From rural roots to International glory: Telangana’s Pratibha Thakkadpally wins gold in Chess Boxing World Championship

Hailing from Pitlam in Kamareddy, Pratibha is trained in eight different combat sports.

Hyderabad: Securing a gold medal in the recently concluded 5th Chess Boxing World Championship in Italy, Pratibha Thakkadpally from Telangana, has etched her name as the only Indian to win international gold medals in various combat sports. Chess boxing, a sport that combines chess and boxing, requires participants to demonstrate their proficiency in both.

Hailing from Pitlam in Kamareddy, Pratibha is trained in eight different combat sports. Apart from securing two golds in Chess boxing, the 28-year-old has won four international gold medals in Kickboxing, Taekwondo, Muay Thai, and Mixed Martial Arts. She has won 14 national gold medals and two international silver medals as well.

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Coming from a rural background and being born to parents who were teachers, Pratibha was hardly allowed to pursue any sport. Yet, deciding to follow her passion, she moved to Hyderabad ten years ago to get trained in karate, without letting her parents know.

“Mike Tyson videos hugely inspired me during my childhood and that fantasy of wanting to be the most powerful evolved into an immense passion for martial arts,” said Pratibha. “Growing up in a village as a girl, it’s tough to achieve things because we had many restrictions for the slightest of things. But I decided to move beyond societal expectations because if I couldn’t do this, I felt like I couldn’t do anything,” she added.

Following her coach’s advice, Pratibha received training in kickboxing and later branched out into taekwondo, muay thai, MMA, BJJ (grappling), chess boxing, wushu, and silambam. Additionally, she holds a black belt in taekwondo.

It has been a challenging ride for Pratibha, managing rigorous training, a part-time job as a business developer, alongside pursuing an MBA at JNTU. Presently, she is studying psychology through distance education.

Pratibha was bestowed with the Seva Bharat award for her commendable efforts in providing free training to young girls in rural areas. Additionally, she is acknowledged in the India Book of Records for obtaining the highest number of certificates from various sporting events.

Attributing her success to all the women facing societal pressures, Prathiba emphasizes, “I had come that far, going against so many people. So, don’t give up. Pursue your interests without fear, and you will succeed!”

Pratibha has been looking for sponsors to represent India in further games and expressed disappointment with the lack of recognition for combat sports in the country compared to cricket and urges the government to acknowledge and sponsor athletes in these disciplines.