Visakhapatnam girls excel in roller skating, sharing their inspiring journey to success

The Hindu

3 days ago

Two schoolgirls from Visakhapatnam, D Greeshma and Sivakoti Kshetra, brought home gold and silver at the recently concluded Asian Roller Skating Championship held in South Korea. Greeshma won gold in the senior small show group event, while Kshetra took silver in her category.
For Greeshma, a class XII student of Visakha Valley School, artistic skating began as a hobby when she was just four years old. Over the years, the sport grew into a serious pursuit. 'Roller sports demand focus and consistent practice,' she says. 'It's about balancing both the body and mind. It improves stamina, concentration and teaches you to stay grounded under pressure.'
Her recent win, she says, was the result of rigorous preparation. 'During our official practice session in South Korea, we realised we were performing better than the other teams. That gave us confidence going into the event.'
But her journey at the championship wasn't without setbacks. Just before her solo performance, she suffered a fall and was taken to the hospital. 'Luckily, the injury wasn't severe,' recalls her mother, Sharmila. 'She went back and performed despite falling again during the routine. I thought she wouldn't be able to continue, but she completed the event.' Greeshma finished sixth in the solo category.
She credits her coaches, P Satyanarayana and Chitti Babu, for shaping her technique and helping her stay prepared for international competitions. 'They have played a big role in my journey. From correcting posture to training for stamina and mental strength, they've been closely involved throughout.'
Greeshma's regular training takes place every evening from 6.30pm to 9pm. However, in the lead-up to international events, she attends national conditioning camps that typically last 15 days each, held in different cities across India. 'We usually attend three to five camps before every international championship. These focus on physical endurance, mental conditioning and improving our technical performance.'
Representing India, she says, carries a sense of pride. 'To represent the country at any international event is a big honour. But representing India at the Asian Games has been the best moment of my life so far,' says Greeshma.
In the same championship, 14-year-old Sivakoti Kshetra, a student of Little Angels School, won a silver medal. Her daily schedule is built around discipline and long training hours. On regular days, she begins her day at 5am, studies until 7am and heads to school, which has supported her sporting dreams by giving her flexibility and encouragement. After school, she studies for an hour, then begins her first skating session at home followed by formal coaching from 7pm to 9pm.
During competitions, her schedule changes completely. She trains early morning for three hours before heading to school. Her second training session is in the afternoon, followed by the third at night.
Her interest in skating started at the age of four, when her parents, noticing delayed speech and hyperkinetic behavior, began taking her to the rink with her elder sister. 'We thought the sport might help her improve mentally and physically,' says her father Dr S Murali Krishna. 'It turned out to be transformative.'
Kshetra has since won 72 medals, including 21 national and two Asian medals. Her first international medal came from China in 2023; South Korea is her second. She has been part of the Sea Cadet Corps for four years now, where she trains with the Indian Navy every Sunday.
Both Greeshma and Kshetra train at Shivaji Park Skating Rink under the same coaches, P Satyanarayana and Chitti Babu. For the girls, the focus, however, was never on medals at the start. 'We didn't have a sports background nor a goal for them to represent India,' says Kshetra's father. 'We only wanted them to stay active and focused.'