Indian bags medals at skating championship

BY A STAFF WRITER

GRANADA HILLS, CA– Serena Mahendru, a 12-year-old Indian American figure skater from Granada Hills, Calif., won a pair of gold and three silver medals at the State Games of America ice skating championship in Lincoln and Omaha, Neb.

Mahendru earned the two gold medals as part of the California girls synchronized skating team; two silvers in individual competitions; and one second-place finish in a couples’ competition.

The State Games of America, an Olympic-style event, is a competition between State Games medal winners from all over the country. This year, it was held July 28 through August 2, with more than 15,000 participants competing in more than 60 sports.

US track and field and bobsled Olympian Lolo Jones and Olympic wrestler and gold medalist Jordan Burroughs participated in the lighting of the SGA cauldron at the ceremonies.
Mahendru uses Ice Station Valencia in California as her home rink. The young figure skater is on the principal’s honor roll at Nobel Charter Middle School in Granada Hills.

In addition, she volunteers at the San Francisco-based nonprofit Learning Center of Valley Family Center and Los Angeles-based nonprofit Caring Hand for Children, which sponsored more than 2,400 underprivileged children across 17 projects in India.

Skating champion Serena Mahendru