6-yr-old Hashim from Kashmir wins gold in Asian youth Karate championship

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SRINAGAR: After Tajamul Islam, it’s now Hashim Mansoor who has made not only his Valley proud but India as well by winning gold in Asian Youth Karate Championship in New Delhi.

6-year old Hashim, a resident of Nadihal area of Bandipora district from north Kashmir clinch a gold medal in the sub-junior category (below 25kg) by beating his Sri Lankan rival on Tuesday.

“I am very happy to win this medal. I had been practising for this since last one year, It was difficult, but I still won the fight,” a delighted Hashim told news agency ANI after his achievement.

Hashim, a 2nd standard student of Symbiosis School in Plan Bandipora is a son of  a small businessman Mansoor Ahmad Shah .

In spite of curfews and protests, this wonder kid turns up at a local karate academy every day for practice.

“Remaining away from school for many months offered me enough time to practise the sport of karate. It was perhaps luck that I got so much time to practice under my coach,” Hashim said.

Mansoor’s coach Fasil Ali Dar also expressed his happiness after the win. “It is a huge thing to win this Championship as there are not much resources for sports in Kashmir; Hashim faced a lot of hurdles to reach here,” he said.

Earliler, eight-year-old Tajamul Islam scripted history by becoming India’s first player to clinch a gold in the sub-junior category at the World Kick-boxing Championships in Italy.

Both Tajamul and Hashim have been trained in Ali’s academy-local Martial Arts training school run by Faisal Ali Dar in Bandipora created a sensation in the valley.