Baramulla, Sep 8: Danish Manzoor from Gulshan Abad Colony, Baramulla, has built his Taekwondo career from small local halls in Kashmir to official Olympic ranking championships. Starting the sport at the age of 13, he is now one of India’s leading names on the international stage, holding a World Taekwondo-approved athlete's license.
Balancing education and sport, Danish completed his B.Sc. in Bioinformatics at the University of Kashmir. He was appointed a Fit India Ambassador, becoming the only Taekwondo athlete with this recognition.
Danish is the first athlete from North Kashmir to qualify for the Junior Nationals and among the few from Jammu and Kashmir to win an international medal in Taekwondo. He also holds two gold medals in North Zone National Championships, one at the Sher-i-Kashmir Indoor Stadium and one in Chandigarh.
On the international stage, Danish has represented India with distinction. He competed at the 2nd India Open International Olympic Ranking Championship in Hyderabad (2019) and was among the top 20 in the European Taekwondo Poomsae Championship (2020).
He finished 5th at the Israel Open G2 Olympic Ranking event (2022) and created history in 2023 by becoming the first Indian to fight at the World Taekwondo Octagon Diamond G4 Olympic Ranking event in South Korea, where he also secured 5th place. Danish went on to compete at the Fajr Cup in Tehran (6th place, 2024) and the Presidents Cup Asian Region in Tehran (5th place, 2024). Earlier this year, he trained with the Uzbekistan National Team at their Olympic camp.
Most recently, he trained with the Jordanian National Athletes and competed in the 13th Elite Cup International Taekwondo Championships 2025, organized by the Jordanian National Federation. The event featured top fighters from across the world, including Olympians. Danish secured a Bronze Medal in the said championship.
Speaking about competing abroad, Danish said: “Walking into those arenas is emotional for me. I come from Baramulla, where few thought of such dreams. To stand on the mat against the world’s best is already a victory.”
At the national level, Danish has a medal record that shows his consistency. He has won over 12 gold medals at J&K State Championships, including titles at the Open Kashmir Championship, the Gulmarg Cup, and the Kashmir Taekwondo League. He also claimed two silver medals, including the All India Senior Federation Championship in Jaipur (2016) and the Tokey Taekwondo Open National Championship in Punjab (2021), as well as a bronze at the 12th Jammu and Kashmir State Championship in 2011.
“In Baramulla, the facilities were never enough. Many times, I thought of stopping. But every state medal gave me the strength to keep going,” he said.
Danish also took part in the Asian Indoor Games test event in Aurangabad (2017), the Asian Championship test event in Ranchi (2018), and was selected for a high-performance camp under Olympic coach Paul Green of Great Britain at Khel Gaon, Ranchi.
Looking ahead, Danish is aiming for the Olympic Ranking Championships in 2025. “My dream is an Olympic medal. I want to prove that even from a place like Baramulla, you can reach the world stage. If I can do it, others can too,” he said.