• Journal Tribune

PostedMarch 14, 2017UpdatedNovember 9, 2019FROM STAFF REPORTS1 min readFont size +Gift articleSharePrint

Saco’s Sarah Patil shows off her medals this past weekend. SUBMITTED PHOTO

HANOVER, Mass. — Saco’s Sarah Patil has continued her impressive taekwondo career by taking home two gold medals in the AAU New England taekwondo championships in Hanover, Massachusetts this weekend.

Patil, 10, is a Saco native and has been competing in taekwondo since she was young. Patil was born prematurely in Portland in 2006, weighing just 1 pound, 5 ounces.

Her father Sunny Patil decided to enroll her in the sport to learn self defense, and she has shined ever since. Patil has also taken home gold at the Boston International Tournament as well as the Rhode Island Championships.

Patil competes in both Sparring and Poomse.

• Journal Tribune

PostedMarch 13, 2018UpdatedNovember 10, 2019

FROM STAFF REPORTS

Saco’s Sarah Patil shows off her gold medal at the USAT Massachusetts Taekwondo State Championships in Ashland, Massachusetts. SUBMITTED PHOTOS

ASHLAND, Mass. — Saco resident Sarah Patil and Wells resident Aryan Sawant continued to add to their impressive taekwondo careers, each taking home first place medals at the USAT Massachusetts State Taekwondo Championship in Ashland, Mass. last weekend.

Patil, an 11-year-old black belt, took home first place in sparing. Patil qualified for her sixth trip to nationals, and also took home second place in sparring at the AAU Adirondack Taekwondo National Qualifier in Troy, New York back in February.

PostedJune 7, 2017UpdatedNovember 9, 2019FROM STAFF REPORTS1 min readFont size +Gift articleSharePrint

Saco’s Sarah Patil shows off her medals. SUBMITTED PHOTO

BOSTON, Mass. — Saco’s Sarah Patil continued to polish her resume by earning gold and silver medals in the Boston International taekwondo championships.

Patil, 10, took home first place in Poomse and also picked up a second place finish in sparring.

Patil has emerged as perhaps the top taekwondo athlete in the state in her young career, picking up gold in numerous events. She has earned gold and silver for Poomse and Sparring in Boston, Rhode Island, and recently in the AAU New England championships.

Patil was born in Portland in 2006, weighing just 1 pound, 5 ounces. Her family enrolled her in taekwondo to learn self defense, and she has shined ever since. She hopes to one day compete in the Olympics.

• Journal Tribune

PostedJune 7, 2017UpdatedNovember 9, 2019FROM STAFF REPORTS1 min readFont size +Gift articleSharePrint

Saco’s Sarah Patil shows off her medals. SUBMITTED PHOTO

BOSTON, Mass. — Saco’s Sarah Patil continued to polish her resume by earning gold and silver medals in the Boston International taekwondo championships.

Patil, 10, took home first place in Poomse and also picked up a second place finish in sparring.

Patil has emerged as perhaps the top taekwondo athlete in the state in her young career, picking up gold in numerous events. She has earned gold and silver for Poomse and Sparring in Boston, Rhode Island, and recently in the AAU New England championships.

Patil was born in Portland in 2006, weighing just 1 pound, 5 ounces. Her family enrolled her in taekwondo to learn self defense, and she has shined ever since. She hopes to one day compete in the Olympics.

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PostedJune 21, 2016UpdatedNovember 10, 2019ALEX SPONSELLER3 min readFont size +Gift articleSharePrint

Saco’s Sarah Patil is shown here with a gold medal from a recent taekwondo competition.

SACO — At 9-years-old, Saco resident Sarah Patil has already enjoyed an impressive career in taekwondo.

Patil has competed in numerous events throughout the Northeast in the past year – and has brought home plenty of hardware to show for it.

Some of her recent achievements include taking home gold and silver medals in both the Rhode Island championship and the Korean Consulate General Cup in Boston. Patil also earned gold medals in Sparring and Poomse in the Boston International Taekwondo Championship.

When Patil was born in Portland back in December of 2006, she was born prematurely, weighing only 1 pound, 5 ounces at the 26th week of gestation.

Sunny Patil felt that martial arts may be a good idea for his daughter when she was a young child.

“When she was born premature, she was very small, we had to be careful with her and she was scared of a lot. (Taekwondo) has helped because it has taught her to protect herself and has given her confidence to get things done. We won’t always be with her as she gets older with college and things, so it teaches her how to protect herself,” said Sunny Patil.

