Defying odds: Hashim Mansoor, champion ‘Karate Kid’, is Kashmir’s pride

Hashim Mansoor, who has just won the Asian Youth Karate Championship, is not a normal kid.

New Delhi, Nov 30: It takes a lot of courage for a six-year-old kid to attend Karata classes regularly, in spite of curfews and protests in various parts of Jammu and Kashmir in the last four months.

However, Hashim Mansoor, who has just won the Asian Youth Karate Championship, is not a normal kid.

He is a symbol of Kashmiri "resilience".

Hashim represented India in the Sub-Junior category in the championship held at Talkatora stadium in the national capital.

19 countries participated in the championship.

As schools and educational institutions remained closed in the Valley, young Hashim diligently practiced Karate.

"I am very happy to win this medal. I had been practising for this since last one year. It was difficult, but I still won the fight," a delighted Hashim told ANI.

"Remaining away from school for many months offered me enough time to practise the sport of Karate. It was perhaps luck that I got so much time to practice under my coach," Hashim told Times of India.

Hashim hails from Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipora district.

"It is a huge thing to win this Championship as there are not much resources for sports in Kashmir; Hashim faced a lot of hurdles to reach here," said his coach.

Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra and many others have congratulated Hashim for his incredible achievement at such a young age.

Earlier, an eight-year-old girl from the state, Tajamul Islam had bagged a gold medal at the World Kickboxing Championship.

OneIndia News