Aanchal Thakur scripted history on Wednesday after she became the first Indian to win a medal at an international skiing event. The 21-year-old from Himachal Pradesh clinched bronze at the Alpine Ejder 3200 Cup in Turkey, organised by the International Ski Federation (FIS). She was competing in the slalom race category.
Speaking exclusively to the indianexpress.com from Turkey, Thakur expressed happiness that her efforts have finally borne fruit but added that she did not expect an international medal so soon. Now she firmly believes that her feat may well be the turning point for winter sports in India. Winter sports in India has failed to get much recognition, given that facilities are limited and snowfall is limited to certain parts of the country. But for Aanchal the road ahead seems more optimistic than it was before.
Hailing from a small village in Manali, Aanchal started skiing from the tender age of seven under the tutelage of her father, Roshan Thakur. “My father was a national champion in skiing and so he kept encouraging me and my brother (Himanshu Thakur). When we were young, skiing was for fun. But with age, we started considering it professionally.”
Under the guidance of her father and former Olympian, Heera Lal, Aanchal started training in the Solang valley. “But the lack of facilities out there was a hindrance for us. We had to climb up 500-800 meters with our heavy pieces of equipment and that was an arduous task. Hence, we ended up doing only 4 to 5 runs in a day.” Added to that, there was no provision for a grooming machine (to smoothen the ice) and hence she had to take the risk of skiing on an uneven terrain.
However, not the one to back off from a challenge, Aanchal kept her passion alive as she was sent to train in foreign countries like Italy and Austria. It was her father who bore all the expenses as there was no government support forthcoming.
Ruing this fact Roshan Thakur, said, “In India, importance is primarily given to summer sports as winter sports are left in the lurch. We neither get proper sponsorships nor funding. Added to that is the cost of equipment. A pair of ski itself is worth Rs 80,000 to 90,000 and combining the entire gear the cost rises to almost Rs 5 lakhs. But what she has achieved today has made me extremely proud.”