Pooja Harsha, Chairman of WAKO India Women Committee, General Secretary of Karnataka Kickboxing Sports Association and Member of WAKO World, received the prestigious Karnataka Women Achievers Awards – Excellence in Sports category recently at Vivanta by Taj – Yeshwantpur.

This mega event was organised by Founder of KWAA – Spoorti Vishwas and attended by chief guest Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar, film producer.

Karnataka Women Achievers Award (KWAA) received over 4,300 plus nominations. The highly distinguished jury critically examined each nomination and judiciously filtered 1 top entry from each category.

Pooja started practicing martial arts in the year 1997 and has experience of over 25 years. She has trained over 10,000 Kickboxers, holds 4th degree black belt in Karate and 2nd degree black belt in Kickboxing.

She is the first woman in India to lead the State by becoming a State Head in the 20-year history of WAKO India. She has introduced Kickboxing sport in 18 districts of Karnataka and has brought overall trophy for the State 3 times consistently in a row and has created history by making Karnataka team one of the biggest teams of South India.

Karnataka now stands in top 3 position amongst 28 States/ UTs. 

Pooja Harsha is the first woman in India to introduce WAKO Kickboxing in elementary and primary schools in the year 2016. She is the first woman from Asia to get elected as a Member of WAKO World Women in Sport Committee in 2019; First woman from South India to become International Referee (Ring Sport) and National Coach. She is the CEO of ASD Fight Club where hundreds of Kickboxers get trained.

“My motto is to introduce Kickboxing in all the districts of Karnataka and to bring in more number of girls into the ring,” she added.

Daughter of Janaki Das (Senior Staff Nurse, Government Hospital, Jayalakshmipuram) and Hari Das (Businessman), residents of Jayalakshmipuram in Mysuru, Pooja is married to Harsha Shankar, Founder of Academy of Self Defense (ASD), Mysuru and an International Referee, who is also an Asian Bronze medallist in Kickboxing.