Kashmir’s Wushu Sisters, Ansa Chishti and Ayeera Chishti brought laurels to India by clinching Gold medals in the Russian Moscow Stars Wushu International Championship.
The ongoing championship started in Moscow on 28 February and will conclude on March 5, 2024.
Both players performed exceptionally in their respective weight categories of 52 and 56. They beat their Russian opponents in the finals and made their fans proud as well as the entire sports fraternity of J&K.
J&K Sports Council Chief Nuzhat Gull asked people to cheer the two bright women sportspersons fromthe Valley on X:
Both players performed exceptionally in their respective weight categories of 52 and 56. They beat their Russian opponents in the finals and made their fans proud as well as the entire sports fraternity of J&K.
This is the 3rd International medal for Ayeera as she won Gold in Georgia and Bronze in the World championship in Indonesia earlier. Now it’s 3rd consecutive medal in the international Wushu Championship and last year she was also shortlisted for the State Award.
Ayeera is the 1st Wushu Female Athlete who was shortlisted for this prestigious award. Similarly, Ansa, who won the 2nd Medal in the international Wushu Championship, had won Silver in the Georgia International Wushu Championship.
With today’s medal, she has won her 1st Gold medal in an international championship. Notably, both players are National Champions in their weight category as they won many medals in National championships.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Story / by ATV / March 04th, 2024
Shabnam Shabbir Shaikh of Aambijalgaon, Maharashtra, trashes stereotypes of Indian women. Having picked wrestling as her field, this 28-year-old woman has broken all the shackles that a girl child faces while growing up in a small village.
Hailing from the village Aambijalgaon, Karjat, of the district Ahmednagar Shabnam was born in Jammu where her father Shabbir Sarabhai Shaikh was posted in the Indian Army. She is the third child of her parents and she grew up seeing her mother Rizwana Begum looking after the house and the family. However, Shabnam’s father always wanted his daughter to be brave, self-reliant, and break social stereotypes.
A great votary of women’s education Shabbir Shaikh encouraged his wife Rizwana Begum to complete her MSc degree after their marriage.Due to her father’s frequent postings across the country, Shabnam did her schooling mostly at the Army schools in Ambala, Udhampur, Srinagar, and Ahmedabad. After her father’s retirement, the family settled in their native village and Shabnam joined the local school.
She joined the 11th class in the Dada Patil College, Karjat, in the science stream. despite an irregular and sluggish bus service to Karjat, she somehow managed to study and also attend coaching for wrestling.
Coach Shabnam with her team
Shabnam completed her Bachelor of Physical Education (BPE) from Aurangabad (Sambhajinagar). She also got a diploma certificate in Coaching from the National Institute of Patiala, Punjab, and later did her Master’s from Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University and then registered for her PhD studies.
Shabnam’s wrestling career began at the age of seven with her father as her coach. Shabnam says, “’My father is my first guru.”
Shabnam came from a family of wrestlers: her grandfather Sadarbhai Shaikh and great-grandfather were well-known wrestlers in the area. Their ancestral house has a wrestling arena where she watched male members of her family and neighbours practice wrestling.
Shabnam had to face the scorn and disapproval of her extended family and relatives when she started practicing wrestling. People even asked her family why she was allowed to wear shorts.
Shabnam at the convocation of the University
Shabnam started with Kabaddi, a game that requires a lot of alacrity and stamina.
Initially, she did not get to enter the arena where her brothers wrestled, so she took to Kabbadi. “I used to think that if I wrestle and win that will be my victory. Even if I lose, it will also be my failure. Will happen… I expressed my desire to wrestle to my father. He responded positively.”
Shabnam’s father had a precondition for training her. He wanted her to concentrate on training and practice for the first two years. She started receiving training from her father and two elder brothers.
Every morning at 4 o’clock she was sent to pick lemons from their farm located about 10 km away. She learned the nuances of wrestling and participated in her first competition in Ludhiana (Punjab). She bagged a silver medal and there started her winning streak.
Shabnam says, “Once in my village, my father came to know about a competition in Delhi. I was just 10 years old at that time. He gave me a paper with the address written on it and a train ticket and wished me good luck for the journey.”
At that time she wondered why she was going alone, ‘Why don’t my parents come with me? But my father always used to tell me that some battles in life have to be fought alone,” she says going down memory lane.
