Exclusive: It was my dream to represent India, says Sadia Tariq

Parents, Sadia said, should give their daughters the opportunity to move out and trust them once. "May be there are 100 more girls like me but they are not able to come forward because of the social taboo."

Srinagar: Sadia Tariq, the Kashmir girl who won a gold in Moscow Wushu Star Championship Wednesday thanked the government of Jammu and Kashmir for its support as she and the rest of her team were given a grand welcome upon their arrival in Jammu.

In an exclusive interview with ETV Bharat, Sadia said that she always wanted to win a medal for India but had not expected that it would happen so soon. "It was my dream to play and win for India. I am thankful for all the support I received from the government. I was given a grand arrival at Delhi airport and here too the reception was overwhelming," the Srinagar born girl said.

Sadia's feat received appreciation from one and all so much so that Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took to social media to wish the young Wushu champion. “Congratulations to Sadia Tariq on winning the Gold medal at the Moscow Wushu Stars Championship. Her success will inspire many budding athletes. Wishing her the very best for her future endeavours”, PM Modi said in a tweet.

Talking about her journey so far, Sadia said she was interested in sports right from her childhood. "I have been active in sports since class 3. My parents wanted me to play some game at the professional level so they took me to the sports stadium in Srinagar. There I saw students and children playing several games but I found Wushu very interesting and started learning it," she said.

"The first national event I participated in was in Kolkata where I won a bronze (medal). It also gave me the required exposure and experience to learn more about the game from other players. The next national championship was in Haryana in which I won the gold. Then in 2021, I again won a gold medal in Punjab, that too was a national event. And now, this was my first international event," she said.

Sadia credited her parents for the achievement and said they always supported her. "I do not talk about Kashmir but there are some other far-flung areas where parents force daughters to get married and stay behind four walls. To them, I say that you should give your daughters the opportunity to move out and trust them once in chasing their dreams. Maybe there are 100 more girls like me but they are not able to come forward because of the social taboo," she said.