By Rahul Sadhu

Copyright timesnownews

India just got its new sporting hero after Tamil Nadu’s Anandkumar Velkumar created history by bagging the gold in the 1000m sprint Inline Speed Skating discipline at the Speed Skating World Championships in China on Monday. The landmark victory marks India’s first-ever senior gold medal at the prestigious event. The triumph came less than 24 hours after the Hangzhou Asian Games bronze medallist had already broken new ground by securing India’s first senior medal at the Worlds—a bronze in the 500m+D sprint race on Sunday. Few could have imagined that the 21-year-old skater would return the very next day to double his achievement with a place on the top of the podium. “He has been skating for over 15 years now. He first started near our house with a toy skate and gradually practised more seriously. Until the age of 10, he trained with quad skates and even then used to win medals at the state and national levels,” said his father Velkumar while beaming with pride. “Over the years, he has been training at the Sathya Speed Skating Academy (SSSA) and is also supported by the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT),” his father added while speaking to DTNEXT. Anandkumar shifted to Inline Speed Skating at the age of 12 and then steadily rose through the ranks. In 2021, he achieved his first major international breakthrough by winning silver at the Junior World Championships. Backed by the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT), he trained rigorously at the Sathya Speed Skating Academy (SSSA). Two years later, he created history by bagging a bronze medal in the 1000m sprint at the World Games, clocking 1:22.482s to secure India’s first medal in the sport at a global competition. With his latest feat, Anandkumar has not only brought glory to his country but also etched a new chapter in Indian sporting history.