“If everybody goes behind cricket, who will play other sports?” In a country where bat and ball dominate the world of sports, Shraddha Rangarh is delivering powerful kicks. At just 20, she is ranked No. 5 in the world in kickboxing, with multiple gold medals to her name. No coach, nor parental or financial support — just a college student chasing her dream to become world champion, Shraddha is fighting her way to glory. Her first fight, however, was outside the kickboxing arena. ‘I had to suppress my love for sports’ Hailing from Faridabad, a small town in Haryana, Shraddha’s aspirations clashed sharply with societal expectations. “Where I am from, you can dream of sports as a career if you are a boy. As a girl, dur ki bath hai (it’s a distant thing),” Shraddha says. For Shraddha’s parents, her education was a privilege, not a right. “They believed that letting me study was a resource they were providing, something that every woman cannot avail.” “Till class 6, I had to suppress my love for sports,” she reveals. “I found fleeting moments of joy in kabaddi, cricket, and soccer, playing purely for recreation.” Shraddha had always been a fan of martial arts movies, fascinated by the stunts she saw Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan perform on screen. But while she kept this passion largely hidden, a chance encounter with a taekwondo coach when she was 13 ignited a journey that would change her life. “I was playing football at school, and a taekwondo coach asked me to join his class because he thought I had some strength in my kicks,” Shraddha recalls. This invitation introduced her to the less saturated world of martial arts. Soon, sports became her solace and companion. She won her first gold medal in the national taekwondo championship organised by CBSE. “This competition kindled the passion towards taking sports full-time,” Shraddha explains. However, her dream faced immediate opposition. “For my dad, sports can never be a career,” she says. But Shraddha had made up her mind to turn her passion for sports into a career; she hadn’t decided on the niche but knew that martial arts was where she belonged. Social media helped her make the final decision. “I was scrolling through YouTube and found videos on tricking (a training method that combines kicks, flips, and gymnastics). I was intrigued by the different movements,” Shraddha shares. “I was 14 at the time.” The next natural step was to learn the art. But Shraddha did not have a coach to train her, nor could she afford one. “I was a teenager and did not have the family support to ask for financial help. It forced me to find other ways to learn the sport,” she recalls. “I used to go for Kanjak (young girls are worshipped as representations of the Goddess) during Navratri, earn Rs 100, and save it for registrations and tournaments,” she adds. Social media to the rescue Shraddha quickly realised that pocket money wouldn’t sustain her long-term goals. She needed substantial funds for tournament registrations and personal expenses. “In 2020, I started to post videos of my training on social media, not just to showcase my skills but to build a platform for people who do not have the financial backing to learn tricking,” she says. Contrary to popular belief, kickboxing is more than just fighting with and defeating opponents; it serves as an umbrella term for a variety of martial arts events that also include creative forms. And Shraddha’s passion shines brightest in the sport’s musical forms that blend powerful kicks and flips with martial arts and gymnastics. “I like to do martial arts with the beat of music — we are not dancing, though, but we are fighting with shadows,” Shraddha says. Her videos resonated with viewers. Soon, she started getting requests for lessons. Recognising an opportunity, Shraddha started posting tutorials. By the time she was 16, her follower base had grown to a staggering 1.75 million. Her social media success became her financial backing, and brand deals covered her tournament fees. As her fame grew, her talent caught the eye of Piyush Kumar, the co-founder of ART Talent Management. Through his firm, Piyush helped Shraddha secure brand collaborations and took care of her social media posts. “We were looking for talents that require support to flourish in their domains and stumbled upon Shraddha,” shares Piyush. The road to medals and milestones Shraddha’s competitive journey reached new heights in 2023 when she entered the National Kickboxing Championship for the first time and secured two gold medals. This momentum carried her into 2024, a year packed with international challenges. Facing a demanding schedule, with the WAKO World Cup before the Asian Kickboxing Championship 2024, she had virtually no time for specific preparation. “The performances I was giving in the World Cup and Asian Championships were the same,” she notes. With two major events on the horizon and only three months to prepare, she dedicated herself to relentless training, sacrificing even her