Bumping into India’s Asian Video games champions

A tall man walked down the carpeted walkway at Delhi airport, in direction of the Chennai-bound plane. When he seemed up from his cellphone, the trophy in his hand, the color of his t-shirt and his physique revealed that he have to be somebody particular. Contained in the plane there was one other individual with the same trophy in her hand, and a t-shirt that prompt that she represents India too.

Somebody commented after they walked previous among the seats that they is perhaps athletes. “Take a look at the trophy of their arms. They will need to have received one thing,” the onlooker stated.

Nonetheless, no one might recognise the pair. They took their economy-class seats like the opposite passengers. Shortly after takeoff although, the pilot introduced that they have been Asian Video games medal-winners Praveen Chitravel and Subha Venkatesan. There was gentle applause from the opposite passengers as the 2 winners stood up from their seats. There was no large rush in direction of them, this being an plane, however a few individuals walked as much as greet them.

Chitravel, who received bronze within the males’s triple soar together with his greatest soar of 16.68m, sported an enormous smile each time he shook somebody’s hand. Venkatesan, who received silver within the blended 4x400m relay, was equally jolly. They have been each accommodating sufficient to repeat their names to everybody, and clarify how they received the medals. Venkatesan stated that she was going to Trichy, the place she would meet the Tamil Nadu chief minister.

When Chitravel was strolling again to his seat, a passenger insisted that he take a photograph with each athletes. Venkatesan pulled Chitravel again into place to get the picture finished.

When the flight landed in Chennai, there was no rush to fulfill them once more. Chitravel and Venkatesan merely walked by the arrivals corridor, discovered their baggage and headed out of the Chennai airport.

Their simplicity was a breath of recent air. One nonetheless wonders what athletes within the subcontinent, aside from cricketers, must do to get a bit of extra consideration.