Feature: Indian skater defies age, defines legacy at Winter Asiad

HARBIN, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- Vishwaraj Rajendrasinh Jadeja stepped off the ice, his breath still heavy from the grueling 5,000-meter race at the Harbin 2025 Asian Winter Games. A thin sheen of sweat lingered on his forehead as he walked into the mixed zone, his body exhausted yet his spirit undeterred.

"Very painful. Very, very painful," Jadeja admitted after finishing 14th out of 16 competitors. "I was very nervous. But it was okay. I'm already performing better than my time in 2017 in Sapporo. I am very happy with it."

At 39, Jadeja has inked his name into the record books as the oldest speed skater at the Harbin Games and the most senior member of India's delegation. Yet, for the father of two daughters, age is not a barrier but a testament to his resilience. He has spent nearly two decades pushing boundaries in a sport that had little representation in India when he first embarked on this journey.

FROM WHEELS TO SKATES: A LEAP OF FAITH

Jadeja's path to ice was never a predetermined one - his sporting roots were on wheels, not blades.

He was born into an athletic family in Gujarat, one of the most industrialized states in India and the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi. His father was a three-time national champion in roller and inline speed skating, and his aunt also competed in inline skating. Following their footsteps, Jadeja made his debut at the national championships in 1999, before becoming a national champion and representing India's national team in roller sports.

But something greater stirred him.

Watching the Olympic Games on television - beginning with Atlanta 1996 - ignited a dream within him, a dream that his chosen sport could not fulfil. Inline skating never made it into the Olympic program, forcing Jadeja to confront a harsh reality. If he wanted to become an Olympian, he would have to start over.

"I packed my bags and moved to Europe to pursue the dream of representing India in long-track speed skating at the Winter Olympics," he recalled.

In 2008, at the age of 22, he laced up ice skates for the first time in Sweden, diving headfirst into an entirely new world. That same year, he watched the Beijing Olympics, further solidifying his determination.

"It was amazing to see, and to hold your [national] flag at the Olympics is obviously the greatest honor of your life. So I think that is something which inspired me a lot to keep pursuing what I do," he told Xinhua.

His coach Wim Nieuwenhuizen, who has mentored him for 15 years, vividly remembers those early days.

"He came as a roller skater, without any idea how to skate on ice. He learned skating very well so that he could become one of the best, although not the fastest anymore," Nieuwenhuizen said.

The Dutch coach described Jadeja as "a crazy guy," an athlete with unwavering "motivation, will, and courage" to leave India for Europe in pursuit of his Olympic dream.

Jadeja came painfully close to realizing that dream twice. Before the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics, a severe back injury left him unable to walk for a month, derailing his qualification hopes. Again, in the lead-up to Beijing 2022, he narrowly missed out.

Despite these heartbreaks, he refused to walk away.

"You just want to improve yourself every day a little bit. And you keep trying to do that over and over again," he said.

BEYOND COMPETITION: PIONEERING INDIA'S ICE SKATING FUTURE

Jadeja is notably the best speed skater in India, having set 65 national records in his career and participated in over 200 international competitions.

At the Harbin Winter Asiad, he is competing in four events - men's 1,500m, 5,000m, team sprint, and team pursuit. India made its debut in the team sprint on Monday and now faces the team pursuit on Tuesday.

Despite finishing lower in the standings in his individual races, Jadeja remains upbeat. "We are here to get inspired and inspire," he emphasized.

For Jadeja, competing is only part of his mission. He has established a skating school, actively planning its expansion to nurture the next generation of Indian skaters.

"Now we're trying to open skating schools all over the country because I'm very happy that kids are inspired by the whole Indian team's journey to the Asian Winter Games. I hope the next contingent is bigger. In 2017, we had a very small contingent. Now we are almost twice as big, which is a great thing."

Jadeja expressed gratitude to coaches and personnel from the Netherlands, South Korea and China, and to the Asian Skating Union in helping India prepare for the Harbin Winter Asiad and develop the sport in his country.

"It was great to see all the Asian countries coming together for the promotion of the sport, for the well-being of the athletes. Together we can do a lot of good, great things," he said.

Despite his unwavering dedication, Jadeja acknowledges that his time as a competitor may be drawing to a close. After years of constant travel, he is considering shifting his focus toward family.

"I think I will finish. This is my last year," he revealed.

But when pressed about whether he might appear at the next Asian Winter Games, he left the door slightly ajar.

"I'm taking one day at a time. Let's see where we get," he said. ■