Cyclist Sreenath Lakshmikanth’s journey to the two silver medals at the recently concluded 37th National Games, Goa, started out of necessity. It started when he began cycling to and from school, TD School at Thuravoor, Cherthala, in Kerala’s Alappuzha district. He cycled close to 10 kilometres one way, as he could not afford the bus fare. Today, besides representing Tamil Nadu at National cycling events, he runs a cycling academy, SL7 High Altitude Training Centre in Ooty.
“I am satisfied with the result at this year’s National Games. All my hard work has paid off,” says the 27 year old over the phone from Ooty. He won the medals in the Road Race (120 kilometres) and Individual Time Trial (41 kilometres) categories; last year he won a bronze in the Mass Start category. Preparation for the big races has been all about working hard, “I moved to Palakkad temporarily before this year’s National Games in order to get acclimatised to the heat to be well-prepared for Goa,” he says.
He confesses he didn’t start out wanting to be a cyclist, “I was more interested in ultra endurance running, however I got into cycling in competitions while I was at the Maharaja’s College, Kochi.” He acknowledges the support from Kochi-based Cochin Bikers Club, and The Bike Store for their support when he started out in the sport.
