Hyderabad teens pack a punch, shine on the world stage
HYDERABAD: At an age when teenagers have difficulty juggling academics, friendships and deciding on a career, two 16-year-olds from Hyderabad — Arabandi Karthik Reddy and Munipala Ramanuja Pranav — are busy winning medals in international karate tournaments.
At the recently concluded 11th Commonwealth Karate Championship in Durban, South Africa, Karthik won one gold and bronze each and two silver medals across three events in elite and club categories while Pranav secured a silver and bronze each in two separate events. Both underwent training at My Dojo Karate Academy in Nizampet, run by current national team coach Keerthan Kondru.
Winning international medals is not a new experience for Karthik, who bagged medals in the same tournament in 2022 apart from the US Open Championship the same year. However, his medal tally saw a hefty rise this time. Notable among those was the gold medal in the team kumite category.
Speaking to TNIE, Karthik, who is expected to participate in the Chief Ministers (CM) Cup next, says, “Results on the first day (of the championship) were not up to my expectations but I gradually adapted in the coming days as I had to play three more events. I believe my last day performance was the best (the gold medal bout) as I defeated the Australian opponent in one-and-a-half minutes with a 7-2 lead. Earlier, I had lost to him with a 2-3 score.”
Dream debut
Meanwhile, Pranav, who was making his international debut in South Africa, won a silver medal in the junior team kumite event and a bronze medal in the kumite club category after losing in the first round of the elite event.
“During the (elite event) match, my left eye was injured badly and I could not win the medal then. In the coming days, it was completely swollen. While I felt proud after winning my first international medal, there was a recurring thought in the back of my mind that I could have performed better had I not received a blow to my eye,” Pranav tells TNIE.
A student of Class 11, Pranav was able to recover in time for the team kumite event. “I felt really happy as the opponent from Sri Lanka was a tough nut to crack. Back home, my parents were worried about my eye. They did not even know that I had won. So, after I returned, I told them and they were on cloud nine,” he says.
Pranav was introduced to karate by his father about six years ago. Pranav considers karate to be more than just a sport; he views it as an art that fosters consistency, perseverance, and discipline.
Their coach, Kondru, tells TNIE, “Karthik’s victories over formidable competitors from Australia, South Africa, Botswana and Kenya positioned him as one of the premier athletes of the tournament. He and Pranav’s success is a testament to the strength and talent within the Indian karate space, and we are thrilled with the results of this championship.”