BENGALURU:Rea Elizabeth Achaiah, a Mysurean, becomes the first Indian woman to win bronze in the individual category at the 18th Asian Roller Skating Championship. The championship is currently being held in South Korea and is on till September 14.
Rea expresses happiness over winning the medal. She says, it was a tough competition from Koreans, Chinese Thaipei, and Japanese and that there are two more competitions. “I am confident that I will win. This is the second time I have represented India at the Asian Roller Speed Skating Championship.” Earlier, she had taken part in the 17th Asian Roller Speed Skating Championship held in China in 2016 and had secured 4th place in the relay.
Parents KN Achaiah (self-employed) and Priya Achaiah (teacher at St Joseph’s Central School) are proud of her achievements. Speaking to CE, Achaiah says, “Initially, we enrolled her for skating just for recreation. But, when she won medals, she developed passion for the sport. She qualified for her first national championship at the age of 8 years and won a bronze medal for Karnataka. Till now, she has participated in seven nationals and has won 15 gold, 5 silver, and 4 bronze medals at the national levels. She manages her studies and sports well.” She is being trained by K Srikantha Rao of Rao’s Roller Skating Academy.
She was selected to represent India in the World Roller Skating Championship held in Netherlands in 2018. She managed to gain the 6th place in 42 km marathon race.