By News18,Siddarth Sriram

Copyright news18

Indian speed skater Anandkumar Velkumar created history on Monday night, as he brought home his country’s first-ever gold medal at the Speed Skating World Championships in Beidaihe, China.
The 22-year-old topped the senior men’s 1,000m sprint with a time of 1:24.924, just days after earning a bronze medal in the 500m sprint — India’s first senior world championship medal in skating.

? IT’S HISTORY GETTING CREATED FOLKS 🤯
INDIA’S ANANDKUMAR VELKUMAR IS THE WORLD SPEED SKATING CHAMPION 2025!?
He becomes First Ever India to win the GOLD Medal in 1000m Sprint at World C’ship ?
IT SHOULD BE HEADLINE OF INDIAN SPORT! ??pic.twitter.com/fvDy5OU3FF
— The Khel India (@TheKhelIndia) September 15, 2025

Adding to the celebrations, India also struck gold in the junior category, with Krish Sharma winning the 1,000m sprint.
A Breakthrough for Indian Skating
Velkumar’s victory is the latest milestone in a journey that has steadily raised India’s profile in world skating.
Earlier this year, he won a bronze at the World Games in Chengdu in the 1,000m sprint—India’s first medal in roller sports at the Games.
In 2021, he had already shown his promise with a silver at the Junior World Championships in the 15km elimination event. Two years later, he contributed to India’s bronze medal in the 3,000m team relay at the Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Now, with a world title in his pocket, Velkumar continues to grow and propel skating more to the forefront in India.
National Pride and Recognition
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was quick to congratulate Velkumar, calling his achievement inspirational.

Proud of Anandkumar Velkumar for winning the Gold at the Senior Men’s 1000m Sprint in the Speed Skating World Championships 2025. His grit, speed and spirit have made him India’s first World Champion in skating. His accomplishment will inspire countless youngsters.… pic.twitter.com/uewup1bGir
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 16, 2025

“Proud of Anandkumar Velkumar for winning the Gold at the Senior Men’s 1000m Sprint in the Speed Skating World Championships 2025. His grit, speed, and spirit have made him India’s first World Champion in skating. His accomplishment will inspire countless youngsters. Congratulations to him and best wishes for all future endeavours,” Modi wrote on X.
The Speed Skating World Championships started in Beidaihe on September 13 and will continue until September 21.