Indian skaters: Inline with expectations

From tarmac to ice, and from India to the Netherlands, former inline skater Amitesh Mishra never minds going the distance, as he harbors a dream to see India stand atop the Winter Olympics podium.

So far, so tough, as the 25-yearold, who just switched from wheels to blades three months ago, has learned the magnitude of his bold ambition the hard way at the 9th Asian Winter Games.

As much as he pushed in his two individual and two team events, Mishra, among nine longtrack skaters India sent to Harbin, did not finish even close to the podium in any of the disciplines at the Heilongjiang Ice Training Center, as the speed skating program completed its four days of action on Tuesday.

In fact, no Indian, man or woman, reached the top 15 in any of the 10 individual events they signed up for in Harbin.

The gap between India and continental powers China, Japan and Republic of Korea couldn't be more stark, let alone the higher-caliber European heavyweights, yet Mishra and his fellow teammates have opted to keep pushing anyway.

"It's really a good start," Mishra told Winter Asiad after competing in the men's team sprint alongside Chandra Mouli Danda and veteran Vishwaraj Jadeja on Monday." It's a big event, a very big stepping stone, because people who are here from other countries are already at quite a high level.

"But for me, to witness the skaters who are my idols, to skate with them, is a bit too overwhelming. The gap is too large now, but I take the positives — that I get to skate with them, and next time, I can compete with them," said Mishra.