Amala has been training in the martial art form of Taekwondo
B.K. Amala
CHENNAI: Just until two months ago, B.K. Amala knew very little about kickboxing. Today, this 15-year-old Class 10 student at the Chennai Corporation Madhavaram Girls higher secondary school is a proud gold medallist, as she emerged victorious in the under-17 age category at the national-level kickboxing championships.
Amala has been training in the martial art form of Taekwondo for the last eight years. “I have also been learning boxing for the past four years,” the sprightly Amala told DC over the phone. Kickboxing happened when she chanced upon a camp at JJ indoor stadium at Kilpauk. “Taekwondo has a lot of kicking. The coaches there helped me combine Taekwondo with boxing. ” she said.
Amala was part of a 14-member contingent from Tamil Nadu which included her sixth grader brother B.K. Arjuna, also a student of corporation school at Erukkanchery, a bronze medallist in the under -12 category.
The gold medallist now has a chance to travel to Bangladesh for the international championships in January 2016. However, without sponsorship, she may miss it.
A resident of Muthamizh Nagar at Kodungaiyur, Amala’s father B.K. Kannan works as a clerk in a private hospital at Kannadasan Nagar on a monthly income of Rs 12,000. Amala’s grandmother, B.K. Susheela, whom the former credited for encouraging her to pursue her dreams, said the family had to self-finance the gold medallist’s trips all these years. “Every time, we borrow Rs.3000 or Rs.4000 so that she can travel and participate,” Susheela said.
Amala’s successes have resonated well within her school campus as the HM, S.Selvakumari, said she has engaged private coaches to train girl students in kickboxing, for which sessions have been going on in the last three weeks.
Amala harbours dreams of representing the country at the Olympics. She also understands that her talents could guarantee her a job. .She wants a government job.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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