Manipuri Boy bags India’s first-ever Bronze Medal in Asian Track Cycling Championships

At the Asian Track Cycling Championships 2022 on Monday, Indian cyclist Ronaldo Singh Laidoniam hailed from Manipur won the bronze medal in the men's 1-kilometer time trial. 

Ronaldo Singh, a junior world champion and Asian record holder, won the bronze medal with a time of 1:01.798 seconds while pedalling at a speed of 58.254 kmph.

India had never previously won a medal in the senior men's 1 km time trial event. Yuta Obara of Japan won the gold medal with a time of 1 minute, 01.118 seconds. Mohammed Fadhil of Malaysia won the silver with a time of 1 minute, 01.639 seconds.

India now has seven medals (all bronze) in total from the current continental championship.

India won another bronze in the junior category on Monday, with Bigit Yumnam coming third in the men's 10km scratch race. Bigit mounted an impressive challenge in the 35th lap of the 40-lap race to break away from two other cyclists and confirm a podium finish.

However, Mayuri Lute, who won the women's 500m time trial bronze on Sunday, lost in the quarter-final of the senior sprint event.

The Asian championships is a qualifying event for the Paris 2024 Olympics. Points earned from this event will count towards the cyclists' qualification to the next Olympics.

Cyclists from 15 countries are competing at the 41st edition of the senior Asian championship, being held at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi. The competition ends on June 22.