LENIN THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2014 SPORTS Nepalese champ mounts Photo of the day unlikely cycling challenge KATHMANDU: A short and skinny former came almost by chance. Tired of going to cycle mechanic from one of the world’s a mechanic every time his bike broke, he poorest countries is hoping to beat the joined a workshop to learn how to fix it odds and surprise Asia’s best mountain himself. Soon, his expertise as a mechanic bikers at the Asian Games. brought him into contact with mountain Nepal’s Ajay Pandit Chhetri, who is 5ft bikers visiting Nepal, who opened his 4in (1.62m) tall and weighs just 48 kilos eyes to the possibilities and prompted (106 pounds), is a shopkeeper’s son who him to enter his first race. won his first race on a borrowed bike. “When I was repairing... those powerful When he makes his Asian Games debut cycles, I used to dream about owning in the cross-country race on October 1, them. Now I know that dreams can come he’ll be riding a bike that cost far less than true,” he said. Chhetri, 26, has spent the his competitors’ cutting-edge machines. past four months training rigorously for But in his favour is a life steeped in the Asian Games, but he has continued to mountain biking after spending years taste success along the way. since childhood riding Nepal’s remote Last week he became the first foreign- Himalayan trails. er to win the 268-kilometre (167 miles) And in Incheon, Chhetri believes he Tour of the Dragon race in Bhutan, smash- can make an impression by finishing in ing the course record by more than 30 the top five. “Even now, those racing minutes. against me in South Korea will have bikes Chhetri’s experience of Himalayan ter- costing double of mine,” Chhetri told AFP. rain helped him navigate the hilly course, “It is like a fight between a khukri (a tradi- including four treacherous mountain tional Nepalese knife) and a gun.” passes, three of which were over 10,000 Chhetri has been Nepal’s national feet (3,000 metres). champion since 2009, quite a feat consid- He is no stranger to competing at alti- ering he couldn’t afford his own mountain tude, having won Nepal’s annual 400-kilo- bike when he won his first race aged 15. metre Yak Attack, dubbed the world’s Chris Christensen performs in Copenhagen, Denmark. — www.redbull.com At the time, even a low-end mountain highest mountain bike race, four times. bike costing about 20,000 rupees ($205) The race kicks off in Kathmandu, trav- was out of his reach, until well-wishers erses the Annapurna mountain circuit at pitched in to help him pay for it. more than 17,500 feet and ends close to “It amuses me when people get sur- the Chinese border. Although Nepal is Thousands flood in prised by my achievements,” he said. “I “naturally blessed with a terrain perfect may be thin and short, but my hard work for mountain biking”, Chhetri said a lack of and preparation has brought me this far.” government support and insurance dis- Chhetri’s love of mountain biking courages riders from turning professional. ahead of Asian Games comes from long before he dreamt of “Often we don’t take on challenging winning medals. As a young boy, he spent routes even if we want to because there is his free time riding around hills on the no insurance to fall back on. What will INCHEON: Thousands of athletes and officials licence and colliding with a bus. Asia’s pockets of severe poverty, will provide a outskirts of Kathmandu. “I was always happen to me if I break my bones?” gathered in Incheon yesterday as the clock In athletics, China’s Zhang Peimeng will running theme as countries like Nepal and East good at sports, but cycling appealed to Chhetri is travelling to Incheon with ticked down to Asia’s biggest sports spectacular attempt to become the first native Asian to run Timor take on their wealthier neighbours. and organisers fretted over low ticket sales. the 100m in less than 10 seconds. And organisers are urging Incheon’s residents me because it is all about an individual’s 197 other athletes who will represent Long queues formed at South Korea’s China will go for clean-sweeps in their spe- to come out and support the full range of events effort. It is about what you can do,” he Nepal in 24 sports, including athletics, Incheon airport two days ahead of the start of cialist sports of diving, table tennis and bad- rather than just those in which South Korea is said. His evolution as a competitive racer martial arts and wrestling. — AFP the Asian Games, an Olympic-size event with 36 minton, where the highly decorated Lin Dan strong. On Monday, an