Amid a week dominated by weather warnings and closure notices, here's a story worth celebrating: a group of young skaters from Jammu has just made the city proud on a national stage.
Students of Jodhamal Public School, Jammu, delivered a standout performance at the India Skate Games Open National 2026, held in Chandigarh, coming home with a haul of five medals — four gold and one bronze. The event drew skaters from 14 states and Union Territories and saw participation from more than 600 competitors, making the podium finishes all the more impressive.
The medal winners
Taking gold in their respective categories were Namish Gupta, Aahan Sharma, Aarav Mahajan and Gurjas Singh, who stood out for their technique, composure and competitive edge against a deep national field. Dhruv Sadotra rounded off the tally with a bronze, adding to what was a genuinely strong showing for a single school.
Why it matters for Jammu
Roller skating rarely gets the spotlight that cricket or football command, but Jammu has quietly built a steady pipeline of young talent in the sport, with school rinks and inter-school championships giving kids somewhere to train and compete. Results like these — earned against skaters from across the country — are what turn a weekend hobby into a genuine sporting pathway, and they give the next batch of Jammu youngsters someone local to look up to.
This isn't a one-off, either. The same school has repeatedly sent large contingents to the national circuit — a batch of over 30 of its skaters qualified for a recent national roller-skating championship — which speaks to a training culture built over years rather than a single lucky season. That consistency is exactly what a fringe sport needs to grow: enough kids showing up at practice, and enough podium finishes to keep them coming back.
For a discipline that runs on early-morning practice, scraped knees and not much fanfare, four golds and a bronze at a national open is a big deal. It's also a reminder that Jammu's sporting story isn't only written on the big grounds — sometimes it's written on eight small wheels. And with the city's monsoon keeping everyone indoors this week, it's a welcome bit of good news to skate away with.
Congratulations to the young skaters and their coaches. If this is what the city's grassroots scene is producing, the podiums ahead look promising.
Sources: Jodhamal Public School — Sports achievements; Jammu Links News — Jodhamal skaters at India Skate Games 2026.
