A. Praveen Kumar achieved a creditable achievement of being awarded a Black Belt -5th Dan after the mandatory test by the Taekwondo Federation of India in the presence of renowned Korean Grand Masters Hyung Sunlee and Haeson Bsong.

For the record, Praveen is only the second Hyderabadi to achieve this feat.

Doubling up both as the joint secretary of Andhra Pradesh Taekwondo Association and also as the coach of the State team in six national events and once in the international competition, this unobtrusive performer has been making a slow and steady progress.

And, Praveen's joy knew no bounds when the Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy congratulated him when the former called on him at the Camp Office. “Keep working hard, success will follow you,” were the words of encouragement from the Chief Minister, who also handed over the certificate in this regard.
For his part, Praveen says there is great interest in martial arts in the twin cities and that he will continue to show the same passion in the sport which he strongly believes not only ensures peak physical fitness levels but also makes one mentally very strong.

“We are aware that there is a still a section of the society which looks at martial arts as some sort of indifference.

So, we as coaches will also quietly create a massive awareness amongst the different sections in the society even while the focus is on producing more champions in martial arts,” says Praveen.