Shabnam Shaikh with her trophy
Shabnam won the title of ‘Women Maharashtra Kesari’ in 2010. She has won the gold medal in ‘Shirdi Kesari’ for three consecutive years since 2009, the gold medal in ‘Latur’ in 2011, gold medal in the ‘Maharashtra State Kustigir Parishad’ competition for six consecutive years.
She has also participated in four inter-university competitions, 10 national competitions, and more than 15 state-level competitions. In the national level ‘Great Bharatkumari Wrestling Competition’, Shabnam is the first winner not only from the Muslim community but also from Maharashtra.
Shabnam says her father taught her that one doesn’t need an outer veil. “Always keep the veil that differentiates between good and bad people in front of your eyes!” he told her.
Shabnam says, “People used to question my parents’ ways. A girl should not play sports like wrestling. Teach her to fast (during Ramazan) and pray. Don’t you want only boys to play wrestling? Hundreds of questions were asked but my parents did not let the pressure of society affect me.
“My father never changed his opinion under the pressure of society. He never let these things affect my game. I always got the support of my parents and my elder brothers.”
Shabnam’s mother Rizwana Begum says, “I have not two, but three ‘sons’! My brothers did not give me a share of our parents’ property. But, I will not let this injustice happen to my daughter. I will give her everything she deserves. Shabnam has brought glory to us. As a mother, I will always be proud of her.”
Shabnam’s thesis for her Ph.D. degree is ‘Comparative study of emotional maturity of rural and urban women wrestlers in Maharashtra’. She toured the entire state for research.
Shabnam is the first woman in India to do a doctorate in sports studies. While doing her Ph.D. in Wrestling, there were often deliberate attempts to embarrass and thwart her effort to earn a doctorate.
In the year 2017, Shabnam was selected as the junior coach of the Wrestling Women’s Association of India; she imparted wrestling training to Anushka Sharma and Salman Khan for the film ‘Sultan‘. Shabnam has represented India in Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.
She currently works as a ‘Senior Trainer’ in the ‘Wrestling Women’s Association’ of India. India has never had success in the ‘World Women’s Wrestling Championship’ till now. However, in the ‘Under-20 World Championship’ of 2023 India won seven medals in ‘Women’s Wrestling’. Out of these, three are gold medals.
Shabnam Shaikh after her victory in a foreign location
Dr. Shabnam Shaikh is today known as the ‘International Wrestling Coach.
Shabnam says, “I was selected as the coach of ‘Maharashtra Team’ for the national tournament held in Gujarat last year. Twenty-four hours ago, my name was canceled! I was not given any idea about this.”
“Many times, despite having the right credentials and qualifications, I am not given a chance. Probably, because I live with self-respect! I always think that when someone asks me, “How did you get all this?’ I should proudly tell him, ‘I have earned it through my hard work.’
Shabnam says, “Wrestling gave me identity. Sometimes I wonder, ‘Is wrestling a curse or a blessing for me?’ Initially, relatives and other people of the society hated seeing me wrestle.
“Later, when I started winning competitions, people would post the news of my success on their ‘status’ on various social media platforms and write the caption, ‘Congratulations and best wishes to our sister or relative.’
After reading the news of my winning, I became everyone’s relative at that time! But, they speak against me on behind my back! However, now they hesitate to speak against me openly!”
Shabnam says, “Most of the time I am rejected for marriage. I play wrestling. The suitors who come to see as a potential candidate for marriage, see my trophies and see ‘Doctor’ written next to my name. When they go home their answer is, ‘We don’t want such an educated girl.'”
Shabnam continues to work hard to ensure that other girls do not face what she has.
Her advice to the youth: “No matter what happens, do not get tired. Do not give up the fight.” Her dream is to build a wrestling center for girls.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Story / by Chaya Kaveri / February 29th, 2024
Khushboo has been practising different forms of martial arts for about 11 years.
Leaving her home and family behind in Uttar Pradesh, 23-year-old Khushboo Nishad secretly travelled to Hyderabad two years ago under the guise of a job transfer to become a mixed martial artist. Within a short period of time, she earned a silver medal at a national-level amateur Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) tournament.
A native of Allahabad, Khushboo has been practising different forms of martial arts for about 11 years now. She started with Judo at the age of 12, moving on to master the South Korean art of Taekwondo for another three years. Khusboo’s father taught her Karate.
Mastering different styles of fighting consequently developed her interest in the fastest-growing combat sport- Mixed Martial Arts. Khushboo said she tried learning MMA in UP, however,”I couldn’t find the level of training I was looking for,” she told Siasat.com.
