Kulsoom Hazara
Achievements
International Karate Events
- Kulsoom is the first karate player in South Asia who secured 2 Gold & 1 Bronze Medal in South Asian Karate Championship 2017
- 13th South Asian Games - Kathmandu Nepal, 2019 – One gold & 1 Silver
- 15thAKF Senior Championship - AmmanJordan, 2018 - Participated
- 18thAsian Games - Jakarta Palembang, 2018 – Participated
- Karate1 Series A – Shanghai China 2018- Participated
- 4th South Asian karate championship - Colombo Srilanka, 2017 – One Gold & One Silver
- 4th Islamic Solidarity Games- Baku Azerbaijan, 2017 – Secured 5th Position
- Karate 1 Premier League –Dubai 2017 - Participated
- 3rd South Asian Karate championship - New Delhi India, 2016 –One Gold & One Silver
- 17thAsian Games - Incheon South Korea, 2014 - Secured 5th Position
- 11thSenior Cadet AKF Championship – Tashkent Uzbekistan, 2012 – Secured 5th Position
- 11thSouth Asian Games- Dhaka Bangladesh, 2010 – 2 Bronze Medals
- 10thSouth Asian Games- Colombo Srilanka, 2006 – Secured5th Position
- 4th Islamic Women Games- Tehran Iran, 2005 – Secured5th Position
National Karate Events:
- An only female player in Pakistan karate securing hat trick of winning 3 Gold Medals each time continuously in 4 competitions.
- 1st National Women Karate Championship 2002 Lahore – Bronze Medal
- National Games 2004 Quetta- Bronze Medal
- 2nd National Women Karate Championship 2005 Islamabad – Gold Medal
- 3rd National Women Karate Championship 2006 Rawalpindi – Silver Medal
- 4th National Women Karate Championship2008 Lahore – 2 Gold Medals
- 5th National Women Karate Championship 2009 Hyderabad – 3 Gold Medal
- 6th National Women Karate Championship 2010 Karachi– 3 Gold Medal
- Shaheed Benazir Bhutto 7th National Women Karate Championship 2011 Lahore – 3 Gold medals
- Shaheed Benazir Bhutto 8th National Women Karate Championship Nov 2012 Lahore - 3 Gold Medals
- 31st National Games Dec 2010 Peshawar – 3 Gold Medal
- 32nd National Games 2012 Lahore – 3 Gold Medals
- 1st National Women Ranking Karate Championship 2007 Lahore – 2 Gold Medals
- 9th national women karate championship 2015 Lahore – 2 Gold Medals
- 10th National women karate championship November 2016 Lahore – 2 Gold Medals
- 11th National women karate championship 2017 Lahore – 2 Gold Medal
- 12th National women karate championship 2018 Sahiwal – 2 Gold Medal
- 33rd National Games 2019 Peshawar - 2 Gold Medal
- 13th National women karate championship 2019 Lahore – 2 Gold Medal
Others Events:
- Inter-Department Women Karate Championship 2008 Hyderabad – 2 Gold Medals
- 9th Sindh Games 2000 Hyderabad – 2 Gold Medals
- Karachi Games 1999 – Gold Medal
Kulsoom Hazara's Profile
Pakistan Karate (National Team)
Biography:
Kulsoom Hazara is Pakistan’s karate superstar, and she has lived up to this name several times during her career. The young enthusiastic, passionate and determinant Pakistani karateka belongs to ‘Hazara Community’ located in Baluchistan.
Kulsoom Hazara was born in Quetta on September 4, 1988. The youngest of three sisters and a brother, she lost her mother when she was only two. When she was five, her father took her to a local karate club. The club was owned by her cousin Sarwar Ali, who was raised by her father. Sarwar, later got married to Kulsoom’s eldest sister Fatima. Besides being a karate instructor, Sarwar was also a tailor master.
Nothing is impossible for the girl who lost her parents before her 10th birthday. Her resilience has taken her from strength to strength. Kulsoom Hazara has kicked and punched her way out of the bleakest moments in her life to find herself on victory stands, garlanded by medals and more medals.
Life was going on as normal until another traumatic turn. Kulsoom’s father suddenly passed away due to heart failure when she was only nine. That’s when her sister Fatima and brother-in-law Sarwar took over as guardians for Kulsoom and her other sister Zehra, while their brother moved out with his own family.
Karate became a way of pulling the young and quiet Kulsoom from her depression. She spent more and more time at the club, while also improving her combat skills.
Due to the precarious security situation in their area, the family decided to migrate to Karachi in 2000. Sarwar reestablished his tailoring business along with opening another karate club in Karachi, while Kulsoom resumed her training and studies in a new city.
Tragedy struck one again. Sometime in 2003, her brother-in-law Sarwar was gunned down in Karachi. With her mentor gone, a curtain was falling on Kulsoom’s dreams too. There was also a question about how the three sisters would earn their living. Her widowed sister then resorted to doing embroidery work at home while the other sister Zehra started teaching Persian, their first language, to somewhat help stabilise their finances. Both older sisters pushed the youngest to carry on with her studies and karate and excelling at both, Kulsoom, too, did not disappoint them.
Her passion enabled Kulsoom to take a major leap in her career when she became the national women’s karate champion, and she managed to do it the same year Sarwar was killed. Kulsoom is still the top female karateka in her weight category of +61kg.
Away from the sport, Kulsoom has also obtained her Master’s degree in Health and Physical Education from the University of Karachi. She now envisages herself as a fitness consultant and coach, helping future female karatekas.
