At 7, Madurai girl Samyuktha Narayanan has become the world’s youngest taekwondo instructor
Watching Samyuktha Narayanan in action is a sheer delight. All of seven: her agility, focus, timing, and body control are on full display when she executes a flying side kick with the utmost precision or lands a powerful punch. Her swift and sharp Taekwondo moves, that too at such a tender age, are what earned her the Guinness World Record as the world’s youngest Taekwondo instructor recently.
“The first (taekwondo) move I learnt was to punch. I was three then,” smiles Samyuktha, while speaking to Hyderabad Chronicle.
Hailing from Madurai, Tamil Nadu, Samyuktha’s skills and training were recorded and uploaded to the Guinness World Records website recently.
“Seven-year-old girl makes history as the youngest Taekwondo instructor ever, aged just seven years and 270 days old! Samyuktha Narayanan is an inspiration to fellow kids in Madurai, India, encouraging them to engage in sports!” — the Guinness World Records wrote in a post.
All in the genes
Samyuktha’s parents—Shruthy and Narayanan—are taekwondo champions and run the Madurai Taekwondo Academy, which they run from the first floor of their house. “My father holds 34 Guinness World Records, and my mother has two titles. My home displays all their certificates on a wall. I wanted to see my certificate along with theirs,” says Samyuktha, a grade three student of Mahatma School in Madurai.
Shruthy previously held the record for the most full-contact elbow strikes in one minute using alternate elbows (211). Narayanan, on the other hand, boasts multiple records, including most flaming concrete blocks broken in
30 seconds (29) and most marble slabs broken with a single kick (seven).
Samyuktha used to spend a lot of time at the academy since the age of two. “I used to watch my parents keenly teach the trainees all kinds of taekwondo moves,” recalls the rockstar of the martial art. Back then, she used to have her father hold the target pad for her while she enjoyed swinging her leg to reach it. As she turned three, Samyuktha joined other trainees in workouts, running, jumping and doing squats. She then began training her regularly.
Prepping up
Samyuktha’s journey into the Guinness World Record began shortly after she received her black belt from the World Taekwondo Headquarters in Korea in August 2024. To achieve the Guinness World Record, one must complete all the Taekwondo poomsae (syllabus), which includes blocks, punches, kicks and self-defence demonstrations, besides being able to teach others. “For my black belt training, I had already practiced all the moves, and so it was easy. For the teaching part, I have seen my father doing it for so many years; I just followed it,” she says.
In fact, Samyuktha’s father told her not to expect anything and just keep trying. “He just wanted me to give it a try, and I did by intensifying my practice,” says Samyuktha.
The Guinness World Record team reviewed all her videos and announced her as the world’s youngest taekwondo instructor by November 2024.
Early riser
Samyuktha wakes up by 5.30 am every today and heads straight for Taekwondo training, after which it’s school time. “I dedicate one day each for cardio training, stretching and strengthening. I practice taekwondo kicks daily,” she says.After returning from school by 4 pm, Samyuktha ensures she completes her homework before heading out to play with her friends. By 7 pm, the world’s youngest taekwondo instructor is back at the taekwondo class to train a batch of 8 students, who are in the age range of 5–6 years. “Training includes warm-ups, some workouts, and teaching the basics of different kicks.”
She has suffered injuries during her training, but that hardly comes in the way of her goal. “When injured, I give my body some rest to recover and then commence training.”
Junk or packaged food and soft drinks are a strict no for her. “I prefer simple home food, and I love the snacks made by my mother,” says Samyuktha.
Dance & Trek
Like taekwondo, Samyukta’s dance moves are equally swift. “I love western dance and have been doing it regularly for the last year. I also won prizes in a few competitions. “My mother is a Bharat-natyam dancer too,” informs the taekwondo star, who does not watch TV. “I love going on treks with my father,” says Samyuktha, who has climbed the Meesapuli-mala, the second highest peak in the Western Ghats; the Cho-kramudi peak; and the Bose peak in Kerala. She regularly goes for treks to a few places within Tamil Nadu.
Medal for India
Samyuktha says, she aims to participate in many national and international championships in the future. Samyuktha expresses her desire to win an Olympic medal for her country, acknowledging that she still has a long way to go and a lot to learn. She is already aiming to achieve another Guinness World Record in the fitness category.
