Taekwondo

“Courage is not the absence of fear but    the triumph over it”
Meet Subhash Gokul Patil, a world class Taekwondo Coach with numerous achievements and a zeal to make world class taekwondo players. Taekwondo was never on his mind as a child. He was ambitious to become an Inspector. He joined IPS Mumbai in 1999 and got encouraged by President of Taekwondo Maharashtra Association to play his first taekwondo Championship. He got his first break in 2004 when he was selected as the coach for junior India team in Olympics. In the same event, he won his first gold medal when he participated in Taekwondo Masters’ World Championship.

His achievement motivated him to train himself under the guidance of International coaches for one month in gyms and clubs in Korea. He did his referee certification from Israel in 2009 and was selected as referee in the 2010 Commonwealth Games. There was no looking back after this. He was chosen referee for Commonwealth games held in 2014 and 2018 respectively. He was awarded the best referee in 2014 in Scotland.

“Karnala Sports Academy is where I found my inspiration” says Subhash. Apart from selecting and training at least 20-25 children from Raigad district every year, he conducts self- defence workshops for women and corporate employees all across rural and urban Mumbai areas. He is known for mentoring international and Olympic level champions from junior and senior categories.

“Taekwondo is not only an art but a necessity in the current world. I believe that every woman should know this art of self- defence.”
Subhash feels a sense of pride when he comes to know of stories where his women disciples have defended themselves in ugly situations.

When we asked Subhash in what way has taekwondo evolved over a period of time?
He says “taekwondo has come a long way. We see many young girls learning self- defence these days. Over a period of time the sport has swept its way through many rural areas, institutes, schools and colleges. Our international achievers reserve 5% sports quota throughout their education”.

According to Subhash the key attributes to learn taekwondo are discipline, respect and mental preparation. It is the best stamina building sport accompanied with strength and fitness.

His passion towards the art has taken him to every nook and corner of the world. He expresses his complete gratitude to Mr Vivek Patil, founder of Karnala Sports Academy for being a strong support throughout his career. Subhash has completed many refresher courses from time to time and kept himself up to date with the latest skills.
Subhash wants to live his dream of getting gold for India in Olympics and also getting selected as a referee in the next Olympics to be held in 2020.
Karnala Sports Academy is proud to be associated with Subhash Gokul Patil!!

Through her words -The journey of Suma Shirur

“All my life, I worked towards going to the Olympics. I experienced great joy when I qualified for the Olympics with a world record score and eventually made it to the finals at the Athens Olympics, 2004. The thirst continues; the passion overflows for the game as coach”. These are the words of the world class Olympic shooter, the one and only Suma Shirur.
Her family is a family of scholars with doctorates, yet she never distracted herself from chasing her dreams of becoming a world champion in the field of rifle shooting. With immense excitement we bring you the insights of her journey, her beliefs and approach towards her career and achievements through her words.

What were your aspirations in childhood?
Suma: I was always attracted to sports. My aspirations were definitely more inclined towards something in sports.

How did Rifle Shooting happen to you?
Suma: I did reasonably well in small bore rifle shooting for the first time in SIES Sion through NCC. That was also the first time I was introduced to this sport. I was spotted by Sir Sanjay Chakravarty, a Dronacharya awardee, who mentored and groomed me in the sport along with Mr B.P.Bam in my formative years. That’s how it all started.
Every successful person definitely has his share of initial struggles. What was that for Suma Shirur?
Suma: Back then there were hardly any shooting facilities in Navi Mumbai. I had to travel to MRA, Worli from Panvel by bus, two and a half hours each way to practise shooting. Also there was a lack of access to the right and best equipment in those days which I believe was a challenge for aspiring shooters like me.

When did you get your first major break?
Suma: My first major break came in 2002 at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, where I won medals in the individual and team events of 10 metre air rifle.

What was that one turn around point of your career?
Suma: When I made the world record by scoring the maximum of 400 points in the qualification round, at the 2004 Asian Shooting Championships in Kuala Lumpur. There was no looking back for me then. This was a do or die opportunity for me since this was also my last chance to qualify for the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
Suma stormed into the finals of 2004 Athens Olympics. The podium finish eluded her though. She dedicates her achievement to her coach Laszlo who drafted a fantastic plan for her leading up to the Olympics in August throughout the summer of 2004.
All successful sportspersons have their highs and lows. Suma believes in handling her low points by keeping an affirmative outlook and with a positive introspection. Meeting her coach Gaby Buhrmann of Germany was an event that changed her entire outlook to shooting as an athlete and as a coach. Suma was inspired to share her learning with the next generation shooters and wanted to give it back to the society. That’s when she decided to come up with Lakshya Shooting Academy, Panvel.

What do you believe is the proper role of parents in any athletic program?
Suma: Parents play a very important role in moulding a child’s interest into a career. They have to be supportive of their child without putting the burden of expectations on him or her. They must give unconditional support and have faith in the coach.

How do you think Rifle Shooting has evolved across years?
Suma: From being a fringe or niche sport a couple of decades ago, to becoming the priority sport of our country, shooting has come a long way.

What according to Suma Shirur are the three key attributes to become a good rifle shooter?
Suma: Hard work, good hand eye coordination and balance.

Last but not the least, The Arjuna Award, how did you feel when it came? Were you intimated in advance or was it a surprise?
Suma: It was a surprise. It was one of the high points of my career, receiving it from the favourite President of India – A P J Abdul Kalam.
“Every woman achiever needs a good support system” is what Suma Shirur says. For her, the journey would have not been an easy one without the unstinted family support, especially from her husband and childhood sweetheart Siddharth Shirur and an affirmative approach towards her dreams.
A person with strong determination, right attitude and amazing disciplinary skills; we at Karnala Sports Academy are extremely blessed and proud to be associated with Suma Shirur as our coach for Rifle Shooting.

Achievement comes out of fire in our subconscious mind that "I will win" - APJ Abdul Kalam