Ashu Kumari, an 18 year old girl from Shahpur Jat has recently become a beacon of hope and inspiration by winning a gold medal in a National Taekwondo Championship.This championship was held in Goa and participants came from 25 states of India. She won the Gold medal in the senior category in Taekwondo. Born into a family struggling to make ends meet, her life was marked by financial hardships. Her father died at an early age and her mother works as a cleaner to support the family of 5 siblings. Despite these challenges,Ashu always had an innate passion for sports. She tried yoga, cricket and then she took up Taekwondo in January,2024. A local NGO in the neighbourhood runs free Taekwondo classes for children in the community. She joined the classes with a lot of zeal. She has won a Gold in the Zonal championship and now at state level. Her training involved three hours of rigorous practice every day-three days with the coach and the rest of the days self-practising. Her path is not without hurdles-financial constraint and not sufficient nutrition. She had to knock on several doors for financial support right from participation fees to her travel cost and acommodation. With unwavering support from her coach, Bharat Sir, she trained tirelessly to prepare for the National Championship.She also attends “Computer classes” and is pursuing graduation from an Open University. She dreams of becoming a Sports teacher in a School and wants to inspire other girls from underprivileged backgrounds to chase their dreams with courage and determination. Her Coach is her mentor and his incessant encouragement drives her closer to her dream of representing India one day. Ashu’s story is a testament to how grit and perseverance can transform adversity into triumph.
