Indian Esow Alben bagged two medals at the World Junior Track Championship to help India register its best ever performance at a global cycling event.
India won a gold, silver and bronze each to finish sixth in the medals tally. Germany, New Zealand and Greece claimed the top three places respectively. The trio of Esow, Ronaldo Singh and Rojit Singh scripted history by grabbing a gold in the men’s sprint event. This is the best ever performance of India at World level.
Esow then secured a silver medal winning performance in the individual sprint event. The 18-year-old also won the bronze in the men’s individual Keirin event. Esow Alben, who hails from Andaman and Nicobar Islands, is currently No 1 junior in Keirin and Sprint events. His list of achievements do not stop here. Esow, in his short cycling career, has won six gold medals in Asian Track Championships, 4 medals in Junior Track World Championships.
“When I started training to be a cyclist, I used to get very tired. I would then lie down on the terrace of my house, look at the sky and tell myself that I have to do something for India. That thought still gives me strength.”
He was the first Indian to win an international cycling medal.In an interview to Times of India, he said that it was the passion to win medals for India which inspired him to take up the sport.
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This article was originally published on FirstPost.com