In a country where most sports, other than cricket, fail to get their share of recognition, skier Aanchal Thakur created history after becoming the first Indian ever to win a medal at an international skiing event. The 21-year-old Manali girl, competing in the slalom race category, hogged the rare limelight after clinching the bronze medal at the coveted Alpine Ejder 3200 Cup in Turkey.

Well done @alleaanchal for winning an international medal in skiing! The entire nation is ecstatic on your historic accomplishment at the FIS International Skiing Competition in Turkey. Wishing you the very best for your future endeavours.

Amongst the congratulatory messages pouring in from every corner of the country, the young skier had a special message from none other than Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Taking to Twitter, the 67-year-old wrote: "Well done @alleaanchal for winning an international medal in skiing! The entire nation is ecstatic on your historic accomplishment at the FIS International Skiing Competition in Turkey. Wishing you the very best for your future endeavours".

Finally something unexpected happened. My first ever international medal.ð Federation International Ski Race (FIS). At the end turkey served me well ðð.
PC- @alwyncreed #strangethingshappen #skiteamindia #onehimachal #himalayangirls pic.twitter.com/pjkSddCpi5

Seeing their kids bring laurels to their country would make any parent proud, but a congratulatory message from the Prime Minister himself doesn't come around too often. It wasn't surprising at all to see Aanchal's father Roshan Lal Thakur revel in the triumph of his daughter.

However, if his young daughter made the nation proud, Thakur himself boasts of an unique feat that he wasn't too shy to reveal. Reacting to Modi's message for his daughter, Aanchal's father took everyone by surprise after disclosing that he introduced the Indian PM to paragliding.

© Facebook/Roshan Lal

While Modi's passion for trying new things is nothing surprising, the fact that did paraglide and knows how to do it properly would surely surprise many of his followers. In late 1990s, Modi was in-charge of the Himachal Pradesh unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) when he visited Solang on a political tour.

© Facebook/Roshan Lal

"A local leader brought Modiji to show him the paragliding facility. The ground was slushy because it had been raining. He wanted to give it a try but I said he couldn't because you need a firm ground for the run-up. But he was adamant. He tried it and he was hooked," narrated Thakur senior, who added that he had attended Modi's rallies in the recent elections.

Well, what are the odds? A man whose daughter bagged the country's first-ever international medal in skiing also turns out to be the guy who introduced the Indian PM to paragliding. Both these things are achievements in their own capacity.