Who is Anandkumar Velkumar? India’s first-ever World Speed Skating champion

Anandkumar Velkumar became India’s first World Championship medalist in any skating back in 2021.

Anandkumar Velkumar etched his name into the history books with his impressive performances at the 2025 World Speed Skating Championships in Beidaihe, China.

The 22-year-old won the senior men’s 1000m sprint event and became India’s first-ever gold-medalist in the competition’s history. On that note, let’s take a look at the story behind an athlete who has made the nation proud with his achievement.

Anandkumar Velkumar’s Journey so far

Anandkumar Velkumar was born on January 19, 2003, in Tamil Nadu. After seeing his sister, Subi Suvetha Velkumar, getting trained in roller skating, Velkumar took up the sport at the age of six. After representing his district and state, he also won the national gold in the age 8-10 category.

Velkumar switched to inline skates at the age of 12 and made a career out of it. He represented the country in the World Championships in the Netherlands and the Asian Championships in Namwon (South Korea) in 2018.

The career-defining moment for him came in 2021, when he emerged as the first-ever Indian to win a medal at any Skating World Championship. He secured a silver medal in the 15 km elimination event with a timing of 24:14.845.

Also Read: India’s Anandkumar Velkumar wins historic gold at 2025 Speed Skating World Championships

Then, Velkumar was a part of the Indian contingent for the 2022  Asian Games in Hangzhou. He played a key role in helping the 3000m team relay to qualify for the final with their heat timing of 4:15.126. In the final, India won the silver medal with a time of 4:10.128.

At the World Games in Chengdu this year, Velkumar clocked 1:22.482 in the men’s 1000m sprint to clinch India’s first-ever medal in roller sports at the Games.

Currently, Velkumar is studying computer science at the College of Engineering, Guindy.

How did Velkumar fare at the 2025 World Speed Skating Championships?

Anandkumar Velkumar participated in two events (500 m sprint and 1000m sprint) at the 2025 World Speed Skating Championships in Beidaihe.

Velkumar posted a time of 43.072 seconds in the 500m sprint event to win the bronze medal, which was India’s first senior world championship medal. Meanwhile, he has hogged the limelight after becoming a gold medalist in the 1000m sprint, with a timing of 1:24.924 seconds.

Due to Anandkumar Velkumar, India has managed to secure historic medals in roller sports events.

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