Tirupati boy bags gold in USA Open Karate  

Karthik Reddy Arabandi of Tirupati bagged a gold medal in the 12-13 years Boys Kumite – Team category at the USA Open 2022 held early this month.

Sports Karate-Do Association of Andhra Pradesh, which is the official governing body, hails Karthik as the first junior athlete to win gold from India in his age group at the event. The body is affiliated with the Karate India Organisation (KIO), which in turn is a member of the World Karate Federation.

Karthik won the gold braving heavy competition from 300 players from as many as forty countries, including the USA, Japan, Botswana, Panama, India, Nepal, France, Venezuela, and Iran.

He took part in Kata, Kumite, Team Kata, and Team Kumite events and excelled in all the categories, said the Indian national team coach Keerthan Kondru.

Apart from Karthik, another player Bhuvaneshwari Jadhav from Sholapur also won three medals (one silver and two bronze) in the ‘Senior elite’ division.

The USA Open 2022 held at Las Vegas, Nevada, in which Karthik represented India, has completed eighteen years. Since the event is approved by USA Olympic Committee and the World Karate Federation, Karthik has secured a confirmed position in the forthcoming World Youth League to be held in Croatia in July.

Karthik’s father A. Chandrasekhar Reddy is an IRS officer and his mother A. Sirisha Reddy is a businesswoman.

Speaking to The Hindu over the telephone, Karthik expressed confidence in repeating his performance at the Croatian event.

Minister for Youth Affairs R.K. Roja appreciated the boy and felicitated him at an informal event held recently at Hyderabad, where he is currently staying for practice.