BENGALURU: Keerthana P had her first brush with karate as a six-year old in her school, and gradually picked up the basics of the sport. After she impressed her trainer with her moves in school, her parents were suggested to enrol her under a professional coach, since she showed the spark to excel in the sport well beyond the school level.
Keerthana (10) then started training under coach Syed Fawadullah, who has been shaping the karateka over the last two years. The Class 4 student of Embassy Public School, Magadi Road, has been throwing herself into a daily grind on the mat since then. The training has started bearing fruit already. After winning medals at various local events, her biggest success so far came recently at the BASK International Karate Championship in England, where she bagged the gold in the Under-14 category.
The first taste of success in the international arena hasn’t come easy. trying to strike a balance between kicks and books, Keerthana trains for two hours and studies for three hours on schooldays. Weekends are, however, dedicated solely to the sport, and that’s when she practises for four to six hours. Her school has also been cooperative, which helped her participate in England as the dates of her exam and tournament clashed. Her dad, Pradeep U S, is keen to support her all the way.
“I am happy if she takes the professional route. We will be happy to take her there. Karate is where her interest lies, and as parents, we should nurture kids towards where their best talent lies, rather than push them to do what we want them to achieve. I hope she gets a chance to compete against top opponents and brings in more laurels in the future,” said Pradeep, who believes that the expenditure of around `3 lakh that he incurred for the trip to London, eventually paid off. He added that the family realises that this is just a start, and Keerthana needs to get better in the coming years, working on her game and improving upon her weaker aspects.
Her coach has been keeping a close watch on her steady progress in the game. “She is very focused,” Fawadullah told CE. “She is not worried about the technique of her opponent, and remains confident about what she has to do during a game. She has to improve in some areas, such as getting rid of that bit of fear, which exists at times. I want to work on her fitness and confidence level.”