Steadfast Athlete Akber Khan, an acclaimed road cyclist from the Kashmir valley has completed his PhD in Physical Education and Sports from the Venkateshwara University, Gajraula. The athlete has been a cyclist for more than a decade and always wanted to study cycling for a better understanding of the sport.
Akber, who has given cycling in Kashmir a facelift, researched on the topic "Study on selected anthropometric and psychological variables among different categories of Indian cyclists" to do his bit for the Indian Cycling Community.
The Kashmir resident's academic and cycling journey began when his elder brother, now a sports teacher at Srinagar's Burn Hall School, was awarded a gold medal after winning an inter-college race. That one accomplishment strongly encouraged Akber to follow his brother's footsteps. He learned cycling and spent a significant amount of time hitting the roads with a strong desire to improve his skills. His efforts began to pay off when he won three consecutive gold medals for Amar Singh College after winning back-to-back inter-college cycling championships.
Akber's performance as a cyclist for Amar Singh College helped him gain admission to the Government College of Physical Education, Ganderbal, under the Sports Category. The next milestone in his academic career was when he won two gold medals at the All India Inter-Cycling Championships at Gurunanakdev University. The university recognised his outstanding performance in the event with free admission to the MPEd programme.
The Steadfast Athlete completed his studies in 2018, but his thirst to understand the nuances of the sport at a deeper level took him one step ahead. He enrolled himself at Shri Venkateshwara University, Uttar Pradesh for a PhD Program. Akber chose to research the topic "Structure of a Cyclist and Cycling in India." His admission to the programme made headlines, and a list of sponsors expressed their willingness to associate with the athlete. Akber respectfully said "No" to all, and finally chose to go with Steadfast Nutrition in January 2021- he knew that only Steadfast Nutrition could provide him with the experience and knowledge he was looking for.
Recalling his decision to become a Steadfast Athlete, Akber had said, "Steadfast Nutrition isn’t just a brand that manufactures supplements- it’s a revolutionary force which is making premium sports nutrition available to all Indian athletes. The founder of the organisation Mr Aman Puri is himself a champion cyclist; his passion for cycling is what makes Steadfast Nutrition the first choice of the majority of Indian cyclists. I even relate a lot to Mr Aman Puri, as we are both driven by our love for the sport. Being associated with the brand as an athlete is a matter of pride for me."
During the final years of Akber’s research as a PhD student, Steadfast heavily supported Akber with both information and health supplements. The company ensured that Akber brought out his best in cycling events while being able to focus on his research. On19th February, as Akber’s effort bore fruit and he was declared qualified for the PhD degree, Mr Aman Puri congratulated him on behalf of the entire Steadfast Nutrition team.