Shruti Kotwal, India’s first pro women’s speedskater, eyes spot in Winter Games

Does the name of Shruti Kotwal ring a bell for the Indian sports fans ? Not quite, unless you are hooked onto the Winter Games disciplines. The 33-year-old from Pune, India’s first professional woman speedskater, is now pulling out on all stops to earn a ticket for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’ Ampezzo in Italy.

 Next month, Shruti will be leading India’s charge in the Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China from February 7-14. The Union Sports Ministry has cleared a squad of 41 athletes for the continental Games, including speedskaters and their support staff, and the event will work as qualifiers for the next year’s Winter Games.

“I’m focusing on the 500m and 1000m events for Olympic qualification. The timing requirements are incredibly challenging : sub-40 seconds for the 500m and under 1:20 for the 1000m. My Indian national record is 41.97 seconds and I need to skate under 40 seconds to qualify,” Shruti told the SAI media team. This will be her second appearance in the AWG after 2017 when the Asian meet was last held in Japan.

 “This will be my second Asian Winter Games and I’m thrilled to compete again. Countries like South Korea, Japan, and China consistently produce strong skaters who are technically and physically exceptional. I’ve faced some of these competitors in previous events and understand their strengths. It’s a tough field, but I see every race as an opportunity to push my limits and improve my own performance,” Shruti said.

 Currently training at the Utah Olympic Oval in the US, the venue built for 2002 Winter Olympics, Shruti said: “Training in the US, especially at facilities like the Utah Olympic Oval, has been a gamechanger. Exposure to world class coaches, advanced training methodologies and access to one of the fastest ice tracks in the world has significantly improved my technique, endurance, and speed.

“Competing with and observing some of the best skaters here has pushed me to refine my skills and understand the finer details of the sport. The environment has been incredibly motivating and challenging, which has accelerated my progress,” said Shruti.

 This will be the first time that India will be represented by such a large contingent of skaters in China as eight years back in 2017, there were just three athletes: all skaters. Several Indian speedskaters are training in Korea for Harbin 2025.

 Meanwhile, Shruti was all praise for the introduction of Khelo India Winter Games where she participated last year. “Khelo India Winter Games brings everybody together. It really helps to promote the sport. We didn’t have that when we started and I think the skaters now are now very lucky,” she felt.

The first leg of the KIWG 2025 has begun in Ladakh from Thursday – where the skating events are taking place at the NDS Stadium and the Gupuks Pond in Leh. At least 150 ice speed skaters are in the fray.