New Delhi: Indian wushu athlete Namrata Batra exemplifies the story of a small town girl with aspirations who fights adversities to achieve success on the international stage.Born in Indore in a conservative family, Namrata wanted to pursue martial arts but was opposed by her grandparents. They were concerned about perceptions related to the attire — wearing sleeveless vests and matching shorts — during training and competitions.However, her businessman father Sanjay Batra provided unwavering support, ensuring that societal pressure did not impede her ambitions to represent the country and win medals. On Tuesday earlier this week, the 24year-old became the first Indian ever to win a World Games medal in wushu, finishing runner-up in the women’s sanda 52kg event in Chengdu, China.India have won a total of seven medals in different editions of the World Games – one gold, two silver and four bronze – but Namrata’s wushu medal was a first in the quadrennial multisport event’s 44-year-long history.Today, Namrata’s grandparents feel immensely proud as they see her medal winning photos in the country’s newspapers and websites.
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“I come from a big joint family. My grandparents earlier didn’t like theh fact that I had to wear shorts and t-shirts to pursue myu dreams. They initially put a lot of restrictions and didn’t even allow me to venture out alone for training and competition purposes. They were like what would the society say. For them, it was all about studying, getting good grades and looking for a settled job. But my father was always supportive of my career choices. He stood by me like a rock and backed my decision to become a martial arts player. Today, my grandparents and the same set of people who discouraged me, feel proud about my achievements. They fully support my journey,” Namrata told TOI after returning from Chengdu.Namrata boasts of an impressive CV. She is one of the country’s leading female wushu (sanda) athletes with several domestic and international medals to her name. Wushu, a Chinese martial art, is categorised into two disciplines: Taolu (forms) and Sanda (sparring). Taolu involves choreographed routines with empty hands or weapons, while Sanda is a full-contact combat sport.Apart from the historic silver at the World Games, she finished second at the Asian championships last year, won bronze at the Asia Cup earlier this year, a gold medal at the Moscow Wushu Star championships and had podium finishes at the Uttarakhand and Gujarat editions of the National Games. She was the junior national champion from 2015 to 2018 and continued her success as a senior, winning gold medals from 2018 to 2021 in the 48kg division before moving to the 52kg category in 2022.
