Shruti Kotwal: The Queen of Speed

It takes courage to walk in an uncharted territory, to dream of the beyond and more. It takes courage to absorb criticism and emerge as a winner while the world expects you to falter. But for some, Life is a challenge worth taking head on.

Being courageous is second nature to her and there is no sign of her slowing down anytime soon. Our Naari for today is an exceptional example of dedication, hard work, patience and of course, speed. Our nation might have failed to recognise her talent but not the world. A selftaught athlete and an aspiring Olympian, she is none other than the Queen of Speed, India’s first female ice speedskater, Shruti Kotwal.

A seven-year old’s dream.

Shruti started roller skating at the age of seven. As she grew, she started showing her natural athletic traits and evolved her hobby into her passion. Having won numerous gold medals in the national roller-skating competitions in India, Shruti was already shaping her future to represent India at the Olympics. Her dream, came to an abrupt halt after she realised that roller skating as a sport was still not recognised as an Olympic event. Not willing to give up on her aspirations, Shruti made a crucial decision that would change her future.

Shimla, 2008

Not many in India know about the National Winter Games hosted in Shimla. It is the only place in India with a natural ice-skating rink and also the only place in India for aspiring ice speedskaters to practice once a year.

In 2008, Shruti participated in her first-ever National Winter Games and made up her mind that if she were to represent India at the Olympics the only way would be through ice speed skating. The young woman was aware of how similar and yet how technically different roller skating and ice speed skating were, but she was willing to put in the effort, knowing how underdeveloped facilities were for such a sport in India. With this goal in mind and driven by her unwavering will power Shruti embarked on her journey of making history.

One gold at a time

A natural athlete is adaptive in nature and a great athlete uses the same to bring out the best in their performances. Shruti chose to learn with whatever resources were available and performed with every ounce of her sweat and grit. With very little practice on ice, Shruti was shadow training with roller skates back in her hometown Pune to prepare for the championship.

The result of it? She bagged her first-ever gold in 2009 in Ice Speed Skating at the National Winter Games, Shimla. This was just the beginning for the Queen of Speed and she consecutively went on to win four more gold medals and was soon an acclaimed National Champion.

Never backing down

Shruti Kotwal has always been very focused and diligent with her craft. She knew being a National Champion wasn’t her final destination and there was still a long way to go. With very little guidance and mentoring available, Shruti was her own coach, but fully aware that at some stage she will need to unlearn her methods and be coached professionally. 2011, was another turning point in her life. She claimed three gold medals at the South Asian Championship held in Dehradun in the 500m, 1000m and 1500m races. This was her first international achievement and also an endorsement that would take her a step closer to her goal. Shruti was already breaking her national records when she gained attention of the International Skating Union and was offered a scholarship to go to Germany.

Making History

Germany was a reality check for Shruti which made her realise that she needed a lot more time and training to be able to qualify for the Olympics. There she met her then-coach Jeremy Wotherspoon, the Canadian ice speed skater, who agreed to continue coaching her in Calgary, Canada. With no sponsorship, it was a gamble for the athlete to move overseas and continue her training. She shares that it was with the support of her family that she could take such a leap of faith and pursue her dreams.

Shruti is now training for the qualifiers of the Skating World Cup which will bring her a step closer to representing her nation, India at the Winter Olympics 2022. The life of an athlete is laden with enormous challenges, and it requires a lot of discipline, strength, will power and faith to come out as a winner. But more so, life as a female athlete whose trying to achieve that no Indian has ever accomplished before, is even tougher. Shruti Kotwal is not just aspiring to bring the title home but she is also giving rise to hope for those young girls back in India that need inspiration and a role model to help chase their dreams. India News salutes and honours the courage of the Queen of Speed, Shruti Kotwal and is proud that she is the first-ever female Ice Speed Skater of India.