[100 Emerging Women Leaders] Fast and curious: Speed skater Anoli Shah on her life in the fast lane

“If I am having a bad day, I just need one hour with my skates and I am back to being a happy child,” says national speed slater Anoli Shah from Gujarat. 

How did Shah pick up this sport, which brings out her inner mojo and joy?

While she was growing up, Shah's parents wanted her to do something other than academics. After trying her hand at different co-curricular activities, young Shah came across skating. Watching people zoom on small wheels attached to their feet piqued her interest.

“I think the earliest motivation was a batch of advanced skaters who used to skate very fast. I wanted to be a part of the group,” she recalls.

Shah was barely eight years old when she started skating. She won her first national championship title in just two years. The rest, as they say, is history. 

Shah has represented the country at World Championships, Beach Asian Games, and Asian Championships in skating.

Managing her skating career along with studies was a bit of a juggle for Shah. But she was able to achieve it with a strict routine and proper time management. 

Shah thanks her parents, family, and coach for guiding her since childhood and teaching her how to excel in everything that she did. 

“During my college days, my mother would wake up at three in the morning to prepare my breakfast, she recollects. “She would send tiffin with my father, who would travel about 20 kilometres from home to my college hostel, pick me up, and take me to the skating ring.” 

Shah would have breakfast in the car, complete her skating practice, and then attend lectures in college, before going back to practice in the evening again. 

“Some days, I would feel drained out by the end of the day. But I knew the value of following this tight schedule.”

Though Shah is immensely passionate about skating, she admits that a career in sports comes with its own insecurities. “The financial security provided by sports is not as promising as what you get when you have a degree,” explains the skater. 

And that is why she chose to do an MBA. Shah is an MBA graduate from the Institute of Management, Nirma University, Gujarat. 

“When I retire from skating someday, I want to have something to fall back on,” she says. 

During her free time, Shah can be found learning something new or completing an online course. Currently, she is focused on the upcoming national and world championships. Her goal is to bag medals for the country. 

Skating as a sport is not known to many, and skaters have to face several challenges, says Shah. When one is skating at an average speed of 45 km per hour, the crashes and injuries can be “horrible”, she elaborates. 

There have been times when people have advised her not to get into such a dangerous sport as a girl. But this has never deterred the brave skater. 

“I have two ways to deal with such comments: ignore, if the person commenting is not very close, or reason, if I know the person closely,” she says. 

“These are the people who give me the strength to go on, no matter what comes my way or what I hear. You have to work for what you want to achieve, both physically and mentally.”

What’s her advice for aspiring women leaders and achievers? 

“Don’t listen to people who pull you down. Find the people who would support you. Keep doing what you love.”