Kupwara: A 12-year old boy from Shanoo village of north Kashmir’s Handwara Sub District has won a gold medal in National Kickboxing Championship, held recently in Uttarakhand’s Dehradun.
He has won a gold medal in the Sub-Junior category (below 30kg) after defeating his opponent in the final.
Suhaib Shabir Dar, a 4th grade student at International Islamic School Bypass road Handwara, has been instrumental in kickboxing since early childhood.
Suhaib over the years has bagged four gold and two silver medals in different competitions across the country.
Suhaib, a black belt, had bagged his first gold medal in 2019 at the state level championship. At the north level championship in 2020, Suhaib lost the final and had to contend with a silver medal.
In 11th national Kudo championship in Himachal Pradesh previous year, Suhaib bagged his second gold while, in the later part of the same year Suhaib bagged his third gold medal in Ist Kudo Federation cup, held in the same state.
During 3rd J&K Kudo MMA championship in 2021 held in Jammu, the 12 year old bagged a silver medal. In the current year Suhaib has managed to win two gold medals, first at Baramulla in the month of May and second in the month of June during Open National Jeet Kune Do kickboxing championship at Dehradun Uttarakhand.
Suhaib is optimistic about winning a gold medal at the world kickboxing championship being held next year in Bangladesh.
“Four years back I joined SIMS fitness academy Batagund Mawer, where my coach Shahbaz Ahmad War taught me basic skills of kickboxing. He after witnessing my skills held detailed sessions with me with the result I was able to win half a dozen medals until now,” young Sohaib told Greater Kashmir.
“My focus is now on winning a gold medal in the world kickboxing championship. I have devoted evening time for practice.Hopefully I will be able to earn a name for my parents,” he added.
Suhaib has received all support from parents be it participating in any event or making Suhaib practice at SIMS fitness academy.
“I am really thankful to the administration of International Islamic School which always stood by my son’s side,” Shabir Ahmad told Greater Kashmir.