Photos: Bead seller in Delhi by day, professional ice-skater at heart

From selling trinkets to being a gold medalist in the 2013 Special Winter Olympics, ice skater Raj Kumar Tiwari has been training hard. Being an expensive sport, financial aid for training been a problem with his family spending all they earn for his career.

Updated on: Jan 14, 2018 3:29 PM IST

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Raj Kumar Tiwari, 23, bagged a gold medal at the 2013 Special Winter Olympics beating several odds in South Korea. His family relocated to New Delhi from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh in 2008 to seek treatment for his hyperactivity disorder. (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)

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Once, when he was serving as a volunteer at an ice skating event, one of the officials asked him to give a trial. The trial proved successful and after rigorous training, Raj was selected for the 2013 Special Winter Olympics where he bagged a gold medal in the figure skating category. (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)

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Every morning Tiwari leaves his Paharganj house to help his father sell trinkets in the crowded lanes of Sadar Bazar. His father Ramesh has been selling hair clips on pavements for the last six years. (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)

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Tiwari takes a ook at his medals in Paharganj, New Delhi. Being an expensive sport, financial assistance for Raj’s training has always been a problem. In September 2016, a life insurance company sponsored and sent him to the US for advanced training. (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)

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Mangesh (back to lens) has also taken to skating. Mangesh won the second rank at the junior ice skating national championship. “Sometimes I feel guilty I got my brother into skating. We could have helped our father sell more beads and shift to a bigger house”, says Tiwari. (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)

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With lack of space for practice in his house, a local builder has offered him his terrace. “I hope the advanced training will give me an edge over other competitors. I have been training rigorously for the last four months,” he said. (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)

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Kumar says, “My brother works as a helper at a shop that sells earrings. My mother works as a tailor. The family accumulates the earnings to help my career. Hopefully, success at domestic and international competitions can assist me in getting more funds.” (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)

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A Japanese skater gifted him his first pair of ice skates. He still retains them. Tewari now competes in the main category at the National Games, where he came second twice in 2016 and 2017, respectively. “I could bring gold for the country with proper gear.” (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)