HYDERABAD: In his teenage years, the now 43-year-old Dudyala Gopala Krishna, a police constable from Vikarabad district, started taking classes for Taekwondo, a Korean form of martial arts, to “be the toughest among the bad guys.”
Speaking to Express, he mentions that he wanted to be the embodiment of fury, but the ancient form of martial arts gave him the structure that he so desperately needed in his life. “It made me more disciplined and guided me towards the right path,” he says, smilingly. His dedication to the sport has made him a force to reckon with.Recently, he represented India at the World Police and Fire Games (WPFG) held in the port city of Rotterdam in The Netherlands and bagged the bronze medal in Taekwondo Kyorugi (a form of sparring).
Balancing work and sport
Hailing from Ramaiahguda, Krishna is a BSc graduate in Mathematics and has been working with the Vigilance and Enforcement Department since 2015. A 2003 police academy graduate, he manages to balance his work and commitment to the sport despite his busy schedule. “Now that my family and the department are aware of my priorities, they have been supportive. I have to set a tight schedule to be able to devote my time and attention to practice and work,” he says.
Krishna earned his black belt in 2000, but started taking the sport seriously in 2003 when he started professional training in Ongole (present-day Andhra Pradesh). His trainer placed high importance on physical fitness, which helped him prepare for gruelling bouts, he says.
He took part in the Senior Nationals in Vizag in 2016, for which he was selected by the Telangana State Taekwondo Association, followed by Telangana State Taekwondo Championship held in 2017 in Ghatkesar, where he won two gold medals (one individual and one group).
Need to change
However, Krishna had to go through a patch of bad luck between 2017 and 2019. He failed to win any medal during this period even though he participated in the All India Police Meets. He realised that things needed to change for him to come back to his winning ways. Therefore, he decided to change his training module and trainer. “I made a firm decision to raise my training standards and started receiving training from Manipur-based Sanjay Singh, who has won three nationals,” Krishna says.
He started training for one-and-a-half-hours in the morning. “I take work calls during the time and have asked my trainer for special permissions,” he adds. He mentions that working hard and remaining dedicated to one’s goals is crucial.
Successful 2022
In 2022, he won two national medals, one at Ujjain and one at New Delhi, apart from his bronze medal in The Netherlands. He says that he hopes to train upcoming youngsters and offer his services. He cherishes the image of former Hyderabad Commissioner Of Police Anjani Kumar, the current Director General of Police with Anti-Corruption Bureau, felicitating him. “That gesture is an achievement in itself,” Krishna adds. Before his first bout in Rotterdam, he had said, “It doesn’t matter what the results are, my passion for Taekwondo will continue.”