VISAKHAPATNAM: The Swarna Bharathi Indoor Stadium is packed with young boys and girls hailing from various parts of the country, vociferously following their masters’ commands, listening to their every word and following each movement.
The word 'tired' is not in the minds of these kickboxers, as they perform gruelling exercises, running laps and doing push-ups before their fight to win the Pro National Open Kickboxing India League 2022.
Some sharp punches, a few kicks and powerful blows - that's how the league started in Visakhapatnam on Saturday. During one of the first few bouts, Y Kiran representing Andhra Pradesh defeated Soren Jagata from Odisha in the qualifying round. He was in attacking mode, throwing a left hook and straight jack combination, rib kicks and continuous punching.
"I am happy to qualify for the next round. I've been working hard for the last few months to win the India League representing Andhra Pradesh. I would like to thank Durga sir for providing utmost guidance and training throughout my journey," Kiran said. A total of 200 kickboxers from various States in the country are participating in the league.
Pro National Open Kickboxing India League, being organised and technically assisted by WAKO India, is taking place in AP for the first time. AP KickBoxing Sports Association (APKSA) president, T Dugra expressed his happiness over conducting the league in Visakhapatnam.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, Durga, who became the first person from Andhra Pradesh to secure a belt in All India Pro Kickboxing Champion 2007, said, "We have been making arrangements for the last few weeks for the successful conduct of the league. The participants representing AP have been working very hard for the last couple of months and we will be very happy if we win the competition."
Prudhvila, an All India Open International Kickboxing gold medalist, said "I am very happy to see a lot of youngsters participating in the league. People prefer kickboxing for three reasons: passion, physical fitness, and self-defence. I learned kickboxing out of passion. The APKSA helped me win a gold medal a few years ago. Solely for the purpose of self-defence, all girls should be taught kickboxing from a very young age."
Finals of Kickboxing League today
The finals of the Pro National Open Kickboxing India League 2022 will take place on Sunday at Swarna Bharathi Indoor Stadium in Visakhapatnam. WAKO president Santosh Kumar Agarwal and Kick Boxing India League president Karanamreddy Narasingarao extended their wishes to all the participants. “I live next to a kickboxing school. I love watching them train in the school. I will also become a kickboxer in the future,” said a 5-year-old boy, who came to watch the league.