A son of a tailor, 18-year-old Adil Altaf created a history of sorts when he bagged Jammu and Kashmir’s first gold medal at the Khelo India Youth Games in Panchkula on Saturday. He blazed to glory in the boy’s 70km road race.

“This is a big moment for me,” Altaf said shortly after his victory. “I came here confident of doing well. The gold is a bonus and a huge confidence booster.” The youngster’s triumph was even more special as he put aside the challenges posed by fancied cyclists like Sidhesh Patil (Maharashtra) and Arshad Faridi of Delhi.

Cycling is still for a majority of the Indian population a source of fun and recreational activity. It is more considered a way to stay fit and healthy. However, such feats achieved by Altaf can slowly bring a change in the scenario of the sport in the country.

As a kid, Altaf used to cycle in the crowded by-lanes of Lal Bazar in central Kashmir’s Srinagar district. Although he loved it, it was part of his daily chores, dropping or picking up stuff for his tailor father. Gradually, the love for cycling soon became his passion.

When he turned 15, Altaf competed for the first time in a cycling event organized at his school, Kashmir Harvard. He showed a lot of promise and he took up the sport seriously. Seeing his son’s passion for the sport, Altaf’s father worked doubly hard to buy him a cycle good enough for him to pursue his dream.

As Altaf began to win local events, the State Bank of India in Srinagar came to his aid, sponsoring his MTB bike, costing Rs 4.5 lakh. That turned out to be a boon in the youngster’s career.

Altaf’s first major triumph came in 2019 when he won his first bronze medal in a 10km race at Jammu and Kashmir State Cycling Championship.

A 12th standard commerce student at Kashmir Harvard, this gold is s huge source of motivation for him to go ahead chasing his dreams to bring laurels to his country.

“I missed winning the gold medal yesterday but to win the gold today feels special. It’s my dream to compete in Asian Games and CWG while wearing the Indian jersey and win a medal for India,” said Altaf, who idolises Italian professional track and road cyclist Filippo Ganna, a four-time world individual race champion