Our Correspondent
KISAMA, DECEMBER 6
Twenty-one years old upcoming biker from Meghalaya, Garry today beat 14 opponents from across the country to clinch the winning slot in Kohima Downhill, the first ever mountain bike race in Nagaland organized here today by the Native Station at Kisama Viewpoint, Naga Heritage Village.
Akhotuo of Nagaland and Cephas Joseph from Maharashtra won the second and third prizes respectively in the elite category of the competition.For Garry, who learnt about the race through Facebook, winning the race was worth having to spend a day travelling all the way from Meghalaya to Kohima to compete in the event. He says he looks forward to coming back to participate in the next edition of Kohima Downhill. As the winner of the event, Garry walked away with a cash prize of Rs.20,000, a bike and gift voucher worth Rs.10,000 from Firefox and a Polaris helmet.
In the junior category, 18-year old professional mountain climber N Chingkhei Nganba from Manipur who rides as a hobby, won the competition while Wiam Suu of Nagaland came second. They were awarded Rs.10,000 and Rs.5000 respectively along with trophies.
Altogether, twenty-one bikers from Nagaland, Meghalaya, Manipur, Karnataka and Maharashtra participated in the race. Each rider had two runs downhill from Kisama Viewpoint to Kipfiizha, Kigwema, through six obstacles. The event was witnessed by a host of adventure sports enthusiasts.
The organizers of the event, Native Station consists of a group of likeminded young people aspiring to encourage adventure sports in Nagaland and the North-East region of India while striving to inspire a generation of environmentally-conscious adventure sports enthusiasts.
The event was supported and sponsored by several private enterprises.
