Bengaluru teen wins gold medal in global taekwondo event in China

A Bengaluru boy has done the country proud by winning the gold medal in the Open International Taekwondo Championships in the under-21 category in China.

Prajwal Bhopal, 19, is presently studying at the St Joseph’s College of Commerce and was a student of Little Angels Public School, Kanaka Nagar. Prajwal has won four gold medals and one silver medal in previous editions of the same competition between 2012 and 2016.

“I started taekwondo as a hobby during school and my teachers who saw potential in me, said that I should pursue it further,” said Prajwal. He took the advice and has not looked back since.

Prajwal trains for four hours daily and sometimes balancing his love for sports and the need for education can be very hard, he said. “I try hard to do justice to both takewondo and studies as I cannot ignore either,” he said.

It has however not been all rosy as problems of finances regularly cropped up. Prajwal’s father, P Bhopal is a TV technician and said he was fortunate to get help from his friends and family members. “I am a very happy father that my son is a top sportsperson,” said Bhopal. As a long-term goal, Prajwal  wants to someday participate in the Olympics and is confident that he will succeed. “My immediate focus is the World Taekwondo competition in August. I cannot participate in the Rio Olympics as of now. Only those above 21 years can do so. I aim to represent the country in this prestigious event soon,” he said.