From the by-lanes of Dewan Devdi of Charminar locality, 19-year-old Syeda Falak has become the first-ever in martial arts from the city to make it to the Indian team for the Incheon (South Korea) Asian Games scheduled for September.
Falak will be competing in the 68 kg category of Kumite event for senior women in the Asiad by virtue of wining a gold in the KAI National championship in Delhi last December.
“It is a dream come true. When I started off at 12, it was for purely for fitness and self-defence. But within a few months, my coaches noticed my improvement. The first international medal I won in Nepal (2007) was perhaps the turning point of my career,” says the BA second year student of Villa Marie College.
With solid support from parents – S. S. Majaz-ul-Haq and Amena Fatima, this young talent is quite determined to script a memorable chapter. “The national camp in Bhopal from the 20th of this month should be a great experience as I will be training with some of the best in India and also trying to pick up a few new tricks in the art,” says a confident Falak, who idolises four-time world champion Rafael Aghayev of Azerbaijan.
