One of India’s fastest ice skater, Shruti Kotwal, shares her incredible journey from swivelling through the streets with skateboards or roller skates to becoming a national record holder.
In 2014 she broke the national record she had previously set herself in the 500 metre speed skating event. She went on to represent India at the Asian Winter Gamesin 2017. She holds 5 gold medals from the Indian National Ice-Skating Championships and a bronze medal from the National Winter Games.
Here we have for you Shruti Kotwal, the first Indian Ice Speed Skater in conversation with Namita Nayyar, President Women Fitness sharing her inspiring journey in sports.
Namita Nayyar
You began roller skating at seven, won gold medals at national level and then switched to become an India’s best ice speed skater? Share the series of events that led to the same.
Shruti Kotwal
My journey began with roller skating at the age of seven as a hobby. I learnt and practiced roller skating back in Pune, my hometown.
Being a national level gold medal winner at roller skating for several years, I decided to give ice-skating a shot, owing to fewer opportunities in roller skating. I started in Shimla inside a small ice-skating rink which hosts a national camp and a national competition every year. It was an upcoming sport and the fact that it is an Olympic sport and globally recognised, attracted me more towards it.
Gradually, I was fascinated by the explosivity, and agility needed for the sprinters coupled with strength and endurance in speed skating. But of course, I had to learn the technique for the new sport.
Namita Nayyar
With sports like Ice Skating, Ice Hockey, or Curling not popular in India primarily due to the country’s location near the Equator. So, what is it like to choose a career which can be precarious in India due to unpopularity, uncertainty, and lack of infrastructure?
Shruti Kotwal
At a time, sports were a tough profession for women in India. Things have been changing lately due to globalization and few other factors but yes, it’s not been easy for me to be where I am today, if it hadn’t been my family who have been pillars throughout. Apart from that, speed skating is an extremely demanding sport. You need to have an extraordinarily strong lower body and core, as well as good cardio; at the same time, you need to have the skill of skating as fast as possible on a very thin and long blades.
Other than the sports scenario, the biggest challenge is living alone! Athlete’s life can be monotonous and stressful because of the need of everyday training for the frequent competitions. Living away from home, family and friends is the toughest part of this journey! How do you cope with such instances?
During the time, I was still in college and lacked the motivation to flow with the change. I had to completely move my base and live alone. Nobody had done something like that before in my family. But it was my family, especially my mother, that supported me. My father gave me the liberty to choose my own career and has always supported my decisions from an incredibly young age. Being a national level athlete in her school days, my mother took all the responsibility for my practice and races all over India. She made sure I never gave up. My family had their own set of doubts, and I had mine too, but my dedication and passion were above all such reservations.
We all knew the limitations that were possibly heading towards us once I chose this path, but the support was always there! My then fiancé (now husband) and I were in a long-distance relationship for a very long time and stayed apart for years. He understood my pain and passion because he is also a skater. We managed to get through the hardest phase of our lives together lifting each other up and today I can say that it only made our relationship stronger, and it was all for the love of skating!
Namita Nayyar
You received a scholarship from the International Skating Union in 2012, which enabled you to travel to Germany for speed skating training under Canadian skater Jeremy Wotherspoon. Why & how did you get this great opportunity? Also how did it help you as a skater and an individual in the long run?
Shruti Kotwal
I was overwhelmed when I got to know that (Jeremy) would be my coach. I always wanted to learn from the right technique and there was no one in India who could teach that.
Jeremy suggested I move to Calgary, Canada, the best place to hone skating skills. But to make such a bold move was not easy. I was still in college. Moving to a different country for sports and living alone is something considered off-limits for a girl by our society. But my family supported me to break these stereotypes and to live that dream.
After that there was no looking back for. I trained in Calgary for a couple of years, held the national records in long track speed skating and even broke it. In 2017, she participated in Asian Winter Games in 2017.
Namita Nayyar
In 2014 Shruti broke the national record she had previously set for herself in the 500 metre speed skating event. Share the experience and a memorable event? Share the challenges you had to overcome to achieve success?
Shruti Kotwal
It is not normal, especially for a woman, to break stereotypes and choose a path which was hardly ventured by anyone before. But I think passion and desire to succeed can bring out the best of an individual and help you overcome the unthinkable.
My most memorable moment occurred at the South Asian Championship, 2011 when I secured gold medals in categories of 500m, 1000m and 1500m. Nothing more could define my hard work than seeing the tri-color on the podium!
But the hunger to succeed didn’t stop there, and I just wanted to continue to bring home victories.
