37th Asian Track Cycling Championship: Korea top medal tally, India end at 11th spot

New Delhi [India], Feb. 10 (ANI): Korea, with nine gold, 13 silver and eight bronze medals (30 medals) topped the medal tally of the 37th Asian Track Cycling Championship which concluded here at the Cycling Velodrome at IG Stadium, New Delhi on Friday. Korea was followed by China which won eight gold, three silver and three bronze medals. The third spot went to Japan (7,5, 13). India finished 11th in the medal tally with two bronze medals (Women Junior Team Sprint & Women Junior 500m Time Trial). Lee Wai Sze of Hong Kong, (2012 London Olympics bronze-medallist) won Gold in Women's Elite keirin event, making her the most successful women athlete in the championship with a total of three individual Gold medals. Indian riders Deborah Herold and Nayana Rajesh finished tenth and twelfth respectively in this event. 2016 Rio Olympic bronze-medallist, Mohd. Azizulhasni Awang, won Malaysia's first gold in the Men's Elite Sprint event of the championship. However, Awang had finished a disappointing ninth in the Men's Elite Keirin event, but made up for his loss with an extremely scintillating performance in the sprint event. Yao Pang and Meng Zhao Juan, of Hong Kong claimed gold in the Women's Elite 30Km madison race final, with a total of 115 pts. They raced superbly in the Women's Elite Madison race final, finishing almost three laps ahead of the rest of the field. India's Agashe Shushikala, who had won bronze in the women's junior team sprint event, finished eighth in the Keirin event of the same category. The event saw a minor crash that involved Cho Yiu Yeung of Hong Kong. The crash disrupted Shushikala's concentration, and as a result of it she could not move onto the finals. She pointed out, "I knew I could have qualified for the finals, but I got distracted because of the crash. This is my debut international tournament, and I have performed as I had hoped to." Sachin Desai of India gave a splendid performance in the men's junior omnium event. Desai began his chase by coming in third, in his first race- the scratch race 7.5Km. In his last race, Desai fell out twice due to minor crashes, but re-joined the race both times, to produce an over-all fifth place finish with a total of 101 points. Brian Cookson, president International Cycling Union (UCI) congratulated the Cycling federation of India, for organising the event brilliantly and smoothly. He congratulated the athletes on their performance. Cookson pointed out towards the growing reach of cycling as a sport, in India; and its environment-friendly benefits. "I have always said that you can't swim to cycle, but you can cycle to it. Therefore, we have tried to bring this culture of cycling to every part of the world." He also seemed positive about hosting a World Cup in India in 2018. He praised the quality of the track at the Velodrome, IGI Stadium. On behalf of UCI, Cookson pledged his full support to CFI in their endeavour to promote the sport of cycling. He seemed delighted with the performances of the athletes, and was excited about the potential of the up and coming riders, from Asia. "I see a lot of potential in these championships, a lot of young riders are coming up." (ANI)