Chess Olympiad champions celebrate victory in Rohit Sharma-style
The winners then gathered on the podium, holding the national flag. In a joyful moment, Gukesh and Tania Sachdev recreated Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma’s iconic walk in the T20 World Cup final.
Another glorious chapter was added to India’s chess history with the men’s and women’s teams clinching their maiden Chess Olympiad titles on Sunday. The men’s team defeated Slovenia 3.5-0.5 while their female counterparts crushed Azerbaijan by an identical margin in a rare clean sweep of gold medals.
World Championship challenger D Gukesh and 21-year-old Arjun Erigaise delivered in key games while R Praggnanandhaa regained form in the final round to ensure a smooth victory for India in the open section. On the other hand, D Harika struck on the top board while Divya Deshmukh defeated Givhar Beydullayeva to confirm her individual gold medal on the third board.
The winners then gathered on the podium, holding the national flag. In a joyful moment, Gukesh and Tania Sachdev recreated Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma’s iconic walk as they carried their trophies to the podium amid cheers from their teammates.
The video has gone viral on social media with fans showering praise on the Indian champions. Here’ how they reacted.
The Indian men ended with a tally of 21 points out of a possible 22in all, winning 10 matches and conceding a lone 2-2 draw against last Olympiad winner Uzbekistan. Divya Deshmukh remained the best performer, taking her personal tally to an awe-inspiring 9.5 points out of a possible 11.
In the open section, the United States won silver while Uzbekistan took the bronze. In the women’s section, Kazakhstan bagged the silver medal while the US got the bronze.
(With Agency Inputs)
