Herold to lead hosts’ charge

The third edition of the Track Asia Cup will be held in the capital from September 14 to 16 at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex Velodrome with a large Indian contingent taking part as it is a qualifier for the world championships.

As hosts, India are allowed an extra team, which will include young cyclists training at the Sports Authority of India National Cycling Academy. About 12 countries will participate including Iran, UAE, Kazakhastan, Hong Kong, Uzbekistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Macau and Malaysia besides Pakistan.

Deborah Herold, with five medals last year, will lead the charge for the hosts. IN 2015, India finished with 11 medals against 18 from the year before.

Commenting on the team, coach R.K. Sharma said, “Our target this year will be to improve our medal tally from last year. This year we face more competition since the countries taking part have also risen to 12.

“Deborah, is our key athlete and our hopes rest on her. However we can also expect medals from the junior team as well, who are very talented and passionate. We have a bigger contingent this year, and thus our hopes in the medal tally have also increased.”