• Assam daughter Rodali Barua ends India's 10-year medal drought at Asian Taekwondo Championships, clinches bronze in women's 73kgs

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    Assam daughter Rodali Barua ends India's 10-year medal drought at Asian Taekwondo Championships, clinches bronze in women's 73kgs

    Rodali Barua made history by becoming the first Indian to clinch a medal at the Asian Taekwondo Championships in Kyorugi, following Latika Bhandari's bronze medal triumph. 

    Digital Desk: Rodali Barua from Assam won a bronze medal in the women’s 73kgs category for India at the Asian Taekwondo Championship 2024 on Friday, May 17.

    Rodali Barua made history by becoming the first Indian to clinch a medal at the Asian Taekwondo Championships in Kyorugi, following Latika Bhandari's bronze medal triumph. This continental championship occurs biennially, with its inaugural edition held in Seoul, South Korea.

    Her journey to the podium included a victory over Uzbekistan’s Iroda Mirtadjieva in the quarter-finals of the 2024 Asian Championships, followed by a defeat against China’s Xu Lei in the semi-finals. Notably, Lei was the top seed in the tournament.

    Barua's success extends beyond the Asian Championships, as she has previously secured gold medals at prestigious events such as the India Open (2019), the President’s Cup Asia (2018), and the El Hassan Open (2018).

    In another noteworthy achievement, India’s Rupa Bayor clinched a historic bronze medal in Poomsae in Vietnam on May 15. However, it's important to highlight that Poomsae is not included in the Olympic Games, where only Kyorugi is contested.

    For clarity, Kyorugi involves sparring, whereas poomsae consists of a series of choreographed movements to refine technique against an imaginary opponent. The Asian Poomsae Championship was held from May 14 to May 15 in Da Nang, Vietnam.

    Furthermore, Nepal has displayed notable success at the tournament, even hosting the event in 1988. During that edition, Nepal secured a silver and six bronze medals.

    At the Asian Games, Surendra Bhandari made history as the first Indian to win a medal. Bhandari achieved this milestone during the 2002 Busan Asian Games, at the age of just 17.