Track Asia Cup 2018 saw its curtain falling on Sunday, 23rd September here at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium Complex Velodrome. The last day of the Cup turned out to be a spectacular performance from the host team.
India won the top spot by bagging 6 gold medals, 5 silver and 2 bronze. The Indonesian team secured the second place with 4 gold, 3 silver and 1 bronze while Hong Kong came third by winning 4 gold and 2 bronze. The closing ceremony of the magnificent event was privileged by the presence of Mr. Rajeev Mehta, General Secretary of Indian Olympic Association.
The first final of the day was Men Junior 200 Mts. Sprint. India's prominent cyclist EsowAlben grabbed the gold in a tough fight with Kazakhstan’s DimitryRezanov. Esow who hails from Andaman and Nicobar Islands has a plethora of accomplishments already and his performance was something that the cycling enthusiasts have been looking forward to. While Esow secured first place with a timing of 10.500 s, Kazakhstan's DimitryRezanov (10.863 s) and India's Jemsh Singh (11.132 s) won silver and bronze medals respectively.
Esow told after the event,”It was a tough fight with Kazakhstan’s rider but I was confident that I can defeat him and I put my all energy in last 50m to grab the Gold.”
Indian team saw its second gold of the day in the Women Junior 200 Mts. Sprint. Mayuri Lute from Maharashtra clocked 12.263s to grab the Gold while Thailand's KanyaralHnokacw won silver by clocking 12.871s. AlyonaAbramchok from the Kazakhstan team got bronze. This was Mayuri’s second Gold medal for her and for the country. Indian team won Gold in both Junior Men and Women sprint.
In the Women Elite Keirin final, India's SonaliChanu missed the bronze medal by a whisker. Hoi Yan Jessica from Hong Kong, CrismonitaDwiputri from Indonesia and FatchahMnstapa from Malaysia won the first three places respectively. Deborah finished 6th in this event.
Similarly in Men Elite Keirin final, India missed all the medals, coming 4th and 5th in the event. But SAINCA's Amarjeet Singh Negi could manage to bag the bronze in this event. Cyclists from Kazakhstan and Indonesia secured the first and second places.
The Men Elite 25 kms Points Race final was another enthralling event in which Hong Kong's Ka Yu Leung grabbed the gold medal. Thailand's ThurakitBoonratanathanakorn missed the gold for just one point. Ryan James from Netherlands won the bronze and third medal of the event for him.
The Indian track coach Mr. R K Sharma said that he is satisfied with the overall quality of the performance by Indian team in the Cup. When asked about the future of Indian Cycling, he pointed out-- "It is a tough journey forward as China and Korea are stronger teams in the Asian region and the quality of European Cycling is unmatchable."
