Three athletes from Himachal Pradesh made India proud by bagging gold and silver medals for the team in snowboard and alpine skiing event at Special Olympics World Winter Games (SOWWG) held in Austria.
Hailing from a humble background in Chamba district, Himachal Pradesh, Sanjay Singh bagged two gold medals in snowboarding. Inspired by skiing and sledging, snowboarding involves descending a snow-covered slope while standing on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet.
“I feel elated on making my country proud,” said Sanjay Singh, who is under the care of Paradise Children Care Centre.
“Winning a medal for India is a dream come true for me. I hope I will bring more laurels to my country in years to come,” said Megha, who won one gold and one silver medal for India at Alpine skiing event. Alpine skiing is a sport involving sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings.
Shubham Singh from Himachal Pradesh also made India proud by winning two silver medals for the team in Alpine skiing.
“The news of the winning a medal hasn’t yet sunk in to me,” said Shubham Singh.
All three athletes were supported by DLF Foundation under their Talent Nurturing Programme, according to a release.
The foundation bore their coaching and training, equipment and participation expenses.
The Special Olympics World Games are an international sporting competition for athletes with intellectual disabilities, organised by Special Olympics.
India finished at the Games with a total of 73 medals, which included 37 gold medals, 10 silvers and 26 bronze.