It is likely you have come across the name of R. Venkatesan while searching for taekwondo teachers on Rajiv Gandhi Salai. He started OMR Taekwondo Academy in September, 2012, to popularise the martial art.
In the last two years, the Academy has trained over 1,500 students. It wants them to represent the country in the Olympics.
“My students have won tournaments at the district, state, national and international level and I am sure of realising my dreams," says Venkatesan, who is secretary, Taekwondo Association and executive committee member of the Association of Tamil Nadu Taekwondo.
On this Korean martial art, he says it combines combat and self-defence techniques with sport and exercise.
“Taekwondo has been an Olympic event since the 1988 Summer Olympics and is governed by World Taekwondo Federation (WTF),” he says.
It is also an event in the Asian Games, South Asian Games and Common Wealth Games. In India, it is represented in the National Games, Central Board of Secondary Education School Sports, College and University level and Republic Games (Tamil Nadu), he says.
“Taekwondo develops strength, speed, balance, flexibility, stamina, self-control and self-conditioning and improves concentration,” says Venkatesan, who learnt the martial art from John Alexander, secretary general, Association of Tamil Nadu Taekwondo and received his first Dan Black Belt in Kukkiwon in 2010-11.
He also specialises in Isshinryu Karate, Kobudo, Silambam, and kickboxing and has won many titles in these genres of martial arts,
including gold medals in the first International Tae Hon Festival (Taekwondo) Championship at Indian Institute of Technology-Madras in 2013, a silver medal in Tamil Nadu State Taekwondo Championship, Chennai, in 2012, and a bronze medal in the 32nd National Taekwondo Championship, Dehra Dun, in 2012.
