Aruna

Started: She took up taekwondo at age eight and competed in non-Para events until 2017, when she switched to Para taekwondo. "I always believed that I could compete against anybody. It was only when I was declared ineligible to compete at international level that I opted to compete in the Paralympic category." (thebridge.in, 19 Aug 2021; timesofindia.indiatimes.com, 28 Jun 2021; theprint.in, 15 Jun 2021) Reason: She was introduced to taekwondo after opting for mixed martial arts when coach Robin Singh visited her school for a training camp. "Since childhood, I have been a big fan of martial arts." (thebridge.in, 19 Aug 2021; republicworld.com, 12 Jun 2021) Milestones: She became the first taekwondo athlete to represent India at the Paralympic Games when she participated in the K44 -49kg event at the 2020 Games in Tokyo. (hindustantimes.com, 20 Jul 2023; SportsDeskOnline, 11 Apr 2024) She became the first athlete representing India to win a medal in taekwondo at the Asian Para Games when she took bronze in the K44-47kg event as the sport made its debut at the 2022 Games in Hangzhou, People's Republic of China. (Instagram profile, 23 Oct 2023; SportsDeskOnline, 11 Apr 2024) Awards: In 2023 she received the Sports Achiever Award at the Haryana Garima Awards in India. (Garnet & Gold Facebook page, 03 Jun 2023) In 2022 she received the National Diamond Award in Haryana, India. (Chandigarh University Facebook page, 20 Apr 2022)