Every athlete dreams of pursuing his or her sport to win a medal for their country at the highest level. One of those athletes is long distance ice skater Vishwaraj Jadeja, whose goal is to put India on the medal tally of the Olympics Games.
To achieve his dream, the 33-year-old skater from Ahmedabad in the state of Gujarat in India is sweating in the cold breeze of the Netherlands, thousands of kilometres from home.
Recently Vishwaraj came into the limelight by registering an unofficial world record by performing a five kilometre distance ice speed skating at Lake Tsomoriri in Leh, which is in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. Lake Tsomorri is one of the highest frozen lakes in the world at an altitude of 4,500 metres.
Vishwaraj Jadeja with the India flag at Lake Tsomoriri in Leh. Source: Vishwaraj Jadeja
How Vishwaraj achieved the feat?
Indian long-distance ice skater Vishwaraj was practising hard for the 2018 Winter Olympics, but he injured himself before the qualification phase, and his dream of representing India in the Winter Olympics got shattered.
Remembering those hard days, Vishwaraj Jadeja told SBS Gujarati: "It was my childhood dream, but one injury had ruined my hopes of hoisting the Indian flag at the Winter Olympics. I was pretty disappointed, but one of my friends came up with a unique idea and suggested to try ice skating in the Himalayas."
"His suggestion made a massive impression on me, and I began exploring the opportunities and challenges of skating at the world's highest frozen lake".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDtNRbutk0o
Help from local guide and army
During his adventure at an altitude of 4,500 metres, Vishwaraj Jadeja was assisted by local guides and by the Indian army who supported him and provided guidance about the Lake Tsomoriri.
After achieving the unique feat, Vishwaraj said, "I always wanted to explore ice skating in the Indian landscape. As we live in a country where such sports do not attract more skaters, I hope my record help me build awareness and engage more participants from India into this sport."
Many records to his name
Vishwaraj Jadeja has proven himself a master of the sport. He holds many records at various levels including 13 national records, fastest Indian on the 3,000, 5,000 and 10,000-metre long distance speed skating races.
He also participated in the 2017 Asian Games over all distances and has completed more than 200 races for India.
India's long-distance ice skater Vishwaraj Jadeja with his team at Lake Tsomoriri in Leh. Source: UPslope Productions
Netherlands - his second home
While most Indians look at the Netherlands as a vacation destination, Vishwaraj arrived in the country with dreams in his eyes.
Vishwaraj said, "When participating in the World Championship in Spain, one of the leading newspapers published an article about my struggle and search for a coach. I then met Wim Nieuwenhuizen, my dream coach.
"I still remember his words; he said: If you can travel to the Netherlands for your passion, then I am ready to coach you".
Next target
Currently, Vishwaraj is training hard for the Winter Olympics in 2022. He will also take part in other international tournaments like the Master World Games 2020, the World Winter Games and the Asian Winter Games in 2021 to bring glory to India.
