National Games: Maharashtra wins five medals, emerges champion in roller skating

Maharashtra (five gold medals) and Tamil Nadu (three gold medals) emerged as champion and runner-up, respectively, in the Roller Sports discipline. Ranju Singh, from Manipur, was the gold medallist in the skateboarding skeet category, while Maharashtra’s Shraddha Gaikwad was the winner among women.

Medallists in the skateboarding park category (men) stand at the podium. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Maharashtra (five gold medals) and Tamil Nadu (three gold medals) emerged as champion and runner-up, respectively, in the Roller Sports discipline on Sunday night at the 36th National Games. All competitions, after three days of cut and thrust at the picturesque Sabarmati Riverfront, are now over.

Ranju Singh, from Manipur, was the gold medallist in the skateboarding skeet category. Maharashtra’s Shraddha Gaikwad was the winner among women.

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Ranju first learned the nuances of the sport in darkness and on empty streets, waking up before dawn to practice. He had to struggle to find funds for training and equipment. “I took up several part-time jobs, including whitewashing, to fund my training,” Ranju said.

Medallists in the skateboarding park category (women) stand at the podium. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Gaikwad, explaining how she started roller-skating, said it had to do with her father’s job as a security guard at an sports goods shop. One day, Gaikwad came to the shop to deliver lunch for her father and saw an interesting sight.

“I saw people skateboarding at the store and tried my hand at it. The store manager Abu Sheikh saw me practice and gifted me a pair of shoes and a skateboard. I began training and I soon became pretty good at it,” the 16-year-old said.

Gaikwad’s story has been captured by a Netflix movie called Skater Girl.

Both Ranju and Gaikwad hope their success in the National Games help them find financial and technical support to pursue their sport as they focus on qualifying for the Asian Games.

Men

1000m: 1. Amitesh Mishra (Chhattisgarh) 1:35; 2. Aarya Mayur Juvekar (Maharashtra) 1:35; 3. Anandkkumar Velkumar (Tamil Nadu) 1:35.

Artistic Single Free Skating: 1. Abhijith Amal Raj (Kerala) 146.9; 2. Kunj B Chokshi (Gujarat) 106.3; 3. Kotyada Mohan Kiran Kumar (Karnataka) 104.2.

Inline Freestyle – Speed Slalom: 1. Sanchot Bhandari (Uttar Pradesh) 4.58; 2. R Sarvesh (Tamil Nadu) 4.73; 3. Vishvesh Ganesh Patil (Maharashtra) 4.75.

Relay: 1. Maharashtra 4:29.00; 2. Tamil Nadu 4:32.32; 3. Karnataka 4:32.35.

Skateboarding Park: 1. Mahin Ivan Tandon (Karnataka) 28.33; 2. Shivam Balhara (Delhi) 24.89; 3. S Vineesh (Kerala) 18.89.

Skateboarding Street: 1. Chingngbam Ranju Singh (Manipur) 90; 2. Shubham Sharma (Maharashtra) 80.33; 3. Nikhil Naresh Shelatkar (Maharashtra) 73.

Women

1000m: 1. K Aarathy (Tamil Nadu) 1:39; 2. Heeral Sadhu (Delhi) 1;39; 3. Suvarnika Radhakrishnan (Karnataka) 1:40.

Artistic Single Free Skating: 1. Riya Saboo (Telangana) 112.4; 2. Kula Sai Samhitha (Andhra Pradesh) 107.0; 3. Bhupathiraju Anmisha (Andhra Pradesh) 97.8.

Inline Freestyle – Speed Slalom: 1. Prachi Singh (Uttar Pradesh) 4.95; 2. Piyusha Tarini (Puducherry) 4.98; 3. Merlin Dhanam Arpoudam (Puducherry) 5.04.

Relay: 1. Tamil Nadu 4:46.03; 2. Karnataka 4:46.85; 3. Delhi 4:54.57.

Skateboarding Park: 1. Vidya Das (Kerala) 25.78; 2. P Kamali (Tamil Nadu) 12.22; 3. Aadya Aditi (Delhi) 11.22.

Skateboarding Street: 1. Shraddha Ravindra Gaikwad (Maharashtra) 61; 2. Urmila Jitendra Pabale (Maharashtra) 59.33; 3. Meera Gautam (Delhi) 53.

Mixed

Artistic Skating Couple Dance: 1. Maharashtra; 2. Tamil Nadu; 3. Telangana.

Slalom Pair Inline Freestyle Skating: 1. Maharashtra; 2. Maharashtra; 3. Puduchery.