Hyderabad-based Aditya Mehta Foundation has every reason to feel proud with Indians ensuring three podium finishes in the Asian Para-Cycling Championship held in Myanmar on Friday night.
Last year’s silver medallist Divij Shah of Bengaluru picked a silver while the BSF soldier Harinder Singh settled for a bronze having won a similar medal last year as well.
Maiden participation
What was heartening was the performance of a new entrant, Madhu Bagri, who won a bronze in the hand-cycling category. Interestingly, this is India’s maiden participation in this category and Bagri has now become the first para-cyclist from India to win an international medal.
“She is a former national wheelchair tennis champion and shifted her focus recently to para-cycling,” says the proud coach Aditya Mehta, who encouraged her to switch to para-cycling and try her hand in this category in mid-2017.
“It’s a matter of immense pride for me and the whole contingent to have made the country proud once again at the continental championship. The rich haul of medal here in Myanmar not only shows our zeal to become a power-house in the field of para-cycling, but allows us to show our mettle to the world,” says Divij Shah, who had started off as an armature cyclist to beat the Bengaluru traffic.
It may be mentioned here that the AMF has been constantly working with these athletes and Aditya feels this feat should only ensure that the athletes focus more and make their dreams bigger.
“I would like to congratulate all the winners. Their achievement proves that India is fast becoming a force to reckon with in para-cycling. We believe that we are poised for much bigger things in future,” said Aditya Mehta, who has been working to train and support para sports in India with able support from the Cycling Federation of India (CFI). “Our vision is to make India a superpower in the world of para sports,” says the top official of AMF, which is a non-profit organisation established five years ago and which helps people with disabilities to pursue sports while providing self-sustenance. The foundation is currently working on Mission 100, an initiative to produce 100 para athletes before the 2020 Olympics.
