Posted: Post Date – 09:37 PM, Saturday – October 29
Hyderabad: Skater Riya Saboo was ecstatic after winning her maiden gold medal at the recently concluded 36th National Games in Gujarat. The 18-year-old won the state’s first yellow medal in the four-person freestyle skating (art) competition on Friday.
Delighted with the win, the young skater said: “I was very proud and when I got the results of the last round, everyone said it was Telangana’s first gold medal, which made me very happy. Talking about her performance at the prestigious event, Riya said: “At first, I was a little nervous because I represented a country and everyone was looking at me, but then I kept my cool and tried my best to get Highest honor.”
When asked about her motivations, the BA student in Psychology at the University of Hyderabad Jitam explained: “My mum loved skating. When she was a child she wanted to skate but unfortunately she couldn’t follow Her passion. She wanted me to skate and took me to summer camp when I was five. Since then, I’ve been skating. Now I’m so happy that I’ve fulfilled my mother’s dream and made her proud.”
Coming from a middle-class family where his father ran a small business in his hometown and her mother was a housewife, Riya has also proven her mettle on international platforms. The artistic skater won a bronze medal at the 2018 Asian Roller Skating Championships in South Korea and won several national competitions.
“My goal is to win a gold medal at next year’s Asian Games. Winning a gold medal at the National Games gave me a huge boost for the selections for the upcoming continental championships. So far, artistic skating has not been featured in the Olympics Hopefully it will be a fold in the future. My ultimate goal is to win a medal for the country,” Riya said when asked about her future plans.
“It (the National Games) has been a great experience for me. It keeps me motivated when I watch the star athletes. Every time they come up with new skills and improve the game, it keeps me excited . Training under the tutelage of Arjuna winner Anup Kumar Yama who has been an advantage for me,” she added.