She started her own research, some ‘asking around,’ and concluded that the best training she could find was in Hyderabad under the guidance of Sheikh Khalid. Moreover, Khalid taught MMA in a traditional form.
Khusboo never told her family about her dream to become a mixed martial artist. “I worked for Radisson in Ludhiana for eight months in order to save money and persue my goals,” she added.
Knowing very well her family would not allow her to go to Hyderabad, Khusboo told them she was transferred to the city of pearls by her company.
Narrating an incident that led to this decision Khushboo said, “One day my father saw a video where I was punched on my face by my coach. Disturbed, he immediately called me back.”
Khusboo was studying at Amity University, Lucknow at that time.
To keep her father happy, Khusboo studied hard and secured a top rank in her college. However, she still nourished the dream of becoming a mixed martial artist.
“I am extremely grateful to the person who recommended Sheikh Khalid to me. I have learned so many new things here,” she concludes adding that she has fallen in love with the city.
source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> Hyderabad / by Usama Hazari / July 28th, 2022
Mrs. Aaesha Munawar, General Secretary, U.P. Judo Association, has been nominated as a member of the Infrastructure Committee of the Indian Olympic Association.
Mr. Amitabh Sharma is the Chairman of this Committee. Apart from Aaesha Munawar, the other members are Mr. Bhola Nath Singh, Mr. Vaghish Pathak, Mr. Akhil Kumar, Mr. Ravi Bengani and Dr. Amit Bhalla. This Committee will serve till the year 2026.
This is for the very first time that a female Judoka from U.P. has been nominated in an IOA committee.
Mrs. P.T. Usha , President,IOA ; Mrs. Alaknanda Ashok , Joint Secretary, IOA; Mr. Harpal Singh and Mr. Bhupendra Singh Bajwa – Executive Council Member, all congratulated Mrs. Aaesha on her nomination.
Munawar Anzar, CEO, U.P. Judo Association.
source: http://www.ismatimes.com / Isma Times / Home> News> National / by Afzal Shah Madudi / March 13th, 2023
Dharavi, one of the largest slums in the world has thrown up many enterprises based on human grit and willpower; and the latest one is a 21-year-old Simran Banu Shaikh who has made it to the Women’s’ Premier League.
Simran has been picked by the UP Warriors for 10 lakhs in the first season of the WPL started on March 4.
Dharavi, spread over 550 acres is home to approximately 10 lakh people and is one of the most thickly populated human settlements in the world with a population density of 869,565 people per square mile. At a 68 percent literacy rate – the highest in any slum area – and a huge recycling a leather industry it’s also an export hub.
Simran Shaikh during net practice
However, despite many ongoing schemes for the area’s development, Dharavi lacks Infrastructure and sanitation is extremely poor.
It’s amidst these circumstances that the story of Simran Sheikh unfolds and she became an example for the youth in following her dreams.
Simran played cricket since her childhood and as the girls didn’t play the sport, she played with boys in her area. When she turned 15, she found herself obsessed with cricket and yet had no idea about the growth and popularity of women’s cricket.
While playing street cricket, Simran joined the Crossway-based United Club, where under the guidance of coach ‘Romdeo Sir’, Simran learned the nuances of the game.
She also mentions the name of Sanjay Satam in helping her. He provided her with a cricket kit and would also bring her other stuff as and when she required it. “I can never forget Sanjay Satam,” she says.
Simran Shaikh
There is a vast difference between street cricket and main cricket; the former is played with a Tennis ball and the latter with a heavy leather ball.
“I also agree that there is a big difference between street cricket and mainstream cricket. But I loved cricket. For my stakes were high and I embraced the change,” she told Awaz-the Voice.
To her surprise, mainstream cricket seemed easier than cricket played with a tennis ball.
Simran comes from a poor family; her father is a wireman and her parents have 7 children – four girls and three boys.
Simran said, ‘We are four sisters and three brothers. Our mother takes care of the house and our father works in wiring. I have two sisters older and the rest are younger than me.”
She said she was never interested in studies and after she failed the matriculation examination, she dropped out of school.
Simran Sheikh is a right-hand batsman and a strong leg spinner. She plays in the middle order and is known for her aggressive batting.
Her parents never stopped her from playing cricket. “Not only had my parents supported me, but even my extended family comprising uncles and aunts also did the same. I also got valuable support from my neighbours. So it has been a good journey so far.’
Simran gained experience playing local cricket tournaments in Mumbai. She also played under-19 cricket.
