President Ram Nath Kovind gifts sports cycle to a budding cyclist

As a gesture of motivating youth in nation-building, President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday gifted a racing bicycle to a school student who dreams of excelling as a top cyclist. The President wished Riyaz a class 9 student, to become an international cycling champion and realise his dream through hard work.

Riyaz is a student at Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya at Anand Vihar in Delhi, and originally belongs to Madhubani district of Bihar. His family members including his parents, two sisters and one brother live in Madhubani, while Riyaz stays in rented accommodation in Maharajpur, Ghaziabad. Riyaz in his free time works in an eatery in Ghaziabad as a dishwasher to support his father’s paltry income as a cook.

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President gifts cycle as Eidi

President Kovind gifted the bicycle to the young boy as 'Eidi' (gifts given by elders to youngers) just a day before Eid-al-Adha. Riyaz’s story is quite educative for those struggling youth who come from the underprivileged class of society and yet dare dream big in their life", the press release from the office of the President said.

Following his passion for cycling Riyaz’s practises daily after his studies and work. In 2017, he won the bronze medal in the Delhi State Cycling Championship. He went on to participate in a school games event in Guwahati and achieved the fourth rank at the national level, according to the District Magistrate, Ghaziabad.

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The boy has raised the bar and has been taking professional training from coach, Pramod Sharma. He regularly trains at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Delhi. Unfortunately, he had to depend on a borrowed sports cycle for his practice, and all he required was a cycle of his own. His wish has finally fulfilled on the occasion of the Eid by the President who learned about his story of struggle through media reports.

"President Kovind wished the boy very best in life and said that his story should serve as worthy of emulation for the country’s youth who must come forward for nation-building bydint of their dedication, hard work, courage and honesty", the release stated.

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