A tall man walked down the carpeted walkway at Delhi airport, in the direction of the Chennai-bound plane. When he seemed up from his cellphone, the trophy in his hand, the color of his t-shirt and his physique revealed that he have to be somebody particular. Inside the plane there was one other individual with the same trophy in her hand, and a t-shirt that advised that she represents India too.

Someone commented once they walked previous a number of the seats that they is perhaps athletes. “Look at the trophy in their hands. They must have won something,” the onlooker stated.

Still, no person might recognise the pair. They took their economy-class seats like the opposite passengers. Shortly after takeoff although, the pilot introduced that they had been Asian Games medal-winners Praveen Chitravel and Subha Venkatesan. There was delicate applause from the opposite passengers as the 2 winners stood up from their seats. There was no huge rush in the direction of them, this being an plane, however a few individuals walked as much as greet them.

Chitravel, who received bronze within the males’s triple leap along with his greatest leap of 16.68m, sported a giant smile at any time when he shook somebody’s hand. Venkatesan, who received silver within the blended 4x400m relay, was equally jolly. They had been each accommodating sufficient to repeat their names to everybody, and clarify how they obtained the medals. Venkatesan stated that she was going to Trichy, the place she would meet the Tamil Nadu chief minister.

When Chitravel was strolling again to his seat, a passenger insisted that he take a photograph with each athletes. Venkatesan pulled Chitravel again into place to get the photograph achieved.

When the flight landed in Chennai, there was no rush to satisfy them once more. Chitravel and Venkatesan merely walked via the arrivals corridor, discovered their baggage and headed out of the Chennai airport.

Their simplicity was a breath of contemporary air. One nonetheless wonders what athletes within the subcontinent, aside from cricketers, must do to get a bit extra consideration.