Shruti Kotwal: India's Next Olympic Hope

Indian skater Shruti Kotwal is aiming for the Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China, to qualify for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. Trained in the US, she leads a 41-member team, focusing on the 500m and 1000m events, striving to meet challenging qualification times.

Shruti Kotwal, an accomplished Indian skater, is gearing up for the Asian Winter Games (AWG) set to take place in Harbin, China. The event presents a critical opportunity for Kotwal to qualify for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. Leading a 41-member contingent, she hopes to secure her Olympic spot through spectacular performances.

Kotwal has focused her training on the 500m and 1000m events, with the qualification times set at sub-40 seconds and under 1:20, respectively. Her personal best, clocking in at 41.97 seconds for the 500m, requires improvement to meet these challenging standards, as she acknowledged in an interview with SAI Media.

A familiar participant in the AWG, Kotwal previously competed in 2017 in Japan. She sees nations like South Korea, Japan, and China as formidable competitors due to their consistently strong skaters. The Khelo India Winter Games have been instrumental in shaping the sport's future aspirants, she noted, with events scheduled to start in Ladakh on January 23, 2025.

(With inputs from agencies.)