THE TRAILBLAZERS OF TAMIL NADU

Meet the young upcoming sporting talents who are putting India on the global sporting scene

- Kayal Arivalan

GLIDING INTO HISTORY

Chennai skater ANANDKUMAR VELKUMAR shares with Kayal Arivalan how he scripted history by winning double gold

Chennai-based skater Anandkumar Velkumar recently etched his name into Indian sports history when he became the first Indian to be crowned Senior Men's World Champion in speed skating, clinching double golds in the 1000m sprint and the 42 km marathon at the World Championships in Beidaihe, China. He added a bronze in the 500m sprint, firmly placing India on the global skating map.

Anandkumar started training when he was six years old, and the rest is history. “I started skating for leisure on the badminton court of our local park after my sister joined skating classes there,” he recalls. “We did not have much exposure or infrastructure then. I skated purely for the love of the sport.”

A computer science student at the College of Engineering, Guindy, Anandkumar juggles academics and training.

His day starts at 4.30 AM with road skating or cycling, followed by college from 8.30 AM to 4 PM, and evening training sessions at the Nehru Indoor Stadium, Chennai. “Many days, I have had to go to training directly from college, so, essentially, I would leave home in the morning and come back only around 9 PM,” he says.

Managing studies and exams with a sport hasn’t been easy for this 22-year-old. “I still remember one Nationals when I flew back and forth from the competition to my college twice to write my semester exams and also compete in my races; I used to carry my notes with me and prepare on the flights,” he laughs.

“My first coach was Raja sir; he is the one who laid the foundations of my journey and trained me during my initial years,” he informs us. “I currently train under coach Sathya Moorthy, an ex-Indian team skater himself. I wouldn’t be here today without their support,” he adds.