Indian cyclists Deborah Herold and Alena Reji bagged the silver medal at the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan on Thursday, increasing India’s overall tally to 14.
18-year-old Reji rode the first lap in 20.106 seconds, followed by an impressive timing of 14.815 seconds by the more-experienced Herold and with an overall time 34.921 seconds, the duo finished behind the team from Hong Kong.
Ranked among the Top-10 in the world in women’s elite time trial event, 22-year-old Herold hails from Andaman and Nicobar Islands and has won medals in Track Asia Cup held at New Delhi in 2015 and 2016. She holds the national records in 200, 250 and 500m time trial events. Reji, on her part, had won a silver medal in the junior section of Team Sprint event at the Asian championships, New Delhi 2017 and a bronze in 500m time trial in the same competitions.
India’s other medal on the day came from Keduovilie Zumu in the men’s 90kg Kazakh Kurasi event, where he defeated another India Akshay Shivaji Surve in the repechage bronze medal bout.
With 14 medals overall (5 gold, 4 silver, 5 bronze) India are currently ninth on the medal standings.