Aanchal Thakur: This 21 year old is India's first skiing medal winner

It is the first time that the Winter Games Federation of India has won a medal in more than 30 years of international competitions, said Roshan Thakur, the federation's secretary general, who is also Aanchal's father.

Thakur is part of a new generation of gritty Indian sportswomen making history on the global stage.

Photo: Aanchal Thakur Alpine Skier/Facebook

Thakur, an arts student from the sleepy hill station of Manali in northern India, said she started training at the age of five and was often regarded with awe for travelling alone to train in foreign destinations.

"My father trained and treated me and my brother equally," she said.

Photo: @alleaanchal

With a historic medal in the bag, the next target for this wushu player-turned skier is the qualification mark for the Winter Olympics to be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea next month.

While her brother Himanshu is closer to the qualification mark, making the Winter Games cut seems unlikely for Aanchal.

Photo: Aanchal Thakur Alpine Skier/Facebook

Her father Roshan adds that existing skiing venues in India, at Gulmarg and Auli, are the only world-class during competitions and are not looked after well otherwise.

The equipment, comprising ski, boots and clothing too is expensive and costs around Rs 4-5 lakh, says Aanchal.

Photo: Aanchal Thakur Alpine Skier/Facebook

"I just want to say that we too are fighting, working hard day in and day our for India," she said.

Skiing runs in her blood but it has not been an easy ride thus far for Aanchal, who is a student of DAV College in Chandigarh.

Photo: Aanchal Thakur Alpine Skier/Facebook

Text: Reuters & PTI