Priyamvada Maurya
Mumbai: Thane girl Priyamvada Maurya clinched two gold medals in the 2016 Budokan Cup Karate International Invitational Tournament, which was held in Dubai in the last week of May. The 14-year-old Priyamvada, a student of New Horizon School, Thane, won gold medals in both Kumite and kata competitions in the girls’ under-15 category.
The Class X student, Priyamvada had also come out with flying colours in the KBI Asia Karate Championship in Hyderabad last December. She picked up gold medals in kumite (under-15), kata (under-15), kumite (under-15, under-17 team event) and also bagged the Championship Trophy (kumite under-15, under-17).
The Thane girl is hungry for more success and has already started training for her next major competition, which is the 2016 WKO (World Kumite Organization) Junior World Cup to be held in Okinawa, Japan in July-August this year.
Priyamvada, picked up the basics at school under the guidance of the husband and wife team of Sandeep and Deepali Surve, both renowned coaches and karate champions. She later began training at the Sun Bright Budokan Karate Academy, Thane with the Surve’s.
Coach Sandeep Surve stated that Priyamvada’s dedication and hard work is reaping her rich rewards. “Priyamvada is a talented youngster who picked up the sport quickly. She is totally dedicated, determined and does not shirk away from training and these qualities have helped her to succeed at the top level,” said Surve.
“She has also learned how to handle pressure and during competitions she shows tremendous confidence and does not show any signs of nervousness. That is mainly the reason why she has been so successful in tournaments in India and abroad. She is now working hard for the Japan event and I have full faith that she will do very well,” stated Sandeep.
Priyamvada, who started learning karate in July, 2013, has done exceptionally well in the sport winning a clutch of 29 medals and trophies at domestic, national (state and all-India) and international competitions.
The energetic karateka Priyamvada had also dominated the domestic scene winning accolades at the school competitions, district events and national-level tournaments before making a mark on the international stage.