New Delhi: Indian skater Anirudhan Vinod called winning the gold medal and standing to the national anthem at the World Skate Games 2026 in Paraguay’s capital, Asuncion, a really proud moment. Anirudhan won a gold medal in the Junior Men’s Road 1-Lap and a silver in the Junior Men’s 200m Dual Time Trial to cap off his stellar outing, where India won seven medals.
Speaking during a celebration ceremony in Delhi, the skater reflected on his stellar performances, which made him and the nation proud.
“I won a gold in the road 1 lap event in world championship and a silver in 200m. I have come a long way, from Kerala. I feel so proud, because this is the first time that a Malayali from Kerala climbed to the top. I feel so proud of myself. I want to thank my family and my coaches,” he told IANS during an interaction.
He revealed that he took a break from college to focus on the competition and was happy that it paid dividends, as hearing the national anthem at the top of the podium was a proud moment. “I took an entire break from college to prepare for this. I am so happy that it came good in the end.
“It was a proud moment when I heard the national anthem as all the hard work paid off. My next aim is to become world champion in senior,” he added.
Meanwhile, Charita Sri Madepudi, who won a bronze in the Junior Women’s 3000m Relay, along with Rutva Prakash, Pragathi Shivabalan and Lakshita Ranjith Kumar Sinthu, also opened up on her achievement and revealed how challenging the skating sport is. “Our sport is really challenging, where we need balance and coordination. It is a really fast sport, where you should be really quick and concentrated.
“It is not easy to win a medal in world skating games. So, I practised twice a day, in the morning and in the evening. It is more about strength training and coordinated training together. I want to continue the sport along with my studies; I want to balance it,” she added.
(IANS)
