That's how we roll

What a year for Indian skating! We've broken into the international league, won gold, set new records, gone viral for our moves. How did our favourite childhood hobby turn pro in just one generation? Hear it from the young champs

- By Sulogna Mehta

In September this year, at the far fringes of Indian sport, something exciting was unfolding. On the 15th, Anandkumar Velkumar, a 22-year-old athlete from Chennai, won India its first-ever gold at the Speed Skating World Championships in Beidaihe, China. He clocked just over one minute and 24 seconds in the senior men's 1000m sprint. That same day, 18-year-old Krish Sharma from Delhi won gold in the Junior category of the same race, rolling in at one minute and 22 seconds. Then, five days later, Velkumar won gold again, in the 42km skating marathon of the championship. And just like that, India had, for the first time, three top global honours in competitive skating.

Skating was the ultimate privilege flex of the 1990s. There was no Decathlon. But nearly every kid had a pair of sturdy, size-adjustable JJ Jonex. In smaller cities, where there were bigger rinks, dedicated inclined tracks, fewer distractions, the sport quietly thrived. Inline skating (in which the wheels under each foot are set one behind the other, allowing for more precise turns) became part of school sports.

Bhagirath Kumar Dadhich, general secretary of the RSFI, says that India has more than two lakh skaters, male and female. “Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Delhi and Punjab are at the forefront.” Meet the skating champs who are reinventing their wheels for India.

Anandkumar Velkumar, 22

World Speed-Skating Champion, senior category