Fighting the stereotypes

National Kickboxing champion Katyayani represents the growing tribe of young women who strive to break stereotypes and in doing so excel in their chosen field. Among the many wins that came her way, the significant ones were the three gold medals at National Full Content Fight, January 2018 that paved the way for International championship. 

She won silver medal at the international K1 fight in Bangkok.  Apart from scaling heights in the chosen field of sports – Kickboxing, she also holds a Black Belt in Karate. She loves riding her bike and harbours dreams at the Olympics.  

What made you choose kickboxing?
I am a black belt holder in karate, but I shifted my focus towards kickboxing as it is an international game and through this I can enter the Olympics Games.

I was always interested in fights, which made me tough, I guess.

Who is your inspiration?
Karnam Maleshwari, the Indian weightlifter won a medal in the Olympics and she is my inspiration.

Was it difficult to choose to fight as a career?
Society never accepted my dream; I was always questioned for being a girl if it was necessary to fight? Even my family was against me getting into this field. But, I still overcame all these issues to reach where I wanted to be. 

Are your parents supportive?
My parents were not initially supportive of me getting into kickboxing, but I never gave up because I was crazy about kickboxing and I love fighting 

How did you learn kickboxing?
Being a black belt holder in Karate it was easy for me to enter kickboxing. Kickboxing is like street fight and it needs a lot of practice, which I do every day.

Tell us about your training?
I usually practice at a gym; my coach Kamlakar is very supportive. Since, I have to travel almost 30 km from the place where I live to get trained, I usually practice at home and visit my coach twice in a week. 

What excites you about kickboxing?
There are no specific techniques used in kickboxing, it is all about mind game. We need to concentrate and have an eye contact with the opposite player. People think it is all about kicks and punches, but the player should be very firm at the eye contact so that she/ he is aware of the next move that the opponent is going to take. It is not only about power but also the players mindset that makes it exciting.

Share the experience of the last fight you won?
I chose to fight with a woman who has been a world champion 10 times. Her punch power was 80 and mine was about 50, she was a very strong woman which was a really good experience for me. 

What is the diet that you maintain?
I stopped having rice. Every day I have eggs, I have brown bread before workout and after workout, I eat oats and peanuts. I love chocolates, but now I can’t have them.

What are your future goals?
I want to be a gold medalist at Olympics. I want to get into the police department and I also want to open a training academy where I can train people who are interested in this game. I basically want to give back something to the society after achieving 
my goal.

What is your message to women who want to get into kickboxing or such other sports?
A girl is equal to a boy. If she desires to achieve anything in life she will do it if she works towards it wholeheartedly. Once she is confident to attain something, she will surely emerge victorious. My message is to never give up on your dreams.

By: D Shreya Veronica