Pune’s skating champ Siddhant Kamble bags international medals one after another

Kamble said he developed an interest and began winning medals at district, state and national level. It was also partly because he was impressed by the lifestyle of an athlete. “There are a lot of things you learn when you meet people from different parts of the world. Fulfilling the expectations of your kin and the responsibility of representing India at an international level really induces discipline in you,” he said.

Kamble started learning skating at the age of six at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Paranjape Vidyamandir school with trainers Amit Gole and Sameer Gole. Then, in 2016, he switched to training with Sripad Shinde of Pune, who has been the coach for Team India since 2019.

“We look at the biggest championship every year, then work backwards by counting the number of days left, and also other tournaments coming throughout the period,” said Kamble. He says that when the tournament nears, the intensity of training increases and the number of hours decreases.

For the Asian Games, Kamble trained with the team partly in Mohali first, and in the end in Chennai. Though he came to Pune, at the time, it being the rainy season, the city was not conducive to rigorous training. But Kamble says Pune has an international standard track near Viman Nagar, where he usually trains.

As Kamble has to participate in longer marathons, his training includes routines that help him develop endurance and stamina. Apart from regular skating practice, Kamble works out at the gym thrice a week. For endurance especially, he says, at least two to three days a week, he cycles four to five hours. “During these rigorous cycling sessions of three to five hours, I burn around 700 to 900 calories at a time”, he says.

To make up for it, he takes more rice in his diet, and mostly eats home-cooked food, with stress on salad in the afternoon and for dinner. Regular meals include rice, bhaji and bhakri, accompanied by supplements.

Throwing light on the financial aspect of the sport, Kamble said, “It is not the most expensive of sports, but I think it still costs a lot”. He said a pair of skates costs around Rs 19,000, and for just one tournament, one needs at least two to four pairs.

All of Kamble’s expenses are borne by his father, as he does not yet have personal sponsors. Kamble says the cash prizes he won in National Games and Asian Games have really helped. Kamble’s next goal is World Games 2026.