Good Sports: JUNIOR CYCLIST ACHIEVES TOP RANKING
Manipur’s Ronaldo Laitonjam Singh has made history for India by achieving the top ranking in world junior cycling in three events: sprint, keirin, and 1 km time trial. He’s also a member of the Indian team that’s No. 1 in team sprint in the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) rankings.
Ronaldo, 18, is following in the footsteps of Nicobar’s Esow Alben, who achieved the top ranking in two categories, sprint and keirin, the previous year.
The two cyclists, along with Rojit Singh and Jemsh Singh, won a gold medal last August at the UCI Junior Track Cycling World Championships in Frankfurt, Germany. Ronaldo joined the National Cycling Academy in Delhi at age 16 following a tryout. “The scouts wanted to test our physical fitness,” he told Express News Service. “We had to run 1600m, short sprints, as well as complete a certain set of push-ups and chin-ups. I actually came last in most events. I was surprised when I got the joining letter after a month!”
Compiled and partly written by Indian humorist MELVIN DURAI, author of the novel Bala Takes the Plunge.
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