Ronak Reyaz Wins Gold At 5th International Thang Ta Championship

Amidst the turbulent times in Kashmir, some are working day and night to make their dreams come true. Recently, Ronak Reyaz bagged a gold medal at the 5th International Thang-Ta championship held in South Korea. Reyaz has created an international mark in a sport that is otherwise dominated by men and proved to be an inspiration to young women across the nation. The whole nation is proud to have young women who withstand the toughest situations and persevere to achieve their dreams.

Key Takeaways:

• Ronak Reyaz bags gold at 5th International Thang Ta Championships.
• Reyaz has created an international mark in a sport that is otherwise dominated by men and proved to be an inspiration to young women across the nation.
• Every Sunday she travelled from Baramulla to Srinagar for practice at the Gojwara Club.
• We need strong policy intervention to incentivise the involvement of more women into martial arts. It is a vital self-defence technique that can come in handy keeping in mind the safety issues around the country.

Who is Ronak Reyaz

Reyaz is a 16-year-old from SRM Welkin School in Sopore. She hails from Magraypora, a small village in the Baramulla district. In an interview, she revealed how every Sunday she travelled from Baramulla to Srinagar to practice at the Gojwara Club. The young lady and her mother travelled long distances only to come closer to Reyaz’s passion. The absence of a practice hub in proximity did not break this routine of two years.

Adversities in the way of big dreams

Hafeeza, Ronak’s mother, elucidated various hurdles. She explained how her daughter is asked to concentrate on studies rather than her sport. Nevertheless, Reyaz has balanced her academics and passion really well. Furthermore, Hafeeza worries about arranging fundings for her daughter's trips to championships ahead. “Her South Korea trip cost us Rs 2,00,000” she further added.

“We had to arrange Rs 75,000 entry fee for South Korea meet in August when everything was shut,” Hafeeza told The Tribune.

In spite of her constant dedication to bringing laurels to the country, Reyaz has never been approached by any authority for help. Therefore, she feels that sports in rural areas are neglected by the government.

Women and martial arts

After winning at 4th Thang Ta Championship last year, Reyaz emphasised that more girls need to practice martial arts for self-defence to prevent crimes against women. Benefits of martial arts can give young girls strong self-esteem and undeterrable confidence. Being devoted to a sports form can also bring about a discipline that can continue to be useful into their adulthood.

The need for government intervention to encourage women in sports

Women and men both undergo similar training for martial arts. Therefore, it promotes gender equality better than any other sport. We need strong policy intervention to incentivise the involvement of more women into martial arts. It is a vital self-defence technique that can come in handy keeping in mind the safety issues around the country.

Every Sunday she travelled from Baramulla to Srinagar for practice at the Gojwara Club.

Furthermore, the government needs to establish training facilities so that children like Reyaz can access proper equipment for training in proximity. It is essential to think about young girls from rural areas for they are now striving to make their mark on the map.

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Vipashyana Dubey is an intern with SheThePeople.Tv