Indian Cyclists: Rising Stars at the Asian Games 2023

A total of 10 Indian cyclists have been selected by the Cycling Federation of India to compete in the upcoming Asian Games to be held in Hangzhou, China. The selected cyclists will be seen competing in two disciplines: Sprint and Madison. Here is the list of Indian cyclists who will be in action at the Asian Games:

Esow Alben

The young Indian cyclist first burst onto the scene in 2019 when he became the first Indian to win a medal at a World Championship. His silver in the world junior championships made him one of India’s best cyclists at the tender age of 18. Now with experience under his belt, he became the first Indian to win a medal in a top European race when he won bronze at the Finale Bahnen-Tournee in Germany earlier this year. Certainly, he is a star in the making, and he is India’s best hope to win a medal in cycling for the first time since 1951.

Ronaldo Laitonjam

Ronaldo Laitonjam is already India’s ace cyclist at the age of 21. He first rose to prominence by winning gold in the Junior World Championships, alongside Esow Alben and Rojit Singh Yanglem. Since then, he has become India’s top cyclist winning three medals in the Asian Cycling Championships in 2022. This year, he added a silver to his name while breaking the national record.

Rojit Singh Yanglem

The third member of the historic gold-winning team from the Junior World Championships, Rojit Yanglem may not have reached the same heights as his other two teammates but is certainly a rising star. He competed in the Commonwealth Games last year in the team sprint and was unable to progress from the qualifying rounds.

David Beckham Elkatohchoongo

The final member of this rising young Indian cycling quartet, he first rose to prominence by winning multiple medals in the Khelo India Youth Games in 2020. He then became a key member of India’s sprint team and went on to win bronze in the 2022 Asian Track Cycling Championships. He finished 18th in last year's Commonwealth Games and aims to better that performance in Hangzhou this year.

Harshveer Sekhon and Vishwajeet Singh

The Indian pair will be seen in action at the Madison track event at the Asian Games. Vishwajeet Singh is an Indian track cyclist who competed in the 2022 Commonwealth Games and qualified for the final in the men’s 15km scratch race. He also won bronze at last year's Asian Track Cycling Championships in the individual pursuit category. Harshveer Sekhon has represented India at the 2018 Asian Games, but that was in speed skating. This time he switches to two wheels and will be seen competing alongside Vishwajeet.

Celestina Chelobroy

A Khelo India Youth Games star, Celestina has won six gold medals in the event and rose to prominence when she won five medals at the 2021 National Championships held in Hyderabad. She will be participating in the sprint event at the Asian Games.

Triyasha Paul

Triyasha Paul is an Indian cyclist who will be competing in the individual sprint event at the Asian Games. She also participated in last year's Commonwealth Games where she finished 23rd in the individual sprint and failed to qualify for the keirin final. She was part of the team that won bronze in the Team Sprint at the 2022 Asian Track Cycling Championships.

Mayuri Lute

Mayuri Lute is a multiple medal-winning cyclist from the Asian Track Cycling Championships. She won a 500m time trial bronze and a team sprint bronze in the 2022 Asian Track Cycling Championships. She also competed in the 2022 Commonwealth Games, finishing 18th overall in the time trial.

Shushikala Agashe

Shushikala Agashe is an Indian track cyclist and a member of the team that won the bronze at the 2022 Asian Track Cycling Championships in the team sprint. She also participated in the 2022 Commonwealth Games, where she finished 7th in the women’s team sprint.