The Star Malaysia

Get to know the seven-yearold wonder on ice.

- By T. AVINESHWAR­AN

PETALING JAYA: Precocious skater C. Sree Abiraame (pic) has a determined and positive outlook in life.

And that’s a mindset that has driven the seven-year-old Sree to what she is today.

And when things go wrong as it did at the Under-9 mixed group competitio­n at the ISI Asia Skate championsh­ips in Beijing, China, last week, Sree’s sad face said it all.

She had targetted six gold medals but ended up with five instead and finished second in the footwork 1 event.

And the tears were evident as the lass from Selangor recalled: “I was sad to get one silver. I wanted six golds.”

She won the artistic freestyle competitio­n even though she was having a fever and was coughing due to the cold conditions.

The other gold medals came from solo competitio­n FS, FS one finals, speed skating final and open FS Bronze events.

Sree’s father B. Chendren attributed her success to her discipline and single-mindedness to achieve her goals.

“She was so disappoint­ed to lose that one event she started crying. Then, she reassured me that she will win the others, and fulfilled her words,” said Chendren.

“She trains 25-30 hours before every competitio­n. She is quiet, shy at home and school but when she is on the ice rink, she is in her element.

Sree’s ultimate goal is to win a medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.

“We have charted our roadmap for her and I know she can do it. We’re planning to send her to Russia for two years to do intensive training,” said Chendren.

Sree started the year with a bang when she won golds in the FS 1, 400m speed skating, solo compulsory FS 1, footwork FS 1 and artistic freestyle in the Middle East ISI Skating Competitio­n in Abu Dhabi in February.

Fans can catch Sree in action in her next competitio­n – the ISI Asia Skate Malaysia – from June 28 to 30 at Sunway Pyramid ice skating rink.

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