When class topper Maheen Nawaz Khan was in Oman and was seven-year-old, she was enrolled in Taekwondo classes. The reason? Her father taught that she was becoming lazy and the very sweet Maheen laughs when she admits that this is true. She participated in her first championship when she was eight and won a silver. "I was nervous initially, but when I won I thought to myself, 'Wow, I am actually good at this!'," recalls Maheen. One championship led to another and today, Maheen has won 28 medals, out of which, 22 are gold, four and silver and there is one bronze.
The Hyderabad-born youngster has shifted her base back to the City of Nizams and is ready to compete at the Asian Taekwondo Championships in Jordan. The fact that she is most proud of is that she will finally be representing India. "It is my parents dream to see me represent the country and win a medal to make everybody proud," says the 12-year-old. We are told that she will be the first person to represent Telangana in Taekwondo in a very, very long time.
So how does this topper balance academics and Taekwondo? "By waking up earlier during exams to study and reducing my training time," says Maheen who shifted back from Oman to Hyderabad about three weeks back. She usually practices five to six hours in a day and is currently trying to set up a routine that will comfortably accommodate all her interests, including PUBG, "because I love PUBG," she shares and laughs. Where does she see herself a few years down the line, we ask. "I will find some new talent," she says confidently and even lets us in on her plans to teach Taekwondo once she reaches a more professional level. For now, she is training at the Indian Training Camp and will leave for Jordan on July 18, she informs, sounding excited and ready to take over the world.
Full split: Maheen Nawaz Khan doing what she does best | (Pic: Maheen Nawaz Khan)
Know your Taekwondo
- It is a Korean martial art form developed around 1940s
- It lays emphasis on kicks
- The five tenets of Taekwondo are courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control and indomitable spirit
- It has been an Olympic sport since the year 2000
