New Delhi: In a historic first for Indian boxing at the Commonwealth Games, the country's pugilists completed an unprecedented and memorable hat-trick of gold medals with thumping victories in the finals of the event's 19th edition here on Wednesday.
Asian champion Suranjoy Singh (52kg) just had to hop into the ring to fetch a gold, while Manoj Kumar (64kg) and Paramjeet Samota (+91kg) notched up the most memorable triumphs of their careers as India, having already won four bronze through Amandeep Singh (49kg), Jai Bhagwan (60kg), Dilbag Singh (69kg) and Vijender Singh (75kg), completed their best ever medal haul in the Games in front of raucuous home fans.
Before this, India had won just two gold medals in the Games through Mohammed Ali Qamar (2002) and Akhil Kumar (2006) and their previous best was the five-medal haul at the Melbourne edition of the event.
Suranjoy was up against Kenya's Benson Njangiru but the Indian just had to step into the ring and be declared winner after his rival was found medically unfit due to a groin injury.
The 24-year-old Asian champion, for whom it was his seventh international medal since April 2009, tried to enter the ring by jumping over the ropes but mistimed the move to come crashing down on the mat, leaving the fans amused.
As regulation demands, his rival's name was called out but when he expectantly did not turn up, the referee raised Suranjoy's hand, giving India their first boxing gold of the evening.
"I never thought it would be that easy and I am so glad that I have won a gold medal in front of my home fans. The crowd support has been just fantastic. I dedicate this medal to my parents, who could not come to see me because my mother is unwell," the diminutive Manipuri, who is fondly called 'Chhota Tyson', told reporters.
"I thought I would just jump over the ropes to entertain the fans but fell down. It was funny but it would not have been had I actually had a bout, I might have injured myself," he laughed when asked about his hillarious attempt of summersault over the ropes.
The second gold for India came just 15 minutes after Suranjoy got walkover when Manoj dismantled England's Bradley Saunders 11-2.
It was a perfect birthday present for Manoj, who turned 24 yesterday as he took down the Englishman with brilliant counter-attacks.
His guard always in place, Manoj landed some telling hooks and uppercuts on Saunders, who was also unsettled by the partisan crowd's chanting and cheering.
It was 4-1 in the opening round and the Indian blanked Saunders in the second round to make it 8-1.
Despite enjoying a massive lead, Manoj kept his composure and stuck to counter-attacking even in the final three minutes to be the find of the event for Indian boxing after being in wilderness for two years due to a nagging wrist injury.
"This crowd just gets to you. They have pushed me into getting this medal. I am glad that I beat and English rival.
My strategy all through the Games has been counter-attacking and I did just that today. My guard is my strength and I made full use of it. I frustrated my opponent and forced him to open up. I am very happy to have done so well in front of my home fans," said the Haryana-lad, who defeated Olympic and World Championship bronze-medallist Vijender's cousin Balwinder in the trials to book a place in the team.
It was the biggest bout of Manoj's career so far but the boxer said he was never nervous going into the bout.
"With so much support, how could I feel nervous. I loved the intensity of support from the fans. It kept me going," he said.
In the final bout of the day, Samota took on Trinidad's Tariq Abdul Haqq and was simply destructive in his 5-1 triumph.
The 22-year-old Commonwealth championship gold medallist thus became the first Indian boxer to clinch a Commonwealth Games gold in the super heavyweight division.
In a dominating performance, Samota relied on sheer power of his uppercuts to break through Haqq's defence and complete a thoroughly one-sided win.
"It's not muscle power, it's the will power which gets an athlete where I have reached The crowd support also motivated me to do well," Samota.
Earlier, Sri Lanka clinched its first boxing gold medal at the Commonwealth Games since 1938 through veteran Manju Wanniarachchi and thanked India for contributing to its historic feat.
The 31-year-old Wanniarachchi defeated Welshman Sean McGoldrick on countback after being tied 7-7 with him in the bantamweight 56kg finals.
Wanniarachchi became the first boxing medallist for Sri Lanka in 60 years and the first gold winner in 72 years.
Barney Henricus was the last Sri Lankan to win a boxing Gold at the British Empire Games in Sydney in 1938. The Island nation's previous Games boxing medals were two silver and a bronze in Auckland in 1950.
It was also a historic day for Northern Ireland, which clinched four gold medals to leave traditional powerhouse England with just a single gold medal in the event.
Four out of five English boxers in finals lost their bouts -- one to India and three to Northern Ireland.
Northern Ireland, which had not won a CWG gold medal for 16 years, ended up with four in the current edition with European champion and Olympic bronze medallist Paddy Barnes (49kg), Eammon O'Kane (75kg), Patrick Gallagher (69kg) and Thomas McCarthy (81kg) winning their final bouts.
Gallagher, in fact, fought amid massive support from the crowd, which booed England's Anthony Ogogo, who had beaten world number one Vijender due to twin warnings from the referee that the Indian got.
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