Srinagar, Dec 12: A 17-year-old girl, Ayeera Chisti, from the Bemina area of Srinagar, has brought laurels to the whole country, especially to Jammu and Kashmir, by winning the bronze medal in the recently concluded 8th World Junior Wushu Championship in Indonesia.
At the international competition held in Banton, she became the first female athlete from Jammu and Kashmir to take home the Mackenzie medal.
Chishti has consistently taken home medals from national competitions and has attended numerous national-level championships. At an earlier International Wushu Championship in Georgia, she had brought home a gold medal for India.
Speaking to Rising Kashmir, Ayeera said, “In the quarterfinal, she triumphed over a Macau competitor (China). After a tight match that was decided by point differential, she lost to Malak Ossama of Egypt in the semifinals. She had no choice but to take the test before competing in the World Championship.
The 17-year-old said she couldn’t express her joy in words and hoped to win gold for her country at the Asian Games. The 17-year-old started wushu in 2017, and since then she has been continuously practising and playing this sport.
Before achieving this goal, she has overcome various difficulties, as her journey has been full of thorns. When the trials for Wushu were held in Srinagar, despite having several gold medals, she was not called for the trials held in Srinagar, she said.
She continued that when the trials were going to be held in Jammu, again she was not informed as the district Wushu Association was trying to send other girls.
After much difficulty, Ayeera was given the chance to take part in the selection, and after performing well, she was selected for the national competition. She was later chosen to represent the country after her improved performance.
I received hundreds of calls from well-wishers, but what kept me looking was that no members of the Srinagar district Wushu association called or wished me.
Ayeera has consistently received many honours at the national level and has participated in many national-level championships.
During the Wushu Association of India’s selection procedure in Meerut, Ayeera was chosen to compete in the World Championship. Ayeera won a medal at the J&K-based Wushu National Women’s League as well.
Rayees Chisti, Ayeera’s father, described her success as a tremendous accomplishment and a joyful occasion for him, saying, “It is a wonderful moment for me and my entire family.” My daughter is the first female from J&K to win a medal at the World Championship, and I couldn’t be prouder of her.
At the national and international levels, she has already demonstrated her mettle. Ayeera’s father commented, “This was a bigger stage, and she demonstrated her talent at this level as well.”
Her coach, Asif Hussian, told Rising Kashmir, “To me right now, this bronze medal is more valuable than a gold medal because, despite years of mental abuse and obstacles in some places, she never gave up. He demonstrated that she was the best, the ultimate warrior and that she was a champion both inside and beyond the arena.”
Meanwhile, the LG’s office posted on the microblogging site Twitter, “Proud moment for Jammu and Kashmir!” “Heartiest congratulations and best wishes to Ayeera.”
The Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur said in a tweet, “Congratulations to Ayeera Chisti on becoming the first female athlete from J&K to win a medal at the 8th WWC.”