organising committee sports, 45 countries and about 10,000 athletes. may meet his Malaysian rival Lee Chong Wei. official said only five percent of athletics tickets China, with roughly one-tenth of the com- petitors, will dominate proceedings, four years after walking off with a record 199 golds and 416 medals overall at Guangzhou 2010. China’s Olympic swim stars Sun Yang, Ye Shiwen and badminton’s Lin Dan will hog the limelight along with Japan’s emerging athletes and South Korean home favourites. Attention is also focusing on North Korea’s team as they make the rare and politically sensi- tive trip south to compete for their sports-loving supreme leader, Kim Jong-Un. Sexual harassment cases tainted the build-up after an Iranian official was kicked out for verbal- ly harassing a volunteer and a Palestinian foot- baller was accused of groping a woman in the athletes’ village. Organisers are also braced for swathes of empty seats with just 18 percent of tickets sold across the sprawling, 49-venue site as of early this week. The Games will be declared open at a gala Chris Froome ceremony in Incheon’s 62,000-seat, purpose- built main stadium on Friday, headlined by K- Pop stars and “Gangnam Style” singer Psy. Froome leads British Incheon organisers are calling it a “frugal” Games which at about $2 billion, is costing a assault on Ponferrada fraction of Guangzhou 2010 and pales in com- INCHEON: China’s synchronised swimming team practices at the Munhak Park Tae-hwan parison with the Beijing and Sochi Olympics. Aquatics Center. The 17th Asian Games will open in Incheon, South Korea tomorrow, with 45 World and Olympic champions dot the entry nations and territories competing in 36 sports. — AFP LONDON: Former Tour de France champi- “For the men’s road race, Chris proved sheets, while many teams are using Incheon as a ons Chris Froome and Bradley Wiggins he’s in good shape by coming second at chance to blood young athletes ahead of the Japan are trying to make it a men’s and had been sold and six percent for football. “We were named in the Great Britain team for the Vuelta and I’m pleased David Millar will 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. women’s football double in the home of their hope people can come out to watch other the Road World Championships in Spain be leading the team in his last outing in China’s controversial Sun will be the main arch-foes South Korea, a result which would nations, too, because this is a festival for all that was announced yesterday. Great Britain kit.” attraction in the pool and looks set to face South sorely test the patience of home fans. Asians,” the official said. “That will really help us But while Froome, who recently came The line-up for the men’s road race in Korea’s Park Tae-Hwan and Japan’s Kosuke And war-ravaged Afghanistan can write stage a successful event.” second in the Tour of Spain behind Alberto Ponferrada on September 28, the final day Hagino in the 200m and 400m freestyle. another chapter in their cricketing fairytale by Despite the slow sales, Incheon officials say Contador, will spearhead a nine-man team of the competition, is completed by Steve The two-time Olympic champion is back after winning their biggest title yet, four years after the long-term goal is to position what is South in the men’s road race, Wiggins will only Cummings, Luke Rowe, Yates twins Simon a seven-month ban imposed following his brief claiming silver in Guangzhou. Korea’s third-biggest city, just west of Seoul, as feature in the time-trial. and Adam, and Ben Swift. Wiggins, who jail term last year for driving a Porsche without a Such tales of perseverance, especially from an Asian financial hub. — AFP Froome, the 2013 Tour de France winner, won the Tour de France in 2012 before is joined in the road race squad by Geraint adding the time-trial gold medal at the Thomas, Pete Kennaugh and David Millar, London Olympics, will compete in the who is due to retire at the end of the sea- September 24 race-against-the-clock, son. British Cycling technical director Shane alongside Alex Dowsett. Lizzie Armitstead Sutton said: “I’m pleased with the teams leads the six-strong women’s squad, which we’ve selected for the UCI Road World also includes two-time junior world cham- Championships. Across the board, we have pion Lucy Garner but does not feature a some real podium contenders. competitor for the time-trial. —AFP OCA throws Iranian official out of Asiad SEOUL: The president of the Olympic “Although this is a negative inci- Council of Asia (OCA) apologised yes- dent, there can be a positive from it.