Hailing from Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan, 22 year old Para Taekwondo athlete Mohit Singh has been training at the Peace Taekwondo Academy since the last three and a half years. He has already represented India at the Asian Championship in 2019 and played at the 9th World Para Taekwondo Championship in 2021. The player has now set his sights on the 2022 Asian Para Games later this year.
In this exclusive interview, Mohit Singh speaks about his taekwondo journey, experiences, memorable achievements, expectations from the Para Asian Games, overcoming challenges and future goals.
Q 1) How did your journey in taekwondo begin? When were you introduced to the sport and what made you pursue it professionally?
I started taekwondo in 2018. It all began because the taekwondo classes were held at the same time as the morning assembly in school and in order to avoid it I joined the sport. Since I’m a para athlete with a hand problem, learning to defend myself was very important for me. I always enjoyed watching martial arts and that’s what motivated me to take up taekwondo. I didn’t have much knowledge about it at the beginning and it started off as a hobby but slowly evolved into a career path.
Q 2) You have been at Peace Taekwondo for three and a half years. How has your experience been so far?
Despite starting taekwondo in 2018 I felt no changes in my body and mind even after practicing it for a year. That’s when I joined Peace Taekwondo and since then, my confidence has risen and the experience has been amazing! I received a lot of support from the senior players and the coaches which motivated me so it has been great.
Q 3) What is the most special memory from your taekwondo career so far and why?
Being selected for the Asian Para Games was the most memorable for me so far. Despite starting taekwondo in 2018, I haven’t won any medals despite putting in the effort to succeed. My family were also very happy for my selection at the Asian Para Games. I have also received support from the Peace Taekwondo Academy and I’m glad that someone from the academy is being represented at the Asian Para Games.
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Q 4) You have been selected for the 2022 Asian Para Games, what are your expectations from it?
My expectations at the Asian Para Games are that I don’t want to just go there and represent my country, I want to go and win a medal. To win a medal I have to work and train even harder than before.
Q5) What are some of the biggest challenges that you have faced in your career? How did you overcome them?
The biggest challenge I feel is that even after giving your 100% it still feels less, especially when you're away from family. I feel I have let my coach and my parents down by not training hard but then again in taekwondo, losing is a part and parcel of the game. For me the more I lose, the more motivated I become to perform better in the next tournament.
Q6) What are your future goals and how do you plan to achieve them?
My ultimate goal in the future is to win the Paralympics gold medal. In order to achieve that I need to train even harder and try to achieve the best possible outcome.
