At 15, This Hyderabad Girl Is Raking In Medals

Hyderabad: Her age is meant for carefree learning, studying, playing and singing. Yet, this young girl aspired to stand out from the crowd by choosing Taekwondo and has been undergoing rigorous training. Delivering powerful punches against her opponents, 15-year-old Nagasai Arushi from Hyderabad is raking in medals.

For Arushi, participating in a competition means one thing: she must return with a medal. Her father, Pawan Kumar, is a software professional, and her elder brother, Sri Sai Aditya, is also a national-level Taekwondo athlete, who inspired Arushi to turn towards sports. She began her training as early as the first grade.

In fact, she initially trained in Karate before switching to Taekwondo, a discipline in which she is now proving her mettle across state, national, and international-level competitions. She said the gold medal she won in the Under-14 category at the 2024 Khelo India Games holds a particularly special place in her heart.

Her impressive medal tally includes a silver at the 4th Mount Everest International Taekwondo Championship held in Nepal; gold medals at the National Cadet Kyorugi and Poomsae Taekwondo Championships held in Punjab during 2024–25; four gold medals in the CBSE South Zone competitions; and a silver medal at the National level.

For Arushi, participating in a competition means one thing: she must return with a medal. (ETV Bharat)

To date, she has achieved a total of 60 medals across all competitions. Currently, Arushi studies in the ninth-grade at Sanghamitra School, where she excels not only in sports but also in her academics.

"It's not just my parents, my teachers and coach also encourage me immensely. I make it a point to practice for three hours every day. During tournaments, I dedicate six hours to training. No matter how heavy his work pressure is, my father always sets aside time for me during competitions. My mother used to worry, wondering if a girl could really excel in such activities. But now that I am winning medals, she feels incredibly proud," Arushi said.

She identifies her unwavering dedication to practice and her ability to move forward without being disheartened by defeat as her greatest strengths. "Taekwondo has not only moulded me into a physically strong individual but has also boosted my self-confidence. However, in sports, defeats are often one's first companions. If we let the fear of failure make us quit, we can never truly emerge as winners," Arushi, who eyes medals at the Asian Games and the Olympics, said.

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