Although Sarah Patil enjoys other hobbies such as ballet and jazz, taekwondo has always been her favorite, and she hopes to one day be an Olympian.

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“When she was young we put her in martial arts, we were thinking, ‘let’s see how she does,’ and we put her in taekwondo and she liked it right away and immediately focused on it,” said Sunny Patil. “She likes to do other activities like dancing, but she wants to be an Olympian in taekwondo.”

Sarah Patil has taken steps toward achieving her goal, including working with taekwondo coach Tom Chea.

“She’s been training with coach Tom Chea which has been great, he is very dedicated to teaching to her. Sarah wants to be an Olympian some day, so this helps her do what she’s trying to do. Tom is very dedicated and is great with the kids,” said Sunny Patil.

“I have wanted to be an Olympian since I was 5 years old, that is why I train a lot and am working with my coaches,” said Sarah Patil.

Sarah enjoys learning and participating in the art, with sparring being her favorite activity.

“I like taekwondo because it is protective. It teaches you how to protect yourself,” said Sarah Patil. “I like sparring. You get to fight in front of a lot of people, I like to focus on the movement. Sparring is my favorite.”

Sarah Patil is currently training for her fourth U.S. National Championships this July in Richmond, Virginia. Sunny Patil looks forward to the competition, as well as seeing what the future holds for his daughter.

“What she does is on her, that’s what we always tell her. Whether it’s trying another sport or dancing, it’s on her,” said Sunny Patil. “Right now, her goal is to be an Olympian in taekwondo, so she has been getting great training while she can and is working hard.”

— Sports Staff Writer Alex Sponseller can be reached at sports@journaltribune.com or at 282-1535 ext. 323. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @ JournalTsports.

• Biddeford-Saco-OOB Courier
• Southern Maine Weeklies

He's raising funds for Dana Farber Cancer Institute, in memory of his father, who died at 37, when Patil was 9 years old.

PostedSeptember 30, 2021

Tammy WellsCourier / Post3 min readFont size +Gift articleSharePrint

SACO — On Oct. 11, Sandeep “Sunny” Patil will be among the estimated 20,000 runners taking part in the Boston Marathon.

He will be fulfilling a dream, both to take part in an event that began back in 1897 with 18 runners, and to help raise funds to help Dana Farber Cancer Institute continue to provide treatment for cancer.

He has a reason to help fight cancer; the disease claimed his father at the young age of 37, when Patil was only 9 years old.

Patil and his four siblings made a pact.

“We decided not to touch tobacco in our life,” he said.

He and his siblings helped his mother run the family auto repair business in India — she had been a stay-at-home parent. At the time, there were few women running those sorts of businesses. “We all helped her, we were very focused,” he said.

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He came to the United States in 2001, first working as a software programmer in New York before moving to Saco in 2006. Married, he and his wife Seema Shinde have two children.

“I heard a lot of good things about Maine,” he said. “Less crime, and the people are nice.”

Patil, 48, began running about a decade ago, he said, because he got involved in taekwondo.

“My daughter inspired me,” said Patil. Young Sarah Patil began taking taekwondo lessons at age 6 and has gone on to win an array of medals from a number of contests, including a national competition. Patil joined his daughter in the sport, and has achieved several black belts.

“When I started taekwondo, my coach told me to go and run, five miles, 10 miles,” he said, to build up his stamina.

Sandeep “Sunny” Patil of Saco plans to run the Boston Marathon on Oct. 11 and is raising funds to support the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, in memory of his father, who died at 37 when Patil was 9 years old. Tammy Wells Photo

When the pandemic changed the world in 2020, Patil and his daughter no longer made their regular drive to Rhode Island for taekwondo lessons – but he continued to run, heading down to Camp Ellis and back, a 10-mile run, or continuing the run up to Black Point in Scarborough, a total of 17 or 18 miles. He rides his bicycle as well, from the Eastern Trail up to Cape Elizabeth and back, for the cardiovascular benefits.

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He heard about the Boston Marathon, qualified, and decided he would raise money for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, in memory of his father. He has developed a social media page for information and donations: https://www.facebook.com/donate/1167009663810326/?fundraiser_source=external_url

Recently, Patil has been experiencing what he described as “runners’ knee,” and is undergoing physical therapy. A recent 10-mile run resulted in pain, so now he is running in a swimming pool, as part of his therapy. He said it won’t keep him from the marathon.

