CWG 2018: Saina Nehwal wants best-ever finish for India at Gold Coast

Memories of a path-breaking 2010 CWG gold are still fresh in her mind as Saina Nehwal embarks on a quest to regain the title at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games next month.

Eight summers ago, a 20-year-old Saina stood on the podium with the gold medal around her neck on the final day to not only become the first Indian woman to achieve the feat but also take the country to the second position ahead of England with a gold count of 38 in the overall medal’s tally.

“India was second in overall medal tally in 2010. On the last day we were on 99 medals and Indian hockey (men) and badminton women’s singles were left for last day. I won gold and in hockey we were runners up,” recalled Saina. “I felt so happy to be on the podium with the national tri-colour that I cannot forget it.”

It has been an interesting journey for Saina since she was handed her debut at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in the team event as a 15-year-old by former India coach Vimal Kumar, who also later trained her for three years (2014-2017). The Haryana-born shuttler shocked all and sundry and eventually beat New Zealand’s Rebecca …read more