Sometimes all you need to do is keep going and not give up. It was tough for the Guwahati boy, Abhishek Gogoi, to adjust to the cycling track in the ongoing Special Olympics 2019, Abu Dhabi.
Back home, he cycled on flat courses and roads compared to uphill/downhill tracks of Dubai with seaside winds coming into play.
The situation got worse when he was unfortunately involved in a crash after a cyclist fell in front of him. The 18-year-old was hurt and needed medical attention. He was in third place before the crash. Maybe missed out on a podium finish in the 10km road race event.
Head Cycling coach Dr. Rajinder Nahata revealed that Abhishek was disappointed after not winning the medal in the first race event. Nahata said,
“He never complained about the injury. But he felt that his chances of winning a medal were remote now. That depressed him!”
But Abhishek surprised everyone by appearing for the 5km time trial. He was in no mood to be on the sidelines despite the injury. He did not get a medal at the 5km event, but did justice to the hours of work he had put in to prepare for the Special Olympics 2019.
The youngster was desperate to win a medal. He had trained on borrowed bikes to get here. He won’t let a few bruises come in way of that. On March 19, 2019, the national record-holder paracyclist finally bagged a silver medal in 10km time trial race.
Abhishek’s mother was filled with pride as she got the news of his son winning the silver medal. She expressed her emotions in an interview with guwahatiplus.com,
“Because of Special Olympics today, I see a different Abhishek. This is because of so many people who he has met as part of his journey through Special Olympics. His participation across the camps made him visible and the Mayor of Guwahati got in touch and supported him with a bicycle through crowd funding. With constant sporting activity, he remains active. He loves himself.”
