Rupa Bayor becomes India's first top 10 Taekwondo athlete, here's what she said

Rupa Bayor

In India, where people are driven to only sports such as cricket and football, however breaking barriers, 23-year-old Rupa Bayor has emerged as India's top 10 Taekwondo athlete.

Sports have always played a crucial role in people's lives and similar is the story of Rupa Bayor who scripted history by becoming the first-ever Indian taekwondo athlete to make the cut in the top 10 World Poomsae rankings.

At just 23, she's now ranked No. 9 by World Taekwondo, a remarkable achievement in itself.

Hailing from Arunachal Pradesh, initially, Rupa was more interested in karate, and she further opened up about how she chose taekwondo as her career in sports.

What made Rupa Bayor gain interest in Taekwondo?

"Before getting into taekwondo, I was practicing karate. I used to train under my uncle, Tabu Sehra. Later, just because taekwondo is an Olympic sport, my uncle suggested I start practicing it."

When it comes to sports, many athletes face several challenges. Similarly, the world's number nine-ranked taekwondo athlete spoke about her challenges.

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Family support and challenges, Bayor faced in the initial phases of her career

"At the level I'm playing taekwondo, there were many challenges from the start. My family always supports me in the sport, but for some reason, we fell short when it came to financial support. Later, I received sponsorship from Indo-Korean Taekwondo Academy," she told mid-day.com

"After receiving the sponsorship, I needed money to fulfill my daily expenses and also to feature in an international championship. So from the time when I did not even claim any medal until today, the Welspun Foundation supported me. I would like to give credit to them," added Bayor.

Welspun Super Sports Women Program continues to support her to date.

Despite taekwondo not being that popular in India, Rupa Bayor shared her thoughts about her mindset for making the cut in the world rankings. "Taekwondo is not that popular in India, but it is recognized as an Olympic sport worldwide. But if the initial leaders had correctly practiced the sport, then maybe today taekwondo would have received the deserving growth and popularity in India."

"I never thought of securing a place in the top 10 world rankings because I come from a place where the sport was not that popular. I never thought that I would make it to the top 10 rankings. When I came to Mumbai and joined the Indo-Korean academy, I felt that I could play this sport after I started practicing. After training, I started winning championships. Later, when I started competing against the world's number one and two athletes, I felt that this could be done. It's not impossible; it's just that I need the right coach for it. I believe in him, and that's the reason I'm here today."

Rupa's take on how Taekwondo should be promoted in India

The world number nine-ranked taekwondo athlete stated that the Indian government should take serious measures to promote the sport in the country. "To promote taekwondo in India, the government should also look into it. There are 2-3 federations, and because of this, the player is at a loss and the player is at the receiving end - (pura band bajj raha hai). Federations play their political part and don't care if the athlete is winning or losing. But in between this, it's only the player's loss, the ones who can really take the game forward. The government needs to take some measures to promote the game."

Speaking about the ground-level taekwondo athletes, the 23-year-old further stated that their coaches' responsibility is to guide them in the right way. "Coaches should take responsibility; they should be up to date when it comes to shaping a player's career. A player will only learn what a coach will teach him/her. To promote taekwondo in India, the government and federations should collaborate and work on the success of the sport. If it happens, it would be really helpful for the game as it is an Olympic sport."

The World number ninth Taekwondo athlete's daily routine

India's top taekwondo athlete, Rupa Bayor, also shared her daily routine. "My first practice starts at 8 o'clock in the morning and later ends at 1. After that, I prepare my meal, and later, after finishing it, I take a rest. My second practice session starts at 5 and ends at 7 o'clock."

Rupa Bayor's conveys her message to young athletes in India

When asked about the message she would like to give to other youngsters in India, Rupa Bayor said, "I would only suggest the youngsters do their good deeds and avoid the wrong ones in whatever field they're in. We should be dedicated to the sport and should never miss any opportunity. Coming from such a background, I've seen players who said that they are not ready to make the most out of the opportunity. I was always ready to take any opportunity coming my way because all these years, I kept training for this."

"I would just like to say that youngsters should never feel demotivated just because they are not receiving any opportunities. Whenever it's time, just stay dedicated and disciplined; everything will take care of itself," concluded Bayor.