Indian skaters: Inline with expectations
After switching their wheels for blades, nation's athletes now have Olympic aspirations, Sun Xiaochen reports.
His teammate Srivatsa Srikantha Rao, who finished 19th among 23 skaters in Tuesday's 1,000m final, echoed his sentiments.
"It was a very good experience. I felt I gained a lot from this, even though we weren't much in it. But, I gained a lot from this, and I hope me and my countrymen do better next time," said the 17-year-old.
As one of the country's emerging roller skaters, Mishra laced up for India on the continental stage for the first time at the 2018 Summer Asian Games in Indonesia, where he placed 8th in the men's 20km, and has represented his country at multiple regional and international events in the roller sport.
The inspiration from his team leader Jadeja, the oldest skater in Harbin at 39 years old, and India's first-generation roller-turned-ice-skater, has inspired Mishra and his peers to replace their wheels for blades, too.
Only by switching lanes, taking on a new sport that has little Indian representation on the world stage, at least for now, would they have the opportunity to become Olympians.
"For us, participation in winter sports is really important because there is not much awareness about winter sports in India, since it's a hot country. However, I feel everyone is interested in trying winter sports now. It's growing," Mishra said.
Similar with other countries in Asia's hot and tropical areas, Indian athletes start in makeshift conditions and have had to overcome a lack of facilities, guidance and international exposure.
