City boy to represent India at int’l roller skating event

Coimbatore: An 18-year-old RS Puram resident will represent India at the World Roller Skating Championship next year.
S Gowtham, a first year BCom student of Dr G R Damodaran College of Science, had bagged the gold medal at the 60th National Roller Skating Championship 2022 held in Bengaluru on December 15. He won two silver medals in previous national championships.
Speaking to TOI, Gowtham said he took up skating in 2014 after stumbling upon some skaters who were rigorously practising in a turf near VOC Park. “I currently practice the Alpine discipline that resembles skiing,” he said.
Gowtham was among the medal winners in the trials held on December 15 shortly after completion of the national championship to hand-pick players for the international tournament. He is being coached by Kanishka Dharnikumar.
“I was about to attend two international championships planned earlier in China and Argentina, which were cancelled due to Covid-19 pandemic and the economic crisis respectively. I am fully prepared to represent India on the international turf,” Gowtham added.