With smooth transisions, clean tricks, and excellent balance, Samvit Venkaatesh has been making waves among the skating fraternity. The 16-year-old class 11 student of Sishya School, Adyar, won a bronze medal in the Inline Freestyle Classic Slalom at the Saitama Inline Freestyle Asia Championship, recently.
Beaming at this achievement, he shares, “Winning bronze medal was a very special and proud moment for me. Representing India at the Inline Freestyle Asia Cup in Saitama, Japan, and finishing on the podium was an incredible feeling. I was happy that all the years of training, hard work, and preparation had paid off. At the same time, it has motivated me to work even harder and aim for the gold medal in my future competitions.”
The championship saw participation from skaters from across Asia and other countries. A strong contingent of 17 athletes from India participted. A large number of talented skaters competed across different categories, making the competition tough. “The event is scored by five judges on various parameters such as, difficulty of tricks, variety, execution, control and stability. Plus transitions, speed and rhythm, use of cone lines and so on,” recalls Samvit, insisting that the selection process was difficult.
The event soon became a learning experience that helped him raise the bar. “The difference came down to a few points in execution and consistency. I made a couple of minor mistakes in my routine, and at this level, even small things can make a difference in the final score,” he says, adding “I realised that I need to stay more consistent, composed, and focused throughout my routine, especially under pressure.”
Setting his sights on bagging gold, while also admiring the overall experience, he says, “The bronze has definitely made me more confident, but it has also shown me where I need to improve. I’m taking this experience as motivation to train harder and come back stronger,” he adds.
Meanwhile, Samvit’s parents Venkaatesh MN and Samhita M are ecstatic. They have been encouraging him to take up the sport from a very young age. “I have been skating since the age of seven. I started with speed skating but later, came across Inline Freestyle, which caught my interest,” he says.
Samvit gravitated to the “combination of tricks, creativity, and balance”. He shares, “I’ve always felt naturally inclined towards balance, so I found that this style of skating suited me really well. The more I learnt about Inline Freestyle and tried different tricks, the more exciting it became, and I eventually decided to focus on it.”
His training stretches to three hours a day, with sessions early in the morning and again in the evening. Managing training along with school work was challenging for him, but planning with discipline was the key to strike the balance. “My training focused on improving my tricks, combinations, speed, and consistency. I practised my complete routine many times. It was tiring at times, but I enjoyed the process and knew that the hard work would be worth it when I stepped onto the floor in Japan,” he adds.
Samvit had been training in multiple facilities across the city but predominantly at the Jai Skating Academy. “We have a few skating grounds in Chennai — SMS Skating Nanganallur Rink, SSR Sports facility, SS Sports Village — between which we alternate. I have consistently been undergoing coaching for the last seven years with Jai Skating Academy. However, I have trained with many other coaches — short duration coaching during my annual school holidays — in India and internationally,” Samvit says.
After this win, Samvit eyes the World Skate Games at Paraguay in October and insists that his goal is to win a medal there.