5 sports where India should be excelling, but isn't yet

1) Cycling

For now, our hopes are pinned on young Deborah Herold

Cycling – another sport that has featured in every single edition of the modern Olympics that started in 1896. Contested over multiple categories over long and short stretches, within and outside the velodrome, cycling is one event that thrills the masses on every occurrence.

Every Indian cycles, irrespective of whether it is done as a day-to-day chore or for sports, the plenitude of seasoned cyclists within a country as vast as India cannot be doubted.

Although Indian cyclists have appeared at the Olympic stage in the past, there has been little to cheer for since we were far from a podium finish. With variants such as Keirin, Omnium, Sprint and Pursuit to aim at, with just a little more encouragement behind this sport, our young athletes could pedal their way to glory in the coming years.

For now, our eyes will be fixed on 21-year-old Deborah Herold from Andaman and Nicobar Islands, who’s ranked fourth in the 500m time trial discipline under UCI, today. The first Indian to achieve such a laurel, she’s currently eyeing 2020 Tokyo Olympics qualification for India.