VNR VJIET’s Shriya proves determination stumps lack of facilities, bags bronze

An eight-year long hiatus from competitive sport was not able to diminish Shriya Murali’s hunger for success. The 20-year-old returned to competitive ice-skating with a bang. She clinched a bronze medal at the 21st National Ice-Skating Championship 2026 in Dehradun recently.

Telangana skaters strike it rich at the 21st National Ice-Skating meet in Dehradun

Shriya Murali, who is a third-year B.Tech (CSE) student at VNR VJIET, showed that champions are made of sterner stuff. Shriya overcame all handicaps and lack of proper ice-skating facilities to stand on the podium.

Despite not having any dedicated ice-skating infrastructure, Shriya and a couple of others from Telangana clinched a more than a handful of medals – seven medals in all. One can only imagine what the skates could achieve if they were provided with proper infrastructure to train.

Shriya, a former national medalist in ice-skating (gold in 2017 and silver in 2018), is an accomplished roller-skater having won over 100 medals thus far. To fine-tune her skill, Shriya trained on inline skates, so as to mimic ice-skating. The skater hardly practiced 2-3 days before the competition but still managed to win a bronze medal.

An accomplished international artistic roller skater representing Team India, Shriya’s latest achievement marks an inspiring return to comp

etitive ice skating after an 8-year hiatus. Shriya made the strategic transition to competitive ice skating driven by a larger dream, to compete on the world’s biggest sporting stage. While artistic roller skating has delivered India several international medals, it is not an Olympic discipline. Ice skating, however, offers athletes the opportunity to compete at the Winter Olympics, motivating Shriya to embrace an entirely new challenge.

Training under Arjuna Awardee Anup Kumar Yama, Shriya has established herself as one of India’s most accomplished young skaters. Since beginning her skating journey in 2015, she has amassed an impressive 96 medals, including 41 gold, 42 silver and 13 bronze medals, across international, national, state and district championships. She has represented India at prestigious competitions such as the Asian Roller-Skating Championships in China and South Korea, where she won 2 Gold, 1 Silver and 2 bronze medals, besides securing a silver medal at the Oceania Pacific Cup 2023 in Brisbane, Australia.

Congratulating Shriya on her achievement, Dr B Chennakesava Rao, principal, VNR VJIET, said: “Shriya’s achievement is a powerful reminder that excellence is built on determination, not circumstances. Transitioning from roller skating to ice skating, despite limited dedicated training infrastructure in Telangana, reflects extraordinary perseverance and commitment. Her ability to pursue an Olympic dream while simultaneously excelling in a rigorous engineering programme is truly inspiring.”