The coveted gold continued to elude the Indians as both Yuki Bhambri and Arjun finished second in tennis and discus throw,respectively,on the seventh day of the inaugural Youth Olympics being held in Singapore. While Yuki,who was trailing 7-6(4) 6-7(4) 1-4 to Columbias Juan Sebastian Gomez,retired due to leg cramps,Arjuns 62.52m effort fell short of South African Du Plessis Jacquess 63.94m. It was a pretty long match,lots of breaks of serves. It was always close,I didnt have much lead even in the first set which I won. And I couldnt press the advantages I had,I was 2-0 up in the first but got broken back, Yuki told The Sunday Express from Singapore. Yuki couldnt produce the same form that saw him defeating higher seeded Damir Dzumhur earlier. It was extremely humid and the courts were slow which meant there were no easy points. I hadnt played so much in a row for a really long time and I knew that staying physically fit is going to be a challenge. Yuki,who had been out of competition for more than two months owing to an ankle injury,added: It wasnt a precautionary measure,in the end,I could just not go on. On Sunday Im headed to Kazakhstan to play a challenger in which Ive got a wild card and hopefully playing more matches will help me improve physically. Saturdays match for Yuki is not all about losses,he has taken more than a couple of positives from the tournament. Im feeling good that even after the injury comeback,I could almost sustain till the end. All my strokes were coming in well and I hope to continue playing like this to get my ranking up, he added. Pressure takes a toll Hopes in the Indian camp were raised again when the discus throw event began but nerves got the better of Arjun,who had qualified for the final with a personal best throw of 63.90. Gold hath se nikal gaya,(I just lost a chance to win gold) Arjun said after the event. While the South African touched 62 in his very first attempt,Arjun started off in a shaky manner,notching up just 53.99m with his first throw. As Du Plessis bettered his mark,Arjun could only come up with 62.52 in his third attempt. Coach Rajinder Saini agreed that the Indian lost the battle mentally. He was throwing freely till the qualifying rounds but today,he wasnt able to take the pressure, Saini said. Meanwhile,India was assured of two more medals in boxing with Vikas Krishan (60kg) and compatriot Shiva Thapa (54kg) moving into semifinals. The Indian contingent,so far,has bagged four silver medals and a bronze.
