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Hindustan Times
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
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.
Hindustan Times
23-04-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Ludhiana: City lad bags silver medal at US karate championship
Tarun Sharma, a para karate player from Khanna, won the silver medal in K21 category at the USA Open Karate Championship held in Las Vegas from April 16 to 20. This achievement comes at the heels of Sharma winning two gold medals at last year's Commonwealth Karate Championships in South Africa. Earlier this year, Sharma struck gold at the 4th KIO National Karate Championship in Hyderabad., Sharma's story is one of sheer grit and unwavering determination. Tarun's journey has taken him across the globe, securing a silver 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. His early breakthrough came with winning multiple medals at the Having suffered a paralytic attack at the age of six, Sharma was bullied as a child. Before his breakthrough in Hungary Open and Uzbekistan Open in 2018, where he won multiple medals, he underwent years of financial hardship and worked as a vegetable vendor in Khanna. During last year, he staged a symbolic protest over unemployment, shoe-shining outside the mini secretariat. In the same year, he was appointed as a deputy clerk at Khanna's Municipal Corporation. Apart from his professional success, Sharma has trained more than 1,400 underprivileged girls in self-defense through his karate academy in Khanna.
