Visakhapatnam: A sport that got closer from three years of age

Visakhapatnam: After bagging a gold medal in the All India Inter University Games in artistic skating (free dance) for the third consecutive time, Rayudu Arun Kumar says that he now aspires to win a gold medal in the international championship.

The third year BTech student of Vignan's Institute of Information Technology (VIIT), Duvvada, says that the skating rink fascinated him at the age of three when he was playfully watching others glide their way through it. His love for maneuvering on wheels made him explore the nuances of artistic roller skating in the following years.

Encouraged by his parents R V Rao and R. Sai Geeta, Arun Kumar got trained in the discipline though it means skipping school days and winning an array of medals. Adept at freestyle, figure skating, inline, solo dance, pair dance, pair skating and other events, the 20-year-old skater has 39 gold medals at the national and state level championships, 35 silver and 25 bronze medals at international, national and state level events, including silver and bronze medals in the 17th Asian Championship held in Lishui, China in 2016 and a silver medal in the 18th Asian Roller-Skating Championship held in Namwon, South Korea two years later.

He won six gold medals and three silver medals in ice skating championships. Being on the rink offers Arun Kumar so much excitement. "There is always time for running, skating and studying as I start my day at 4 a.m. Even during examination time, it is difficult for me to stay off the rink," says the BTech student, who aspires to serve the Armed Forces.

Elaborating about the infrastructure in the international platform, Arun Kumar says that there is a huge difference between Indian and international roller-skating rinks. "Though experiment can be done on a wooden skating rink as it does not hurt much even if we fall, we are used to skating on a concrete rink here. The shift from concrete to indoor wooden rink needs extended practice as we need to change the wheels too accordingly," the skater says. He mentions that having a wooden skating rink in Visakhapatnam would go a long way in performing better at international platforms.

Arun Kumar says that he draws his inspiration from Anup Kumar Yama, an Indian roller-skating champion and a recipient of Arjuna Award. Apart from his coach Akula Pavan Kumar, the skater says that he is thankful to have a supportive faculty at VIIT to make do for the lost syllabus when he's busy participating in events.