A sixth grader at Mahajana Public School in Mysore, Kirti Raj Singh is a national player in skating. Starting early at the age of four, Kirti Raj has won several national medals in Roller Skating and Speed Skating as well as Gold medals in Ice Skating Nationals. Kirti Raj's coach, K Srikantha Rao, teaches him focus, persistence, and hard work. Kirti Raj admires his father for his hard work and advises other youngsters to be honest and hardworking, and to respect their parents.

The Initiation

Kirti Raj began practicing skating when he was just four and a half, and with time, he became passionate about it. When he first saw other people skating, he felt excited and intrigued by the activity. Later, after analyzing the benefits and drawbacks of joining skating, his father advised him to take up the sport full time.

Gurus & Role Models

Kirti Raj has been honing his skating skills at Rao’s Roller Skating Academy for the past two years under the direction of his instructor, K Srikantha Rao. He has learned a lot from his coach, including how to work hard, to stay focused, and to persevere. His coach also taught him to never give up hope. His coach, K Srikantha Rao, who has won several medals for Karnataka and India and has also been recognised with the Arjuna and Eklavya Awards, is his inspiration. His coach pushes him to be cheerful while teaching him the greatest sportsmanship skills. He also admires Elton De Souza, an international skater, and Bart Swings, a Belgian skater known for their long distance skating prowess. He respects Bart Swings' style, quickness, agility, intellect and concentration. He also has an admiration for Elton De Souza, who excels at quick skating events and gives off the impression that he is flying rather than skating. He respects Elton De Souza's perseverance, hard effort, and hunger for medals.

The Talent

According to Kirti Raj, there are different kinds of skating such as Ice Skating, Roller Hockey, Limbo Skating, and Speed Skating.He is now practicing speed skating. He explains that, in speed skating, different age groups have different wheel sizes. As he belongs to the 11–14 year group, the wheels of his skates are 100 mm in diameter. Regarding the benefits of the sport, Kirti Raj states that bending is the primary skating stance, which aids in boosting back strength. Also, it concentrates on the gluteal muscles' contraction and extraction, which gives your legs greater strength and vitality.

Achievements

Kirti Raj recounts participating in a marathon in his childhood where he finished second. He has also done well academically as well and has won an Olympiad gold medal. In addition to speed skating, he also engages in the more dangerous ice skating, in which the boots are fastened to a sharp blade. In the last two years, he has won two gold medals in ice skating national competitions. He has also won several national medals in speed and roller skating. Kirti Raj participated in a championship called Sports For All (SFA) for two years and once he won two golds and one silver and the other time he got three golds. In a tournament held in Chennai, he took home a silver medal, and in the CBSE nationals, he won two golds. He is also a talented poet who has won gold medals and certifications in both poetry and drawing. His interest also lies in singing and playing the piano.

A Bit More

When Kirti Raj first started skating, he would practice for two hours in the morning and three hours at night. He claims that at first, juggling his education and sports was challenging for him. But he eventually received encouragement from his school teachers and carried on with his practice. Once, as he had to participate in a tournament in Raipur, the school conducted a special exam for him. He eventually managed to balance his academics and his sports. Kirti Raj's favorite person who inspires and drives him is his father. Kirti Raj enjoys listening to Phonk music. Having witnessed his father's immense struggle and hard labor to get him trained, he feels obligated to return the favor. He was inspired by his coach as well. As our parents are our mentors and the only well-wishers, he counsels other young people to be truthful, diligent, and to always respect and listen to them.