On the skating rink he is a king. He has won a clutch of medals, including World Championship and Asian Games. Meet Anup Yama, who has been nominated for Arjuna Award this year. Sadly, his celebrity status is limited to the skating world. “Even my neighbours don’t know who I am. Hopefully, this Arjuna Award will give me some recognition. I am also optimistic that roller skating will evolve as a sport in the State and country,’’ says the 31-year-old Anup, who became the second skater after Naman Parikh (Gujarat) to get nominated for the award.
Parikh was conferred this award way back in 1988. He had won only one gold in Asian Championship and if that had been the norm, Anup should have been awarded with an Arjuna long time ago. His record is amazing -- 95 national gold medals, 10 Asian gold, nine silver and eight bronze medals. At the World Championship he won one gold and two silver medals and also two bronze medals in the 2010 Asian Games at China. Despite his long list of laurels, Anup’s father Veeresh had to go to the court for justice for his son. “It is better late than never. I’m relieved and it will motive me to promote this long neglected sport in a bigger way,’’ says Veeresh.
Anup got into skating at the age of five on one of his visits to the Exhibition Grounds. “I twisted and rolled and everyone was taken aback with my performance. That remained in my mind. I started believing that I can be good in this sport,” he recalls.
Yama straightway cornered glory by winning a gold medal in the district competition in Hyderabad. “That convinced my father, who started training me seriously. He has been my coach and mentor since then. My first national medal came at the age of six -- with three hours of practice in mornings and three in the evening,” he says.
But it is the gold medal in the World Championship at Taipei in 2013 that Anup cherishes the most. He won it with a fracture rib. “It is always a memory for me. It needed a lot of skills to beat the best skaters of the world against all odds.”
The city skater got one chance in Asian Games when the sport was included in the 2010 Games at Guangzhou. He won two bronze medals in the pair and solo events. “Unfortunately, after that, the discipline was removed. Roller skating never got an opportunity like other sports. I never got the chance to skate in Asian Games again. It has been very painful for me. In the limited amount of chances I am able to win medals for India. I want the Indians to know that we are very good at skating. We have the skills and talent,” he says.
Anup wants the government to help promote skating. “There are no skating rinks in the country. I have a skating rink at my home which is 1/10th the size of international standards. Every time I practice, I bang into the wall as we need to do elementary exercises like jump up and I end up losing control,” he says.
He also rues the absence of basic international standard, like wooden floor of 25x50 metres for practice. “By practising on cement floors not only damages our skates but also increases the risk of injuries,” Anup says.
It took Anup years of practice to master the sport. “We did not know how to put the leg in the air, how to take off. I learnt the tricks by watching videos. We didn’t have skating costumes. We used to skate in jeans and t-shirts. Finally, we realized our folly that we can be successful through the skating dress only. Music is also the key.’’
Anup is hopeful that the Telangana government will recognize his achievements and give facilities at an indoor stadium where he can train the skaters.
“I want to take skating to the world level, like badminton.’’