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

In India where people are driven to only sports such as cricket and football however breaking barriers 23yearold Rupa Bayor has emerged as Indias top 10 Taekwondo athleteSports have always played a crucial role in peoples lives and similar is the story of Rupa Bayor who scripted history by becoming the firstever Indian taekwondo athlete to make the cut in the top 10 World Poomsae rankingsAt just 23 shersquos now ranked No 9 by World Taekwondo a remarkable achievement in itselfHailing from Arunachal Pradesh initially Rupa was more interested in karate and she further opened up about how she chose taekwondo as her career in sportsWhat made Rupa Bayor gain interest in TaekwondoBefore 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 itWhen it comes to sports many athletes face several challenges Similarly the worlds number nineranked taekwondo athlete spoke about her challengesAlso ReadIN PHOTOS Matthew Wades statistics recordsFamily support and challenges Bayor faced in the initial phases of her careerAt the level Im 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 IndoKorean Taekwondo Academy she told middaycomAfter 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 BayorWelspun Super Sports Women Program continues to support her to dateDespite 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 IndiaI 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 IndoKorean 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 worlds number one and two athletes I felt that this could be done Its not impossible its just that I need the right coach for it I believe in him and thats the reason Im here todayRupas take on how Taekwondo should be promoted in IndiaThe world number nineranked 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 23 federations and because of this the player is at a loss and the player is at the receiving endmdashpura band bajj raha hai Federations play their political part and dont care if the athlete is winning or losing But in between this its only the players loss the ones who can really take the game forward The government needs to take some measures to promote the gameSpeaking about the groundlevel taekwondo athletes the 23yearold 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 players career A player will only learn what a coach will teach himher 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 sportThe World number ninth Taekwondo athletes daily routineIndias top taekwondo athlete Rupa Bayor also shared her daily routine My first practice starts at 8 oclock 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 oclockRupa Bayors conveys her message to young athletes in IndiaWhen 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 theyre in We should be dedicated to the sport and should never miss any opportunity Coming from such a background Ive 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 thisI would just like to say that youngsters should never feel demotivated just because they are not receiving any opportunities Whenever its time just stay dedicated and disciplined everything will take care of itself concluded Bayor