Akash Aradhya

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When and where did you begin this sport?	He began roller speed skating at age three in Mysore, India. He first tried short track in the eighth grade of high school and began focusing on the sport in 2016. "I initially took it up as a hobby as it seemed fun."
Reason for choosing this sport	He considered roller speed skating to be his main sport but was drawn to short track because he had the dream of competing at the Olympic Winter Games. "I wasn't sure whether I should do long track or short track. Coming from inline skating we always go for a long track, but I liked racing a lot rather than doing time trials, so I chose to do short track more. I wanted to go bigger in the sport, so I completely moved to short track and I've been competing since 2016."

Most influential person in career	His parents. (Athlete, 06 Feb 2020)
Hero / Idol	Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt. (Athlete, 06 Feb 2020)
Sporting philosophy / motto	"Don't quit until your last breath." (Athlete, 06 Feb 2020)
Injuries	In 2019 he underwent surgery on his spine. (Athlete, 06 Feb 2020) In 2012 he fractured his left hip bone. (Athlete, 08 Nov 2017) In 2011 he suffered a slipped disc in his back. (Athlete, 08 Nov 2017) In 2010 he broke his left hip in a fall at the national inline marathon championships in India. (Athlete, 08 Nov 2013) In 2008 he needed surgery on his right elbow due to internal bleeding caused by a fall. (Athlete, 08 Nov 2013)
Memorable sporting achievement	Serving as flag bearer for India at the opening ceremony of the 2017 Asian Winter Games in Sapporo, Japan. (Athlete, 06 Feb 2020)
Other sports	He represented India in roller speed skating at the 2013 World Championships in Ostend, Belgium. (SportsDeskOnline, 06 Feb 2020; Athlete, 08 Nov 2013)
Hobbies	Playing video games. (sport.tvp.pl, 03 Apr 2021)
Ambitions	To win a medal at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. (starofmysore.com, 07 Sep 2020)
Other information	FINANCIAL BALANCE He says he has to pick and choose which international events he enters, as he pays his own expenses. In around January 2021 he moved to France to train with the French national team. He had previously trained in Canada, but says being based in Europe reduces his travel costs for competitions. "It's been very tough. My parents are comfortable, not too comfortable, but they are putting a lot of their money into me and it's not easy to spend that. Every World Cup is around 2,000 Euros and I'm already spending a lot of money trying to train outside India. I try to balance which World Cups are important to me and advantageous to me - where I can skate at the event and get some experience while not spending too much money. That's why I wanted to move to Europe more than being in Canada, because coming from Canada for competitions every time is crazy expensive." (sport.tvp.pl, 03 Apr 2021) FURTHER EDUCATION He has studied for a bachelor's degree in accounting and finance at the University of Mysore in India. (LinkedIn profile, 01 Apr 2020)
Awards and honours	He was flag bearer for India at the opening ceremony of the 2017 Asian Winter Games in Sapporo, Japan. (Athlete, 08 Nov 2017) In 2016 he received the Ekalavya Award from the government of Karnataka in India in recognition of his outstanding performances in roller speed skating. (bangalorefirst.in, 20 May 2016)