Vizag’s artistic skater Sahiti on a roll

With 76 medals, 19 of them at the national level, already in her kitty, she now looks forward to taking part in Asian championship to be held in China

Bollapragada Sri Sahiti, barely 11, has brought laurels to the City of Destiny.

With as many as 76 medals already in her kitty, Sahiti has made Vizag proud by becoming the youngest artistic skater to bag 19 medals at the national level. The medals she won include 42 gold, 31 silver, and 3 bronze.

She was also selected for the 19th Asian Roller Skating Championship, which was originally scheduled to be held in China in May 2021. However, it has been postponed due to the pandemic situation in that country.

Her innate talent in artistic skating was identified by the coaches at a month-long summer camp organised at Shivaji Park in 2016. They took an assurance from her parents – B. Viswa Prabhakar, a businessman, and Madhuri Sailaja, an assistant professor in Andhra University – that they would continue to send the girl for long-term training.

They also told the parents that at least two years of regular training was required before any prize or medal could be expected for her.

“I had taken Sahiti to the skating ring every day, but never observed her practice sessions as I was busy with my work on the laptop,” recalls Mr. Prabhakar.

“Hardly six months into the training, her coaches told me that she would have to spend an additional 30 minutes at the rink to train for the district-level competitions in 2016. She won three medals, a gold, a silver and a bronze, at the competitions,” he said.