By Diptayan Hazra
New Delhi [India], September 10 : India's Wushu team delivered an excellent performance at the 17th World Wushu Championship in Brazil, securing four medals: three silver and one bronze.
The championship, held from August 31 to September 7, saw participation from all over the world and represented the highest level of competitive Wushu across Taolu (forms) and Sanda (full-contact fighting) disciplines.
For the first time in history, three Indian women athletes, Aparna Dahiya, Kareena Kaushik and Shivani Prajapati reached the finals in the Sanda category, marking a significant milestone for Indian Wushu on the global stage.
Aparna Dahiya, 21, from Sonepat, who has previously won gold at the Asia Cup in China and silver at the Asian Championships in Macau, clinched a silver medal in the 52kg category.
With pride, she told ANI, "I am feeling very happy and it is the dream of every sportsperson to win a medal for India. The government has given us 100% support, from camps to training and competitions, everything is sanctioned. When we left for Brazil, our coaches asked us to give our 100% and bring medals for India. We were hoping for gold, but the competition was very tough with over 90 countries participating."
Aparna defeated opponents from Kazakhstan, Macau and Indonesia before going down to Vietnam in the final.
Shivani Prajapati, 22, from Greater Noida's Dadri, made her international debut and secured a silver medal in the 75kg category.
She said, "This was my first time playing at an international event and I won silver. I am feeling very good. The experience was very good. At first, I was a bit hesitant and nervous because it was my first tournament but still, it was a good tournament."
"I think we lacked somewhere, but for the next tournament, I will work harder," she added, on her team missing gold this time in the Championship.
"I will work hard to get a gold medal," she emphasised.
Kareena Kaushik, 21, from Jhajjar, who also made her international debut, returned with a silver medal in the 60kg category.
Reflecting on her journey, she said, "My journey started at the school where we used to practise. I played a competition there and I won first prize. So, my parents' morale was boosted and they put me in a proper game in Wushu. So, that's how it started."
"It was okay. It was good, but when we went there, we learnt that the shortcomings that we had, when we went there, we learnt what was lacking in us. Like, we considered ourselves the best, but when we went there, we learnt at what level we are in. What needs to be improved and what not to be improved," she noted.
"Asian Games are coming. We need to improve for that, and we have to come first," she added.
"The government helped us a lot, like, for our entire travel, they didn't take any money or anything. They sanctioned everything, they helped us a lot," she praised the government.
In the men's category, 22-year-old Sagar Dahiya from Nahari village in Sonepat, the son of a farmer, won a bronze medal in the 56kg sanda category.
Sharing his thoughts, he said, "I feel very proud. This was my first World Championship and I won a bronze medal.
"I lost the semifinal bout. I lost to the Philippines. It was a very neck-to-neck fight," he added.
"Everybody fought well, everybody could have come first, now everyone will come first at the Asian Games. We will practice well," he said about his team's performance.
"The preparation for Asian Games is going very well. I have been practising, its continuing after the World Championship. I will definitely get a gold medal there," he noted.
Bhupender Singh Bajwa, President of the Wushu Association of India, hailed the performance as a matter of pride.
"I congratulate our players and coaches for this. I would also like to thank the Sports Authority of India (SAI), the Sports Ministry and the Olympics because for giving us camps. We are hoping that Wushu will bring 4-5 medals in Asian Games. Our kids have started preparing for Asian Games," he said.
"We have got the assurance from the Sports Ministry and the Sports Authority of India that you will be given a one-year camp. You will bring maximum medals. We have prepared for it and the performance of Wushu has always been good. In the last 10-12 years, we have won 6 Arjun Awards and 1 Dronacharya Award. We are hoping that in the upcoming Asian Games, our kids will perform very well," he added.
Sanda coach Rajesh Kumar Tailor praised the team's efforts, especially the unprecedented achievement of three Indian women reaching the finals.
"I am feeling very happy that our Indian Wushu Team have given a very good performance in the World Championship and the main thing is we had three women athletes and three of them played the final," said Tailor.
"Our main target is the Asian Games," he said on the next goal.
"The government provides full support. When we go to the camps, we are given a lot of support by the Ministry, SAI, departments, and the federation. The government is very aware that the players get good training and their basic requirements are fully focused on," he noted.
Suraj Singh from Manipur, who ranked eighth in the Individual Gunshu Taolu event, also expressed confidence about India's rising dominance in Wushu.
"I have been playing Wushu for 10 years. This time, in the 17th World Championship, I ranked 8th in the individual Gunshu event," he said.
"It was not new for me but we all liked it a lot. Everyone gave a top-level performance. I liked it a lot. Other countries were asking me where I was training and how India's Taolu was doing so well. Earlier, other countries were not afraid of us but this time, everyone were afraid of us. This made me very happy. This is a very good experience. I am very confident about the upcoming Asian Games," he emphasised.
"The next target is the Asian Games in Japan. We will prepare for it fully. The government is fully supporting the women," he added.
There were other team members with him, Sashi Tamang, Langlentombi, and Nyeman Wangsu, all were Taolu athletes.
"We are like a family. We train together and work hard together," Suraj said.