Samaresh Jung yesterday won his fifth shooting title at this year's Commonwealth Games, moving within one gold medal of a Games record shared by Australian swimmers Ian Thorpe and Susie O'Neill.
The 35-year-old Indian won the 10m air pistol individual event yesterday and remains on target to equal the record six gold medals at a single games.
"I'm not interested in the record or gold. If I'm shooting well then I will be happy," said Jung, who started the games pledging to win eight gold medals and revised it to eight podium places after finishing with silver in the opening event.
PHOTO: AP
Since then, he's won five consecutive gold. Two more wins and he'll have the record on his own.
Multiple world and Olympic champion Thorpe, who won six gold and a silver at Manchester in 2002, is missing the Melbourne games because of a serious virus. O'Neill won six gold medals in Kuala Lumpur in 1998.
Another Australian swimmer, Libby Lenton, was aiming for seven gold medals at Melbourne, but finished with five gold and two silvers.
PHOTO: AFP
Yesterday, Jung edged Vivek Singh -- his partner in the 10m air pistols pairs victory -- by 7.8 points.
In his sights are gold in center-fire pistol and standard pistol events.
Mick Gault, who set an England record for most Commonwealth Games with silver on Tuesday -- his 14th career medal -- finished fifth yesterday.
PHOTO: AFP
In a major upset in the men's trap shooting, dual Olympic champion Michael Diamond of Australia missed nine of his last 75 targets to finish 10th.
New Zealander Graeme Ede won in a shoot off from Northern Ireland's David Beattie (silver) and Managjit Singh Sandhu (bronze) after all three finished on 138.
Ahead of yesterday's evening program, Australia led the medal standings with 54 gold medals and 143 overall. England had 21 gold medals, India had 14 -- including 12 from shooting -- Canada had 11, followed by South Africa and Scotland with nine apiece and Jamaica with five.
The Indians went 1-2 in the women's over-75kg weightlifting division with Geeta Rani taking gold with a combined total of 241kg from Simple Kaur Bhumrah at 240kg.
The news wasn't as good for India's field hockey team.
The eight-time Olympic champion men failed to advance after finishing equal second with the same goal difference in Group B with Malaysia but losing on a tiebreaker: Malaysia scored more goals, 16-14.
India's 2-0 win over south Africa gave it seven points from four matches in Group A, while Pakistan held on to edge Malaysia 6-5 after leading 5-2 early in the second half.
Pakistan topped the group and would likely meet either England or New Zealand in the semis. Malaysia was likely to face Olympic champion Australia.
In men's basketball, Australia beat England 101-75 to advance to the gold medal final tomorrow.
The men's 400 meters was the highlight of last night's athletics program, with World Indoor champion Alleyne Francique hoping to become Grenada's first gold medalist at the Commonwealth Games. Australia's John Steffensen was the fastest through in the semifinals.
Olympic 200 meters champion Veronica Campbell was hoping to continue Jamaica's dominance in the sprint events.
She was second-fastest in the opening heats in 23.17 seconds, just 0.02 ahead of teammate Sheri-Ann Brooks, who won the 100m.
The 200m semifinals were to be held last night.
The Jamaicans won the 100m double, with world-record holder Asafa Powell winning the men's title.
Australia's 2003 world champion Jana Pittman overcame concerns about her injured hamstring by winning her heat of the women's 400m hurdles in 55.07 seconds.
"She's going in as gold medal favorite and as I see it, she's going to come away with it in front of a home crowd," said English hurdler Chris Rawlinson, Pittman's coach and fiance.
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