Asian Games 2023: Mayank Chaphekar poses with idol Virdhawal Khade in touching photo

In a beautiful moment shared by the Instagram account @weareteamindia, Mayank Chaphekar posed with his idol Virdhawal Khade ahead of the Asian Games.

In the photo, which happens to be a collage, fans can see a young Mayank posing with his inspiration Khade on one side, while the other side shows both athletes sporting team India jerseys ahead of the Hangzhou Games.

Weareteamindia captioned the photo:

Just one of the few inspiring stories that come out of events like the #AsianGames.

Then and Now! Modern pentathlon athlete Mayank Chaphekar who grew up idolising swimmer Virdhawal Khade is now competing at the same Asian Games with him. Also a testament to the incredible longevity of @virdhawal, who will be participating at his 4th Asian Games.

Watch Mayank Chaphekar in action during his event today.

#WeAreTeamIndia | #Cheer4India | IndiaAtAG22

Fans showered the photo with love, with even sprinter and Asiad gold medalist PT Usha commenting to give her best wishes to both players.

Asian Games 2023: Where to watch Mayank Chaphekar and Virdhawal Khade in action

Mayank Chapheker made history as the first Indian to participate in the modern pentathlon event at the games.

Modern pentathlon is an Olympic sport that combines fencing, freestyle swimming, horse-riding, pistol-shooting, and cross-country running.

Mayank will be in action at Hangzhou starting on the 22nd of September.

Meanwhile, veteran swimmer Virdhawal Khade will participate in the 50m butterfly event. The 32-year old won the bronze at the 2010 Asiad, ending India's 24 year long hunt for a swimming medal at the games.

Virdhawal will start his campaign in Hangzhou on the 28th of September.

Select matches and races for both athletes can be caught on the Sony Sports network and the Sony Liv app.