Abhijay was in primary school when kicks and punches by some trainees at Nehru Yuva Kendra in Haridwar attracted him. With stout body and good weight, he was asked to face his seniors as opponents as his peer group students were mostly light weight. His parents were scared in the beginning wondering how he would manage the punches coming from big boys but Abhijay managed well. He started winning contests and by the age of nine years, he has green I belt in Taekwando. From white, to yellow to green and green I, Abhijay feels he has become stronger and would soon become a black belt.
Abhijay Singh Rawat of class II in Delhi Public School bagged gold medal in the fourth students Olympic National Games organised by Students Olympic Association 2017-18, Uttarakhand and bronze medal in Haridwar inter club Taekwando championship organised by Sports Council of IIT Roorkee.
Though he never had any major injury but last year during his green belt test at Nehru Yuva Kendra, his foot got twisted. “There was a small ditch which I could not assess and I fell over twisting my foot while making a kick. I was asked to take a break from practice for one week because of muscle pull and had crepe bandage on my foot. I had to miss a district level competition held in Dehradun because of fever once, which made me feel bad. I had practised a lot for the championship,”shares Abhijay.
Now he plays in age group of under-14 years and weight category of upto 40 kilogrammes. Most of the times, his fighting opponent is senior to him but unfaltering spirit has led him succeed. “My parents and mentor Gagan Bhandari have been my constant support in learning this self defense technique.
They never led me down despite all odds. In my first championship at Roorkee, my opponent was double in height than me but my kicks could reach him, helping me win bronze medal. Second time I won gold and since then fortune is favouring me,” he said.
Though Abhijay wishes to become a pilot in the armed forces, his ambition to be a black belt is unwavered. Managing time between studies and sports is a skill, which he has learnt at a tender age. The order for promotion in Taekwondo is white, yellow, green, green I, blue, blue I,red, red I and black belt and Abhijay is aiming for black belt.
