For Anandkumar Velkumar, speed has always been the name of the game. Yet even someone accustomed to moving at high velocity might not have expected his rise to global prominence to be quite so swift.
The 22-year-old made history when he clinched gold in the men’s 1000m sprint at the 2025 Speed Skating World Championships in Beidaihe, China. In doing so, he became India’s first-ever world champion in skating, a landmark moment that drew plaudits from across the sporting community.
“It was a dream for sure. It’s a dream of any athlete to become a World champion in their sport, and I was really happy when I could make it possible,” he told Sportstar.
The victory caught him slightly off guard. “I didn’t expect to be winning gold that day. My target was to be on the podium, but I’m really honoured to be able to win gold in the 1000m.”
Anandkumar Velkumar became India’s first-ever world champion in skating.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Anandkumar Velkumar became India’s first-ever world champion in skating.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Early beginnings
Velkumar’s tryst with skating began in Chennai, inspired by his sister, Subi Suvetha, a former Indian skater (2017–19).
“Right next to my house, we had a park where there used to be skating classes and my sister used to skate,” he recalled. “My mom wanted to enrol me in some kind of classes to keep me active, so she made me join the classes as well. I also wanted to try it.”
His first turns on wheels came not on a skating rink but on a badminton court. “I actually started skating in a small badminton rink; it wasn’t an actual skating rink. It was just a cement court,” he said.
From there, the rise was rapid. By 15, he was representing India, balancing competition with the demands of school. “I used to go to school really late. I used to go only by 9 am or 10 am. So, I think I actually enjoyed that a bit,” he said with a laugh.
Despite the grind of elite sport, Velkumar has kept one foot in the classroom. He is pursuing a computer science degree at the College of Engineering, Guindy.
“My college also supported me a lot. My teachers used to let me off the hook a little bit, but obviously, I’d have to study by myself,” he said. Then, with disarming honesty: “I’m an average student. I just passed the exam.”
Making history young
Velkumar’s first brush with international history came at the 2021 Junior World Championships in Ibague, Colombia. He won silver in the men’s 15km elimination race, the first-ever medal by an Indian at the event.
The achievement was all the more satisfying because he had missed out on national selection the previous year after falling ill before the trials.
“It was my last year in juniors, and my goal was to be in the top 10. I never expected that, the expectations were zero to win a medal,” he said. “I actually did really well in my first few races. I finished 8th, I finished 5th, and even in the silver medal race, I didn’t expect to win. I was just going with the flow, and only towards the end of the race did I start thinking about maybe I could win a medal.”
Big stage breakthrough
Two years later came another milestone: the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, where Velkumar and teammates Aryanpal Singh, Siddhant Kamble, and Vikram Ingale bagged bronze in the men’s 3000m relay.
“I would say that was one of the best experiences of my life, because it was like a really big event, with all the sports combined, and I could meet all the sporting legends of India from other sports like Neeraj Chopra,” he said. “The event was just way bigger than any of the events I’ve attended till now… And the medal was also in a team event, along with my friends, so I think I really enjoyed it.”
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Team events, he admitted, hold a special place. “I think it’s really fun to race team events, instead of racing alone. You get to race with your friends. And you have more, I’d say, a sense of pride when you’re racing along with your teammates. You’re not just racing for yourself, you’re racing for all of them.”
Training and support
Velkumar trains at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai under a personal coach and a foreign trainer. “I go to the skating rink around five-six times a week in the evenings, and in the mornings, I either go to the gym for about an hour or two, or I do cycling two-three times a week to work on my endurance,” he explained.
FILE: Anandkumar Velkumar trains at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai under a personal coach and a foreign trainer.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
FILE: Anandkumar Velkumar trains at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai under a personal coach and a foreign trainer.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Sometimes he takes his workouts outside. “I also skate on the road, next to Marina Beach, there is a circuit, on the Napier loop, so I skate there once a week.”
At home, his support system remains strong — his parents, with whom he lives during training season, and his sister, who now resides in the US but stays in regular touch.
Funding and recognition
As a non-Olympic discipline, skating often struggles for funding in India. Velkumar had to self-finance his initial trips abroad.
“When I started in the sport, like say when I was 15 and I represented the country, I had to fund myself for international competitions,” he recalled.
Success changed that. “When I started winning more medals, I was inducted into the SDAT scheme, where they support the athletes. I’m part of a scheme called Mission International Medal Scheme (MIMS), so I can reimburse my tournament expenses, travel expenses, or equipment.”
A golden run
Recent months have seen a remarkable streak of performances. Velkumar first secured bronze in the 1000m sprint at the 2025 World Games in Chengdu. He followed it with another bronze in the 500m sprint at the World Championships in Beidaihe, just days before upgrading to gold in his favoured 1000m.
That 500m medal, he said, set him up perfectly. “The 1000m is my main event, and when I won bronze in the 500m, that obviously gave me a lot of confidence, because if I could do well in the 500m, I knew I was good enough for the 1000m.”
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A touching moment capped his triumph: a high-five with runner-up Duccio Marsili. “When I won the gold, I would say the best feeling that I had was that all the skaters from other countries were thrilled that I won gold,” Velkumar said. “The community was a powerful feeling that I had here. So I would say that’s one of the things that I love about this sport.”
Looking ahead
With medals piling up and barriers consistently being broken, Velkumar knows the weight of carrying India’s hopes on the global stage. “You get a sense of responsibility or, you know, like a little bit more pressure that you’re representing your country, but I’d say it’s in a good way. It helps you perform better, and it gives you a lot of motivation to give your best out there.”
The season may be winding down, but the future looks packed with opportunity. Velkumar has already set his sights on next year’s World Championships, with an eye on a potential home Asian Championships in 2027.
If his career so far is any indication, the name Anandkumar Velkumar will be echoing across skating arenas for years to come.
Published on Sep 19, 2025
