Island boy Esow Alben is crowned World No. 1 in Junior Sprinting

For a country like India which boasts of a diversity unseen elsewhere, it is brimming with sporting talent from all across the length and breadth of the nation. Hailing from the far-flung islands of Andaman and Nicobar, teenager Esow Alben proved his mettle and confirmed his status as the next big star in the cycling circuit. After scripting several records to his name, Esow has become the World No. 1 in the Junior Sprinting circuit! The 17-year-old cycling sensation Esow Alben is making waves in the cycling world and going out of his way to make India proud. For the Rower-turned-cyclist who trains at the National Cycling Academy in New Delhi, this cycling season has been a very promising endeavour. Earlier in February this year, Esow bagged

two gold medals in the individual and team categories, before making it to a hat-trick of gold medals with his victory in the Men's Junior Sprint event at the Championships. But it was only in June last month that Esow raced ahead to grab a total of 1160 points and crowned himself as the World No. 1 in the Junior Sprinting circuit. June proved to be rewarding for the island kid from Government Model School, Port Blair who bagged gold medals at the Cottbuser Sprint Cup 2018 and the GP Brno Track Cycling competitions. In the Großer Preis von Deutschland in Sprint competition, Esow finished third.

All of this culminated with him getting bestowed by 560 points which enabled him to be at the perch of the Junior Sprinting rankings. By becoming the highest ranked player in the junior circuit, Esow has created history for India. It was only Deborah Herold previously who had gone up to be the World No. 4. The 23-year-old Herold also hails from the islands of Andaman and Nicobar. Deborah, as a tsunami-survivor, is the very focused kind. Esow has many records and several medals to his name, and at just 17 he is taking the world by storm. With the recently published cycling rankings, Esow must be on cloud nine. It is a moment of immense joy and pride to see the youngster making it big at such an early age. This is just an indication for the bright future of cycling ahead in India!

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