Asunción [Paraguay]:India’s Anandkumar Velkumar has won bronze in the 500-metre sprint at the World Skate Games 2026 in Asunción, Paraguay, adding another medal to his expanding collection on the international speed skating stage. The 23-year-old speed skater from Tamil Nadu finished on the podium in 40.856 seconds, continuing his incredible run following his unprecedented accomplishments at the 2025 World Speed Skating Championships. Velkumar had earned bronze in the 500m and gold in the 1000m and marathon in the 2025 championships as well, making him a two-time world champion.
His most recent podium result enhances India’s standing in elite speed skating and highlights his consistency over long distances. Velkumar has become one of the nation’s most well-known figures in the sport thanks to his performances.
Earlier, Kerala’s Anirudhan Vinod won silver in the junior men’s 200m Dual Time Trial at the Games.
Vinod clocked 17.658 seconds, finishing just 0.043 seconds behind Colombia’s Emanuel Ramos Mosquera, who won gold in 17.615 seconds. Chinese Taipei’s Wei-Ning Chuang secured bronze in 17.718 seconds.
[AIR News]