E-Paper
Ludhiana: CWG hero Vikas Thakur arrives in hometown to rousing reception
Commonwealth Games 2022 silver medal winning weightlifter Vikas Thakur was greeted with a floral welcome by hundreds of fans, neighbours and relatives; people garlanded him and were seen struggling hard to make their way through the crowd in an attempt to get a picture clicked with the star athlete
Commonwealth Games 2022 silver medallist Vikas Thakur received a rousing reception as he arrived in his hometown of Ludhiana on Saturday.
Vikas, 28, who secured his third CWG medal for weightlifting in the 96-kg category in Birmingham, first reached Hotel Red Mango in Sahnewal with a huge cavalcade of supporters and police vehicles, where he was greeted with a floral welcome by hundreds of fans, neighbours and relatives. People garlanded him and were seen struggling hard to make their way through the crowd in an attempt to get a picture clicked with the star athlete.
The weightlifter also shook a leg to dhol beats with his fans as slogans of “Bharat Mata ki Jai” echoed in the air in acknowledgement of Thakur’s historic achievement.
“It feels amazing to receive such a heartwarming welcome from the people of my district. Residents of my society have gathered in huge numbers to congratulate and shower me with their love, which has made my achievement even more special. I am happy that my family is now known by my achievement,” said Thakur.
Thakur, however, expressed slight disappointment over the gold medal evading him once again, but said he was satisfied with his performance “CWG is a major event where over 70 countries participate and every sportsman competes to win. I am lucky to stand on the podium representing my country and will soon bag a gold medal too,” he added.
Thakur had earlier won the silver and bronze medals at the 2014 and 2018 editions of CWG, respectively
He further credited his father for introducing him to the game and being a constant source of motivation. “My father motivated me to become a weightlifter and I started practising at the age of nine at Ludhiana Club at least for six to seven hours daily. I remained consistent and even sacrificed my family life”.
Vikas, who had performed Sidhu Moose Wala’s signature step by tapping his thigh after winning the medal, said it was his tribute to the slain singer, of whom he is a huge fan.
Another huge welcome function was also held at his society in Eldeco Estate, where hundreds of people thronged the venue and danced to the beats of dhol.
