India won a total of 19 medals at the 20th World Muaythai Federation (WMF) World Championships in Thailand, which concluded on March 19. With two golds, nine silvers, and eight bronze medals, the event showed India was on the right track, as Muay Thai (or Muaythai) gains prominence on the world stage. Of those 19 medals, six were brought back by Muaythai fighters from Kolkata.
Lionel Hupping, the head coach of the Indian team and the founder of Supremacy India, a Muaythai academy in Topsia, travelled with the team. Lionel said, “India won 19 medals, of which two were gold and both were from our academy. We competed in the same tournament last year and this time it was clear that the competition was much higher amongst the athletes. We fared pretty well, because the times we missed out on gold or silver medals, it was down to the finest margin.”
The Indian fighters lost out participants from countries like the United Kingdom, Armenia and Uzbekistan. Lionel said “When we came up against fighters from these countries, you could see how far ahead they are in terms of technique and experience. I think our fighters will learn a lot and turn it into experience for the future.”
Gold medalists Hammad Hussain and Fazal Jamal
Mohammed Fazal Jamal, 15, who's trip to Thailand was supported by Swati Choudhary and Geosatis Trust, bagged a gold in the male under-54kg category. Speaking about his experience of winning gold, Fazal said, “The finals were the toughest fight I have ever had. The winning feeling was so good that I want to keep experiencing it. We have an Asian Championship and Nationals coming up, now all I want is gold!”
Eleven-year-old Hammad Hussain was the other golden boy. Hammad had extensive support from his family and his father travelled with him for the tournament. “The support that I keep getting from my parents is incredible. They are always excited when I win, and they are the reason why I can train and compete. Last year, I won silver and now it’s gold, so my whole family and I are very happy with my aim of winning more,” he said.
Tahira Parwez and Agnindrani Ghosh
Tahira Perwez won gold last year, but came up one short this year. She said, “I went with the hopes of winning gold, but the opponent I came up against was just too good. She is a five-time champion and everyone was scared of her — but I wasn’t. When we faced off in the finals, I saw how much better she was and understood how much more I have to work. I need to train harder.”
Agnindrani Ghosh won two medals — a gold and a bronze. The 12-year-old was travelling for the very first time for the competition, but wasn’t satisfied. She said, “I got a lot of exposure, but I didn’t get two golds. My parents have always supported me. I want to win golds for myself and for them, so now I need to train harder. I will spend more time training and practising my skills.”
Fahad Zedan
The other athlete who went to Thailand, with the support of Geosatis Trust, was Fahad Zedan. The 21-year-old is currently pursuing graduation from Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose College. He said, “The opponent I lost to had 15 years of experience — and I have been training for two years. I know what I need to work on now and how to tackle a similar situation. Next time it will surely be gold.”