Akash Aradhya

Injuries	In 2019 he underwent surgery on his spine. (Athlete, 06 Feb 2020) In 2012 he fractured his left hip bone. (Athlete, 08 Nov 2017) In 2011 he suffered a slipped disc in his back. (Athlete, 08 Nov 2017) In 2010 he broke his left hip in a fall at the national inline marathon championships in India. (Athlete, 08 Nov 2013) In 2008 he needed surgery on his right elbow due to internal bleeding caused by a fall. (Athlete, 08 Nov 2013)
Memorable sporting achievement	Serving as flag bearer for India at the opening ceremony of the 2017 Asian Winter Games in Sapporo, Japan. (Mysore Sport YouTube channel, 25 Feb 2022)
Other sports	He represented India in roller speed skating at the 2013 World Championships in Ostend, Belgium. (SportsDeskOnline, 06 Feb 2020; Athlete, 08 Nov 2013)

Reason for choosing this sport

He considered roller speed skating to be his main sport but was drawn to short track because he had the dream of competing at the Olympic Winter Games. "I wasn't sure whether I should do long track or short track. Coming from inline skating we always go for a long track, but I liked racing a lot rather than doing time trials, so I chose to do short track more. I wanted to go bigger in the sport, so I completely moved to short track and I've been competing since 2016."

Most influential person in career	His parents. (Athlete, 06 Feb 2020)
Hero / Idol	Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt. (Athlete, 06 Feb 2020)

When and where did you begin this sport?

He began roller speed skating at age three in Mysore, India. He first tried short track in the eighth grade of high school and began focusing on the sport in 2016. "I initially took it up as a hobby as it seemed fun."

Sporting philosophy / motto

"Don't quit until your last breath." (Athlete, 06 Feb 2020)

www.facebook.com/akash.aradhya

Awards and honours

He was flag bearer for India at the opening ceremony of the 2017 Asian Winter Games in Sapporo, Japan. (Athlete, 08 Nov 2017) In 2016 he received the Ekalavya Award from the government of Karnataka in India in recognition of his outstanding performances in roller speed skating. (bangalorefirst.in, 20 May 2016)

twitter.com/aradhyaakash

Other information	FINANCIAL BALANCE In April 2022 he announced that he would no longer train as a full-time athlete. He has trained in Canada, Germany, and France during his career, but the financial burden was tough and he also wanted to spend more time with his family. "It's been very tough. My parents are comfortable, not too comfortable, but they are putting a lot of their money into me and it's not easy to spend that. Every World Cup is around 2,000 Euros. I try to balance which World Cups are important to me and advantageous to me - where I can skate at the event and get some experience while not spending too much money. I need to focus on because I've been away from my family for too long. I want to give them the time and I've missed out on a lot of things in the last five and a half, six years, and I want to catch up I've spent only three birthdays and Diwalis at home in the past 10 years." (Facebook profile 15 Apr 2022; olympics.com, 22 Dec 2021; sport.tvp.pl, 03 Apr 2021) FURTHER EDUCATION He has studied for a bachelor's degree in accounting and finance at the University of Mysore in India. (LinkedIn profile, 01 Mar 2021) OTHER ACTIVITIES He has served as head of the athletes commission at the Ice Skating Association of India. (Instagram profile, 24 Mar 2022)
Hobbies	Playing video games. (sport.tvp.pl, 03 Apr 2021)