"He is always talking about sports": Indian track and field stars Prachi, Ancy Sojan speak on meeting PM Modi after Asian Games success

By Vipul Kashyap Indian athletes Ancy Sojan and Prachi Choudhary expressed happiness after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi following their Asian Games 2026 medal wins at Aichi-Nagoya, highlighting PM Modi's keen interest in sports and how he presented his vision of 'Viksit Bharat' to the athletes.

PM Modi interacted with India's Asian Games 2026 contingent at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi on Thursday, as athletes, coaches and officials gathered to mark the country's performance at the continental multi-sport event. Speaking to ANI, Prachi, who secured a gold medal in the women's 4x400 m event alongside Kiran Pahal, Machettira Poovamma and Vithya Ramraj, said that the motivation is always to win medals in major events outside India and meeting PM Modi becomes a motivation in itself as well.

"It felt very good. You get good motivation. And when we go outside to represent India, our target is always to bring back a medal. If we bring back a medal, the Prime Minister invites us, and we get to meet and talk with him, which serves as motivation for us to have him come and speak with us," she said. India clinched the gold as the quartet clocked 3:29.69 to finish on top in the women’s 4x400m relay final.

Prachi also spoke of the vision of 'Viksit Bharat' that PM Modi presented before them and highlighted their role in fulfilling it, with a rise in sports infrastructure and facilities. "He spoke of the dream of Viksit Bharat and how we need to fulfil it. Our sports infrastructure is developing a lot, and these facilities are benefiting sports children immensely. Even children at the ground level are emerging strongly, so in the coming time, India will become a sports hub," she added.

Ancy Sojan, a silver medalist in long jump with best effort of 6.53 m, said that PM Modi also took pictures with athletes and shows very keen interest in sports. "It was so nice, he just came with us and had a photo. He took some time from his busy schedule to appreciate us, and he is such a... what do we say, very interested in sports, I can say. He is always talking about sports, Olympics, and we were so enthusiastic about this," she said.

Sojan missed out on gold by just two centimetres, with China’s Huang Yingying taking the top spot with a jump of 6.55m. Another Chinese athlete, Tan Mengyi, won bronze with 6.46m, while India’s Shaili Singh finished fourth with a best effort of 6.42m. The Indian women's cricket team, which clinched the gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Games in Japan, also attended the programme after flying in from Raipur on Thursday. Veteran batter Harmanpreet Kaur presented a signed jersey to the Prime Minister.

Athletes felicitated the Prime Minister with signed jerseys, a signed hockey stick and a shawl during the interaction. India's men's and women's hockey teams also presented jerseys to PM Modi, while women's team captain Salima Tete gifted him a hockey stick. Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya was present at the event and sat among the athletes as PM Modi began his address. Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Raksha Khadse and Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President PT Usha also attended the programme.

The gathering included members of the Indian contingent, their coaches and support staff, IOA officials, representatives of National Sports Federations and officials from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. India finished fourth in the medal standings at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, winning 85 medals, comprising 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze. The result marked India's second consecutive finish among the top five nations at the continental event. India completed a historic gold sweep in three of its important team events: field hockey, cricket and kabaddi, with six medals for all six teams participating.

The contingent also registered several notable milestones across disciplines. These included gold medals for both the men's and women's hockey teams in the same edition, historic performances in recurve archery and India's maiden medals in soft tennis and mixed martial arts (MMA). India also secured its first-ever gold medal in the women's trap shooting event, while the silver medal in weightlifting ended a 28-year wait for an Asian Games medal in the discipline. A silver in Greco-Roman wrestling also marked a significant milestone, ending a 64-year wait for an Indian finalist in the event. (ANI)