Ludhiana: Khanna's Tarun strikes gold in para karate
Tarun Sharma's remarkable journey from a humble vegetable vendor to an international para karate champion continues to inspire. A martial artist from Khanna has once again made India proud by clinching a gold medal at the 4th Asian Para Karate Championship held in Uzbekistan on Saturday. Competing in the fiercely contested K-21 category, Sharma's victory is not just another medal—it is a triumph of resilience, spirit, and unstoppable will.
Adding to his growing legacy, Tarun had earlier bagged a silver medal in the same category at the USA Open Karate Championship in Las Vegas this April. And this isn't his first brush with glory. Just last year, he returned with a double gold from the Commonwealth Karate Championship in South Africa. His streak of excellence also includes a recent gold at the 4th KIO National Karate Championship in Hyderabad, cementing his status as India's undisputed K-21 para karate champion.
But Tarun's path to the podium has been anything but easy. At the tender age of six, a paralytic attack threatened to derail his childhood dreams. As years passed, financial struggles added to his woes. Bullied by peers and burdened by poverty, he once worked as a vegetable vendor to support his family. In a powerful protest against unemployment, he even polished shoes outside Khanna's mini secretariat—a gesture that echoed far and wide. That moment marked a turning point, culminating in his appointment as a deputy clerk in the Khanna municipal corporation last year.
He had also won a silver medal at the 2022 Asian Para Championship in Uzbekistan, a bronze in Malaysia in 2023, and a podium finish at the 2019 world championship in Ireland. Sharma's early international appearances, including multiple medals at the 2018 Hungary and Uzbekistan opens, signalled the rise of a new star in para sports.
Yet, for Tarun, victory isn't just about standing atop the podium. Determined to give back, he runs a karate academy in Khanna, where he has trained over 1,400 underprivileged girls in self-defence. For him, every kick taught is a strike against fear, every punch a lesson in confidence.
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