This medal is for the country: Divya's father

AFTER the Open team secured a historic gold for India at the chess Olympiad in Budapest, the women's team comprising Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali Rameshbabu, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal and Tania Sachdev doubled the joy for India with their gold medal performance on Sunday.

- KALYANI MANGALE

Nagpur's Divya, who holds the title of Woman Grandmaster, was one of the vital cogs. Competing in her first Olympiad at the age of 18, Deshmukh won seven out of her 11 fixtures to help India clinch ultimate glory.

"We were ecstatic that the medal was secured for our country," Divya's father, Dr. Jitendra Deshmukh, told this daily from Nagpur. “She has always represented Maharashtra at the national level, and as Maharashtrians, we are proud of her. However, this win was for the country and it is even more special," he added.