Chasing an Olympic Dream On Two Wheels

At 17, while most teenagers are juggling exams, college plans and weekend outings, Hyderabad-based BMX racer Agasthi Chandrasekhar spends much of his year training on international race tracks and competing against some of Asia’s best riders — all in pursuit of an Olympic dream.

The teenager recently won silver medals at the YSD BMX Race Series 1 and 2 in Malaysia and is now gearing up for the Asian BMX Championships in August.

“It was my first race in a bigger category. It was also my first outing in the Junior Men category, where riders aged 17 to 23 compete,” says Agasthi. (Long before BMX became a serious pursuit, cycling was already a part of Agasthi’s life. Encouraged by his mother, Anupa Shekhar, an endurance cyclist, he was introduced to the sport at a young age and quickly developed a love for being on two wheels.

“When he was about five years old, I was heading out for a 67-kilometre ride and he insisted on joining me,” recalls Anupa. “His very first ride was 67 kilometres. Later, he completed a 100-kilometre ride too.”

As he grew older, Agasthi explored triathlons before stumbling upon a pump track in Hyderabad. The experience proved to be a turning point. “Someone suggested that pump track riding is a great foundational sport for cyclists. We took him there when he was around eight years old and he immediately loved it,” says Anupa.

For a few years, he balanced triathlons and BMX before eventually choosing BMX Racing — an Olympic discipline of Bicycle Motocross.

What attracted him to the sport was the freedom it offered. “I got to be very creative and do my own thing most of the time,” says Agasthi. “I could ride the same thing in different ways and try out different ideas.”

Competing in BMX at a high level has meant making sacrifices. With proper BMX racing tracks almost non-existent in India, Agasthi spends nearly six months every year training and competing abroad, primarily in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.”We have a pump track in Hyderabad and another in Pune, but proper BMX race tracks are almost non-existent here,” says Agasthi.

The demands of the sport have also influenced his education. Instead of attending a conventional school, Agasthi studies online, balancing academics with training and competition. “Currently, I’m doing most of my education online,” he says. “I do two or three classes a day and try to finish my syllabus as much as I can.”

Being one of the very few Indians on the international BMX circuit can feel isolating. But it also fuels him.“It’s great to be the only one representing the country,” Agasthi says. . “The ultimate goal is to represent India at the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, and everything I'm doing now is a step towards that.”

With the Asian BMX Championships on the horizon and the long-term dream of representing India at the Olympics, Agasthi continues to train, travel and compete in a sport that is still finding its footing in the country.