After Bareilly State Tournament, John Zaidi Brings Glory to Uttar Pradesh at Indore National Championship in the 73 kg Category

Lucknow | Shabu Zaidi

Emerging taekwondo player John Zaidi from Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, has achieved a remarkable feat in the world of sports through his talent, hard work and discipline. In September 2026, John won a gold medal in the Under-16, 73 kg weight category at the State Taekwondo Championship held in Bareilly, bringing pride to Lucknow.

Following his selection for the national competition, John went on to participate in the Under-16 National Taekwondo Championship held in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. He delivered an impressive performance in the 73 kg weight category and won the gold medal, bringing further recognition to Uttar Pradesh.

John Zaidi credited his success to his coach, Rizwan Ahmed. He said that Coach Rizwan had trained him with continuous dedication, discipline and hard work and played an important role in helping him achieve his black belt. He also consistently encouraged John to participate in various competitions and motivated him to perform better.

John said that the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to promote sports and create greater awareness about sports among young people have encouraged children from middle-class families like his to pursue their dreams.

John now aims to bring glory to India at the international level. His dream is to establish free taekwondo training classes for children in the future so that more young people can stay fit, learn self-defence and move forward with the goal of winning medals for the country.