Jaipur: “This sport is not for you.” This was the common response Khoirom Rejiya Devi received from home and some trainers when she first started cycling in 2019.
The Manipur-born cyclist, who represented Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) at the Khelo India University Games Rajasthan 2025, switched to cycling late after trying out Sepak Takraw as a junior but was left out of further selection.
The 23-year-old silenced all those critics when she upset favorite Meenakshi Rohilla of Guru Nanak Dev University to claim gold in the women’s 3km pursuit race at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium Cycling Velodrome in Jaipur.
“Since 2019, I have faced so much mental stress on the track, even at home, that now every race feels like a challenge. And that’s why I never think about who is in front of me. I have only one goal – to make myself the best cyclist in the country,” Rejiya told SAI Media.
Rejiya, the daughter of a fisherman from Phubala village in Bishnupur district of Manipur, was part of Manipur’s Sepak Takraw team from 2014 to 2018, but by then it was clear that there was no future for her in the sport.
“My father always mocked me when drunk; people mocked me. There was a time when I cried every day. But then in 2019, a friend said try cycling because you run very fast,” she said.
But even that didn’t go smoothly.
Just as she was getting into the competition and taking part in the Khelo India Youth Games 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic stuck. Conditions at home deteriorated, but Rejiya continued training to keep her dream alive.
When the situation improved, she traveled to Delhi for national exams – only to hear the same answer again: “You lack attention; your timing is not good for the senior class.”
But this time Rejiya didn’t give up. She returned home, started running every morning, lost ten pounds, and then shifted her focus from sprinting to endurance.
By winning the bronze medal at the Senior Nationals 2021 in Jaipur, she secured a place in the National Camp in Patiala and hasn’t looked back since.
In 2022, she was part of the Indian women’s team that won the historic bronze medal in the team pursuit at the Asian Cycling Championships. By 2024, Rejiya was one of India’s best chasers, but Meenakshi was still the player to beat in the format.
Rejiya finally got that opportunity in Jaipur and the 23-year-old made the most of it by dashing Meenakshi’s hopes of winning all five gold medals at the Games.
“To beat Meenakshi, you need intelligence, strength and strategy – all three. I knew she had been racing non-stop for the last five days. When I felt her fatigue increasing, I quickened my pace,” said Rejiya, who won the Asmita League last year.
“Meenakshi is an elite athlete. She doesn’t like losing and neither do I. I have faced so much neglect in my life that now I am always hungry for success. With this win, I have answered myself and all the people who once said I can’t do it. There is no better athlete than her (Meenakshi) in the 3km pursuit, so defeating her is a special achievement for me,” Rejiya added.
Winning is one thing, but being praised by your rival afterwards is a different kind of honor. Meenakshi, who won four gold medals and one silver at KIUG Rajasthan, hugged Rejiya after the race, patted her on the back and said with a smile, “Rejiya is one of the strongest cyclists in our team. We train together at NSNIS Patiala. I am happy that she won. Although I have some pain in my heart at my favorite event, I congratulate her from the bottom of my heart on her win.”
