India finish with 13 medals on the opening day of Track Asia Cup

Indian cyclists showcased glimpses of their vintage self at the 2019 Track Asia Cup, on the opening day of the competition, with an impressive haul of 13 medals, including as many as five gold medals. The three-day tournament poses as a qualifying event for Tokyo 2020 Olympics, as well as for the World Championship to be held later this year.

Youngster Esow Alben was the cynosure of all eyes as he continued his remarkable feat from the Junior Track World Cycling Championship that was held last month. Besides, Deborah Herold looked as promising as ever on Day 1, as she most definitely looked for a smooth podium finish in the women’s elite team sprint event, much like Esow. 

Alben is currently ranked number one in men’s sprint and men’s keirin as per the UCI world ranking. India’s biggest hopes will rest on the 17-year-old, who managed to finish third along with his Indian counterparts Jemsh Singh and Sandeep Kumar in the men’s elite team event only last month. The duo of Herold and Aleena Reji did not upset fans, as they added bronze to their names in the women’s event yesterday. The senior women’s team faced a tough competition ahead of the World Championship tournament, against cyclists from Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Thailand. India won gold in the women’s junior team sprint event, led by the duo of Tiyasha Paul and Nikita Nisha. 

India is led by a 21-member team, among which six belong to the Khelo India Academy, jointly managed by both Sports Authority of India and the Cycling Federation of India. The other participating countries in the tournament include Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, UAE, Thailand, Malaysia, China, Myanmar, Indonesia, Iran, Singapore, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Latvia, and Slovakia. The sixth edition of the Track Asia Cycling Cup saw the participation of a total of 150 countries from 16 different nations, including two European countries Latvia and Slovakia. 

Results:

Venkappa Kengalgutti: Scratch Race 10km Men's Junior (Silver); Elangbam Singh (Bronze)

Deborah Arnold/Aleena Reji: Team Sprint Women's Elite (Bronze)  

Rojit Singh/Ronaldo Singh/Paul Collingwood: Team Sprint Men's Junior (Gold) 

Triyisha Paul/Nikita Nisha: Team Sprint Women's Junior (Gold)

Esow Alben/Jemsh Singh/Sandeep Kumar: Team Sprint Men's Elite (Bronze)

Punam Chand /Naveen Kumar/Harshveer Sekhon/Anil Manglaw: Team Pursuit 4km Men's Elite (Silver)

Elangbam Singh: Race 15km Men's Junior (Silver)

Mayuri Lute: Time Trial 500m Women's Elite (Gold)

Trishya Paul: Time Trial 500m Women's Junior (Gold)

Nikita Nisha: Time Trial 500m Women's Junior (Silver)

Ronaldo Singh: Time Trial Men's Junior (Gold)

Gurpreet Singh: Time Trial Men's Junior (Bronze)