Simran Shaikh with her team
Later she was selected for Mumbai’s senior team. “I am a batsman. I like to bat in the middle order. But in T20 cricket, I can play at any position..’
Simran adds, ‘I have risen in life due to my strong willpower. I will continue to make efforts.”
She likes Virat Kohli’s batting and Alyssa Perry of Australia in women’s cricket. In the Indian team, she follows the game of Jemima Rodrigues.
Simran says that she got a chance to interact with Indian team women players like Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami, Harmanpreet Singh, Smriti Mandhana, and Jemima Rodriguez during a tournament.
She has played together with Jemima for Mumbai and says that experience is invaluable for her.
On the state of women’s cricket, she said, ‘Women’s cricket has developed at the global level in the last few years. After England and Australia now T20 league is starting in India too. Bids worth crores of ruppes have been placed on women players. This will also address the financial viability of women’s cricket and help the players.’
Simran dreams of playing in the Indian women’s team and has set her eyes on being in the team that will win the World Cup for the country.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Story / by Jayendra Londhe, Mumbai / March 07th, 2023
At the 2022 International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Shotgun World Championship, which was held on Monday in Osijek, Croatia, Indian shooter Areeba Khan took home the silver medal in the individual women’s junior skeet event.
Areeba Khan hit 29 of her 40 shots in the final, missing her final attempt, while Sophie Herrmann of Great Britain scored 30 shots to win the gold.
Raveca-Maria Islai of Romania took home the bronze medal after striking 20 shots, while Muffaddal Zahra Deesawala of India placed fourth after hitting 12 targets.
After Shapath Bharadwaj, Shardul Vihan, and Arya Tyagi won gold in the junior trap men’s team competition, this is India’s second medal in the shotgun competition.
After a shoot-off, Areeba Khan came in third place in the qualifying round. She then won her ranking match to advance to the final.
The 19-year-old Indian shooter competed for India’s junior women’s skeet squad in 2021, which won a gold medal.
No Indian shooter qualified for the ranking matches in the junior men’s individual skeet later in the day.
In qualifying, Bhavtegh Singh Gill, Abhay Singh Sekhon, and Ritu Raj Bundela came in at positions 32, 33, and 36, respectively. The ranking matches are limited to the top eight competitors.
Nilufar Ahmed, a 2nd-semester student of the Bachelor of Computer Application (CT&IS) programme at Assam down town University, scripted history when she emerged victorious with the Gold medal in the 60-65 kg category at the 44th National Arm-Wrestling Championship held in Jammu & Kashmir.
The Championship was organised by the Jammu and Kashmir Arm Wrestling Association. It was held between August 18 – 22 at Ganderbal, J&K.
She also secured the “Champion of the Champions” title in the All-Women’s category at the same event and is, therefore, attained the undisputed No. 1position among all women players of all categories.
The Assam Women’s team was adjudged the best team at this event.
Earlier this year, she participated in the district-level and state-level Arm Wrestling Championships held in Bihdia and Nagaon respectively, where she bagged the Gold in both these events. These victories paved the way for her entry into the National Championships this year.
Before Nilufar ventured into arm wrestling, she was a proficient taekwondo player but had to withdraw due to some injuries. Her entry into the arm wrestling sport has been quite a recent phenomenon and it has been just a few months since she first started practicing the sport on a whim.
Her coach Mr. Debajit Sharma, who is a popular figure in the sport of arm wrestling introduced her to the sport of arm wrestling and trained her. With sheer hard work and a Never Say Die attitude, she has been able to conquer her fears and emerge victorious.
She is the daughter of Mustaque Ahmed and Safia Begum of Guwahati, who are very supportive of her sporting aspirations.
Nilufar is now preparing to achieve greater heights by practicing for forthcoming arm wrestling championships in the international arena.
source: http://www.skilloutlook.com / Skill Outlook (text) / Home> Top News / by Skill Outlook (headline edited) / September 03rd, 2022 / pix: Twitter@NorthEastToday
Becoming the youngest female lifter wasn’t an easy task but Maryam Mohammed’s focus helped her achieve it
Maryam Mohammed lifting weight during the tournament
Bengaluru:
Among the many champions who participated in the event, it was 13-year-old Maryam Mohammed who became the youngest female lifter to set a deadlift record in the Push-Pull Championship. Sports establishment Professional Raw organised the first championship at Onyx Fitness which Mohammed was a part of. There were over 300 athletes from across the country who registered themselves for the event.
