Indian Cyclists Face Setbacks at Paris Paralympics

Indian cyclists Arshad Shaik and Jyoti Gaderiya struggled in their track cycling events at the Paris Paralympics. Both failed to make significant progress, finishing at the bottom during qualifications. Despite past successes in Asian championships, the duo plans to compete in upcoming road cycling events.

Indian cyclists Arshad Shaik and Jyoti Gaderiya fell short in their respective track cycling events, crashing out during the qualification round at the Paris Paralympics on Saturday.

In the men's 1,000m time trial C1-3, Shaik finished last (17th) with a timing of 1:21.416, missing the final round. He also failed to advance in the men's 3,000m pursuit C2 event on Friday, finishing in ninth place.

Jyoti also underperformed, securing 11th place in the women's 500m time trial C1-3 with a timing of 49.233. She had finished last in the women's 3000m pursuit C1-3 qualifying event on Thursday.

Both athletes have inspiring backstories: Shaik, who lost his left leg above the knee in an auto accident in 2004, recently won gold at the Asian Para Track Cycling Championship in New Delhi. Jyoti, another gold medalist at Asian Para events, suffered a similar fate in 2016.

The duo is set to compete in upcoming road cycling events—Shaik in men's time trial C2 and men's road race C1-3, and Jyoti in women's time trial C1-3 and women's road race C1-3. These categories are for athletes with prosthetics or limited limb movement.

(With inputs from agencies.)