25-year-old Pooja Kadian is no ordinary girl. She is the 'golden girl' of the CRPF who made the country and the paramilitary forces proud on the world stage by bagging the gold medal at World Wushu Championships—a martial art not many would have heard of in her small native village in Haryana.
Pooja returned from Russia on Thursday, a day after she bagged the gold medal in the 75kg category of 14th World Wushu Championship 2017 hosted in that country.
Serving as a head Constable in CRPF, Pooja's zeal for the sport makes her an extraordinary soldier who has been bringing laurels to the country.
"I am a farmer's daughter. I belong to a small place in Haryana but I always wanted to become a soldier. My interests in sports developed and took off when I joined the CRPF in 2013," she told THE WEEK.
She agrees that Wushu is not a popular sport for many to be following it. However, in the world of Wushu, Pooja Kadyan is a known name as she has been consistently winning medals in the previous championships as well. "I got a silver in 2011, 2013, and 2015, but this time I was determined to bag the gold. I've got a lot of appreciation and I'm glad for it,” she said.
She has now set her eyes on the Asian Championship. "I'm going to rest for two days and begin practicing for the Asian Championship. That's my next target," she said.
Pooja is lucky to have the support of CRPF. Her coach, assistant commandant Rajbir Singh said the entire department and the paramilitary force has been standing behind her in support.
CRPF DG Rajiv Rai Bhatnagar felicitated the golden girl at the force headquarters and awarded Commendation Disc and cash reward of Rs 3,00,000. She was later felicitated by the home ministry.
"Departmental support is a big thing. We are providing her all the training and support. Her skill has been honed since she joined CRPF. She is a part of the Indian team and our golden girl ," said Singh.
Boxing, kicking and grappling are the essential components of the sport and once she goes in for a fight, she simply keeps in mind her love for the game . " I've made many friends who belong to different countries; it's always fun to meet them I've known them for years now," she said.
She had defeated Evgeniya Stepanova of Russia in Kazan to script history by becoming the first Indian Wushu player to win a gold medal at the world championship.
