Kickboxing sisters hope to inspire Asian girls

Two teenage sisters who have won 130 kickboxing gold medals across Europe have said they hope their success can inspire other Asian girls to get involved in the sport.

Dheep, 17, and Simran, 14, have been crafting their skills in a converted conservatory at their house in Solihull for the past two years, trained by their dad, Dal.

They have since proven themselves as a formidable force in their field.

Despite sometimes being the only Asian competitors at tournaments, the pair hope to encourage others with a similar heritage to get involved.

Dheep and Simran adhere to a strict training regime, working every day on fitness, technique and sparring.

"I enjoy the success afterwards, the feeling that all our hard work's paid off," Dheep said.

"I get really nervous before tournaments.

"But I listen to music and just focus on my opponents."

Her younger sister Simran has just returned from Germany where she won all of her fights on her way to six gold medals in different disciplines.

"It was so good," she said.

"It was a really good experience because I won against several nationalities.

"I think we might get a cabinet for our medals now."

However, it is not just the medals and accolades that the sisters - backed by their father - hope to achieve.

Their dad, Dal, said he hoped his daughters could inspire others from similar backgrounds

"We've been to tournaments where we are the only Asians.

"I think their story is inspiring others to do it.

"I was asking the girls who they look up to in sport. Within our Asian community, there's nobody really.

"What they've said to me is hopefully they can be the beacons of that.

"The more the Asian community can see these guys doing well, the better."

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