79-Year-Old Rita Choksi, India’s Oldest Competitor at Asian Games

Asian Games 2018: Bridge players Kiran Nadar and Rita Choksi talk about India’s chance of a medal in the sport.

Kiran Nadar (L) and Rita Choksi (R) are two players among India’s 24-member bridge contingent at the 2018 Asian Games.

(Photo: The Quint)

Video Editor: Kunal Mehra
Camerapersons: Abhay Singh and Shiv Kumar Maurya

Kiran Nadar and Rita Chokshi were playing bridge professionally much before each of India’s gold medallists at these Asian Games were even born.

In fact, the cumulative age of Vinesh Phogat, Saurabh Chaudhary and Bajrang Punia even put together is no match for the 79 years Choksi has been around. And while she’s played bridge tournaments for the last many decades, it is now that the sport has been accepted as an Asian Games event and is making its debut in Indonesia. Choksi also happens to be India’s oldest sportsperson at these Games.

Kiran Nadar, a philanthropist and also a trustee of the Shiv Nadar Foundation, has backed bridge in India for many decades and will herself be seen competing in two events at the Asian Games.

With an average age of 60 in the 24-member squad, Nadar believes there’s hope for at least three medals in the sport included at the Games for the first time.