Khelo India Youth Games 2020: David Beckham wins gold in U-17 200m sprint cycling event

What's the story?

David Beckham, who hails from Andaman and Nicobar Islands clinched a gold medal in the U-17 sprint cycling event with a timing of 10.891 seconds.

The background

The 17-year-old also holds a silver medal in a nationals competition in the sub-junior category.

Earlier, the teenager won a bronze medal in the U-17 team sprint event on January 14. The trio of David, Srijan Sengupta, and John clocked 01:10.759 to get their hands on the bronze medal at the Khelo India Youth Games 2020.

Later on the same day, David also won the Boys U-17 Individual Time Trial (500 Mtrs) event by clocking 34.315 seconds and won his first gold of KIYG 2020.

The heart of the matter

David Beckham easily got through the qualifiers of the U-17 200m sprint event. The young cyclist then defeated Amos Joseph of Kerala in the sprint quarterfinal before brushing aside Assam's Manabjyoti Teron in the semifinal. Eventually, the 17-year-old claimed the top honours after clocking 10.891 seconds on the clock to help his state win another gold medal.

Manipur's Rahul Singh (11.406 seconds) and Maharashtra Mangesh Takmoge (11.931 seconds) took home the silver and bronze medals respectively in the U-17 200m sprint event.

Many know David Beckham - the football great. However, India's very own David Beckham is building his reputation in cycling. Although going through multiple hardships, the youngster has got through the troubling periods during his career and is reaping the rewards of his efforts.

Speaking of his journey, David, who started cycling in 2017, told Khelo India -

"Everyone in my family is a huge fan of David Beckham, so they named me after him. I also became a David Beckham fan and used to play football. I have played in the Subroto Cup tournament.

"Then my grandfather asked me to take up cycling. In the beginning, my feet didn't touch the ground when I sat on the cycle seat. Eventually, I started doing well in the sport. It's difficult to find facilities for cycling in Andaman, so I have to go to bigger cities for training."

Still a novice in the world of cycling, David has made a mark after facing many challenges. His mother passed away in 2014 due to an infection before which he lost his father in the 2004 Tsunami. With financial pressure on him, David had to do odd jobs such as washing utensils.

With athletes such as David coming to the fore thanks to KIYG, India is bound to pedal its way to glory in the near future.

What's next?

David, who takes inspiration from Deborah Herold, has finally got his first taste of success. Currently living with his maternal grandfather, the youngster still has a long way to go. He is just looking to give his best in training and eventually hopes to represent India in International events.

The youngster has plans in place to shift to a bigger city for proper training. He has his eyes set on the 2020 Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Junior World Championships which are set to take place in Egypt in August 2020.