Top beginning Saina Nehwal and doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa today scripted history by becoming the first Indian women shuttlers to win gold medals in the Common wealth Games at the Siri Fort Complex here on Thursday.
World number three Saina battled past Malaysian Mew Choo Wong 19-21 23-21 21-13 in a nerve-wrecking 70-minute clash in women's singles final to not only realise her dream of winning the gold but also helped India pip England in the final medals tally with 38 yellow metals in the Delhi Games.
Aparna Popat had won a silver in women's singles in 1998 Kuala Lumpur edition while Prakash Padukone was the first Indian to win a badminton gold at the 1978 Edmonton Games, followed by Syed Modi, the second and the last shuttler to win a gold in 1982 in Brisbane.
Earlier, second seed Jwala and Ashwini eked out a pulsating 21-16 21-19 victory over Singapore's Sari Shanti Mulia and Yao Lei to earn India its first gold in women's doubles event in the Commonwealth Games.
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