“I’ll try my best, see how far I can go,” he said of the Boston Marathon.

The Oct. 11 event is the first running of the 26.2-mile course since 2019. The Boston Athletic Association canceled the 2020 marathon due to the coronavirus pandemic, and moved it from Patriots Day in April to October this year. While the marathon saw 30,000 entrants in 2018 and 2019, the limit was set at 20,000 this year because of pandemic concerns. Runners must show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test prior to the run.

Patil will be wearing bib number 16295.

“I’m here to enjoy it,” he said. “I want to enjoy the moment.”

And he pointed out, running with 20,000 people is different than solitary runs to Camp Ellis.

“When people cheer, the cheering gives you more energy,” he said.

PostedAugust 15, 2015UpdatedNovember 8, 2019From Staff Reports1 min readFont size +Gift articleSharePrint

SUBMITTED PHOTO/Courtesy of Sunny Patil

Saco native Sarah Patil recently competed at the Pan American Taekwondo Junior Open in Chicago, and as she has often done, she came away with some heavy hardware.

The nine-year-old Patil competed in both ninja sparring and poomsae at the event that concluded August 9, and she earned one gold medal and two bronze ones, as well.

Patil was trained by esteemed coach Tom Chea, who was named the 2010 USA Taekwondo Coach of the Year, and who is a five-time U.S. Cup champion.

PostedAugust 15, 2015UpdatedNovember 8, 2019From Staff Reports1 min readFont size +Gift articleSharePrint

SUBMITTED PHOTO/Courtesy of Sunny Patil

Saco native Sarah Patil recently competed at the Pan American Taekwondo Junior Open in Chicago, and as she has often done, she came away with some heavy hardware.

The nine-year-old Patil competed in both ninja sparring and poomsae at the event that concluded August 9, and she earned one gold medal and two bronze ones, as well.

Patil was trained by esteemed coach Tom Chea, who was named the 2010 USA Taekwondo Coach of the Year, and who is a five-time U.S. Cup champion.

PostedJuly 21, 2014UpdatedAugust 5, 2015The Forecaster1 min readFont size +Gift articleSharePrint

Freeport’s Sarah Patil, 7, has gone from being a premature baby to an accomplished expert in taekwondo. Patil, who inspired her father, Sunny, to take up taekwondo, has excelled at the state, regional and national levels, earning eight gold medals within her first year of competition and has competed against and defeated boys during that time. Patil aspires to be an Olympic medalist in taekwondo and to meet the President.

  FEAT:
From Preemie to Pro: Miracle Baby is a Born Fighter

Sarah Patil was born premature and weighed only 1lb. 5oz. She was the tiniest baby in NICU at Maine Medical Center. Now, at age seven, she is a Taekwondo champ. Sarah's dad, Sunny Patil, talks about her enduring achievements.

(Above): Red Belt Sarah Patil, 7, proudly shows three of her 20 medals.
Over the years we have enrolled Sarah in many extracurricular activities. She has learned ballet, tap and jazz, excelling in these classes and earning many certificates. Being over-protective parents of preemie baby we decided to boost her self-esteem.

Two years back we enrolled her in a martial arts class.

Sarah was very focused since day one and her dedication towards Taekwondo at age six, earned her the position of leader in her training class.

“Seeing my daughter’s determination I joined Taekwondo as well. I have had training in kickboxing and martial arts when I was in India, before Sarah was born. After Sarah, my priorities changed. I gave up everything so I could be a deserving dad to little Sarah. But she inspired me. She is my teacher. I am never afraid to ask her “Sarah can you teach me this and that? How did you do this, it’s awesome! And this is how I motivate her by learning moves from her.”

Sarah earned eight gold medals within her first year. She began training in martial arts Taekwondo in August 2012. She has won National and International competitions with 14 medals within her first year. In October of 2012, she competed in the 2012 New England Open Taekwondo Championship and received her first gold medal. Then in June of 2013, she competed Boston International Taekwondo Championship and received another gold medal. She got silver and gold for 2013 kids New England Open Taekwondo Championship. In March of 2013, she competed in the Connecticut State Taekwondo Association Championship. She won a gold, which qualified her for the Junior Olympics Nationals.

The National Junior Olympic competition is an open competition for candidates who are chosen to compete by the state and their senseis (coach). This event took place in July 2013 in Chicago, where she won three bronze medals for the Sparring, Poomse and creative breaking events.

