

13:30 – Boxing – Women’s flyweight round of 32 – M. C. Mary Kom vs Miguelina Hernandez Garcia (Dominican Republic)

15.00 – Hockey – Men vs Australia

15:06 – Boxing – Men’s lightweight round of 32 – Manish Kaushik vs Luke McCormack (Great Britain)

15:32 – Swimming – Women’s 100m backstroke heats – Maana Patel

15:47 – Swimming – Men’s 200m freestyle heats – Sajan Prakash

16:21 – Swimming – Men’s 100m backstroke heats – Srihari Nataraj