Here is a brief list of achievements:
🔸5-time gold medallist at National Ice-Skating Championships, Shimla
🔸Bronze medallist at National Winter Games, Gulmarg
🔸National record holder in Speed skating in 500 m, 1000m, 1500m and 3000m
🔸Participant at the Asian winter games in Japan 2017
🔸Participant at short track ice skating championship in Beijing
🔸 Only woman to qualify at the for the long track speed skating event at Asian Games, Japan in 2017.
Namita Nayyar
According to you 6 key essentials for a female who wants to take up ice-skating as a sports & career?
Shruti Kotwal
For any athlete, not just a female, these essentials are what will define their career:
🔸 Willingness to sacrifice a normal life.
🔸 Willingness to travel alone frequently for long periods of time.
🔸 Willingness to work hard with sincerity.
🔸 Have a plan of execution for all the dreams.
🔸 Perseverance and passion
🔸 Honesty towards your sport and your country
Namita Nayyar
In 2017 you represented India at the Asian Winter Games. Presently you hold 5 gold medals from the Indian National Ice-Skating Championships and a bronze medal from the National Winter Games. Besides being a National record holder in Speed skating in 500 m, 1000m, 1500m and 3000m. Congratulations for the same.
5 keys essentials according to you for highest success in sports?
Sacrifices involved?
Shruti Kotwal
5 key essentials for success in sports
🔸 Hardowork
🔸 Honesty
🔸 Dedication / Commitment
🔸 Perseverance
🔸 Passion
Sacrifices involved.
🔸 Staying alone / away from family and friends for long periods of time.
🔸Missing family functions, weddings, birthdays.
🔸 Having a control over favourite foods and drinks.
🔸 Personal life at hold for women athletes (pregnancy)
Namita Nayyar
Your daily exercise & fitness routine? How do you go about taking precautions to prevent injury? Hours/day & week?
Shruti Kotwal
My day starts early. With two training sessions scheduled for a day, one happens in the morning and the other either in the afternoon or evening. While the former includes training on ice for up to three hours, the later one works on the development of strength and endurance. While cycling and running focus on the endurance part, weight training and bodyweight exercises take care of the strength aspect.
Dryland training is a major part of my practice. It simply means imitating the skating movements of the ice or off the skates. Dryland exercises are incredibly challenging for the lower body.
When not training, I am sharpening my skates, getting recovered for the next training or most importantly, cooking!
Namita Nayyar
Diet pattern you follow for high level performance, wear & tear, and optimum nutrition? Any specific supplements you take.
Shruti Kotwal
I do not follow any specific diet program. I just focus on healthy lifestyle, but it is nothing fancy and just involves eating balanced meals three times a day for breakfast, lunch and dinner and I supplement myself with steadfast nutrition products after every training for optimum recovery and I also take some multivitamins specifically iron that is necessary for women. I also make sure that I consume electrolytes during long workouts.
Namita Nayyar
Your daily skin care & hair care routine?
Shruti Kotwal
This is a tough question for me because honestly, I do not have any hair and skin care routine at all. I am a very spontaneous person and just moisturize my skin every day and wash my hair 2-3 times a week. I am not the best person to ask this question or get any inspiration from.
Namita Nayyar
Your next big goal is to qualify for the speed skating World Cup next year and represent India at the Winter Olympics 2022. Throw some light on it? How is your preparation progressing?
Shruti Kotwal
My next big goal or you can call it my next target- to qualify for the Skating World Cup next year. And to do that, one needs to achieve the given distance in a provided time at the qualifiers. If I can meet the time standards, I will be the first Indian to do so.
Had there been a better infrastructure for Ice Skating in India at that time, I would have been able to meet my targets sooner and have the Olympics as my goal and wouldn’t have gone through all these struggles. More importantly, I have met all my requirements in all the countries so far wearing all the travel and training cost from my own pocket.
We often buy artefacts just by looking at its beauty, failing to recognise the efforts put in by the artist. Similarly, in India, you need to prove your mettle for attracting sponsors. But what one needs to understand is that success needs support and the right resources before reaching for glory.
There exist many such Shruti Kotwals, and we sit back and wonder why India is not so dominant in the Olympics. The answer probably lies somewhere in this story.
Namita Nayyar
Message for your fans & WF followers who would like to take up ice skating.
Shruti Kotwal
If you want to take up a sport in India that is unconventional like any winter sport, then be prepared to be underprivileged as an athlete in India because lack of awareness of Olympics leads to lack of visibility which will also mean lack of sponsorships and support even though you will have immense talent and the grit to succeed.
But as they say,” you measure the size of the achievement by the obstacles you had to overcome to reach your goals.” Because the greater the obstacle, the more Glory in overcoming it!
If you love your sport and you dream to represent your country, then you will find joy in all the hard work and struggle!
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