National track cycling: Punjab girls break 7-year-old record to win gold

Punjab has achieved major success during the ongoing National Track Cycling Championships at the velodrome in Ranchi. In the sub-junior category team sprint event, the state's quartet secured first place by setting a new milestone of one minute and 16 seconds.

This result has left behind the national record that had been running for the past seven years. Punjab's quartet included Guntas Sandhu from Patiala, Preeti Shah from Ludhiana, and two players from Amritsar district, Japneet Kaur and Palakpreet Kaur.

Cycling Association of Punjab officials shared details about the backgrounds of the players. Guntas Sandhu is the daughter of Gurmeet Singh and Poonamdeep Kaur from Patiala, while Preeti Shah of Ludhiana is from the family of Ganesh Shah and Renu Devi. Amritsar's Japneet Kaur is the daughter of Jagdeep Singh and Sukhjinder Kaur, and Palakpreet Kaur is the daughter of Baljinder Singh and Harpreet Kaur.

According to association general secretary Jagdeep Singh Kahlon, a special training camp was held in Ludhiana for this competition. Such a huge success was made possible only through the constant hard work of the players and their excellent coordination with each other.

After winning the gold medal, the players credited the hard work of coaches, encouragement from parents, and the arrangements of the sports organization for their success.

Kahlon praised the training imparted by head coach Satwinder Singh along with coaches Bhupinder Kumar, Ikwinder Singh, and female trainer Harpreet Kaur. Organization head Charanjit Singh Dhaliwal and other sports managers have congratulated all the players.

Key developments

• Punjab won the gold medal in the sub-junior girls team sprint in Ranchi.
• The Punjab team broke a seven-year-old national record by clocking 1 minute 16 seconds.
• The team included Guntas Sandhu, Preeti Shah, Japneet Kaur, and Palakpreet Kaur.
• A special preparation camp was held in Ludhiana prior to the competition.