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A student of Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya at Anand Vihar in Delhi, Riyaz originally belongs to Madhubani district in Bihar.
His family, comprising parents, two sisters and a brother, lives in Madhubani, while Riyaz stays in a rented accommodation in Maharajpur, Ghaziabad, according to a statement issued by Rashtrapati Bhavan.
To supplement his father’s paltry income as a cook, the boy in his free time works in an eatery in Ghaziabad as a dishwasher, it said.
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He went on to participate in a school games event in Guwahati, according to the District Magistrate, Ghaziabad, and achieved the fourth rank at the national level.
The president came to know of Riyaz’s story of struggle through reports in the media.
The boy has been taking professional training from coach Pramod Sharma, who regularly trains him at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Delhi.
Unfortunately, Riyaz had to depend on a borrowed sports cycle for his practice, and all that the budding champion wanted was a cycle of his own. His wish was finally granted on the occasion of Eid.
“In a gesture of motivating youth for nation-building, President of India, Ram Nath Kovind chose a struggling schoolboy Riyaz, who dreams of excelling as a cyclist, to gift him a racing bicycle,” the statement said.
The president also wished him to become an international champion and realize his dream through his hard work.
“The bicycle delivered to Riyaz on Friday, a day before Eid-al-Adha, comes as Eidi in the true spirit of the festival that is marked by gifts given by elders to youngsters,” it said.
Complimenting Riyaz for his achievements defying all odds, President Kovind wished him very best in life and said that his story should serve as worthy of emulation for the country’s youth who must come forward for nation-building by dint of their dedication, hard work, courage, and honesty.