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Cycling as a sport is often gets overlooked in India. However, things changed for the sport drastically when Indian cyclists claimed victory in the Junior Cycling World Championships team sprint in 2019.
From Esow Alben securing a silver medal in the individual sprint to the men’s team bagging a gold medal in the team sprint, a lot changed for the goodness of the sport in 2019.
Unfortunately, everything came to a halt for the cyclists when COVID-19 hit India. However, the cyclists and Cycling Federation of India has recovered from the situation and are aiming to secure multiple places in the 2028 LA Olympics.
Indian junior cyclists Wattaba Meitei and Sarita Kumari shared their views on the improvement of the sport over the years. Furthermore, Indian senior team member Rojit Yanglem also opined on what changed for Cycling of late.
“The improvement I've experienced is that I've gained a lot of experience from this competition. I've learned a lot, especially in group races and similar events,” Wattaba Meitei said on the change in Cycling over the years in a video shared by SAI.
Later, Sarita Kumari stressed the importance of her improvement mentally and physically, which helped her to gain form and win a medal in the recently concluded Asian Championships, improving her overall timing and performance.
“I've learned a lot. The first time I participated was in Malaysia, where I played only one event, the team spin. I couldn't perform as well as I wanted because my training wasn't that good at that time, and I was dealing with a slight injury. But I improved a lot in one year, both mentally and physically, and won a medal in this Asian Championship. I also improved my timing significantly and gave my best performance in this Asian Championship,” Sarita Kumari said.
Rojit emphasized the change the sport has witnessed of late after COVID-19. He stated that the cyclists have improved their timings and have also set a few national records, highlighting the overall performance in the past year.
“Cycling was going very well for us before, but now it's a little slower, around 2021, partly due to COVID. So, we couldn't perform as well. But now, what's happening is going quite well. We've done very well in timing, and we've also set national records. We've been doing well for the past year,” Rojit Yanglem stated.
Kevin Sireau changed the perception of Indian cyclists
In March 2024, the Cycling Federation of India (CFI) appointed French rider Kevin Sireau as the new head coach for the sprint events. Kevin is a multiple Olympics and World Championships medallist.
Though the Indian elite cyclists ended the Asian Track Cycling Championships 2024 at Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in New Delhi without a medal, India’s 20-member junior and para teams had an impressive outing, clinching 18 medals - nine gold, six silver, and three bronze medals.
Moving forward, the three cyclists had their say on the improvements they had witnessed since the appointment of the foreign coach. Wattaba stated that he has developed a lot of discipline and confidence in the past month and he is eyeing to give his best in the World Championships in August 2024.
“We are getting facilities and when the foreign coach came, there has been a lot of discipline and changes in the schedule since then. Because of that, we have improved a lot in just one month. The training was only for a month by the foreign coach, and he will be with us for two years. We feel that we can do something. Next August, we will go to the World Championship, where we will try to achieve something,” Wattaba Meitei quoted.
Furthermore, Sarita is confident of bagging an Olympic medal in the future, courtesy of the confidence she has achieved since the appointment of Kevin. Additionally, she has improved her overall techniques under the foreign coach.
“I used to train in Patiala SAI before. Now, for the past month, I have been training with Coach Kevin. I learned from the coach how to improve my techniques, how to keep players motivated, and how to approach everything differently. Right now, I am gaining confidence. I am confident that I can take myself to another level, to the level of winning Olympic medals,” Sarita Kumari went on to add.
Later, Rojit stressed the changes in workout and training methods under the new coach.
“Since Kevin sir came, we have changed a lot. Everything from food, living arrangements, and how we train and work out has changed. After his arrival, we felt very good. It feels very good for us. The timing of the training hasn't changed, just the way we train and the schedule, which is how we do things, has changed a lot,” Rojit Yanglem emphasized.
