Rakesh Kumar sails smoothly; Cicily returns with vigour

By Our Sports Reporter

NEW DELHI, APRIL 20. In a race that saw as many as three collisions, Rakesh Kumar of Railways won the men's 20-km points event with ease, in the National cycling championship at the Yamuna Velodrome here on Thursday.

The 20-year-old, who moved to the Railways just six months back, was the steadiest of the lot. His aggregate of 52 points was a creditable effort considering that it was a race in which there were many distractions.

The main one for Rakesh was the injury to team-mate Kamal Kiradu, who was moved to the Railway Hospital with a head injury. Kiradu was one of the main contenders in this event, which saw the field reduced from 19 to just six due to the accidents.

The Delhi duo of Amandeep Singh and Inderjeet Singh took the second and third places with 25 and 18 points respectively, hanging on in the race, knowing well halfway into it that completing it would fetch them some dividends.

Earlier in the day, Cicily Aberdeen of Andaman and Nicobar Islands won the women's 6-km points race in a close contest. The event was actually the 10-km points race reduced in distance owing to the heat. This being an event in which points are given for technique as well as for speed, the officials considered it prudent to make the change.

Cicily, who works as a Lab Assistant in the Education Department back home, has been around for almost a decade, but her career has been plagued with injuries. After doing creditably in the National Games at Pune in 1994, she was forced into hibernation due to health problems and made a comeback in the last Nationals at Patiala.

Cicily has won as many as 37 gold medals in National- level events of various age-groups, but has not had a bicycle of her own till date. She could also do with a better job, but is concentrating on her events with the hope of getting better equipment.

It was, however, not easy for Cicily, who had to contend with a gritty Anita Andrews, while Seema R. finished a distant third.

lThe results:

Men: 20-km points race: 1. Rakesh Kumar (Rly) 52 points, 2. Amandeep Singh (Del) 25, 3. Inderjeet Singh (Del) 18; 4000m individual pursuit: Jeeta Ram (Rly) and Ram Karan Choudhary (Raj) qualified for final.

Boys (under-18): 3000m individual pursuit: N. Budha Singh (Man) and Harsimran Singh (Chd) qualified for final.

Boys (under-16): 2000m individual pursuit: Budha Singh (Man) and Lenindro Singh (Man) qualified for final.

Women: 6-km points race: 1. Cicily Aberdeen 22 points, 2. Anita Andrews (Ker) 20, 3. Seema R. (Ker) 11; 3000m individual pursuit: Bina Kumari Devi (Man) and Rameshwori Devi (Man) qualified for final.

Girls (under-18): 2000m individual pursuit: H. Dinita Devi (Man) and N. Chaoba Devi (Man) qualified for final.

Girls (under-16): 2000m individual pursuit: Pratima Lonari (Mah) and K. Nocha Devi (Man) qualified for final.

Cicily Aberdeen (extreme right) of Andaman and Nicobar, who claimed the 6-km points race in the National cycling championship in New Delhi on Thursday.

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