Guwahati: Assam’s Rodali Barua, a bronze recipient in the “kyorugi” (sparring) category of Taekwondo in the Asian Championships, aims to participate in the World Championships in 2025.
After becoming a household name for martial arts in India, Rodali now aspires to become a powerhouse in national as well as international competitions. Her journey in martial arts began in the corridors of her school in Sonitpur district’s Tezpur, where she trained for Taekwondo as a compulsory extracurricular activity.
Signifying her achievements in the junior level, Rodali’s pursuit of Taekwondo came to fruition when she clinched a bronze at the 4th Junior Nationals held in Puducherry. 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 participating in the senior level.
Continuing her progress of elevating performance, Rodali did dropout from the Asian Championship camp the same year due to a weight challenge. Relentless in her quest, she persisted in her training to qualify for the 2018 Asian Championship held in Vietnam. Rodali’s return to competitive Taekwondo was marked by her gold win at the 2019 South Asian Games.
“Though I had taken up Taekwondo to have another extracurricular activity as a way to bunk classes, my height proved advantageous. I developed it in the heavyweight category as there were fewer participants and a better chance of winning medals. My goal was to prove myself and make sure that my weight category wasn’t dropped from international tournaments,” Rodali said.
Raised in an affluent family who had no sporting background, Rodali got constant support from her family of four. “My family has always been a constant guide for me. Though none in my family has a sporting background, they are proud of the fact that I have been determined in my choice of taking up sports and excelling in it,” she added.
Explaining her path to engaging in more international participation, Rodali said, “Proving myself in the Asian Championships and other international events has been demanding, it improved my chances of bringing home gold in the World Championships.”
As Rodali considers her journey, she stresses the importance of financial support and exposure abroad for Indian athletes. “The athletes of other countries compete in 10 to 15 international open tournaments annually earning invaluable experience. We don’t have the same exposure or financial backing despite having comparable skills and methods. We too could compete on a global scale had we got greater chances and assistance,” she lamented.
Driven by the desire to win an international medal and motivate the young and aspiring Taekwondo players of her country, Rodali is training extremely hard preparing for the World Championship. “Since the World Championships offers a greater stage than the Asian Championships, I must put in more effort and win a medal there,” she said.
Surendra Bhandari, the only Indian to win a medal in Taekwondo at the Asian Games, has served as an inspiration to Rodali throughout her career.