‘Time trial’, ‘road race’ her strong suit

Naina Mishra

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 20

Saruchi Garg from the city has raised the trophy numerous times at the national, state and district-level events in skating. She is a fierce skater with ‘time trial’ and ‘road race’ her strong suit.

Garg is a Class XII student at BCM Arya School. She bagged the first position in the CBSE National Roller Skating Tournament in road race (2 km) during the Inter-School Sports and Games Competition 2010-11 organised by the CBSE, Delhi, and recognised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, which was held in Maharashtra.

She won the third position in two different skating events in the 57th National School Games 2011-12 organised by the School Games Federation of India, which was held in Delhi. The two events included road race (3 km) and time trial (300 m).

She participated in around 25 other national-level skating tournaments organised by the CBSE, School Games Federation of India and Roller Skating Federation of India.

Before showing off her exceptional skating skills at the national level, she brought laurels to her district and school at the state level. She has been awarded more than 85 medals at the state level and countless others at the district and school level.

Saruchi, who has been skating ever since she was in UKG, shares: “I started skating in the summer camp. I joined just for fun, but gradually developed interest and started taking it professionally. I clinched my first gold in Class I. I got three gold medals in the open championship organised by the District Roller Skating Association.”

Her coach JS Dhaliwal trains skaters in the Leisure Valley. Her strenuous training schedule starts at 5 am in the morning. Garg says: “I practice twice a day, two hours each.”

Sharing her aim, she said: “I want to pursue engineering. That’s what I have thought till now. I am trying to balance studies and sports right now, as I am a topper in my class.”