Manali Resident Creates History!

Aanchal Thakur created history on Tuesday when she won India's first ever international medal in skiing. Hailing from Himachal Pradesh, this petite 21-year-old won a bronze in the coveted Alpine Ejder 3200 Cup organized by the Federation Internationale de Ski (FIS) — skiing's international governing body — at the Palandoken Ski Centre in Erzurum in Turkey. She won the medal in the slalom race category.   Her effort is commendable as there is no culture or even infrastructure for winter sports in India. Aanchal learned the nuances of skiing from her father. She practised along with my brother on local ski slopes of Manali and participated in club competitions. Later, Heera Lal, a former Olympian, honed her skills.  Aanchal's brother, Himanshu is also a skier and the brother-sister duo is trying its best to qualify for the 2018 Winter Olympics scheduled to be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea from February 9 to 25.