22-year-old speed skater, Anandkumar Velkumar, scripted history on Monday, September 15, by winning the first-ever Gold medal for India in the World Championships. Velkumar beat Italy’s Duccio Marsili to the title, finishing the 1000m sprint in just 1 minute, 24 seconds, 924 milliseconds.
“Proud of Anandkumar Velkumar for winning the Gold at the Senior Men’s 1000m Sprint in the Speed Skating World Championships 2025. His grit, speed and spirit have made him India’s first World Champion in skating. His accomplishment will inspire countless youngsters. Congratulations to him and best wishes for all future endeavours,” PM Modi said on X (formerly Twitter), congratulating Velkumar for his achievement.
The Gold medal came a day after Velkumar secured a bronze medal in the 500m sprint event, clocking 43.072 seconds. In the juniors’ 1000m sprint, Krish Sharma also clinched the gold medal, marking it a historic day for India at the Beidaihe Speed Skating World Championships. Velkumar is slowly and gradually making his mark in roller sports at the global level as his double-medal success came after his consistent performances at other events.
Earlier this year, he won a bronze medal in the 1000m sprint at the World Games in Chengdu. In 2023, Velkumar was part of the relay team which won the bronze in the 3000m event at the Hangzhou Asian Games. Four years ago, Velkumar had won a Silver medal at the Junior World Championships in the 15km elimination.
PM Modi also congratulates R Vaishali on her win
“Outstanding accomplishment. Congrats to Vaishali Rameshbabu. Her passion and dedication are exemplary. Best wishes for her future endeavours,” PM Modi wrote in another post on X, congratulating Vaishali on her defence of the FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss title. Vaishali thereby confirmed her qualification for Candidates 2026, becoming the third Indian to do so.
