Haryana: With the Olympics had come to an end, making it India’s most successful edition in history, the focus shifts to the Tokyo Paralympics. India is sending a strong 54-member contingent for the competition starting August 24.
Indian sports means several unheard stories. One such is the tale of Aruna Singh Tanwar, who is the first Indian para-taekwondo athlete to make the Tokyo Paralympics cut. Tanwar was one of the eight athletes to receive a bipartite quota. It is also the first time taekwondo will feature in the Paralympics.
Tanwar’s story isn’t only about being the first Indian but a lot more about she overcame adversity and used the situation to her advantage in order to represent her country on the international stage.
Born to a truck driver father and housewife mother, Tanwar faced several obstacles in her life. But her qualification at the Tokyo Paralympics has momentarily overwhelmed the proud father from the daily challenges he faces.
Tanwar’s father, Naresh Kumar, had been working as a truck driver at a chemical plant to support his family. Her qualification for the Paralympics momentarily overwhelmed the proud father from the daily challenges he faces.
“Since her birth, when Aruna suffered deformity in both her hands, we have treated Aruna like other children and have supported her life as a normal person,” Tanwar’s father, Naresh Kumar, who drives for a chemical plant, told to The New Indian Express.
“While I struggled financially, I took loans apart from spending our savings to support her dreams. It’s her willpower and eagerness to compete among the best, which has resulted in her getting selected for the Tokyo Paralympics, and there cannot be a bigger joy for us to see our daughter compete in Tokyo and win a medal for India.”
Despite her obstacles including social stigmas, the 21-year-old Tanwar’s parents were a huge source of encouragement and helped her to pursue dreams. “She never complained about it, rather she practiced harder to overcome the physical barriers and convert them into a tool to be used in the martial art,” Sonia, Tanwar’s mother, told The Print.
“With her selection for Paralympics, Aruna will now become a role model for many, especially girls who are not given equal opportunity in comparison to boys in India by their parents to showcase their inner talent and get empowered.”
The Haryana youngster missed out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity when the Indian taekwondo team was forced to miss the World and Asian qualifiers for the Paralympics in Jordan due to travel restrictions imposed after the pandemic. She is currently ranked fourth in the women’s 49 kg in the K43 event category in world rankings and 30th in the K44 event category.
Tanwar had won two bronze medals (in Asian para-open Taekwondo Championships & World para-taekwondo Championships), two silver medals (Asian Para-Taekwondo Championships, WT President’s Cup Asian Region Para-Taekwondo Championships), and one gold medal in Kimunyong International Para-Taekwondo Open. She bagged all these accolades in the year 2018-19.
