Imphal: 17-year-old year AZ Thotmachan from Phalee village in Ukhrul district was not prepared for when he would the first gold for Manipur on the opening day in the men’s cycling event at the ongoing North East Olympic Games 2022 (NEOG) at Shillong in Meghalaya. The second edition of the NEOG 2022 was kickstarted from November 10 and will continue till 16.
The 13-km junior cross-country cycling event was held at the Malki Forest on Friday.
“I was not expecting to emerge as a winner in the junior category since I only prepared for this cycling event for less than a month. But, by the grace of God and the efforts I had put in, I could achieved this and I am grateful for that,” Thotmachan told EastMojo.
My next target is the National Games, the budding cyclist from the Tangkhul Naga community said.
Though he joined the formal training at Manipur Olympic Association just a month ago, Thotmachan’s passion for cycling began way back in his school days. However, his family couldn’t afford to buy a bicycle. But despite the hardships and struggles, Thotmachan did not give up his love for cycling and practiced whenever he got an opportunity.
In 2021, he bought his first bicycle, a second-hand bike from his friend.
“My friend wanted to sell off his bicycle, so I bought it and with that I participated in a cycle rally in Arunachal Pradesh last year and won a silver,” recalled Thotmachan.
This young lad often pedals all the way to his village from Imphal, crossing over 100 km for at least five hours at a stretch.
“With my cycle, I have travelled from my village to Imphal once and from Imphal to my village, I have done it thrice. This way, I also improved my cycling speed,” said Thotmachan.
Thotmachan, with the help of his friends, villagers and well-wishers, purchased a Scott Scale 940, one of the best cross country (XC) bikes available in India to compete in the event.
Till Class 10, Thotmachan studied at the Blesso Montessori School in Phalee, and plans to enrol for Class XI in Imphal. He is the third among his six siblings in the family.
With two days to go, Manipur is leading the North East Olympic Games’ overall medal tally with 139, followed by Assam at 123 and host state Meghalaya at 90 medals.
Also read | NEOG 2022: Assam holding on to medals lead into penultimate day
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