New Delhi, Nov 2 (IANS): India's fastest Ice Speed Skater, Shruti Kotwal broke the national record in Ice speed skating at the very start of skating season. In a slate of tournaments lined-up in the months to come, Shruti was successful by clocking a timing of 42.21 seconds in a 500 metres race just two weeks before the AmCup 2022.

Following a promising performance in the Dessert Classic championship in the last month, her record was set and officially approved by the Olympic Oval recently.

On this momentous occasion, holder of multiple national records, Shruti Kotwal commented, "I am extremely thrilled by the results we were able to achieve in the last two championships. We are working hard to perform and compete at the highest level, and in the last few weeks, we have understood the level of competition will grow higher. While it feels great to set a national record, I am aiming at outperforming myself race after race. There are many other championships that are coming up, and I hope to do the best in all of the races ahead."

Like many other sports, speed skating has gained immense popularity in India in recent years. Speed skating is a winter racing sport where athletes compete against each other on an ice based circuit, using skates to navigate their way around the track.

"I started with roller skates at the age of seven, and my love towards ice speed skating grew slowly. It requires body-balancing and very high concentration during movement at high speeds. We are happy to see the kind of support we are receiving and I hope to inspire the next generation of speed skaters from India. Our country has a lot of promising talent and, I urge the sports authorities and ministries to provide these kids with better infrastructure for them to compete at the highest level in the world," added Kotwal.