New Delhi, Dec 14 (IANS) Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu on Friday congratulated powerlifter Gaurav Sharma on winning gold at the European Championships recently.

Gaurav, who was recently conferred with the prestigious Mahatma Gandhi Leadership Award in London, visited Naidu's residence and his took his blessings.

"I am really honoured to meet the Vice-President sir. He wished me luck for the future events and congratulated me on my achievements. I am feeling really motivated," Gaurav told IANS.

"I want to thank Dronacharya awardee Bhupinder Dhawan sir and Bharath Jha ji for all their support," he added.

Gaurav is a 'mahant' (priest) in a temple in Chandni Chowk. In 2007, he had won four gold medals at the Commonwealth Championships in New Zealand.

He had clinched two gold medals at the 2016 World Championships in England.

--IANS ajb/sed