Off the TOPS radar, cycling sees one rider earmarked for individual support

Abhinav Bindra, the first Indian athlete to win an individual gold medal in the Olympic Games, spoke recently about how the country needs to fall in love with sport rather than just love the idea of winning. Sadly, those who can engineer this seem to be fueled only by the idea of winning and not backing those in the penumbra.

There are some disciplines in which India must first start winning medals at the continental level if it is to break into the top 20 in the global platforms sooner than later. For this to happen, the quantum and quality of support has to be sustained and, in some cases at least, increased. But then, research teams need to change their strategy and benchmarks.

From what one gathers, cycling has now joined swimming as a sport which will have to depend mainly on the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports’ Assistance to National Sports Federations with only one of its athletes being identified for individual support under either the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) or Target Asian Games Group (TAGG).

It does come as a surprise since cycling has been a favourite with bureaucrats in the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and in the Sports Authority of India for some years now. Quite suddenly, it finds itself out in the limbo with no cyclist being found worthy of support in the TOPS and just one 18-year-old making it to TAGG.

From having Esow Alben, Ronaldo Laitonjam, Y Rojit Singh and David Beckham as the four riders in the TOPS Development Group for a while now to having just Harshita Jakhar in TAGG is an indication of the disappointment among the powers-that-be. That led to the Mission Olympic Cell placing its stamp of approval on the proposal of the TOPS and TAGG leaderships.

Of course the men and women’s team returned without a podium finish at the recent Asian Track Championships 2025 in Negri Sembilan, Malaysia, and only the junior women picked up four medals. But it is not as if the results were all entirely disheartening and thus prompting the withdrawal of support in TOPS or the presence of just one cyclist in TAGG. 

The Indian men’s team of David Beckham, Rojit Singh and Esow lost the sprint bronze medal contest with Malaysia. Esow Alben placed a creditable fourth in the Keirin while Ronaldo Laitonjam was fifth in the time trial, David Beckham eighth in the sprint and Harshveer Singh Sekhon ninth in Omnium. Keerthi Rangaswamy finished fourth in the women’s 1km time trial.

As David Beckham’s luck would have it, David Beckham met Kaiya Ota (Japan) in the sprint quarterfinals. They had clashed in the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games quarterfinals. The Japanese, who finished eighth in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, expectedly ran out winner over David Beckham yet again.

It must be pointed out that the list of 37 athletes in 10 disciplines identified for TAGG support has not yet been made public, but those who have seen the list confirm that Harshita Jakhar is the only cyclist in that list. In fact, she has been included along with two 15-year-old athletes, Maya Rajeswaran (Tennis) and Kartik Singh (Golf) as an exceptional young talent.

It must be hoped that the 130 cyclists who are among the country’s 2781 Khelo India Athletes will change the game with their performances – medals, if you please. After all, Indian cyclists have won but three Asian Games medals and those came in the inaugural edition when only four nations competed in the cycling events.

The cyclists, like the swimmers will now have to find ways to show that they are not broken-hearted but brave and can rise with a courage that would be contagious. They must not see this move as a setback but as a message to themselves and their coaches to pull their socks up and train the spotlight on themselves at an Asian Games medal ceremony next year.

Easier said than done, but it has to be tried at least if their sport is to stay relevant as India bids fair to host the 2036 Olympic Games and try to make a dash to the top 10 in the medals tally. Meanwhile, as Abhinav Bindra prescribed, India at large must find a way to fall in love with sport rather than just love the idea of winning.