It’s not the first win for the young lifter either. Speaking to CE, she says, “It’s the fourth competition that I have won so far. I started powerlifting two and half years ago, when the pandemic started and schools went online.” Her father, Mohammed Azmat, who is a powerlifter himself, has been doing it for over three decades now. “He’s my biggest inspiration. He’s the one who trains me and my younger brother has also started participating in competitions now,” Mohammed says.
She spends her weekdays on school work and uses her weekends to train. The basement of their home has been converted into a gym set-up which has helped her practice more. “I know there are many strong people out there but all I do is focus on the bar and just lift it. There’s nothing else to do,” she says, adding that her younger brother is more focused, something she is working on.
While Mohammed is hoping to get better and win more awards, her father encourages another strategy. “Medals can always be achieved but if they grow up without character, it won’t be of any use,” he says, pointing out that Mohammed always grew up watching him practice in their home set-up. “After she was born, my wife needed my help at home. So, I set up a gym to spend more time at home. Maryam grew up watching me lift weights and when she was finally ready, she showed interest,” he explains.
He adds that neither of the children was ‘forced’ into following in their father’s footsteps. “Seeing them be happy with what they want to do is what I encourage them to follow. They were never forced to follow my footsteps but it’s definitely an icing on top for them to have shown interest,” Azmat says.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Anila Kurian, Express News Service / April 18th, 2022
Powerlifter Gulshan Banu Kazi has not only made her native Udupi, India proud but also Dubai proud by securing a world record among the master category athletes in the Professional Raw Organisations Push-Pull Championship 2022, a national level event held in Bengaluru recently.
This sporting event held at Onyx Fitness was one of the most popular internationally sanctioned national powerlifting championships, consisting of three main events -Bench Press, Deadlifts and Push-Pull.
Record holder Gulshan Banu Kazi is a 43-year-old mother of three, working six days a week at a corporate office in Dubai.
A native of Udupi, she is from Udupi and an alumnus of St Cecily’s and PPC College here .
She is a competitive Powerlifter. Powerlifting is a form of competitive weightlifting in which the contestants attempt three types of lifts in a set sequence, squat, bench press, and deadlift.
Gulshan started powerlifting training in the year 2019.
The training is tough. She trains at least four times a week for about 90 minutes each time and keeps a watch on her nutrition intake and sleep pattern.
She has been participating in a powerlifting competition in UAE and did well there. One of her latest has been the Pro-League National Championship-2022 where she hit five personal records and registered a World Record in Deadlifts (U82.5kg Masters and Open Category) by pulling 180 kgs. She becomes the first woman of India in her age and her weight category to pull off this deadlift.
Last April, she participated in the WPC National Powerlifting Championship securing four gold medals in Bengaluru. Gulshan Kazi won the Best Lifter Award in the Masters’ category.
Gulshan used to be above 100 kgs till 2016 when she suffered from Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Resistance training and tracking her food intake enabled her to start losing weight and gaining muscle. Soon after, she was introduced to powerlifting and has been consistent at it ever since.
She is grateful to Raju Pal, her first coach who introduced her to powerlifting and taught her all the basics.
Now she is training under Mohammad Azmat who is a multiple-time national and international medalist in powerlifting, having won medals for India in different federations. He has been coaching her since 2020.
Gulshan Kazi is looking forward to her representation at World Championships and working hard to make India proud.
source: http://www.daijiworld.com / Daijiworld.com / Home> Middle East / by Daijiworld Media Network – DRD / March 22nd, 2022
Powerlifting champion Sk. Sadia Almas presenting a bouquet to Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy at Tadepalli on Tuesday.
Proposal for setting up a powerlifting academy at Mangalagiri approved
Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has announced a final assistance of ₹5 lakh on behalf of the Andhra Pradesh government for international powerlifting champion Shaik Sadia Almas.
Ms. Sadia, along with her father Samdhani, met Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy at his chamber in the Assembly . She won three gold medals and a bronze medal at the Asian Powerlifting Championships held at Istanbul in Turkey in December 2021.
Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy appreciated Ms. Sadia and approved the proposal of establishing a powerlifting academy in her hometown of Mangalagiri. He said that the government would make all efforts to encourage athletes in the State.
Sports Minister M. Srinivasa Rao, Mangalagiri MLA Alla Ramakrishna Reddy, Special Chief Secretary Rajat Bhargava and others were present on the occasion.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Andhra Pradesh / by Tharun Boda / Vijayawada – March 22nd, 2022
