Cycling Federation of India will invite teenager Jyoti Kumari, who had to cycle to Bihar from Gurugram carrying her ailing father due to nationwide coronavirus lockdown, to appear for a trial next month, reported PTI.
Jyoti, who is believed to be 13 years old, drove a bicycle with her father as the pillion rider from Haryana’s Gurugram to Darbhanga in Bihar, covering 1200km in seven days.
Cycling Federation of India Chairman Onkar Singh told PTI that if Jyoti, a class eight student, passed the trial, she will be selected as a trainee at the National Cycling Academy at the IGI Stadium complex in Delhi.
“We have told her that she will be called to Delhi next month as soon as the lockdown is lifted. All the expenses of her travel, lodging and other will be borne by us,” Singh said.
“If she needs somebody from home, we will also allow that. We will see in consultation with our Bihar state unit on how she can be brought to Delhi for a trial,” he added.
Singh added, “She must have something in her. I think cycling down more than 1200km is not a mean job. She must be having the strength and physical endurance. We want to test it.”
“We will make her sit on the computerised cycle we have at the academy and see if she satisfies the seven or eight parameters to get selected. After that she can be among the trainees and she will not have to spend anything.”
Jyoti’s father, Mohan Paswan, an autorickshaw driver in Gurgaon got injured and the lockdown left him without any source of income. He had to return the autorickshaw to the owner. The father and daughter duo started their journey from Gurgaon on May 10 after buying a cycle and reached their village on May 16.
With PTI Inputs
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