New Delhi: India scripted history on Sunday by winning their maiden Chess Olympiad gold medals in both the Open and women’s events.
It was only the third time in Chess Olympiad history that a nation had emerged on top in both events.
Having reaped the rewards after a fortnight’s hard work in Budapest, the Indian teams earned the right to celebrate. For a start, the ecstatic players emulated Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma after receiving their trophies.
As the other members of the two teams held the Indian Tricolour on the podium and jumped in joy with their individual medals, Tania Sachdev and D Gukesh — the two outstanding players — emerged from either side, with the trophies, in a slow walk before joining their teammates in celebrating what has got to be one of the biggest moments in Indian sport.
Watch their celebration in a video clip shared on X:
India team spirit! Celebration time! Olympiad Champions!
🇮🇳🥇🏆🥇🏆🇮🇳#BudapestOlympiad #FIDE100 @FIDE_chess @aicfchess @WOMChess pic.twitter.com/jzJXBzQOs1
— Susan Polgar (@SusanPolgar) September 22, 2024
Gukesh remained unbeaten in the tournament, with 9 wins and a draw on the top board of the Open event, while Divya topped the third board in women’s play with a superb 9.5 out of 11.
It may be recalled that Team India captain Rohit created an iconic moment at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados on June 29 after the men snatched victory from jaws of defeat in the ICC T20 World Cup final against South Africa.
Rohit, after being ‘tutored’ by Kuldeep Yadav, had moved towards the podium to receive the trophy from Jay Shah in a funny slow walk, moving his hands sideways, as his teammates clapped and laughed.
Kuldeep Teaching Rohit how to lift the Trophy like Messi 😭💗
Messi Effect is Unreal 🐐 pic.twitter.com/1TbbZY9fci
— Aditya⚡ (@Hurricanrana_27) June 30, 2024
It was a copy from football superstar Lionel Messi’s famous walk with the FIFA World Cup after Argentina beat France the final at Doha in December 2022.