Good Sports: TEEN CYCLIST SHOWS ENDURANCE
Jyoti Kumari, a 15-year-old girl from Bihar, has caught the eye of the Cycling Federation of India (CFI). Jyoti recently rode a bicycle from the outskirts of New Delhi to her village in Darbhanga, Bihar, carrying her injured father behind her.
She completed the 1,200-km journey in 10 days, most of it through her own pedal power. Her father, Mohan Paswan, an e-rickshaw driver who had lost his job during the lockdown, was recovering from injuries suffered in a traffic accident.
After Jyoti’s feat was highlighted in the media, she received a call from the Cycling Federation inviting her to a trial in Delhi and offering to pay her travel expenses.
“She must be having the strength and physical endurance. We want to test it,” CFI chairman Onkar Singh said.
Jyoti may eventually take advantage of CFI’s offer, but for now, she’s focusing on her studies, having enrolled in class nine at Pindaruch High School.
“We will surely send her for the trials after the lockdown is lifted,” her father told PTI. “At the moment, we want her to complete her matriculation.”
Compiled and partly written by Indian humorist MELVIN DURAI, author of the novel Bala Takes the Plunge.
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