India target Asiad, Olympics after Commonwealth haul

India's unprecedented success at the Commonwealth Games should be a launchpad for bigger success at this year's Asian Games and the 2004 Athens Olympics, union sports minister Uma Bharti said on Monday.

"It was an unexpected performance," she told reporters on her return from Manchester on Monday.

India collected 32 gold, 21 silver and 19 bronze medals for their best-ever showing at the Commonwealth Games to finish third overall behind Australia and England.

"I saw many memorable moments myself. But ahead of us lies the challenge of the Asiad and the Olympics. We should improve and also become consistent," she said.

Indian shooters, who bagged 14 gold medals, should gear up to face tougher competition from China, South Korea and Japan at the Asian Games in Pusan, South Korea in October, she said.

Bharti announced a huge increase in the government's cash incentive for the Manchester medal winners, who will receive two million rupees, 1.5 million rupees and one million rupees for gold, silver and bronze respectively.

But India's jubilation has been marred by the positive dope test of 62 kg lifter Krishnan Madasamy, who was stripped of three silver medals on Saturday.

Madasamy tested positive for a metabolite of the banned anabolic steroid nandrolone.

A second lifter, double gold medallist Satheesha Rai, has also failed a drugs test, according to the Press Trust of India