New Delhi: The gold medal-winning Indian contingent of the 45th Chess Olympiad held in Budapest, met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Wednesday. For one of the members of the contingent, it was a second meeting with PM Modi. Vantika Agrawal, a woman grandmaster who was part of the Indian women’s delegation, met the PM in 2012 when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat.
Having won two gold medals in the Asian Championships as a nine-year-old, PM Modi motivated her to win more accolades for the nation and become more passionate about the sport. The meeting which happened at the Swami Vivekananda Mahila Chess Mahotsav organised by the then CM Modi, left her deeply inspired. Not just Vantika, but the spirit of more than 3,500 women was uplifted when the Gujarat CM declared “Chess is not just a man’s game.”
It was a historic moment for Team India which bagged gold in the open and women’s category each at the FIDE Chess Olympiad, etching their names in the history book. While meeting with the PM, Vantika went down memory lane and remembered her felicitation for winning two Asian Championship golds. The moment became a bit more pleasing for her when she was surprised to know that the PM knew about her coming birthday (September 28, Saturday).
What Vantika said about the past meeting
“When I was nine, PM Modi had organised a grand event in Gujarat and I had just won two gold medals at the Asian Championships. He called me to the event and felicitated me which left me deeply inspired, and I decided to keep winning more and more and represent India, win gold for the country,” Vantika said.
Watch the video here –
‘Chess is not just a man’s game,’ declared Gujarat’s Chief Minister @narendramodi in 2012, igniting the spirit of 3,500 women at the Swami Vivekananda Mahila Chess Mahotsav.
Among them was 9-year-old Vantika Agrawal, who met him that day and left deeply inspired.
Today, Vantika… pic.twitter.com/17TAyKFjRZ
— Modi Archive (@modiarchive) September 26, 2024
Today, Vantika proudly holds the FIDE titles of Woman Grandmaster and International Master for India… not to forget her recent historic achievement of a gold medal at the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest. During her meeting, she gifted the PM with a picture of her being felicitated by him as a kid for her gold medal triumph in the Asian Championship.
Vantika Agrawal, who recently bagged a historic gold at the Budapest Chess Olympiad, recalled her meeting with PM Narendra Modi back in 2012 where she was felicitated having won the Asian under-nine Championship Gold as a young girl. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
