Shruti Kotwal
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Nationality | Indian | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | 2 December 1991 (age 34) | |||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Fergusson College | |||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||
| Country | India | |||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Speed skating | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Shruti Kotwal (born 2 December 1991) is an Indian ice speed skater.[1][2] She is the country's first professional female ice skater.[2]
Biography
[edit]Kotwal was born and brought up in Pune, Maharashtra, India. When she was seven years old she began roller-skating and held national gold medals in the sport before changing to ice-skating.[3][4]
At the South Asia Championship in 2011 she secured gold medals in the categories of 500m, 1000m and 1500m. The following year, 2012, she received a scholarship from the International Skating Union, which enabled her to travel to Germany for speed skating training under Canadian skater Jeremy Wotherspoon.[2][4]
In 2017 she represented India at the Asian Winter Games. In 2014 she broke the national record she had previously set herself in the 500 metre speed skating event.[5]
She holds 5 gold medals from the Indian National Ice-Skating Championships and a bronze medal from the National Winter Games.
In 2025, Kotwal represented India at the Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China, marking her second appearance at the event after previously competing in 2017.[6]
Kotwal trains at the Utah Olympic Oval in the United States as part of her preparation for international competitions and qualification for the 2030 Winter Olympics.[7]
Kotwal holds Indian national records in multiple long-track speed skating events, including the 500 metres, 1000 metres and 1500 metres.[8]
Her personal best in the 500 metres is 41.97 seconds, recorded at the AmCup Final in Salt Lake City in 2023.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ "Shruti Kotwal (IND) - Competition results, statistics and records | Skaters | SpeedSkatingNews". www.speedskatingnews.info. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- ^ a b c "In Conversation with Shruti Kotwal – Let's Be Outdoorsy". letsbeoutdoorsy.com. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- ^ Vishal, Kumar Vishal (29 January 2016). "Is Lack Of Funding Biggest Hurdle For India's Ace Speed Skater's Internationals' Dream?". thelogicalindian.com. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- ^ a b "Conquering ice with a fiery spirit: Shruti Kotwal, India's fastest Ice Skater". Voice of Indian Sports - KreedOn. 17 October 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- ^ Team, DNA Web (17 November 2014). "Indian skater Shruti Kotwal beats own National record time, at Long Track Time Trials in Calgary". DNA India. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- ^ "Indian speed skater Shruti Kotwal targets 2026 Winter Olympics at Harbin AWG". Olympic Council of Asia. 21 January 2025.
- ^ "Indian speed skating pioneer fights to stay in US and train for Olympic dream". FOX 13 News Utah. March 2026.
- ^ "Country's first professional ice speed skater Shruti Kotwal targeting 2026 Olympics qualification". Outlook India. 4 February 2024.
- ^ "Shruti Kotwal – Competition results". SpeedSkatingResults.com. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
- 1991 births
- Living people
- Sportspeople from Pune
- Sportswomen from Maharashtra
- Indian female speed skaters
- Indian female short-track speed skaters
- Speed skaters at the 2017 Asian Winter Games
- South Asian Winter Games gold medalists for India
- South Asian Winter Games medalists in short-track speed skating
- Fergusson College alumni
- Speed skaters at the 2025 Asian Winter Games
- Asian Games competitors for India
- 21st-century Indian sportswomen