Sidra Sadaf () is a Pakistani woman

cyclist Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from two ...

who won a silver medal at the 11th South Asian Games in Dhaka, Bangladesh in January 2010. Sadaf suffers from Hepatitis C. The 18-year-old Christian college student was diagnosed with the disease during a check-up shortly before the games.UCANews 18 June 2010
Sadaf won silver at the Games in the 30 kilometer road team time trial event to make her the country’s first Christian woman cycling champion. She first started practicing on her father’s bicycle in the school playground. At school, Sadaf started participating in cycling events and became the female cycling champion at district and school board level for the next five years. However, it was only after joining college that Sadaf became serious about pursuing cycling. In 2008, the President of the

Faisalabad Faisalabad (; Punjabi/ ur, , ; ), formerly known as Lyallpur (Punjabi, Urdu: لائل پور), named after the founder of the city, but was renamed in 1977 in honour of late King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. It is the 3rd largest city of Pakis ...

’s Cycling Association spotted her and offered to train her. A coach was hired and practice started, resulting in her selection for the

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...

team. To prepare for the South Asian Games, Sadaf underwent training for nine months. At end of the 2009 National Women’s Championship, she wasn’t satisfied with her performance. She was nonetheless selected for the cycling team for the

South Asian Games The South Asian Games (SAG or SA Games), formerly known as the South Asian Federation Games (SAFG or SAF Games), is a quadrennial multi-sport event held among the athletes from South Asia. The governing body of these games is South Asia Olympic ...

. Sadaf cycled daily at the ground of her former school and on the streets of the city, for as long as three hours, covering a distance of 60–70 km. She also maintained a strict

diet Diet may refer to: Food * Diet (nutrition), the sum of the food consumed by an organism or group * Dieting, the deliberate selection of food to control body weight or nutrient intake ** Diet food, foods that aid in creating a diet for weight loss ...

and an exercise regimen designed for maximum fitness. Her father is a mason. There were times when financial constraints wouldn’t allow her to follow the fitness diet, but nevertheless support from the family gave her strength and encouragement. Cycling is a costly and dangerous sport in

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

. The equipment and cycles are very expensive while there is the risk of injury. For this reason most women don’t choose this sport. At a reception, the Punjab Sports Coalition presented her with her first sport cycle while the

Diocesan In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associat ...

Catholic Board of Education The Catholic Board of Education is the arm of the Roman Catholic Church in Pakistan responsible for education. Each diocese has its own board. Collectively the Catholic Church runs 534 schools, 8 colleges, and 7 technical institutes in its 2 archdio ...

presented her with a shield. She won second position in the 22-kilometer race at women cycling competition at the Punjab Sports Festival. In February 2017, Sadaf was declared as the best cyclist of the HEC Inter-varsity Women’s Cycling Championships. In March 2017, Sadaf won the First Women Open Road Race organized by the Punjab Cycling Association to celebrate Pakistan Day. 44 female cyclists from all over Lahore participated. News Lounge March 24, 2017
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sadaf, Sidra Living people Pakistani female cyclists Pakistani Christians Pakistani women Punjabi women Year of birth missing (living people) South Asian Games silver medalists for Pakistan South Asian Games medalists in cycling