City girl Swasti Singh has bagged gold in the junior category of the 5th Asian Cup Track Cycling, which was held between September 21 and 23 at the Talkotora Velodrome in New Delhi.

“She is a real talent in cycling and is on the right path. Rourkela Steel Plant’s sports department had selected Swasti from among 58 cycling enthusiasts in 2015. Since then she has not looked back. That year she had picked up gold in four events in senior age groups in the state championship. Soon, national selectors noticed her and as they say the rest is history,” said her first coach and renowned Indian cyclist Sushil Das over phone from Delhi.

She took part in the individual pursuit event, where two cyclists pursue each other and try to catch up.

Das said: “Swasti was always interested in the sport. Her relentless pursuit for excellence had taken her to this level at a young age. She is just 16 years and a few months old, and has already won a gold medal. She competed with Asia’s leading cyclists to win the gold.”

“The winner is decided on time basis and she emerged at the top cycling past competitors from Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, and invitee countries such as Australia and Netherlands. Her performance has caught the attention of cycling experts,” said Das.

A trainee of SAI’s National Cycling Academy, Swasti is in New Delhi for the last one-and-half year. “She was picked up for her performance, progress and was noticed by SAI’s scouting team. Since then she is showing tremendous improvement. In a sport like cycling, maturity comes with age but she is improving very fast,” said Das.

Daughter of Amar Singh, an employee of Rourkela Steel Plant’s oxygen plant, spoke about her fascination with the cycle.

“I would take away Papa’s cycle for a ride. The cycle was tall for my height, but I would innovate to ride it. The interest grew and I never let my love for the sport to die down. So when RSP wanted some trainees, I was the first to respond. My parents have always been supportive and there has been no problem to pursue my passion,” said Swasti over from Delhi.

After achieving a major milestone, Swasti has set new goals.

“I am looking forward to represent my country in bigger arenas and win medals. My idol is ace cyclist Minati Mohapatra. She has given so much to the game and I want to do the same for the country and for the sport,” she said. Mohapatra was first Odia Arjuna awardee.

Swasti’s father Amar Singh said: “My daughter is my pride. And RSP helped in shaping her career and gave wings to her dreams. She is bringing pride for the country. As a father, what else can I expect?”