NEW DELHI, Feb 21: Indian cyclists made a bright beginning to the Asian Track Cycling Championships as the women’s junior team clinched gold in the sprint event here on Wednesday.
In a stunning display of skill and teamwork, the Indian side comprising Sarita Kumari, Niya Sebastian and Zaina Mohammed Ali Pirkhan outclassed the Korean team and secured gold in 53.383s.
“It is like a dream for us to beat the strongest team of Asia. We did it with our team work,” said Niya after the race.
India’s good run on the day extended as they grabbed two silver medals later.
The first silver came in the Para-Team Sprint event as the team consisting of Arshad Shaikh, Jalaluddin Ansari and Basavaraj Horaddi finished second with an impressive timing of 1:02.661s.
Malaysia grabbed gold (52.284s), while Saudi Arabia settled for bronze.
The home side added another silver to their kitty through the trio of Narayan Mahto, Syed Khalid Baghi, and Mayanglambam Wattaba Meitei in the Junior Team Sprint event.
They clocked 47.93s to edge out their Korean competitors.
The Women’s Junior side consisting of Harshita Jakhar, Suhani Kumari, Dhanyadha JP, and Bhumika secured a well-deserved bronze in the fiercely-contested Team Pursuit event, outpacing Chinese Taipei.
South Korea and Kazakhstan took home gold and silver respectively.
Speaking on their performance, Dhanyadha noted, “It was a neck-to-neck fight, and we were fortunate to clinch the bronze. This moment feels like a dream — a testament to the dedication and hard work that goes into competing at the Asian Championships.” (PTI)
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