Spark of paradise !!

Sadia Tariq, the 15 year girl from Srinagar, won the gold medal at the Junior World Wushu Championship held in Moscow

The paradise on earth-Jammu and Kashmir has been in the news for good reasons. In the last five-six years, several talented players have emerged from this area. It shows that if sports talent from this area is developed in the right direction, then Olympic medal winners will emerge from there.

Sadia Tariq is the latest to join the bandwagon. The 15-year-old, from Srinagar has recently won the gold medal in the Junior World Wushu Championship held in Moscow. Interestingly, it was her debut event, and she has raised expectations with her performance at the world level.

Nervousness and tears of joy

Narrating her experience in Moscow, Sadia said, "Like any other player, I was nervous before my first bout in this event. But my coach Kuldeep Handoo gave some pep talk and told me to treat this as a practice bout. He told me to just go there and display my best skills, and that's it. It lifted my mental burden and I entered the arena without any pressure."

“After winning the first round, I had a sense of accomplishment and it also boosted my confidence. Even though, I faced some strong opponents, the support from my coach and from the crowd helped me to give my best. When the referee announced me as the champion, I was a little shocked and cried with joy. I was overwhelmed to see our national flag rising smartly and the national anthem being played. It was a very proud moment for me. I was able to achieve this feat with the support from my family and the hard work we put in together,” she added.

Family support

In India, usually girls are not encouraged to a career in the power games and the parents oppose the idea if the player gets hurt during the tournament. Sadia has also gone through such a situation.