Ice Skating champ: Akash Aradhya

Mysuru has produced quality skating champions. Among them is 23-year-old Akash Aradhya. He is a former National champion and has been representing India in the World and Asian-level and Asian Games (2010) for the last six years. He is the recipient of the Ekalavya Award. Akash is presently training in Germany for the Winter Olympics 2018. He took part in the World Cup 4 championships in Germany in the 1000m event and fared well. He is our "Star this Week". Akash trained at the Kananaskis camp 2017. He represented India in the 2017 Sapporo Asian Winter Games at Japan and was the Indian team's flag bearer at the inaugural ceremony of the  Winter Games. A B.Com graduate, Akash Aradhya, is the son of Nagabushan Aradhya (Chartered Accountant) and Rekha Aradhya residents of Chamarajapuram. Akash was trained by K.Srikanth Rao, Indian coach and Ekalavya Awardee at the Rao’s Roller skating Club. Rao’s elder brother late K.Sridhar Rao had spotted Akash’s talent and had also coached him. Akash has represented India in the Asian Games in 2010 at China in roller skating. He is also the present Ice-skating National champion in the senior men’s section. He is presently training in at Vancouver in Canada for winter Olympics in South Korea in 2018. The Ice Skating Association of India has selected three skaters — Akash Aradhya (Karnataka), Sohan Arkar (Mumbai) and S.Paul (Hyderabad) for the training programme and has given them Rs.5 lakh grant. Akash in order to qualify has to take part in 2 world championships. He took part in the World Ice-skating championships  held in Vancouver in June 2016 and Insel, Germany in October 2016 in the Short-track ice-skating category. Akash also will be taking part representing India in the Asian and World championships to be held at China.