National Champion Arhant Joshi Reflects on 14-Year Journey That Put Freestyle Skating on the Map

Pune, 11th July 2026: For Arhant Joshi, freestyle skating was never part of a carefully planned career. It began with an old pair of skates lying in a relative’s house. Nearly two decades later, that childhood curiosity has grown into a career that has helped bring one of India’s most niche sports into the spotlight.

Now 27, Joshi has spent the last 14 years competing at the highest level of freestyle skating, building a resume that includes a bronze medal at the 2023 Asian Championship, two medals at international open competitions in Singapore, multiple national championship podium finishes, and a gold medal at the 2022 National Games in Ahmedabad.

His performances have also earned him the prestigious Shiv Chhatrapati Award in 2023 for excellence in roller skating. More recently, he was felicitated by the Pune Municipal Corporation in recognition of receiving Maharashtra’s highest sporting honour.

Looking back, Joshi says his journey into the sport happened almost by accident.

“I got into skating when I was about six years old. I found a pair of old skates in my relative’s home and have been skating ever since,” he said.

While he started skating as a child, freestyle became his focus years later after competing internationally for the first time.

“Seven years in, when I was about 13 years old, in 2012, I participated in a skating championship in China, and that’s how I permanently got into freestyle,” Joshi recalled.

Since then, he has been among the country’s leading freestyle skaters, consistently representing India and Maharashtra on national and international stages while contributing to the sport’s growing visibility.

Although his career has revolved around skating, Joshi’s academic path took a different direction. He holds a degree in hotel management but says the sport always remained his long-term ambition.

“I do have a degree in hotel management, but skating is something that I have always seen as a life goal,” he said.

Behind that journey, he credits his family for giving him the freedom to pursue competitive sport.

“My parents have always supported whatever my siblings and I chose to do. They supported my skating, especially because my father was a national-level hockey player,” he said.

With over a decade of competitive experience behind him, Joshi’s career mirrors the steady rise of freestyle skating in India. At a time when the sport continues to remain outside the mainstream, athletes like him have played a significant role in bringing it greater recognition through consistent performances on national and international platforms.