INDIA’SCommonwealth Games medallists barely had time to celebrate their success before shifting their focus to next month’s Asian Games as they returned to a rousing welcome in the national capital in the early hours of Tuesday. Even as the athletes walked out of the airport to a rousing welcome, they spoke in one voice about the road ahead, saying there was little time to bask in their Glasgow success with the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya fast approaching. “Hearing the national anthem on such a big stage is a feeling I will always cherish. But my focus has already shifted to the Asian Games, where I want to win another gold,” boxer Priya Ghanghas told PTI moments after walking out of the arrivals gate of the IGI Airport.

 

Priya was not alone in turning her attention to the Asian Games after Indian boxers capped a memorable Commonwealth Games campaign with a 10-medal haul. The women’s team led the charge with six medals, while the men contributed four, as Indian boxing once again underlined its growing stature on the international stage. The para athletics contingent, too, scripted history with a record seven-medal haul as India climbed to fourth in the overall medal standings. As the athletes emerged from the terminal around 4 a.M., dhol beats and patriotic tunes filled the air. Family members welcomed the medallists with flower garlands as supporters queued up for photographs.