The Cycling Federation of India announced its 9-member squad consisting five and four men as part of the cycling team for the upcoming Commonwealth Games to be held in Gold Coast, Australia. The team has been selected on the basis of the performance in the Asian Track Cycling Championship held at Nilai, Malaysia recently.
Team India
The women’s team comprises Deborah (Sprint, Kerin, Individual Time Trial, Team Pursuit), Aleena Reji (Sprint, Individual Time Trial, Kerin), M Sonali Chanu (Endurance Events, Team Pursuit), T Manorama Devi (Endurance Events, Team Pursuit) and Amritha Reghunath (Team Pursuit, Point Race). The men’s team involves Ranjit Singh (Team Sprint, Indivial Time Trial 1000m), Sahil Kumar (Team Sprint, Keirin), Sanuraj P (Team Sprint, Individual Sprint, Keirin) and Manjeet Singh (Endurance events).
Onkar Singh, Secretary General of Cycling Federation of India said, “We have announced our best team for Commonwealth Games 2018 where we are expecting a good show from our cyclists. We don’t have a good track record in Commonwealth Games so far but this year our cyclists are in good shape and they will give a good competition to the leading countries like England, Australia and others. If everything goes as per our plan then Indian Women Cycling Team will be in medal tally.”
India shine at Junior Asian Championships
During the Junior Asian Track Cycling Championship in Nilai, Malaysia held from February 16 to
21 the Indian team won four medals including three gold medals and one bronze. The Indian Cycling team won all the sprinting events in the Men’s junior sections.
The Indian Men Junior Cycling team comprising Esow of Andaman & Nicobar, Mayur Pawar of Maharashtra and James Singh of Manipur created new continental cycling Track record in sprint event by clocking 46.070 seconds to claim the first gold medal.
The India junior team then outclassed the Japan team in the final. 17-year-old Esow won the other two sprinting events of Keirin and Individual sprint.
He not only created history with winning all three sprinting Olympic events but was the only male cyclist to win three gold medals in the junior category. Pawar was unfortunate when he crashed few meters from the finishing line and slipped to fourth place missing the Bronze medal. Danamma from Karnataka also created history by winning first ever bronze medal in the endurance event of Point Race in Women’s Junior category.
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