At the age of 20, Rea Elizabeth Achaiah recently won multiple medals at the 59th National Speed Roller Skating competition at Delhi, the Asian Championship as well as the Junior Olympics. If that’s not all, she is also the first Indian woman to win a Bronze medal at the Asian Championship in South Korea and is setting her sights on participating at the Asian Games Selection and Berlin Marathon next year.
In this exclusive interview, she speaks about her journey as a skater, winning the 59th National Speed Roller Skating competition, balancing studies and sports, setting new records, future expectations and goals for her career.
Q 1) When did you start skating and what motivated you to pursue it professionally?
I started skating when I was three years old. I was a timid and shy kid. My parents who were into sports themselves (father is a hockey player and mother is an athlete) wanted me to be in some sport. My mother made me join a skating rink that was next to my house. At the age of five, I won a gold medal in a competition which inspired me to pursue skating as a passion. I participated in my first national nationals at the age of eight in the year 2011 at Visakhapatnam. My parents, coach and sponsor are my inspiration for all that I have achieved
Q 2) You recently won the 59th National Speed Roller Skating competition. How was the experience and is it the biggest and most memorable achievement of your career?
The experience of participating in the 59th National Speed Roller Skating competition was exciting as I participated in all the short races this time. I am a long distance skater. For the first time I participated in all the short events with the seniors and finished with a decent position and even clocked a good timing as well. In the three short events and one long run that I played, I won gold in 500 meters Rink and Road One Lap and bronze medal in 200 meters run.
Q 3) How do you balance your studies and skating since you are currently pursuing engineering at Vidyavardhaka College of Engineering?
It all goes hand in hand. If there is a will there's a way. I have been managing the same way since my childhood. College too has supported me in every way. Our principal, Prof. Sadashivegowda is also into sports. He has supported me a lot whenever I have gone anywhere. He has expressed happiness whenever I have shown my medals and always tells upcoming students at Vidyavardhaka College of Engineering that they should consider me as a role model. In fact, the college has allowed me to take internal exams later whenever I am into skating and has given me support in academics, helping whenever I had troubles understanding anything in my syllabus.
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Q 4) You’re the first Indian woman to win a bronze medal at the Asian Championship in South Korea. Tell us about that achievement and how challenging it was for you.
My first Asian Championship was in 2016 in China. This was my first ever international competition. I stood fifth in that competition and realized that the podium wasn’t too far away. I went back and trained. In the year 2018, I participated again with an aim to stay with the bunch and stay in the top five.
With lack of support and encouragement for skaters in India, staying with the bunch itself is a big deal. The only aim Indians have is to finish at top ten in any international event. I too wanted to stay in the bunch, avoiding elimination each lap and be in the top five but I actually won third place and got a bronze medal for the same.
Q 5) What are your expectations from the Asian Games Selection and Berlin Marathon next year?
I usually don’t go to competitions with any expectations. My only aim is to get on to the podium soon. Indian skaters have not participated in the Berlin marathon till date. I will be the first participant to participate in this marathon. Since Asian Games and the Berlin Marathon are colliding, I am stuck planning my participation.
Q 6) What are your future goals and aspirations? How do you plan to accomplish them?
My goal in skating is to participate in the World Championship which will be held in Argentina apart from participating in Asian games. Also my career goal is to join defense and I am taking the Air Force Common Admission Test (AFCAT).
