All you need to know about the Indian participants at the Sochi Winter Olympics 2014

Himanshu Thakur on the left

Himanshu Thakur

Age: 20

Category: Alpine Skiing

Claim to fame: Outperformed cousin and former Olympian Hira Lal in run-up to the Games

There were initially two contenders in the Alpine Skiing category – Himanshu Thakur and Hira Lal. As India has been handed only one quota place in this category, only one athlete could participate here, and Thakur was chosen ahead of his cousin Hira Lal.

Thakur also hails from Manali, Himachal Pradesh. His father Roshan Lal Thakur is the secretary of the Winter Games Federation of India (WGFI). While the decision as to which of the cousins should be sent to the Games was being made, Hira Lal himself decided to step back in order to give his brother a chance.

But there was a solid reason for Lal to do so. Thakur has had a better record than Lal in terms of finishes over the past 20 events, having finished higher than him on eight out of the 12 occasions where both skiiers completed the race. His best position was 12th, while Hira Lal’s was 16th. As per the international federation point system, Himanshu’s score was 111.20 and Hira Lal’s was 111.43 – with lower being the better.

“Himanshu had better performances than Hira in the giant slalom category. Hira has always supported Himanshu and made it clear in writing that he preferred his younger cousin to participate in the Games this time,” said Roshan Lal Thakur, Himanshu’s father. “His timings have been encouraging and we’re looking to him to win medals at Asian Championships in the future,” he added.

Having emerged as the best current Alpine skier in the family, Thakur will be hoping to make his family and country proud at the Sochi Games.