India, June 2 -- Last month, two 22-year-olds - Aparna Dahiya and Shivani - clinched gold medals at the 11th Sanda World Cup in Macao, China. While Aparna won in the 58kg category, Shivani claimed the top spot in the 75kg event. The two youngsters were India's only gold medallists, helping the country finish third overall in the competition with two gold, one silver, and two bronze medals.

Hailing from Kharkhoda village in Haryana, Aparna took up the sport at school when she was 11. What started as a self-defence exercise gradually became a career choice. Her father, Bijendra Dahiya, is a farmer and her mother, Beena Devi, is a homemaker.

"My parents always supported me. They'd often say, 'Tumhe jo karna hai karo. If you want to study, ...