India underlined their supremacy in the Asian Para-Cycling Championships by grabbing three podium finishes at the Wunna Theikdi Sport Stadium here today. Last year's silver medallist and Bangalore resident Divij Shah led India's charge in the para-cycling category winning yet another silver, while BSF soldier Harinder Singh bagged the bronze. Harinder had won a bronze medal in last year's edition as well. New entrant Madhu Bagri, meanwhile, won bronze in the hand-cycling, a category where India made a maiden participation and Bagri become the first para cyclist to win an international medal in hand cycling. She is a former national wheelchair national tennis champion and shifted her focus recently to para-cycling after coach Aditya Mehta encouraged her to switch. "It is a matter of immense pride for me and the whole contingent to have once again made the country proud at the continental championship. "The rich haul of medal here not only shows our zeal to become a powerhouse in para-cycling but also allows us to show our mettle to the world," Divij Shah, who had started off as an amateur cyclist to beat the Bangalore traffic, said. Aditya Mehta and the AMF Foundation has been tirelessly working with these athletes and was delighted at their feat and felt that it will only make the athletes more focused and drive them to achieve greater heights. "I would like to congratulate all the winners.
Their achievement once again proves that India is fast becoming a force to reckon in para-cycling. We believe that we are poised for much better things in the future," Aditya Mehta said from Myanmar.
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