Kyorugi category

Asian Taekwondo Championship: Assam's Rodali Barua, who won bronze in Kyorugi Category of the Asian Taekwondo Championship, become a household name in the Indian Martial arts and aspires to go places to become a powerhouse in national and international events. She also aims to participate in the World Championships next year.

Rodali's journey began in the corridors of Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 1 in Tezpur, where the athlete trained for Taekwondo as a compulsory extracurricular activity. "I started Taekwondo to have another extracurricular activity as a way to bunk classes,” remarks Rodali. "Well, my advantageous height and talents registered soon enough. And I developed them in the heavyweight category as there were fewer participants and a better chance of winning the medals."

Signifying her junior achievements, Rodali's pursuit of Taekwondo came to fruition once the athlete clinched a bronze at the 4th Junior Nationals in Pondicherry. It was the first of a string of competitive achievements as the young athlete seamlessly stepped up to secure gold at the National Championships in 2016 under the senior participation.