A class XII student of the CBSE-affiliated L’ecole du Monde, Lucknow, Swapnil Kumar (17) is back home with a haul of gold and bronze medals in the weapon and full contact categories of the 3D World Kung Fu Championship, staged by the European Kung Fu Federation in Beijing between July 25-30. Swapnil’s achievement is specially notable because he began formal training in martial arts only last year ” and that too as a therapy for a spinal cord dislocation.

Not in my wildest dreams did I imagine winning a gold medal in this prescribed sport, says Swapnil, who fought his way to the top of a heap of contestants from 88 countries around the world. However it’s an indicator of the speed with which the precocious teen has taken to this martial sport that last November ” only seven months after he started coaching under G.P. Tripathi, secretary general of the Indian Kung Fu Union ” he bagged two gold medals in the 8th National Kung Fu Championship.

The only child of poultry farm owner Vijay and homemaker mother Madhu, Swapnil ascribes his meteoric success to his support team. My parents played a crucial role and encouraged me to dedicate myself to Kung Fu. I am also thankful to my teachers for making up for lost classes after school hours, he says gratefully.

Despite his natural genius and aptitude for this ancient Chinese martial art, Swapnil practices six hours every day of the week. To develop strong reflexes and agility, my workout sessions begin with warm-ups, sprints, stretching and conditioning exercises followed by core training, he says.

Swapnil is now focused on striking a balance between his scholastic and sporting ambitions. After completing class XII, I am keen on a career in biological research. But I will continue to train and compete in Kung Fu tournaments as the sport has helped me regain my life, he says.

Way to go, bro!

Puja Awasthi (Lucknow)