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Putting his best foot forward

He has won two golds and a silver medal in the 20th AIKF championship, but C. Ashok Kumar is not going to rest on his laurels

PACKING A PUNCH C. Ashok Kumar Photo: M. Periasamy

Karateka C. Ashok Kumar of Coimbatore has been dreaming big of making a mark at the international level. He realises that this is not something that can be done in a flash. So, he prefers to take things step by step.

The 22-year-old B.E (IT) student of the Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences who is in his third year now, managed to realise a part of his dream when he won two gold and a silver medal in the 20th All India Karate Federation championship at the Sacred Heart Church premises in New Delhi last week.

To win a medal in this martial sport, one needs fast footwork and quick hands. More importantly, one requires great mental strength. Ashok showed that he had all that it took when he struck his first gold medal in the 55-kg kumite individual event with relative ease.

He was also instrumental in his team winning the top honours in the Team Kumite event. In the individual kumite black belt category, Ashok gave his best but had to settle for silver.

Ashok's first love his kumite. "I find it a bit difficult to perform to my full potential in kata. Also, my body does not adapt to the kata styles that easily." Still he has won several medals in kata in the State championships. But, it is in the kumite performance that he is rated among the best in the country. Ashok, who took to his favourite sport about eight years ago, has been practising hard. "Karate is not like education. You will have to keep pushing yourself regularly during practice hours. If you put an end to your training session then you become an ordinary person," he explains.

He says he has got a target. "In order to reach the international level at the earliest - say in the next couple of years. I have been carefully going through video clippings of important bouts and that has helped me greatly and raised my hopes."

Ashok's other goal is to win a medal at the Olympics. While karate is not an Olympic sport, Ashok says, "I know that, but I am confident it will find a place in the Olympics some day. When the time is ripe I will participate for my country and bring home all the glory," he says.

RR

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