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Skater bois and girls glide to glory
The two-day even saw speed inline and quad skaters compete with each other on one of the city’s new BKC mall.
Skating in India is a relatively new sport but it is catching up quickly. Over the weekend, Mumbai saw an influx of skaters who came to the city to take part in Skate in the Skies - a speed skating championship. The professional speed inline and quad skaters showed off their skills and competed with each other on the rooftop of one of the city’s new mall in BKC.
The competition was fierce and included several international, national and state level champions from all over India. They 4-19 year-old skaters completed 240m laps across the mall’s rooftop that was a new twist for many. The winners were awarded certificated and medals.
“I was overjoyed and it felt really good winning in the double individual races and the team relay. It was also a new exciting experience on a totally different track layout.” says 10-year-old Vian Mahabat Podar, State level champion and winner of the 2011 category (Female).
Eleven-year-old Arnav Prashant Bhat won the 2009-10 category (Male) and shared his winning strategy. He says, “I accelerated at the corners when usually most skaters slow down. Towards the end, I was in the fourth position but found a way to overtake my opponent and ended with a split.”
Another unique aspect of this championship was the audience that sat in the middle of the skating ring. This gave them a 360-degree view of the goings-on. Arjun Nichani, world ranker in Freestyle skating and 4th best National Speed skater in Masters group, 2021 was also present at the competition to cheer the participants on.
Winner of before 2008 category (Female) and Speed Skating World Ranker and National Winner Khushi Shah, (19) says “It was challenging as well as fun to tackle the slopes and the narrow turns during the race. The crowd was also enthusiastic and kept cheering us on.”
