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Eight-year-old Gurnoor Kaur expressed her joy after she became the youngest Taekwondo black belt holder in the entire Jammu and Kashmir region, marking a remarkable milestone in her sporting journey.
Expressing her joy over the achievement, Gurnoor said she is delighted with the recognition and credited her success to years of consistent practice and dedication. "I am delighted with this achievement... I have been practising for 4 years... I want to become a national player and bring a gold medal for the country," she told ANI. Her coach, Zaira Bukhari, hailed the feat as a moment of pride not just for the district but for the entire Union Territory. She highlighted Gurnoor's discipline and hard work over the past four years, calling her an inspiration for other young girls. "It is a proud moment for the district as well as the entire Union Territory that Gurnoor Kaur became the youngest black belt holder of J&K UT. She has been working hard for 4 years, and it is an inspiration for other girls as well," Bukhari said. He further expressed confidence in Gurnoor's future prospects, stating that with continued dedication, the young athlete has the potential to represent India at the international level. "With this pace, she will definitely become an international player and represent India on a global level one day," he added. In February, in a significant push to strengthen India's combat sports pipeline, the Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) gave a go-ahead to customised international exposure and coaching support for athletes in taekwondo and karate, ahead of the Asian Games 2026, according to a release. In taekwondo, Rodali Barua has been backed for participation in five international competitions - Bulgaria Open 2026, Slovenia Open 2026, Dutch Open 2026, Oceania Championships 2026 - which are G2 level competitions as recognised by the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF). She is also scheduled to participate in the fourth Mount Everest International Open Taekwondo Championship in Nepal, 2026, a G1-level tournament. The Target Asian Games Group (TAGG) has recommended the proposals for a financial amount of Rs 21.20 Lakh, and the tourneys are scheduled over the months of February and March for Barua, who has been a bronze medalist at the President's Cup, Oceania Region, Gold Coast, in 2025. (ANI)
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