A teenage girl from a remote village in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district recently scripted history by winning a second gold medal in World Kickboxing Championship held in Egypt’s Cairo on October 22. Tajamul Islam, 13, defeated Argentina’s Lalina in the under-14 finals.
A native of the Bandipora district located in the foothills of the snow-clad Harmukh
mountain, Tajamul was born in a humble household and was introduced to martial arts pretty early in her life.
She was fascinated by the sport having watched it on television and demanded that she be allowed to pursue it. To her surprise, her parents agreed and she has been practicing martial art since.
Though she started early, it was never a smooth ride for Tajamul in the sport.
Tajamul is not the only one in the family who has been engulfed by the martial art fever. Her siblings too practice it, which probably explains her.
The youngster was visibly proud of her achievement in Cairo and aspires to win more
medals for India in the future.
Tajamul is also a brand ambassador of ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ scheme. She also concentrates on her studies and wants to become an orthopedic surgeon.
Tajamul went to the World Championships under the banner of the Kickboxing Federation of India (KFI) – an organization that is not recognized by the Indian Sports Ministry.
The Indian Sports Ministry recognizes WAKO India – an organization affiliated with the World Association of Kickboxing Organisations (WAKO), as the official national federation of Kickboxing in India. WAKO India was suspended by WAKO Asia in March earlier this year.
The World Championships Tajamul Islam competed in and won medals were held by the World Kickboxing Federation (WKF) and not by WAKO.
