India's Kickboxing champion from Bandipora, Tajamul Islam, created history by bagging a gold medal in the World Kickboxing Championship, 2021, held in Cairo, Egypt. The young champion wore the national flag on her shoulders after winning.
On her win, Jammu & Kashmir's Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha congratulated her for the achievement and her remarkable journey over the years.
Breaking Stereotypes
A resident of Tarkpora village, Islam has won several accolades earlier. The star player started kickboxing at the age of five. She later joined a local academy, which trains children in martial arts.
"I was walking near the stadium here when I saw many young boys and girls training. I saw them punching and all that and told my father that I wanted to join them, and he let me," she had told The Indian Express in 2016.
She won a state-level championship held the same year and was recognised as the best fighter of Jammu and Kashmir. This earned her place in the 2015 National Kickboxing Championship at New Delhi's Talkatora Stadium, winning gold in the sub-junior category.
This helped her enter the international competitions and became the first Kashmiri to do so. She represented Indian in the 2016 World Championship held in Italy and bagged gold.
When she turned 11 years old, she successfully set up her academy in the valley, Haider Sports Academy. At the time, she had nearly 720 people who enrolled for the academy.
The young achiever is not only breaking stereotypes but also unearthing every opportunity to represent the country. Besides kickboxing, Islam also holds expertise in wushu and is also doing well in taekwondo.
The Indian sportspersons performed exceptionally well in the Kick Boxing Championship, bringing 26 medals (11 gold, 8 silver and 7 bronze) home, PressWire reported.
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