Asian Games: Kabaddi Player's Father Gets Emotional As She Arrives With A Gold Medal

A video of Kabaddi player Snehal Shinde's father breaking down in tears as he received his daughter at the Pune Airport has surfaced on social media, leaving the internet emotional. Notably, the Indian Women's Kabbadi team made the country proud by winning the gold medal in the recently concluded Asian Games.

Snehal Shinde, a part of the winning Indian women's kabaddi squad, received a warm welcome from her family as she returned to her country on Wednesday. In a video shared by the news agency ANI, the player's father Pradeep Shinde was especially overwhelmed as he hugged his daughter tightly and shed tears of joy. He also proudly showcased the gold medal that his daughter won for the country, while struggling to hold back his tears. 

''Father of Kabaddi player Snehal Shinde, Pradeep Shinde gets emotional as the family receives her at the Pune Airport. Indian Women's Kabbadi team won the gold medal in the recently-concluded Asian Games,'' the video was captioned. 

Watch the video here:

#WATCH | Maharashtra | Father of Kabaddi player Snehal Shinde, Pradeep Shinde gets emotional as the family receives her at the Pune Airport.

Indian Women's Kabbadi team won the gold medal in the recently-concluded Asian Games. pic.twitter.com/cmJ4X5z51a

— ANI (@ANI) October 11, 2023

 In what was a nail-biting encounter, India edged Chinese Taipei 26-25 to claim the gold medal, which was also India's 100th at the Hangzhou Games. After the referee blew the full-time whistle, the Indian players broke down as tears of joy flowed down their cheeks. Players hugged each other and celebrated the historic moment for the country.

This was India's third gold in women's kabaddi which was introduced in the 2010 Asian Games.

"We worked really hard after losing the gold in the 2018 Asian Games. We waited for five years but our hard work paid off," said captain Ritu Negi who was also a part of the silver-winning team at the 2018 Asian Games.

"Our players were a bit nervous towards the end but they kept themselves under control and ultimately pulled off the win. Chinese Taipei is now a very strong side. They have trained in India in the past and will keep on improving. We also have to work harder and maintain our hold,'' coach Edachery Bhaskaran said.

The Indian men's kabaddi team also emerged victorious after an hour of arguments to reclaim its Asian Games title, beating defending champions Iran 33-29.