City taekwondo champ struggles to raise `90,000 to represent India

The plight of B Sai Deepak, a 23-year-old taekwondo fighter from Hyderabad, is similar to that of many others who choose to pursue offbeat sports in India. The Yousufguda boy, who has six world records in taekwondo to his credit, has a calendar that’s chock-a-block with international championships he has qualified for in 2019 — 4th Heroes International Taekwondo Championship in Malaysia and 2nd Asian Open Taekwondo Championship in Vietnam, both in August; Indo Russian Championship in September and later, the Kazakistan Open Taekwondo Championship.“But sadly, I may not be able to compete in most of these due to lack of funds. I need `80,000-`90,000 to participate in the competition in Vietnam. But I have just `25,000 so far,” rues Deepak.
Being the son of an auto-rickshaw driver, it was never easy for Deepak. But all he dreams of is “winning medals for India” and he is confident he has it in him. “In 2018, I won a bronze medal at the Malaysian Open and a gold medal at the Indo Korea Taekwondo Championship. But travelling to those places was not an easy task. My brothers, with the help of their friends, raised money to send me for those events. But how long can they do that?,” he asks.
The youngster further says that lack of money was the reason for his non-participation in the last two editions of the US Open. “I sought financial aid from the Telangana government to play in the 2018 US Open, but got no response from them. And even though I was able to get monetary support from actor Ram Pothineni for this year’s US Open, my visa got rejected because I did not have enough balance in my bank account.” However, the fighter that he is, Deepak refuses to give up. In a desperate bid to attract the attention of potential sponsors, the Telugu boy has been on a record-breaking spree. “I already have six world records to my name — three in the individual category and three in the group category. The most recent one was in April, when I got into the Guinness Book of World Records for doing 108 knee strikes in 180 seconds with 5 kg ankle weights. very soon, I am going to add three more records to that list,” he says, adding, “I hope to attract sponsors by creating these records and of course, inspire other taekwondo enthusiasts in the country.”
Deepak’s parents however, don’t share the same enthusiasm for his taekwondo dreams. “They have a valid fear — they keep worrying how I will ever be able to sustain myself. That’s the reason focussing only on my sport was never an option for me. I completed BTech, and I am now pursuing MBA hoping that will reassure them. But I did give up job offers from reputed companies because taekwondo came first. They still don’t understand why I would do such a thing,” sighs Deepak. Currently being trained by M Jayanth Reddy, a renowned taekwondo expert from Telangana, the youngster has his eyes set on 2024 Paris Olympics. “I will, hopefully, get my GAL Card (global athletes licence) next month. my mission right now is to do everything I can to qualify for Paris Olympics in 2024,” says Deepak, who dedicates his wins to his coach. “My master, Jayanth Reddy, has been training me for a very long time without taking a rupee from me. I will fulfil all the dreams he has for me and create more records and continue to be an icon for the current generation,” he says, signing off.