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Paralympic gold within grasp of this Haryana girl, born with three fingers in each hand
Bhiwani’s Aruna Tanwar, 21, scripts history to become the first Taekwondo player to represent India, as the sport makes its debut at Tokyo Paralympics this year.
Born with three fingers in each hand and arms that weren’t formed enough for her body, Aruna Tanwar came into the world and met with concerns on how she would fare in life. Little did the naysayers know that this 21-year-old from Bhiwani, Haryana, would script history one day by becoming the first Indian Taekwondo player to represent the country as the sport debuts at Tokyo Paralympics this year.
“People used to look at me weirdly, as if pata nahin bhagwan ne kya bana diya (what has God created). I still get glances from people, but now it doesn’t matter. And I’ve achieved my dream of representing my country in the Games; everything else pales in comparison,” she says.
A bronze medallist at 2019 World Para Taekwondo Championship, she says, “I come from a state where everyone is involved in kushti (wrestling). As a child even I beat up my brothers; all in jest of course! After athletics, I picked up martial arts, and then moved to Taekwondo.”
Excited and anxious in equal measure, the 2019 World Para Taekwondo Championship bronze medallist recalls her journey from her village Dinod to the training academy in Rohtak. Tanwar, who initially played in the general category before moving to Para-Taekwondo in 2017, is grateful to her parents for supporting her. “Pursuing any sport is expensive. My father, who works as a driver in a factory, had to take loans to send me for championships,” she reveals, adding, “I want to now inspire all the differently abled players, especially women, to pursue their dreams because nothing can stop us if we work hard!”
Presently training in full swing, the athlete recalls how it was a “pleasant news” to get selected for the Paralympics. She says, “I was extremely sad when I missed the Paralympic qualifier event in Jordan last month, and was almost sure that all my hopes to go to Tokyo were dashed. But thankfully I got selected among the eight athletes for a wild card entry to the Games.”
Author tweets @bhagat_mallika
