A student of ninth grade in Ram Mohan Roy Seminary Higher Secondary School, Saksham Kumar is a national level inline freestyle skater. Practicing skating at Vishwa Roller Sports Academy, Bihar, he has participated in several state tournaments and also won a gold medal.

The Initiation

Saksham started skating at Kilkari Bihar Bal Bhawan, an NGO that hosts a variety of events like dance, acting, singing, skating, and more. His father inspired him to take up skating in 2018, and he has been practicing inline skating since 2021.

Gurus & Role Models

Saksham is trained as an inline skater at Vishwa Roller Sports Academy by his mentor, Vishwajeet Kumar. He also practices at Kilkari Bihar Bal Bhawan. He was impressed upon witnessing a player named Dinesh perform at the nationals and decided to emulate his style of play.

The Talent

According to Saksham, inline skating has five distinct styles: pair slalom, classic slalom, speed slalom, jump, and slide. In the speed slalom event, competitors had to sprint 12 meters in a zigzag pattern with one leg, with 20 cones spaced every 80 centimeters. However, in classic slalom, the cones are placed in three lines, each measuring 120, 80, and 50 centimeters. The skater gets two minutes to do tricks. A pair of competitors compete in the sport of pair slalom, which lasts three minutes.

Achievements

Saksham was placed in the top five at the nationals and took home a gold medal at the state level. He had a great time competing in the Nationals, and now his goal is to take home a medal.

A Bit More

Saksham claims that although he gained a lot of knowledge from his experience at the Nationals, he now needs to put in even more effort to finish in the top three. He put in a lot of preparation to qualify for the nationals. In addition, he enjoys playing chess and e-sports. Since taking up sports, he has developed self-discipline and maturity.