Mumbai, September 16: Indian skater Anandkumar Velkumar made history, securing the nation its first-ever gold medal at the Speed Skating World Championships in China on Monday. The 22-year-old skater won the top prize in senior men's 1,000 m sprint with a time of 1:24.924, as per ESPN. The triumph just came days after Velkumar had secured a historic bronze in the 500 m sprint event in the same championship event at Beidaihe, clocking 43.072s to claim India's first senior world championship medal. Anandkumar Velkumar Wins India’s First-Ever Medal in Senior Category in Speed Skating World Championships, Bags Bronze at 500m+D Sprint Event.

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, a former Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports from 2019-21, hailed Anandkumar for his historic triumph on X.

Anandkumar Velkumar Gold Medal Winning Moment

The icing on the cake for India was some additional success in junior competition, with youngster Krish Sharma securing a 1,000 m sprint gold medal. The Speed Skating World Championships started in Beidaihe on September 13 and will continue until September 21.

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