Punjab cyclists break national record to win gold medal

Punjab's quartet has achieved a big feat at the national track cycling competition held at the velodrome in Jharkhand's capital Ranchi. In the sub-junior category sprint event, Punjab completed the race in 1 minute and 16 seconds, shattering a 7-year-old national record and securing the first position.

This achievement was recorded during the 41st sub-junior, 55th junior, and 78th senior national competitions. State cycling association general secretary Jagdeep Singh Kahlon stated that the gold medal winners included Guntas Sandhu from Patiala district, Preeti Shah from Ludhiana, and Japneet Kaur and Palakpreet Kaur from Amritsar.

Talking about the family background of the players, he shared that Guntas Sandhu's father is Gurmeet Singh, Preeti Shah's father is Ganesh Shah, Japneet Kaur's father is Jagdeep Singh, and Palakpreet Kaur's father is Baljinder Singh.

According to Kahlon, a practice camp was set up in Ludhiana city to prepare the players for this tournament. In this camp, chief trainer Satvinder Singh along with Bhupinder Kumar, Ikvinder Singh, and Harpreet Kaur gave rigorous training to the girls, on the strength of which this big success was achieved.

The winning cyclists dedicated their victory to the encouragement of their parents and the support received from the organizers. Cycling association president Charanjit Singh Dhaliwal along with administrative office-bearers B.S. Sudan and S.P. Singh also termed the brilliant performance of the players as a matter of pride for the state.

Key developments

• Punjab girls win gold medal at Ranchi velodrome
• Sub-junior sprint race completed in 1 minute 16 seconds
• Created history by breaking seven-year-old national record
• Team included Guntas Sandhu, Preeti Shah, Japneet and Palakpreet