(Above): Sarah with her little sister, Simmone.
When she goes to compete in any competition, her friends are confident Sarah will return with a medal. The mantra to her success is no pressure. She is always relaxed, giggling with her little sister and playing games while others practice.

Sarah wants to become a Nickelodeon actress, voice artist, doctor, painter, Olympian, teacher, and a taekwondo coach for her little sister.

A remarkable young girl who is intelligent, outgoing, and friendly, Sarah loves to learn and is not afraid to try new things.

We are proud of her and consider ourselves fortunate every time we attend the Main Medical Center preemie parents meeting. Having seen a lot of parents lose hope about their kids, we feel Sarah’s story will definitely inspire all preemie kids and their parents in believing in themselves.

Recently, Sarah won three gold medals as a Blue belt for Sparring, Poomse, and Board Breaking. In this competition she didn’t have any girl in her age group for Sparring. “I would love to fight with the boys, I am not scared of anyone,” said Sarah. She beat the boy in Sparring competition.

Though an American-born, Sarah is very close to her Indian roots. She was awarded the March of Dimes title for her journey from preemie to Junior Olympic medalist. Mom Seema and dad Sunny are confident she will one day win the Olympics medal for Taekwondo, doing proud to her own country, the United States, and to India.

   FEAT:
From Preemie to Pro: Miracle Baby is a Born Fighter

Sarah Patil was born premature and weighed only 1lb. 5oz. She was the tiniest baby in NICU at Maine Medical Center. Now, at age seven, she is a Taekwondo champ. Sarah's dad, Sunny Patil, talks about her enduring achievements.

(Above): Red Belt Sarah Patil, 7, proudly shows three of her 20 medals.
Over the years we have enrolled Sarah in many extracurricular activities. She has learned ballet, tap and jazz, excelling in these classes and earning many certificates. Being over-protective parents of preemie baby we decided to boost her self-esteem.

Two years back we enrolled her in a martial arts class.

Sarah was very focused since day one and her dedication towards Taekwondo at age six, earned her the position of leader in her training class.

“Seeing my daughter’s determination I joined Taekwondo as well. I have had training in kickboxing and martial arts when I was in India, before Sarah was born. After Sarah, my priorities changed. I gave up everything so I could be a deserving dad to little Sarah. But she inspired me. She is my teacher. I am never afraid to ask her “Sarah can you teach me this and that? How did you do this, it’s awesome! And this is how I motivate her by learning moves from her.”

Sarah earned eight gold medals within her first year. She began training in martial arts Taekwondo in August 2012. She has won National and International competitions with 14 medals within her first year. In October of 2012, she competed in the 2012 New England Open Taekwondo Championship and received her first gold medal. Then in June of 2013, she competed Boston International Taekwondo Championship and received another gold medal. She got silver and gold for 2013 kids New England Open Taekwondo Championship. In March of 2013, she competed in the Connecticut State Taekwondo Association Championship. She won a gold, which qualified her for the Junior Olympics Nationals.

The National Junior Olympic competition is an open competition for candidates who are chosen to compete by the state and their senseis (coach). This event took place in July 2013 in Chicago, where she won three bronze medals for the Sparring, Poomse and creative breaking events.

(Above): Sarah with her little sister, Simmone.
When she goes to compete in any competition, her friends are confident Sarah will return with a medal. The mantra to her success is no pressure. She is always relaxed, giggling with her little sister and playing games while others practice.

Sarah wants to become a Nickelodeon actress, voice artist, doctor, painter, Olympian, teacher, and a taekwondo coach for her little sister.

A remarkable young girl who is intelligent, outgoing, and friendly, Sarah loves to learn and is not afraid to try new things.

We are proud of her and consider ourselves fortunate every time we attend the Main Medical Center preemie parents meeting. Having seen a lot of parents lose hope about their kids, we feel Sarah’s story will definitely inspire all preemie kids and their parents in believing in themselves.

Recently, Sarah won three gold medals as a Blue belt for Sparring, Poomse, and Board Breaking. In this competition she didn’t have any girl in her age group for Sparring. “I would love to fight with the boys, I am not scared of anyone,” said Sarah. She beat the boy in Sparring competition.

Though an American-born, Sarah is very close to her Indian roots. She was awarded the March of Dimes title for her journey from preemie to Junior Olympic medalist. Mom Seema and dad Sunny are confident she will one day win the Olympics medal for Taekwondo, doing proud to her own country, the United States, and to India.