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Gao Ning bags two golds on final day

Singapore paddler mounts comeback with Yu Mengyu to win mixed doubles title before sealing his first men's singles title

Singapore paddler Gao Ning summoned all his guile and experience to add two gold medals to the Republic's tally on the final day of the Commonwealth Games on Sunday (April 15).

First, the 35-year-old teamed up with Yu Mengyu to win the mixed doubles gold, after beating England's Liam Pitchford and Ho Tin-Tin 12-10, 12-10, 11-9 at the Oxenford Studios on the Gold Coast, Australia.

The Singapore pair trailed in the first two games, facing game point at 9-10 both times, before storming back to win 12-10.

Barely two hours later, Gao was back on the court to face Nigeria's Quadri Aruna in the men's singles final.

Gao first led by 11-7, 11-8, but had to fend off a fightback from the 29-year-old Aruna who won the next two games 11-5, 11-3, and looked a serious threat to the Singaporean's hopes of winning the only Commonwealth Games title that had eluded him.

Gao had won the men's doubles, mixed doubles and men's team gold at the Games, but managed to get only a silver in the men's singles twice, after losing to fellow countrymen Yang Zi (2010 Delhi Games) and Zhan Jian (2014 Glasgow Games) in previous finals.

He wasn't about to settle for second spot again.

Calling up all his grit for one final burst, Gao pipped Aruna 11-9 in the fifth game, which seemed to rattle the Nigerian. Aruna then lost the next game 11-5 to hand Gao the gold.

Singapore's final medal haul at the Games reads five golds, two silvers and two bronzes.

SINGAPORE'S MEDALLISTS AT GOLD COAST COMMONWEALTH GAMES

GOLD

  • Martina Lindsay Veloso (Shooting, women's 10m air rifle)
  • Martina Lindsay Veloso (Shooting, women's 50m rifle prone)
  • Feng Tianwei, Yu Mengyu (Table tennis, women's doubles)
  • Gao Ning, Yu Mengyu (Table tennis, mixed doubles)
  • Gao Ning (Table tennis, men's singles)
     

SILVER

  • Feng Tianwei, Yu Mengyu, Zhou Yihan, Lin Ye, Zhang Wanling (Table tennis, women's team event)
  • Yu Mengyu (Table tennis, women's singles)


BRONZE

  • Toh Wei Soong (Para swimming, men's S7 50m freestyle)
  • Feng Tianwei (Table tennis, women's singles)
gao ningtable tenniscommonwealth games