Former Asian No. 1 Rupa Bayor, who had her visa application rejected in 2023, finally gets a shot at the Games

Rupa Bayor during the event and (pictured right) with her coach Abhishek Dubey KOLKATA: When Rupa Bayor qualified for the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, the taekwondo poomsae specialist from Arunachal Pradesh believed she had a real chance of finishing on the podium.Instead, she watched from afar after being denied the chance to compete due to a visa issue involving athletes from Arunachal Pradesh.“It was very painful at that moment because I felt I had a real chance to win a medal,” Rupa said in an exclusive interaction with TOI. “But some things are out of your control. Ultimately, you have to move forward and focus on the future.”Three years later, the 26-year-old is making her long-awaited Asian debut as one of India’s medal hopes in taekwondo poomsae after a remarkable rise that has seen her become the first Indian poomsae athlete to reach Asia No. 1 and career world No. 5 this year, although she is currently ranked second in Asia and seventh in the world.Her coach Abhishek Dubey believes that the disappointment of missing out on the previous games made her stronger in the end.“At that time she was already among the top athletes in Asia and we felt she had a real chance to win a medal,” said Dubey, who has been involved in the sport for around 36 years as a coach, administrator and sports management professional.“An athlete’s career is short and the Asian Games only happen once every four years. It was extremely disappointing, but we decided to stay focused and continue training. Fortunately, we did it and now we are in a position where we really believe a medal is possible.”However, the journey to this point was not conventional.Rupa grew up in the Daporijo area of ​​Upper Subansiri district in Arunachal and was introduced to martial arts by her maternal uncle Tabu Sera, who practiced karate. Back then, international competitions seemed incredibly far away.“At the grassroots level, the Asian Games felt like a distant dream,” she recalled. “We didn’t have international athletes around us, so our mind was simply to compete and come home.”There is also a story of resilience behind Rup’s rise. She lost her father at a very young age and was brought up by her mother, a farmer who supported the family in rural Arunachal. Growing up far away from Indian sports hubs, the chances of reaching an event like the Asian Games seemed remote.But that all changed in 2021 when she moved to Navi Mumbai to train under Dubey.“I’ve been looking for a good place to train for a long time,” she said. “When I saw the athletes he coached and the results they achieved, I felt he was the right coach for me.”Dubey still remembers the day she arrived in Mumbai. “She just landed with her bags and wanted to train,” he said. “What immediately stood out was her competitiveness and willingness to learn.”This discipline was reflected in the results. Rupa has regularly won medals on the international circuit, beating several of Asia’s top athletes, including competitors who have medaled in previous Asian Games.This year, she won bronze at the Asian Taekwondo Poomsae Championships in Ulaanbaatar, becoming the first Indian athlete to win medals in two consecutive editions of the continental event.So a dream that once seemed unattainable is now within reach. And after spending three years waiting for a chance to be taken away from her, Rupa, who is currently in South Korea for the 2026 Taekwondo Poomsae World Championships, has only one goal in mind.“My mindset is no longer just about participation,” she said. “Whenever I compete, I want to win a medal.