India’s historic gold medal win at the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest has left Vantika Agarwal feeling ecstatic, where she and the women’s team, including Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali Rameshbabu, Divya Deshmukh women’s chess team etched their names in history by securing the gold medal for the first time at the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest.
The team, comprising Vantika Agrawal, Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali Rameshbabu, Divya Deshmukh, and Tania Sachdev secure their first-ever gold.
Vantika Agrawal and teammates on their historic win
The grandmasters, Tania Sachdev, Vantika Agrawal, Vaishali Rameshbbabu, and Harika Dronavalli, shared their thoughts on their historic win. While speaking to the ANI, Vantika Agrawal said, “I am so happy and excited that we could make this happen. It wasn’t easy at all, but we are happy that we could perform under pressure. I have won many medals before, but this time was different. After winning, everyone was messaging me. Prime Minister met us and interacted with us immediately after we returned from the US.”
Tania Sachdev shared her joy, saying, “I am overwhelmed right now, the hard work and training have been a lot, but the feeling of standing on the podium with a gold medal makes it all worth it. I believe that pressure is privilege. If there is pressure on you, then you are doing something good.”
Vaishali Rameshbabu emphasised on the importance of being part of the winning team, saying, “I am very happy to be part of such a historical gold-winning team. In the 2022 Chess Olympiad in Chennai, we were close to winning gold but lost the last match. Maybe that experience helped us this time to handle the pressure better.”
Harika Dronavalli remarked on her journey, saying, “My motivation is less now. I wanted to win gold, and we have won it. Team championships take a lot energy and come with a lot of stress because you are playing for the whole team. Being part of the historical team is something I cherish. I would like to end on such a beautiful note, but you never know what the future holds.”
The Indian Women’s Team clinched gold after beating Azerbaijan with a score of 3.5-0.5. In the final round, Harika, Divya, and Vantika each won their matches, while Vaishali drew against Ulviyya Fataliyeva.
Indian men’s Team wins Gold against Slovenia
The Indian Men’s team, including D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi, Pentala Harikrishna, defeated Slovenia to win the gold medal. Gukesh and Arjun’s wins gave India an early 2-0 lead, followed by Pragnanandhaa’s win and Vidit’s draw, leading to a final score of 3.5-0.5.
The men’s competition concluded with the USA in the second place, with Uzbekistan winning the bronze medal. In the women’s event, Kazakhstan claimed silver, with USA securing a bronze medal.
PM Modi met with the Indian men’s and women’s chess teams at his residence on Wednesday to celebrate their win at the International Chess federation (FIDE) Chess Olympiad. This Victory at the 45th Chess Olympiad not only marks a pivotal moment for Indian chess but also inspires budding chess players everywhere.
