Teenage Kickboxing Sisters Aim to Inspire Asian Girls in Sport

Dheep, 17, and Simran, 14, two teenage sisters, have accumulated 130 kickboxing gold medals across Europe. They have expressed their aspiration that their achievements will motivate other Asian girls to participate in the sport. For the past two years, the sisters have honed their skills in a converted conservatory at their Solihull residence, under the guidance of their father, Dal, establishing themselves as a significant presence in their discipline. The sisters, who occasionally find themselves as the sole Asian competitors at events, aim to encourage individuals of similar backgrounds to join the sport. Dheep and Simran maintain a rigorous daily training schedule, focusing on fitness, technique, and sparring. Dheep shared her perspective on their efforts, stating, “I enjoy the success afterwards, the feeling that all our hard work’s paid off.” She also described her pre-tournament routine: “I get really nervous before tournaments. But I listen to music and just focus on my opponents.” Meanwhile, her younger sister, Simran, recently returned from Germany, where she secured six gold medals across various disciplines by winning all her fights. Simran commented on her experience, saying, “It was so good. It was a really good experience because I won against several nationalities. I think we might get a cabinet for our medals now.” Beyond their collection of medals and honors, the sisters, with the support of their father, aim for a broader impact. Their father, Dal, expressed his hope that his daughters would serve as an inspiration for others from comparable backgrounds. He remarked, “We’ve been to tournaments where we are the only Asians. I think their story is inspiring others to do it. I was asking the girls who they look up to in sport. Within our Asian community, there’s nobody really. What they’ve said to me is hopefully they can be the beacons of that. The more the Asian community can see these guys doing well, the better.” Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.