Denied by visa row in 2023, former Asia No. 1 Bayor finally gets her Games shot

Rupa Bayor during an event and (pic right) with her coach Abhishek Dubey 

KOLKATA: When Rupa Bayor qualified for the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, the taekwondo poomsae specialist from Arunachal Pradesh believed she had a genuine shot at finishing on the podium.Instead, she watched from afar after being denied the opportunity to compete because of the visa issue involving athletes from Arunachal Pradesh.

“It was very painful at the time because I felt I had a genuine chance of winning a medal,” Rupa told TOI in an exclusive interaction. “But some things are beyond your control. Eventually, you have to move forward and focus on the future.”Three years later, the 26-year-old gets her long-awaited Asiad debut as one of India’s medal hopes in taekwondo poomsae after a remarkable rise that saw her become the first Indian poomsae athlete to reach Asia No.

1 and a career-high world No. 5 earlier this year, although she is currently ranked second in Asia and seventh in the world.Her coach, Abhishek Dubey, believes the disappointment of missing the previous Games ultimately made her stronger.“At that time, she was already among the top-ranked athletes in Asia and we felt she had a genuine chance of winning 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 come only once every four years. It was extremely disappointing, but we decided to stay focused and continue training. Fortunately, we managed to do that and now we are in a position where we genuinely believe a medal is possible.”The journey to this point, however, has been anything but conventional.Raised in the Daporijo area of Arunachal’s Upper Subansiri district, Rupa was introduced to combat sports by her maternal uncle, Tabu Sera, who practised karate.

Back then, international competitions felt impossibly distant.“At the grassroots level, the Asian Games felt like a distant dream,” she recalled. “We didn’t have international athletes around us, so our mindset was simply to participate in competitions and come back home.”Behind Rupa’s rise also lies a story of resilience. She lost her father at a very young age and was raised by her mother, a farmer who supported the family in rural Arunachal.

Growing up far from India’s sporting centres, the odds of reaching an event like the Asian Games seemed remote.But everything changed in 2021 when she moved to Navi Mumbai to train under Dubey.“I was looking for a good place to train for a long time,” she said. “When I saw the athletes he was coaching and the results they were achieving, I felt he was the right coach for me.”Dubey still remembers the day she arrived in Mumbai. “She just landed up with her bags and wanted to train,” he said.

“What stood out immediately was her competitiveness and willingness to learn.”That discipline has translated into results. Rupa has won medals consistently on the international circuit and defeated several best athletes of Asia, including competitors who medalled at the 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.The dream that once seemed out of reach is thus now within touching distance. And after spending three years waiting for a chance that was taken away from her, Rupa, currently in South Korea for the 2026 World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships, has only one goal in mind.“My mindset is no longer about just participating,” she said. “Whenever I compete, I want to win a medal.”