President Ram Nath Kovind surprise invite to Muslim kid ahead of Bakrid

New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind has invited Riyaz, a school student fond of cycling, to Rashtrapati Bhavan, a day before Bakrid and gifted him a cycle wishing him to excel in sports. The President wanted him to become an international cycling champion and realize his dreams by hard work.

Riyaz is a ninth class student of Sarvodaya Children's School in Anand Vihar, Delhi and originally hails from Madhubani district of Bihar. Riyaz's father is a cook and to help him manage the expenses of the family, he works in his spare time cleaning utensils at a Dhaba in Ghaziabad. Since he is fond of cycling, he practices sports after studies and work. Talking to the media later, Riyaz said: "I can now train well with this gifted bicycle. Until now, I had no bicycle. Now I want to win the medal for the country by participating in cycling internationally."

"Your story should be worthy of inspiration for the youth of the country, who come forward for nation-building on the strength of their dedication, hard work, courage and honesty," said President Kovind.

Riyaz has taken professional training from cycling coach Pramod Sharma and practices regularly at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Delhi. He had to borrow a sports bicycle for his training and needed a bicycle of his own.

Riyaz won the bronze medal at the Delhi State Cycling Championship in 2017. According to the Ghaziabad District Magistrate, he participated in a school games programme held in Guwahati and secured the fourth rank at the national level.