Karthik Reddy is on a medal run this year, and has already won gold in the Commonwealth Karate Championship and the US Open.
Karthik with his coach Keerthan Kondru after wining gold at the Commonwealth Games Championship. (Supplied)
At the age of 14 years, when most Indian children are juggling school and friends, Karthik Reddy Arabandi is busy winning international gold medals and targeting India’s first Olympic gold in karate.
And the Class 9 student does that without a break. “There is no week off. Only if there is intense training do we take a rest. But we train on an everyday basis and we grow every day. Even on Sundays,” said Karthik in a chat with South First.
After moving to Hyderabad from Andhra Pradesh, Karthik started his professional journey under Indian karate team coach Keerthan Kondru at My Dojo karate academy in Nizampet.
The karateka, who picked up the sport in his native Tirupati as a daily activity in school at the age of six, has had a golden year after winning two international championships back to back.
Karthik with his opponent from Cyprus in the finals. (Supplied)
As recently as last month, Karthik, who bagged his first gold medal in Class 9, was the first South Indian to be crowned the winner at the Commonwealth Karate Championship held at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom.
The Indian contingent consisting of 104 members finished with a medal haul of three gold, six silver, and 14 bronze medals.
A total of 1,800 sportspersons from 22 Commonwealth countries took part in the championship, conducted by Commonwealth Games Federation.
Karthik in action during the fight. (Supplied)
Participating in the U-16 age group and 70-kg weight category, Karthik defeated opponents from South Africa, Scotland, England, and Cyprus.
“It was a tough tournament as everyone was taller, heavier, and more experienced than me, with more international medals in their kitty,” he said.
“My second-round opponent from Scotland was in the top 100 of rankings,” said the karateka, adding that all these factors do not affect him when he lands on the tatami (mat arena) to fight.
Karthik with his gold medal after winning the US Open. (Supplied)
Besides finishing first at the Commonwealth Karate Championships, Karthik also secured gold in the U-14 boys’ Kumite-team category at the US Open Championship held in April this year in Los Angeles. It was his debut international tournament.
With athletes from around 50 countries participating, Karthik came out on top among 200 of them in his event.
After winning the trophy, Karthik met Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, who announced a cash reward of ₹10 lakh.
His father A Chandrasekhar Reddy, an IRS officer, and mother A Sirisha Reddy, a businesswoman, were present on the occasion, along with Sports Minister RK Roja.
(Left to right) KML Sastry, Vice President – KIO, A Chandrasekar Reddy, A Sireesha Reddy Sports Minister RK Roja, CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, and Karthik Reddy at the felicitation ceremony. (Supplied)
“With a balance of mind, potential, skills and the ability to handle the pressure, Karthik showed that at 14 years, he is extraordinary,” Kondru told South First, adding that the Karate India Organisation (KIO) — the apex body to manage karate in India — has included him in its long-term development plan.
Karthik’s ability to handle pressure does not limit to karate: He deals with academics the same way.
“I try to study extra in school or wake up early in the morning. I even take tuitions during the weekends,” he said, mentioning that maths and physics are his favourite subjects.
Karthik is not ready to bask in glory as he knows winning and losing are parts of the sport. “Once a game is over, I don’t think about it and focus on the next game,” he said.
(Left to right) KIO mentor and World Karate Federation Technical Commission Member Bharat Sharma, Karthik Reddy, and Keerthan Kondru at the CKC in Birmingham. (Supplied)
However, a first-round loss at the All India Karate Championship in June this year at Pune haunted him for a while.
“I thought I would not be selected for internationals because of my poor performance there,” said Karthik, already a second-degree black belt.
But he bounced back, just like he did against his opponent from Cyprus, a continental medalist, in the finals at Birmingham.
“He would have won had I not got my upper hand at the last moment,” said Karthik
A follower of the Karate1 premium league (the highest level league in the sport), he now looks to carry forward his golden touch when he features in the biggest tourney of his life at the end of this month.
“I got selected in the World Championships (till U-21 age group) at Konya in Turkey. Now I want to win a gold medal there,” a confident Karthik said.
After that, he aims to repeat the glory at the Youth Commonwealth Championship in Venice, Italy supposed to be held this year.
Fond of watching Telugu and Bollywood movies during his free time, Karthik trains for four hours on school days and doubles them on holidays.
Karthik during training. (Supplied)
“Whether it’s raining or a holiday, he never misses training even though he has to travel more than 10 km from home. This matters a lot, as it shows his determination and love for karate,” Kondru said.
He admires Karthik’s discipline and believes that his continuous hard work would bear him the much-desired Olympic and World Championships medals.
The young champ never misses keeping a check on his weight even if he has to sacrifice his favourite non-vegetarian dishes.
“When I have to decrease weight, I switch to more green vegetables and other helpful items,” he said.
His long-term targets are the 2026 Dakar (Senegal) Youth Olympics and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“The 2028 Olympics are my prime goal. I want to be a part of the Indian karate team and win a gold medal for the country,” Karthik said with a smile.
Karthik at the CKC. (Supplied)
For Karthik’s dream of an Olympic medal to come true, Kondru is planning to send him to Malaysia for rigorous training.
“He will be training under Asia’s best coach P Arivalagan, who has produced many champions at Asian and world levels,” Kondru explained.
At present, the team is looking for sponsors to fund Karthik’s training programme.
“We will be approaching corporates for funding, as there will be too many competitions abroad,” Kondru said.
KIO President Vijay Tiwari told South First: “Many athletes from South India, including Karthik, are making a name for themselves. He is a talented athlete and is performing well. KIO is hopeful of arranging better training for him outside India.”
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