Balancing books and blades, 15-year-old Sanchit wins Asian skating gold

HYDERABAD: Between schoolbooks and skating rinks, Class 11 scholar Yenderu Sanchit Chowdary has struck the right stability. His current gold on the Asian Roller Skating Championships reveals how dedication and self-discipline can translate into world-class success. While most youngsters his age are glued to cricket matches or devices, 15-year-old Sanchit is in his aspect on a pair of skates.

At the twentieth Asian Roller Skating Championship held in South Korea, he clinched gold within the Senior Show Group class. It was not his first worldwide triumph. At the nineteenth Asian Championships in China, he had bagged gold and silver medals within the junior class. In 2023, he struck gold once more within the junior males’s class on the Oceania and Pacific Cup in Australia. His successful streak extends to the nationwide enviornment too, with a gold and a bronze on the 62nd National Championship in Pollachi, and two golds and a silver on the 61st version.

Sanchit’s journey started in 2017, impressed by his sister Yenduru Akanksha, additionally a skater. Skating, he says, boosted his focus and eased stress excess of some other sport he tried. “Under the expert guidance of Coach Anup Kumar Yama, an Arjuna award winner, I have been able to hone my skills and represent India at national and international levels,” he tells TNIE. “Skating is harder than many think. It demands perfect leg balance and constant focus. In my early days, I found it tough, but my sister’s encouragement kept me going.”

On his newest medal, Sanchit says, “I was on cloud nine when I won gold in South Korea. My next goal is the World Championships. This will be the stepping stone to my dream of competing at the Olympics and making my country proud.”

Balancing lecturers with coaching is not any simple feat, however for Sanchit, the strategy is identical. “When we skate, our entire focus is on it. And, it’s the same with studies,” he quips.