VADODARA: As a kid, she was teased by some of her friends as she had a limp in her leg caused by a gruesome road accident when she was just three years old. But now no one dares to mess with Dinkal Gorkha, fondly called ‘Dinku Boxer’.
This 16-year-old girl, who has an impaired left leg, is now a kick-boxing champion. And the teenager, whose mother recently quit bootlegging, is eyeing to make it big in the sport of boxing.
“When kids of my age mocked me for the limp, I used to feel embarrassed. I wanted to prove that I am as physically able as others. I got the much-needed inspiration at the age of nine when I saw the movie Mary Kom. I was motivated by her struggle as well as boxing as a sport,” Dinkal told TOI.
She joined boxing classes about four years ago. “I started with kick boxing despite many advising me against it due to my impaired left leg. But I was determined to prove them all wrong. For a few months, I endured lot of pain as the leg took a lot of pressure and I used to pop painkillers,” Dinkal recalled.
“But gradually, I learnt how to handle the pain and use the left leg lethally while boxing. I have got a yellow belt in kickboxing and now I am preparing myself for Khel Mahakumbh to compete at state-level under my coach Siddharth Bhalegare,” she added.
But the road to championships isn’t easy for this gritty girl due to her mother’s profession. A road accident in 2009 led to amputation of her mother’s both legs and Dinkal got partially disabled. “My mother took to bootlegging to earn some money. But people often jeered at me whenever I talked about my aspirations of becoming a professional boxer. But I always brushed aside their taunts and focussed on the sport. My mother has quit bootlegging and is trying to earn a respectable income but we aren’t able to make enough money,” Dinkal lamented.
Buying boxing gloves and paying for coaching is a tough task for her. “Dinkal is a tough girl and an inspiration for me as she never let her partially-abled leg get in her way of her dreams. We all support her aspirations,” said KhushiDinkal’s elder sister.
This 16-year-old girl, who has an impaired left leg, is now a kick-boxing champion. And the teenager, whose mother recently quit bootlegging, is eyeing to make it big in the sport of boxing.
“When kids of my age mocked me for the limp, I used to feel embarrassed. I wanted to prove that I am as physically able as others. I got the much-needed inspiration at the age of nine when I saw the movie Mary Kom. I was motivated by her struggle as well as boxing as a sport,” Dinkal told TOI.
She joined boxing classes about four years ago. “I started with kick boxing despite many advising me against it due to my impaired left leg. But I was determined to prove them all wrong. For a few months, I endured lot of pain as the leg took a lot of pressure and I used to pop painkillers,” Dinkal recalled.
“But gradually, I learnt how to handle the pain and use the left leg lethally while boxing. I have got a yellow belt in kickboxing and now I am preparing myself for Khel Mahakumbh to compete at state-level under my coach Siddharth Bhalegare,” she added.
But the road to championships isn’t easy for this gritty girl due to her mother’s profession. A road accident in 2009 led to amputation of her mother’s both legs and Dinkal got partially disabled. “My mother took to bootlegging to earn some money. But people often jeered at me whenever I talked about my aspirations of becoming a professional boxer. But I always brushed aside their taunts and focussed on the sport. My mother has quit bootlegging and is trying to earn a respectable income but we aren’t able to make enough money,” Dinkal lamented.
Buying boxing gloves and paying for coaching is a tough task for her. “Dinkal is a tough girl and an inspiration for me as she never let her partially-abled leg get in her way of her dreams. We all support her aspirations,” said KhushiDinkal’s elder sister.