Assam,apr 10
National Taekwondo 2016 Senior Gold Medalist Rodali Barua is the first of Guwahati to be shortlisted in the prestigious Target Asian Games (TAG) scheme, a new initiative under the TOP (Target Olympic Podium) initiation aimed at preparing athletes for upcoming Asian Games competition.Rodali Barua, who began her Taekwondo journey in 2012 as an extracurricular activity during school, quickly progressed to competitive levels after being spotted by coaches from the Sports Authority of India (SAI) during state championships. After successful trials, she was selected to train at SAI Guwahati, marking the beginning of her professional career in Taekwondo.Sharing about her positive outlook at school and how it encouraged her to begin her journey of becoming one of the most renowned Taekwondo athletes, Rodali shares,”I started Taekwondo in school as an extracurricular activity. I remember participating in State championships where SAI coaches saw me and invited me for trials. I got selected in SAI Guwahati and from there my Taekwondo career professionally started,” she recalls.Rodali Barua’s competitive journey began almost immediately, participating in junior nationals in 2012 at age 16, and soon after transitioning to senior nationals as she approached 17 years of age. The athlete has primarily competed in the heavyweight women’s category (over 73 kg), with occasional participation in the under 73 kg category.
“From the very beginning I used to participate in over 73 KG women. That is heavyweight category,” she explains. “Once or twice, I have participated in under 73 KG when someone else had already been selected in heavyweight.”
A significant breakthrough came in 2016 when she secured her first gold medal at the Senior Nationals held in Visakhapatnam.
More recently, she earned a bronze medal at the Asian Championship last year, marking India’s first medal in a recognized international Taekwondo tournament in a decade.
