Kodinar woman kickboxes her way to WC | Rajkot News – Times of India

Rajkot: Cricket, kho kho, kabaddi and judo; like any other kid, Manisha Wala played all these sports while growing up. While graduating from Baroda’s MS University she also participated in university cricket.
It was much later that she found her true calling — kickboxing. Since then the 28-year-old from Kodinar town in Gir Somnath district hasn’t looked back. Wala is now preparing for the Irish Open — the official World Cup of World Association of Kickboxing Organizations (WAKO). Wala will be participating in the 60kg weight category of the event scheduled to be held at Dublin, Ireland, from March 5-7.
Talking to TOI Wala thanked her family for supporting her. “My father loves sports and he always encouraged me to pursue my dream. My parents did not differentiate between a boy and a girl. It is because of the support of my parents that I have reached this level,” Wala said. Her father Jagdish Wala is a lab technician in a cement company and her mother Prachi is a housewife.
With kickboxing a relatively unknown sport in Saurashtra, Wala faced quite a few difficulties during her initial days. “Finding a good coach in Saurashtra wasn’t easy, so I shifted my base to Vadodara,” Wala said.
In Vadodara she found the right coach in Siddharth Bhalegar. Her performance at the senior national kickboxing championship in Goa last August helped her make the cut for the World Cup.
Apart from excelling in sports Wala also did well in academics. She did her graduation in industrial psychology from MS University. Later, she completed her masters in mental health from Mumbai’s Tata Institute Mumbai. “The young generation is now more open to different sport disciplines. Success stories of players from Gujarat are inspiring them,” Wala added.
In the past the Gir Somnath district has produced many notable athletes like judokas Ankita Naghera, Alpa Wader, Archna Naghera and Rohit Majgul. Kinjal Wala, Chetna Wala made name in the field volleyball while Ruchit Mori, Muskan Chotiyar and Dhruvi Parmar went on to win medals in national athletic events.