Sundays. Giving us a glimpse of her routine, Shradhha shares that she starts her day with a five-hour training session from 5 am to 10 am. “From 11 am to 12 pm, I try to study during exams. In the afternoon, I have footwork or technical sessions from 1 pm to 3 pm. Post-lunch, I have one more session either in the gym or sparring (fighting) with my teammates,” she shares. “I occasionally train with Shraddha when she has an event coming up and when she requires a fight partner,” shares Ritij Rajput, a taekwondo athlete turned bodybuilder. “The fact that she creates her schedule and trains with determination is the reason for her success in the sport,” Ritij adds, who has seen her taekwondo and kickboxing journey. Overcoming the formidable competition requires “unwavering dedication, visualisation, training, and manifestation,” she explains. “I only have one mantra: when there is a tournament, I look at the venue and picture it in my mind. I visualise myself in the venue and practice my routine again and again.” While her World Cup experience left her slightly dissatisfied, with one gold and three silver medals, her performance at the Asian Championships exceeded expectations. “I did not expect to win two gold medals and two silvers since there were leading countries like China, Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia,” she admits. “To be honest, Shraddha does not like silver at all. She feels content only when she secures a gold medal in any event she participates in,” Piyush quips. Her recent victory at the Delhi Open International, a prestigious gala fight, further solidified her dominance. She secured two gold medals and a prize of 500 euros in the main events: musical form, musical form with weapon, creative form, and creative form with weapon. “When you’re standing on the podium, with a medal in your hand and the Indian national anthem playing in the background, all your hardships vanish and make the moment worth every sweat of yours,” Shraddha shares with a smile. ‘Strength comes from training, not gender’ Like every field, kickboxing is no exception when it comes to gender inequality. “I’ve understood that wherever you go, you’ll be judged for being a woman,” Shraddha shares. “Statements like ‘running and standing like a girl’ made me wonder if I needed to be ashamed for being a girl. I wanted to change this narrative,” adds Shraddha. Her response is to challenge these stereotypes head-on. “I fight with boys and defeat them as well,” she states. “But now I get a new comment saying ‘I fight like a boy.’ Just because I am stronger doesn’t mean I have to change my gender, right?” While these experiences were initially frustrating, they now evoke a deeper sense of sadness. “I feel sad when people link strength with gender when the former comes from consistent training,” she shares. A golden dream Shraddha’s gaze is firmly fixed on the future, defined by a series of ambitious short-term goals. With the Italian World Cup in March and subsequent tournaments in Thailand, Turkey, and Uzbekistan, her schedule is packed. Her ultimate dream lies in the 2025 World Championship. “My main focus is on the World Championship because no one from India has won the gold medal yet,” she states, her voice filled with determination. However, the road to success can often be a costly affair, and finances play an important role. “While international competitions like the World Cups and Asian Championships require significant investment, Shraddha has found them manageable. “It will be around Rs two lakhs for one championship, and you need to pay Rs 10,000 more for every extra event you want to compete in,” she explains, demonstrating her practical approach to managing her finances. “It becomes difficult when we fail to get a sponsorship for Shraddha because it also adds an extra pressure on her along with the practice routine and other personal endeavours,” Piyush adds. “It was hard in the beginning. But when I accepted that I wanted to become a world champion, there was nothing I could do about it,” shares Shraddha, looking at the future that she is creating by herself. “As someone who has seen the way she trains, her will-power will definitely let her perform well in the upcoming competitions,” shares Ritij. Now, Shraddha is actively seeking coaches and sponsors to bridge the financial and guidance gaps. She is particularly hopeful about her upcoming conversations with Italian coaches, whom she believes can guide her to a world championship victory. “I am nothing without my achievements,” Shraddha avers. But with every kick, every tournament, Shraddha isn’t just collecting medals — she’s rewriting the story of what a small-town girl can achieve. And even as she pursues her passion, Shraddha made it a point to not miss out on her college education. Not only is she pursuing an undergraduate degree in arts, but she is also covering her younger sister’s college education and her family’s living expenses. Edited by Leila Badyari Castelino; All images courtesy Shraddha Rangarh