Aanchal Thakur wins first international medal in skiing for India

21-year old Manali girl, Anchal Thakur, won the first international medal for India in skiing, a sport that is a part of Winter Olympics. Anchal won bronze at the prestigious Alpine Ejder 3200 Cup organised by the Federation Internationale de Ski (FIS),  international governing body  of skiing, at the Palandoken Ski Centre in Erzurum in Turkey. She competed in slalom race category.

Months of training have finally borne fruit. I started well and managed to take a good lead, which helped later in getting the third-place finish,” Aanchal tol. 

Aanchal who hails from Burua in Manali, learnt the basics of the sport from her father Roshan Thakur. Later, Heera Lal, a former Olympian, honed her skills. Her father who is now the secretary general of the Winter Games Federation of India (WGFI), was elated by his daughter’s achievement. “This is a breakthrough for the sport in India and the entire skiing fraternity is proud of her achievement,” he said. 

The lack of facility in Winter Sports has forced Anchal’s father to fund her foreign trips. Occasionally, FIS also sponsors her tours. However, both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore also congratulated her for the achievement. 

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