Bidding to be a rink master

Hyderabad: The 63rd National School Games Federation of India (NSGFI) Championship, hosted at Belgaum, saw quite a few skaters from Telangana State ruling the rink. One of those earning a name for herself and the State was Ruchitha Upadhyayula, who is pursuing second year Intermediate at the Sainikpuri-based Toppers Junior College.

With an elegant performance she finished with an enviable bronze in the Belgaum NSGFI Championship beating some of the more fancied names, along the way. Since being introduced to the exciting sport in 2006, Ruchitha has bagged over 50 medals in district and State-level competitions.

According to Nirmal Singh, her coach at SATS Velodrome, and Indira Park rink, she has the talent to dream big and achieve her goals. A bigger achievement preceded her Belgaum showing. Proving that she was cut out for the bigger event, Ruchitha won a senior category 300 metres time trial silver medal in the 55th National Roller Skating Championship held in Chennai in the last week of January.

‘I wish to keep climbing the success ladder by going in for bigger rewards. Nirmal Sir has been mentoring me and has been a major influence on my skating skills,’ says Ruchitha, who intends to get back to the rink with full vigour once her annual examinations are done with.