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RK Sharma (Cycling Coach) Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated October 1, 2026 • 4 min read

Quick Info

ProfessionFormer Chief Coach of the National Cycling team

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

RK Sharma (Cycling Coach) Biography

Rajendra Kumar 'RK' Sharma is an Indian cycling coach who rose from a long career in the Indian Air Force to lead national cycling programmes, serve as a U

Early life and background

Rajendra Kumar Sharma, commonly known as RK Sharma, built a sporting and coaching career after a lengthy service with the Indian Air Force. He joined the IAF in 1984 and remained with the force for nearly three decades, serving in a human resources management role before retiring in 2013. His formal education includes a Bachelor of Business Administration and a UCI Graduate Diploma in International Cycling Coaching obtained from the Union Cycliste Internationale in Lausanne.

Sharma’s involvement with cycling began in the mid-1980s. A tri-services coach noticed him riding to work in 1985, and he soon joined the Tri-Services cycling team. During his time there he won multiple national medals for the team. Transfers within the Air Force briefly interrupted his cycling activity, but postings to Bangalore and later New Delhi rekindled his involvement with the sport, including weekend volunteering as a race official and referee at local events.

Career

After leaving the Air Force, Sharma pursued formal coaching education at the UCI, completing a three-month international coaching diploma with top grades. That qualification led to an immediate invitation to join national training work at the Indira Gandhi Stadium Velodrome in New Delhi.

In 2013 he was appointed coach of the junior Indian national cycling team for the Asian Cycling Championship. His arrival was controversial: several athletes and established coaches initially resisted his appointment, sceptical of his short course credentials. Sharma reworked the training routines for the small group of athletes who stayed, and their performances at national events improved markedly, prompting other cyclists to seek training with him at subsequent camps.

Sharma’s coaching trajectory continued upward. In 2014 he took a role at the UCI World Cycling Centre and coached Indian cyclists at the 2014 Asian Cycling Championship in Kazakhstan. He advocated for recruiting athletes who met physical criteria even if they did not come from established cycling backgrounds, arguing that fresh recruits could be developed into high performers.

By 2016 Sharma had been named Head Coach for the Olympic Podium Sprint Cycling Team, and his athletes contributed to team successes at regional competitions. His teams achieved medal finishes at the Track ASIA Cup and at junior world events. Notably, under his mentorship the junior national team won a silver medal in MJ Keirin at the 2018 UCI Junior Track Cycling World Championship in Switzerland.

At the 2019 UCI Junior Track Cycling World Championship in Frankfurt, athletes he trained won multiple medals, including a gold in MJ Team Sprint, silver in MJ Individual Sprint and bronze in MJ Keirin. Those performances set a new Asian record and represented a milestone for an Indian programme run primarily by Indian coaches.

Sharma also served as a competition official; he worked as Deputy Competition Manager for road cycling during the 2010 Commonwealth Games. In 2017 his teams participated in the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Hong Kong and Italy. In 2021 he was entrusted with longer-term preparations aimed at the 2024 Olympic cycle.

Public profile

Sharma’s coaching career brought both achievements and disputes. He made public statements opposing routine hiring of foreign coaches, arguing that India’s long-term progress required domestic development rather than quick fixes. His leadership roles included Head Coach positions at national and international development centres and, on the recommendation of the Cycling Federation of India, appointment as Chief Coach within the Sports Authority of India.

Controversy

In 2022 a formal complaint led to an SAI inquiry that resulted in Sharma’s removal from the position of Chief Coach. The Sports Authority of India recalled the team from an overseas camp and removed him from his role after a preliminary investigation.

Latest updates

Before his removal from the chief coaching post, Sharma had been responsible for preparing Indian sprint cyclists for the Olympic cycle and had publicly set the goal of winning an Olympic medal in the near future. His more recent public profile has been shaped by the outcome of the SAI action taken in 2022.

Personal life

Sharma is married. He is Indian by nationality and is listed at approximately 1.75 metres (5 feet 9 inches) in height. His eye colour is described as dark brown and his hair as gray. Beyond those public details, his spouse’s name and his exact age are not publicly listed in the available material.

Editorial Review and Sources

This F4U profile is written from publicly available career and profile information, then reviewed for clarity before publication. If you spot an outdated detail about RK Sharma (Cycling Coach), send the page URL and a reliable correction source to f4udotin@gmail.com.

Reference context: StarsUnfolded
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Recent Work

Head Coach / Chief Coach roles with Indian national cycling programmes

Coached junior and senior national cyclists at Asian and UCI events; led sprint and junior development programmes and prepared teams for world championships and Olympic cycle

2013–2021
Deputy Competition Manager, Road Cycling

Served in an organizational role during the Commonwealth Games

2010
UCI Graduate Diploma in International Cycling Coaching

Completed a three-month international coaching diploma at the Union Cycliste Internationale with first-class performance

2013
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Career Highlights

  1. Joined Indian Air Force in 1984 and served until 2013
  2. Won multiple national medals as a member of the Tri-Services cycling team
  3. Completed UCI international coaching diploma with top grades
  4. Coached Indian junior team to medals at UCI Junior Track Cycling World Championships (2018, 2019)
  5. Served as Head Coach of Olympic Podium Sprint Cycling Team and Chief Coach at SAI (prior to 2022 removal)
Reviewed by F4U Editorial Desk

F4U profile pages are prepared from public career information, checked for readability, and updated when reliable correction sources are shared with the editorial team.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is RK Sharma (Cycling Coach) known for?

RK Sharma (Cycling Coach) is known for former Chief Coach of the National Cycling team.

What is RK Sharma (Cycling Coach)’s marital status?

RK Sharma (Cycling Coach)'s marital status is listed as Married.