A world gold for Chennai’s own blade roller!

CHENNAI: What started off as an afternoon pastime for a six-year-old on a badminton court in KK Nagar, a middle-class neighbourhood in South Chennai, has now made Anandkumar Velkumar a world champion.

The 22-year-old, who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering, became the first Indian to win a medal in Speed Skating World Championship — and that too a gold. It was his second medal in the event currently held in Beidaihe, China. The Tamil Nadu boy started his historic run with bronze in the men's 500m inline sprint. Then came the gold in men’s 1000m inline sprint.

“I have dreamt of this moment, and it finally came true. It is hard to put it into words, but I am very happy to have won and sung the national anthem on the podium. The fact that I am the first Indian skater to achieve this feat makes it special,” Anandkumar told TOI.

Anandkumar still has two more events left in the competition and he may well add to his tally. While this is surely his biggest moment, the skater made his mark as a junior as well. In 2021, he became the first Indian to secure a medal at the Junior World Championships. A weeks ago, he achieved another milestone as he became the first skater from the country to earn a medal at the World Games, which is considered the equivalent of the Olympic Games for non-Olympic sports.

“This year has been the best of my career so far. I went from becoming the Asian champion to winning a medal at the World Games, and finally, I am a world champion,” Anandkumar, a student of the College of Engineering in Guindy, said.

Anandkumar’s skating journey started on a cement badminton court. It was his sister, Subi Suvetha, an India international skater, who inspired him to take up the sport. Till the age of 12, Anandkumar was into quad skating. He later moved to inline. He began training under coach Anna Raja and then joined Sathyamoorthy, with whom he has had an association for close to a decade.

“Initially I did not like the sport, but I started to develop interest slowly. Once I began winning, I started to enjoy it. Getting into the Indian junior team at the age of 15 motivated me to take up skating professionally,” the Hangzhou Asian Games bronze medallist added.

The turning point for the youngster was the junior Worlds silver in 2021. “My aim was to finish in the top-10, but it turned out completely different. I exceeded my expectations, and it was the country’s first medal on the world stage (junior and senior). That experience motivated me to think bigger and train harder for the future.”

With skating not being an Olympic sport, the athletes have to take care of their expenses for competitions abroad. Like many others, Anandkumar did not have a sponsor till 2023. But he was drafted into the MIMS (Mission International Medals Scheme) by the SDAT (Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu) that year and since then his travel, accommodation and other expenses are being reimbursed.

“Before 2023, I used to train and race only in India but once I started receiving support from MIMS, I began travelling abroad. These exposure tours have been one of the key factors for my achievements today. In Europe, the training volume is quite high, and they do a lot of cycling and other activities. In Chennai, however, it is very difficult to cycle due to heavy traffic. Moreover, they (in Europe) follow advanced scientific training methods. We are still learning as we have only recently started going abroad.”

Though there is a lot of scope for improvement for skating in Chennai, Anandkumar feels that the sport is growing. “There are three to four courts in and around Chennai. The skating rink at the Nehru Indoor Stadium is being recoated and I am looking forward to training on the new track.”

With skating being removed from the Asian Games 2026 roster, Anandkumar has his eyes set on retaining his world title next year. There are chances of Asian Championships being held in India in 2027 and should that happen, the skater is eager to showcase his skills and keep the Indian flag flying.