Teen Glides to Fame

 

Drigansh Kumar, a 15 year-old Delhi boy, has made a mark in the world of skating.

While most youngsters cannot get over their fascination for popular sports like cricket, tennis or football, here is one teenager who is determined to make a career in the lesser-known sport of skating.

Drigansh Kumar, who bagged a bronze medal at the National Skating Championship held this year in Kolkata.  He is a 16-year-old boy, studying in Appejay School and a resident of Surajmal Vihar.  He likes spins and jumps and an atmosphere full of smile and laughter.  Started at the age of eight years and skated for the first time and ended up injuring himself but never quit training since he is loving sliding and speed skating.

A talented boy who has a dream to represent the country in skating, has won accolades a number of times.  Took part in various skating championship at different levels in many spheres, like the school level, inter-state, CBSE Nationals and Federation Nationals.

His strenuous training schedule reflects the amount of hardship and discipline this sport requires.  His practice starts in the morning and in the afternoon where he skates for 500 km at regular intervals and does his own secret practice before the competition.

Perceptibly, skating is an expensive sport and to buy a pair of skates worth Rs 9000.  Basically, the international skate range costs around Rs 20,000.  He is rigorously training at Yamuna Sports Complex comes to Rs 500 per month.

While his coach is optimistic under whom this boy is training can do wonder and bring laurels for the country. Skating is a great aerobic exercise and needs a perfect body that allows for speedy movement is a positive sign for this kind of sport and he has all that ingredients. 

Drigansh is now aiming for the World Championship which will be held in Belgium every year.  No doubt, it demands highest performance and under the guidance of his coach, both have collaborated to develop a work ethic and set goals and focussing how to win the Belgium World Championship.

Obviously, a proud father watching his son skating brings special pleasure to him. 

He is quite determined to make it to the world skating championship one day.  His inspiration from no less than Chad Hedrick [an American inline and ice speed skater and five time US Winter Olympics medalist].  Generally, Hedrick revolutionised the inline speed skating world with his unique technique called the DP [double push].   

Drigansh is quite look forward to getting a break in the world championship which will be held in Belgium, still so far as no one can reach that level, and he is resolute to make a dent but before that to win the gold medal in the national levels is now the prime focus.