Indian cyclist Deborah wins five medals at Taiwan Cup

Deborah: One of India’s rising stars

Indian cycling sensation Deborah has underlined her superb talent once again by capturing a total of five medals at the recently-concluded Taiwan Cup Track International Classic at the Hsin Chu Velodrome in Taiwan. Her five medals include one gold, three silver and a bronze, thus making the 20-year-old the first-ever Indian cyclist to top the podium in the women’s elite section.

The Taiwan Cup Track International Classic was spread over three days from October 2-4, divided into Classic I and Classic II. It was the Classic I on Saturday where cycling enthusiasts witnessed Deborah’s historic achievement. She outclassed Malaysia’s Farina Shawati Mohd Adnan 2-0 to clinch the Sprint gold.

The youngster added another medal from Classic I by taking the silver in the 500m time trial.

In Classic II held on Sunday, the Indian cyclist had a narrow loss in Keirin as the 19-year-old Farina exacted revenge. Deborah was pipped to the post by the Malaysian in a photo finish and had to be content with just the silver. She also picked up the silver medal, once again, in the 500m time trial and a bronze in Sprint.

In the bronze medal match, Deborah beat Hung Yu-ting of Taipei 2-0.

Deborah: One of India’s rising stars

From winning the junior national gold to taking the top honours at the Senior Nationals, Deborah has been rising up the ranks for quite some time with laudable performances at different meets. The youngster originally hails from Andaman and Nicobar Islands and survived the devastating 2004 tsunami. That grit, endurance and never-say-die attitude has moulded her into one of India’s top cyclists now.

Last year, the young girl impressed her home fans by grabbing four gold medals at the Track Asia Cup Cycling Championship held at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi.

With such passion and determination, Deborah is sure to bring home more laurels for India.