Rupa Bayor recalls her struggles, turnaround and putting India on the taekwondo map

Arunachal Pradesh’s Rupa Bayor is the first Indian taekwondo athlete to break into top 10.

From the quiet villages of Arunachal Pradesh to the world stage, Rupa Bayor’s journey is nothing short of extraordinary. India’s first taekwondo athlete to break into the top 10 world rankings, Bayor’s story is one of grit and perseverance. She comes from a small village where resources were scarce but they had done little to shake off Rupa’s tryst with destiny.

“I didn’t like studying, but I fell in love with sports,” she remembers. She first trained in karate then switched to taekwondo on her mom’s advice. “My uncle told me to try taekwondo because it’s an Olympic sport,” Bayor says.

She credits her mom’s smart thinking even though her mom didn’t have much schooling. The road wasn’t smooth in Arunachal Pradesh. The state lacked sports facilities. “It was hard to find good training spots, but I was lucky to meet helpful people,” she shares. At first, she just wanted to compete and get a government job.

Things changed when she moved to Mumbai. “I felt I could do more,” Rupa Bayor says. The big shift happened in 2021 when she met her current coach. “I thought I’d just get a government job, but my coach helped me succeed. He supports me in everything,” she explains.

Congratulations to Rupa Bayor! Our very own Taekwondo star from Arunachal has made history by becoming the first Indian to break into the World Poomsae Top 10! A milestone for Indian Taekwondo and a proud moment for us all. Keep shining, Rupa!#Taekwondo #ArunachalPride pic.twitter.com/qra3CUQzxG

— CMO Arunachal (@ArunachalCMO) January 8, 2025

Her mom stands behind her success, with an early marriage not stopping her from backing her daughter’s aspirations. “My mom doesn’t have much schooling—she got married young. But she gives me her full support straight from the heart,” Bayor says with feeling.

Her commitment shows in her tough schedule, as she trains from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM every day. This hard work has led to great outcomes: gold in Poomsae at National team trials for the 8th Asian Taekwondo Championships, bronze at the Australian Open, silver medals at both the President Cup Oceania and Oceania Open WT G2, and a groundbreaking bronze at the Asian Taekwondo Championships—a first for India.

“I didn’t think I could do this. But my trainers helped me reach this goal,” says Bayor, who is supported by the Welspun Foundation, about her world ranking achievement. To young girls from villages with similar dreams, Bayor’s message is simple: “If you want to succeed in any field, you need to make sacrifices and keep going. You need to seize your chance.”

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