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8-Year-Old Kashmiri Girl Tajamul Islam Makes India Proud, Crowned World Kickboxing Champion
11-15-2016
Eight-year-old Tajamul Islam - the first Kashmiri to represent India at the world kickboxing championship - made the country proud and created history by clinching the gold medal on Friday November 11.
A class two student from Bandipora district in Jammu and Kashmir, defeated her rival from USA to win the championship held in Italy's Andria where ninety countries participated in the event.
Tajamul's coach Master Fasil Ali Dar said that it was for the first time that a player from sub-junior category won a gold medal in the game.
Tajamul came into limelight last year after winning the gold medal in sub-junior category National Kickboxing Championship in New Delhi. Coach Dar was impressed with Tajamul's skills instantly. "I spotted Tajamul from the distance. She wasn't yet completely conversant with the rules of the game but she had the speed. I found her instinctively aggressive," Dar had said earlier.
Her father, Ghulam Mohammad Lone, is a driver for a construction company and does just enough to make ends meet. However, there is no lack of encouragement from his side as he sends Tajamul and her two sisters and two brothers to learn martial arts in Dar's academy.
he best fighter of the state, Tajamul's story is inspiring a lot of girls to break barriers and achieve their dreams. "Our village is very backward but I, along with other kids like me, are going to take it to new heights," she said.
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