THE VELODROME AT the 110-acre Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium complex in Delhi seemed quiet from the outside. But, as we made our way through the winding hallways, past the gymnasium, the technical area and various dope control rooms, we heard the hum of the wheels. The only velodrome in India with a timber track was chirping with activity; trials for the Track Asia Cup (September 9 to 11) were on. (At the time of going to print, India had won 12 medals, including four golds, at the event.)
Boys and girls from various states went through the drills under the watchful eyes of trainers and coaches. Chief national coach R.K. Sharma kept a close watch. With the whistle and stopwatch in his hands, he diligently jotted down the timing of the cyclists. He had handpicked these boys when they were 13 or 14 and has been training them for the past five-odd years.
On August 15, in Frankfurt, Germany, and at the stroke of midnight hour back in India, these young boys became the first Indian team to win a gold in the Junior Track World Championships. Rojit Singh Yanglem, Esow Alben and Ronaldo Singh Laitonjam won the team sprint event by beating powerhouses such as Australia, Great Britain and Germany. Esow, 18, went a step further to clinch a silver in individual sprint and a bronze in the keirin (six laps).
But while the country marvelled at the young cyclists’ achievements, Sharma had moved on. For him, the medals were a result of the hard work of the past three years. He had targeted these timings back then. “There is no surprise in the results,” he told THE WEEK. “If we have a good team and support, the results are bound to come. Our team sits and plans properly, we have a team sponsor. If I am not able to achieve targets, what is the use of me?”
Cycling as a sport is gaining momentum in India. However, nearly five years ago, the stadium was “covered in layers of dust and cobwebs; the velodrome was an archaic cement track,” said Cycling Federation of India chairman Onkar Singh. The sports ministry officials were mulling razing the velodrome and moving cycling to another venue in Delhi. The mere idea shook CFI officials into action. Singh and his team had to not only clean the velodrome, but they also had to bring it back from the dead. They visited various Sports Authority of India centres, spotting talent at the junior level and taking charge of them.
The result is evident: The Indian junior men’s team is ranked number two in the world team sprint, and Esow is number one in the world junior individual men’s sprint and keirin rankings.
Esow’s face broke into a beaming smile when asked how it felt. He had mild chest congestion; as he comes from the pristine Nicobar islands, the pollution-laced Delhi air clogs up his lungs at times. An obedient ward, Esow first checked with Sharma before taking a 10-minute break to talk to THE WEEK. “It was very satisfying,” he said. “I do not miss anything at all. If you want to achieve something, you have to sacrifice [something], too. When I enter the velodrome, the first thing I see is the national flag and I think I must do something to make my country proud. Before the final round, we went to the washroom and told each other that gold was achievable. We had goosebumps thinking about the possibility. We lapsed into silence for a few minutes, and thought of our families and coaches who have done so much for us.”
Back home, a younger Esow started with both rowing and cycling. “I did not have much knowledge about sports,” he said. “[When] my friends went into cycling, even I wanted to do it. I struggled a lot, despite training hard. There was no diet to go with it and I would just go like that. Then I started cycling in Nicobar. I flunked a few times and did not get a medal in the nationals. I was 13 [then]. The coach said, ‘If you want a medal, come back to rowing.’ But I trained harder and got two medals in the nationals. It was the first time Andaman and Nicobar ever got a medal in cycling. Then coach Sharma saw me and said, ‘We will call you to the SAI academy.’”
The letter to come to Delhi, however, was a cause of worry. His father was a fireman and did not have enough money to send Esow to Delhi. However, his mother, who worked in the forest department, was determined to see her son realise his sporting ambition. “She sold her gold jewellery, got the money and sent me,” said Esow. “For that, I will always remain thankful to her.”
In Delhi, Esow’s cycling dreams took shape gradually. “I learnt a lot here, the diet was better and I was very happy,” he said. “I got a better cycle, ten times better, and trained with seniors. Then I started achieving my targets.”
Esow trains at the World Cycling Centre’s satellite arm at the Delhi velodrome. In 2015, Onkar Singh had got the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the international cycling federation, to set up its world-class academy in Delhi. And with the help of SAI, the academy got going. Honda, the CFI’s technical sponsor, provided the equipment, while UCI gave coaching and training. “When we started, we had five cycles,” said Singh. “[Then] SAI and UCI came together, and we got 40 cycles from 2012 to 2014. We started a structured programme, [and] we are currently focussing on improving bench strength. Esow will move to the senior category, but we need others to come and keep performing at the junior level.”
Mobile phones are a no-no at the academy—calls can be made or received through coach Sharma’s phone. Time off training is spent on studies, which the academy takes care of. To relax, the cyclists listen to music or watch a movie or two. As there are not many competitions in India, the boys usually spend their summers (with SAI funding) in Europe, where they compete in tournaments. After that, they proceed to major international events like the World Championships.
At the 2018 Asian Games, Esow was fielded in the senior category, and while the results were not up to the mark, the experience helped. “Keirin will be his specialisation,” said Singh. “He is very good at it and mentally very strong. We need to give him time for transition, [give him] six to seven years to mature.” The CFI is now aiming at a better finish at the 2022 Asian Games and possibly the 2024 Olympics. “It feels nice to have achieved this, but there is a lot more left to do and achieve,” said Esow. He then went back to his cycle, as if incapable of being away from it for even a second more.