Country’s First Gold in Wushu

He won a Silver medal at the Taiwan Asian Championships in 2016 and failed to qualify for the World Championships in 2017, but he didn't give up, and now his perseverance and determination paid off as he achieved Wushu World Championship Gold. Praveen Kumar's win earlier this month created history as he is the first Indian man to win a Wushu World Championship Gold. not many of us are aware of the sport Wushu, after Praveen's win, he says that he is flooded with calls from parents inquiring about Wushu. Wushu is a martial art that is a combination of full-contact kickboxing with wrestling takedowns, throws, sweeps, and kick catches. 22-year-old Praveen serving the Indian army approached Pramod Kataria a CRPF then to help him practice the sport. He defeated Philippine’s' Russel Diaz in the final. He competed in the 48kg sanda category. Praveen says that going off to sleep with thoughts of winning gold paid off. He further shared that his parents were unaware of the sport and his friends would make fun of the name but after Praveen showed his friends videos of the sport; they started finding it interesting. Praveen took up this sport around 2011-12 after watching a state-level tournament in Rohtak and in 2014 he won a silver medal in the junior nationals and gold in the senior nationals the following year. When he first took this sport, it was tough for him and now he quite knows his way around the sport and suggests, those who are interested in it should "start with a mixed regime with focus on punches and throws." Praveen also shared his favorite technique which is "throwing with a single leg takedown as well as the right thigh kick." This is just the beginning of his glorious career, Praveen still has a long way to and many more medals to achieve.