Guyana’s 2019 Junior Cycling Champion Ajay Gopilall announced himself on the cycling stage when he clocked in at three hours, 26 minutes and 11 seconds in the 80-mile National Cycling Championships held in June 2019.
Ajay Gopilall
In that year, he also made his debut riding for Guyana in the 13th Caribbean Junior Cycling Championships which pedalled off in Bartica. Now, in 2020, Gopilall is aiming to battle with the big boys as he seeks a smooth transition into the senior level.
Speaking with Guyana Times Sport, Gopilall reflected on his successful career in cycling thus far.
Gopilall rocking his Guyana outfit in the Caribbean Junior Championships
“Cycling started for me back in 2018, when I rode my first race, and that was inter-school branch, where I came out in second place, and it was my aunt who inspired me,” Gopilall explained.
Reminiscing on that victory, Gopilall said: “It was a big motivation for me. My goal was to just go out there, do my best, and train hard and just try to be on top.”
Gopilall on his way to victory in the National Junior championships
The Berbician said it has not been an easy road for him thus far. “I did not have enough sponsorship, there were financial difficulties. It was hard for me to go (to these) races, but I had a part-time job where I used to work to support me in going to these races,” Gopilall highlighted.
During this testing time, when COVID-19 has brought the world to a standstill, Gopilall has not been training regularly.
“Since this coronavirus started, this has been my second day training. I had dreams planned out (winning races and gaining a top spot on the Guyana Points Classification Table), but due to this pandemic, I cannot accomplish all what I want; but maybe next year (things will be different),” Gopilall added. (Brandon Corlette)
