Taekwondoin Sagar Gubhaju shines through ups and downs

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Sept. 17: Sagar Gubhaju, once a prominent figure in Nepali Taekwondo, is now starting to be forgotten.

Before moving to Australia for his studies, Sagar was at the peak of his Taekwondo career. Although moving to Australia disconnected him from the Nepali Taekwondo scene, Sagar indirectly promoted the nation by winning various accolades.

He won a gold medal at the Sunshine Open and the KPNP Taekwondo Championship in Australia. Additionally, he competed in the WT President's Cup and the Australian Open, securing medals in both events.

Sagar also won medals in the USA, including the gold medal in the 2nd Everest National Open Taekwondo Tournament, Dallas Open, and Capital Open this year.

For his contribution to Taekwondo, Birgunj Metropolitan City also honoured him this week. Sagar began practising Taekwondo officially during his teenage years. His father was a national-level taekwondo player who participated in the National tournament twice. 

Sagar’s father, Rajkumar Guvaju, initially discouraged Sagar from pursuing taekwondo but eventually imparted taekwondo lessons at home. Sagar was inspired by his father’s skills and convinced his father to let him join the Birgunj Taekwondo Dojang in eighth grade.

Sagar's innate talent in Taekwondo, combined with the lessons he learned from his father at home, led to him winning the gold medal in his first tournament. After completing his Secondary Education Examination (SEE), Sagar dedicated himself fully to Taekwondo.

Sagar made rapid progress due to his talent and hard work. He considers the NECOS National Taekwondo Championship in 2070 a turning point in his journey, as it was a prestigious senior-level tournament at the time. Sagar won all five matches and became the champion in NECOS. Everyone was surprised by the achievement of Sagar, who was then a blue belt.

After seeing his talent, the Army and Police Clubs offered Sagar spots on their respective teams. However, the 16-year-old Sagar was unable to join the departmental teams due to his young age.

Two years later, Sagar officially joined the Army team and stayed there for seven years. He won the gold medal in the 7th National Games representing the Army. 

He also won gold medals in the Korean Ambassador Taekwondo Championship, Everest International Taekwondo Championship, and NSC Championship. He also remained undefeated in the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Games for several years.

After continuous success in domestic competitions, Sagar also got selected for the 2018 Asian Games. During the preparation for the Asian Games, Sagar played a few competitions in South Korea and won a gold medal. He made it to the quarterfinal in the 2018 Asiad held in Indonesia. Next year, he participated in the World Military Games in Wuhan, China.  His dream of winning gold in the 13th South Asian Games was shattered when he was disqualified from the selection tournament. He felt dejected after his dream was shattered. Then the COVID-19 pandemic came, which made him stay idle for a long time in army barracks, almost leading him to depression.

With everyone's efforts, Sagar overcame it. Sagar devoted himself to Taekwondo again. He also got selected for the 19th Asian Games and the World Military Games.

But to everyone’s surprise, he went to Australia for studies, leaving Taekwondo abruptly.  Alongside his studies, Sagar is currently coaching young taekwondo players in Australia.

Sagar's life was hit by a major tragedy last year. He was getting ready to compete in the KPNP Taekwondo Championship in Australia when he received the devastating news that his depressed brother had committed suicide. The news plunged Sagar into even deeper despair. However, he made a firm decision to honour his brother's memory by finding strength in his grief.

As a tribute to his brother, Sagar dedicated his gold medal in KNPN to him. He is now determined to continue pursuing Taekwondo for the rest of his life.

As part of this commitment, he has completed the Level One training course to prepare for a future career as a Taekwondo coach after his competitive career.