'Truly a golden effort'- Mithali Raj, RP Singh congratulate Sudhir and Murali Sreeshankar on their CWG 2022 medal triumphs

Ex-India women’s team captain Mithali Raj and former left-arm pacer Rudra Pratap Singh have come forward and congratulated two athletes- Sudhir and Murali Sreeshankar for bringing laurels to the country in the ongoing Commonwealth Games 2022 at Birmingham. While Sudhir clinched gold in para powerlifting, Murali bagged a silver in athletics.

More importantly, the duo’s podium finishes contributed to India’s overall medals tally which currently stands at 20 with six gold medals and seven silver and bronze each after the end of Day 7. India are ranked seventh and have a great opportunity to climb the ladder in the coming days with many events left especially the Women’s T20 cricket tournament where the Indian eves have made the semis.

Mithali Raj and RP Singh congratulate Sudhir and Murali Sreeshankar

Taking to her official Twitter handle Mithali Raj posted a picture of both the athletes and wrote, “Truly a golden effort from Sudhir in Men’s Truly a golden effort from Sudhir in Men’s Heavyweight Para Powerlifting to not only clinch the gold medal for the nation but also set a CWG record. Hats off to his dedication and willpower. Congratulations to Murali Sreeshankar for securing a silver in Men’s Long jump.”

Truly a golden effort from Sudhir in Men's Heavyweight Para Powerlifting to not only clinch the 🥇 for the nation but also set a CWG record. Hats off to his dedication and willpower. 👏

Congratulations to Murali Sreeshankar for securing a 🥈 in Men's Long jump.#CWG2022 pic.twitter.com/tNREjFzajj

— Mithali Raj (@M_Raj03) August 5, 2022

RP Singh came forward and wrote, “A huge congratulations to #Sudhir for seizing the #Gold in Para-Powerlifting and to #MuraliSreeshankar for seizing #Silver in Men’s Long Jump. Your sincere hard work and dedication have proven themselves through your victories”

A huge congratulations to #Sudhir for seizing the #Gold in Para-Powerlifting and to #MuraliSreeshankar for seizing #Silver in Men's Long Jump. Your sincere hard work and dedication have proven themselves through your victories✨🤗#CWG2022 #RPSwing pic.twitter.com/zQ7LwF9NaU

— R P Singh रुद्र प्रताप सिंह (@rpsingh) August 5, 2022

Coming back to Sudhir’s gold medal-winning performance, the 27-year-old lifted 208 kg in his very first attempt and showcased a much-better performance in the second attempt, lifting 212 kg. This helped him in earning 134.5 points as he went on to break the Commonwealth Games record.

Murali Sreeshankar, on the other hand, might have missed out on the elusive gold medal but etched his name in history by becoming only the fourth Indian long jumper to win a CWG medal. On top of that, his silver is the best among Indian male long jumpers in Commonwealth Games history. The legendary long jumper Suresh Babu had bagged bronze in the 1978 edition at Alberta, Canada.

Other jumpers to have won a CWG medal in the past include Suresh Babu (1978), Anju Bobby George (bronze in 2002), and, MA Prajusha (silver in 2010) respectively. Murali secured silver with an effort of 8.08m in the final.