Kashmir’s 7-year-old Hashim Mansoor wins gold at Asian Youth Karate Championship

New Delhi: While the unrest in Kashmir Valley has been troublesome for most of the locals, it proved to be a blessing in disguise for 7-year-old Hashim Mansoor, who has become a karate kid.

According to a report in The Times of India, Mansoor had to miss his school for months following the protests which followed after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter. But during this period, he turned up at a local karate academy every day .

His hard work finally paid off as he clinched a gold medal for India at the Asian Youth Karate Championship (AYKC).

A student in Class II at the Symbiosis School of Education, Hashim expressed his delight at winning the title for India. "I am thrilled to win gold for my country ," he told the newspaper.

The report added that Hashim had defeated competitors from Bhutan and Malaysia in the first two rounds. In the final round, he defeated his Sri Lankan opponent to bag gold.

He will now represent the country in the World Karate Championship in Europe in September 2017.