Kashish Malik has won a bronze medal for India at the 5th Fujairah International Open Taekwondo Championship 2017 held in Fujairah, UAE from Feb 23rd to Feb 25th in the sport of Taekwondo. With this win, she has instilled hope in the hearts of many who wish to excel in the sport.
She participated in the Junior Female under 55kg with participants from countries like Russia, Kazakhstan, Jordan, Uzbekistan etc. The event was World Taekwondo Federation approved G1 ranking tournament, with more than 40 nations and 540 athletes participating in it. Kashish lost in the semi-finals (to UAE) by a score difference of one point, thereby securing a Bronze medal. It should be noted that she had been training hard for the championship in Peace Taekwondo Academy, New Delhi for the last 8-10 months under the personal guidance of two-time World Champion, Sayed Hassan Rezay from Afghanistan.
Kashish also represented India in the 2014 World Cadet Championships, Baku and 2015 Asian Junior Championships, Taipei City.
“I believe nothing is impossible in today’s world. I have a dream to represent India and win Olympic medal for the country one day and make the entire nation proud,” Kashish said.
She also believes that sports – especially Taekwondo – can help break-down gender stereotypes, improve girls’ and women’s self-esteem and contribute to the development of leadership skills.
“With the experience we got at the 5th Fujairah Open, our goal is to get more medals in other international events. We have a dream of Olympic Gold for India in this sport and will put in everything to it” said coach Sayed Hassan.
Vinay Kumar Singh, who heads the strategy and planning domain at the academy, said:
“We are happy with the bronze and want to thank the people who supported us. It was definitely not the colour we were looking forward to but we are sure we will change the medal colour in our next international participation. We wish to pass on our special thanks to the Taekwondo Federation of India who believed in us, supported us and gave us the approval for participation.”
Peace Sports Trust, which owns the academy, has announced an incentive of Rs.25,000/- to Kashish Malik for her achievement.
A country like India has immense talent and potential. If we wish to establish ourselves as a super-power, we really have to understand the importance of sports in the country. This is just the beginning for a sport like Taekwondo.