Karl’s sporting skills

He’s not yet 16, 6’3” tall, weighs around 100 kg and has just finished school. In a sport where mobility is as important as muscle, power combines with precision to win in close encounters, judoka Karl Billimoria won in December last year his most cherished medal so far at the national level. Competing in the + 71 kg category, Billimoria picked up a bronze in judo at the 52nd National School Games in Poona, while studying hard for his ICSE exams barely weeks away. Ere that, at the Maharashtra State Judo Championships in Nasik, Billimoria was lord of the ring with a golden victory in the open category. In February 2007, the youngster tilted the balance in his favor with a gold medal win at the Mumbai School Sports Association Inter School Judo Tournament.

Karl started training at a young age under his father Cawas, a familiar face and big daddy of judo in India, an Asian Games bronze medallist (1986), Commonwealth Games silver medallist (1990), Olympian and Arjuna Award winner (1993) who is still actively involved with the sport. "Karl’s plus points are his superior techniques, skill and knowledge of judo which he has learnt from his father from a very young age,” says Karl’s mother Tina. "He wants to emulate Cawas, but at the same time does not like being compared or benchmarked for his shortcomings versus his father.”

Karl Billimoria: promising judoka

Very proud of his son’s early achievements, Cawas is however extremely strict with Karl during training sessions, going to the extent of being harder on him than the rest of his students because he expects him to achieve higher goals. Cawas is director, sports, at the prestigious Dhirubhai Ambani International School at the Bandra-Kurla complex in Bombay, where Karl is currently doing his International Baccalaureate diploma, having completed his ICSE with distinction. "Karl has chosen to continue with his studies here for the next two years. The School has a beautiful, air-conditioned, multipurpose hall with wooden flooring that can be transformed for sports activities such as badminton, table tennis and judo. It also has a huge playground which houses a basketball court and a football field,” describes Tina. Fond of playing football and lawn tennis too, Karl was part of the School team which won a bronze at the Inter School Team Tennis Championship in 2006, states his bio data. "I have been playing tennis since the age of six,” asserts the sporty teenager who has also taken lead roles in school plays, loves movies, music and dancing.

Not far away is the next major milestone — his judo black belt examinations. Skill and sweat will be put to the test when the judo season starts in August with the school championships in Bombay, leading up to the selections for the junior nationals. Winning a medal once at the nationals is comparatively easy, but continued success at the national level will be a test of grit and determination, believes Karl. Residing at Pedder Road, he trains thrice a week at the National Sports Club of India, the Dhirubhai Ambani School and the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Parsee Charitable Institution at Charni Road. Besides his father, Karl has trained under Arshish Wadia and Commonwealth medallist Krishna Thapa. A big disadvantage is finding heavy sparring partners in his age group. Balancing judo with success in studies is also an art he will have to learn, asserts Tina.

Long experienced in training youngsters through his Ippon Judo Academy which teaches judo, gymnastics and fitness through his instructors at several schools and clubs in Bombay, Cawas does not wish to impose too many restrictions on Karl and has left it to him to chalk out his own career plans. Asked to name promising judokas in the community, Cawas mentions Jehan­gir Jejeebhoy [son of present baronet Sir (Rustom) Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy] as one of his outstanding students. Another dedicated judo­ka is Benafsha Guzdar who has won many medals at the state level and who will do well at the national level too, predicts Cawas.