Aanchal Thakur has become one of the most important skiers in India’s history. Born in the Himalayan mountain town of Manali, she is the sister of Himanshu Thakur, who is also a professional skier. Aanchal represented India at the 2012 Youth Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, where she competed in Girl’s Slalom and Giant Slalom. In 2018, she became the first Indian skier to win a medal in an international skiing event, winning bronze at the Alpine Ejder 3200 Cup in Turkey. In 2021, she won her second bronze medal in Montenegro. So far in her career, Aanchal has won seventeen national medals.

In a recent TedX talk from Chitkara University HP, Aanchal Thakur described her skiing career so far. She discusses how she started skiing, the challenges she faced along the way, her accomplishments in skiing so far, and the hardships women still face in India. The video from TedX is below.

Image/Video Credits: Aanchal Thakur, TedX