Biniam Girmay continues Eritrea's cycling rise

Biniam Girmay is aiming to continue Eritrea's rise in global cycling after winning silver in the under-23 race at the Cycling Road World Championships on Friday.

His sprint to silver behind Italian winner Filippo Baroncini further cemented Eritrea's reputation as Africa's leading cycling nation and he is already looking to the future.

"I got silver but one day I hope to take the rainbow (given to the senior world champions) jersey - maybe in 2025, in Rwanda," he said after the race.

"The World Championships will be held in Kigali. It would be fantastic to win there."

Despite his accomplishment thrusting him into the spotlight, Girmay is determined to keep his feet firmly on the pedals.

"It [the silver medal] is for all of us Eritreans," he told BBC Sport Africa. "For now, I am not the big star - there are bigger ones than me.

"We ride a bike to get results and a good career, so hopefully I can get more results like this."

This article originally appeared on BBC News

Photo: Getty Images