Finally, S’pore women’s doubles Feng Tianwei and Yu Mengyu win first Commonwealth Games gold
Paddlers Feng Tianwei (photo, left) and Yu Mengyu at the victory ceremony for the women's doubles at the Commonwealth Games. Photo: Sport Singapore
SINGAPORE — After a frustrating week at the Gold Coast’s Oxenford Studios, Team Singapore’s paddlers finally clinched their first gold of the Commonwealth Games on Friday (April 13).
World No 4 Feng Tianwei and Yu Mengyu successfully defended their women’s doubles title in Australia, while avenging last Sunday’s chastening defeat by India in the team event.
India’s Batra Manika, the top-ranked Indian paddler at world No 58, had shocked Feng on Sunday in the first singles of the women’s team final. Bolstered by that win, the Indian women then went on to crush defending champions Singapore 3-1 for the coveted team gold.
Facing Manika and Das Mouma on Friday in the women’s doubles final, Feng and Yu delivered a clinical performance and stormed to an 11-5, 11-4, 11-5 victory over the Indian pair to the delight, and relief, of the Singapore camp.
“We were disappointed to lose the gold medal in the team event, so we prepared very well, did extensive video analysis of our opponents and stuck to the game plan,” said Feng, 31.
“We were determined to win the gold medal, and I am happy we won it.”
Veteran paddler Feng will get another shot at redemption on Saturday, when she faces the towering Manika — who is 1.83-metre tall — again in the women’s singles semi-final.
While the Singapore Table Tennis Association had targeted a clean sweep of all seven gold medals ahead of the Commonwealth Games, the men’s and women’s teams have fallen short in Gold Coast.
With just two veterans, Gao Ning and Pang Xuejie, left in their ranks, the men’s team failed to defend their gold medal from the 2014 Glasgow Games as they were beaten by India in the semi-finals, before losing the bronze medal match to England.
They are also out of contention for the men’s doubles title, with Koen Pang and Ethan Poh to contest the bronze medal play-off against India’s Harmeet Desai and Sanil Shankar Shetty on Saturday.
Team Singapore’s paddlers are still on track to claim three more gold medals in Gold Coast, with the players in action in the men’s and women’s singles semi-finals, and mixed doubles semis on Saturday.
Over at Brisbane’s Belmont Shooting Centre, double gold medallist Martina Lindsay Veloso saw her hopes of winning a third title in the women’s 50m rifle three positions dashed when the 18-year-old finished fourth in the elimination finals with her score of 432.3. Singapore’s defending champion Jasmine Ser finished sixth after shooting a score of 408.8.
With two days of action remaining in the Gold Coast, Team Singapore’s 60-strong contingent has won three golds, a silver, and a bronze at the Commonwealth Games to date.
At the 2014 edition in Glasgow, Scotland, Singapore’s athletes won a total of eight golds, five silvers, and four bronzes.
