Itanagar, Feb 2: Rupa Bayor from Arunachal Pradesh was named the Best Taekwondo Poomsae Player of the Year at the 2026 India Taekwondo Gala Awards held at Hyatt Regency, Delhi. She was felicitated by Mr. Seo Jeong Kang, Secretary General of World Taekwondo.
Rupa made history by becoming the first Indian Taekwondo athlete to achieve World Rank 6 and Asia Rank 1. She also won the Gold Medal in the Recognized Individual Poomsae – U30 category at the 4th Senior National Taekwondo Poomsae Championships.
Her global ranking has risen steadily over the years, moving from 123rd in 2021 to 42nd in 2022, 12th in 2023, and now 9th in the world, while she remains the top-ranked athlete in Asia. Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein congratulated her, calling her an inspiration for the youth of Arunachal Pradesh.
