"I want to inspire so many girls"
Netflix’s Cobra Kai continues to captivate viewers and in part two of the final season, there have been some brand new faces, one of whom is Rayna Vallandingham.
The final season features the Miyagi-Do protagonists in Barcelona and competing in the Sekai Taikai tournament.
There, they are battling against 15 international teams.
Rayna plays Zara Malik, a standout new villain who is a member of the formidable Iron Dragons and combines beauty with ferocious fighting skills.
The character has already made an impact, both on and off the mat, and Rayna is fun to watch in every scene she’s in.
When it comes to Cobra Kai, the cast learned karate for their roles but Rayna is an elite martial artist and her real-life skills add undeniable authenticity to her fight scenes.
Born on January 18, 2003, Rayna is a fourth-degree black belt in Taekwondo and a 13-time world champion.
When she was eight, Rayna became the youngest black belt world champion and won the Triple Crown at the 2011 World Championships.
She is also the youngest world champion to clinch six championships.
The California native, who has Indian heritage, has won 11 American Taekwondo Association world titles.
Rayna Vallandingham’s martial arts success is partially down to her parents’ support.
Chiropractors Jeff and Joty Vallandingham noticed their daughter’s strength and sacrificed much of their adult life to support her passion.
Rayna explained: “I am eternally grateful to my parents for sacrificing much of their adult life so that they could fully dedicate themselves to me and my passion for martial arts.
“The lifestyle was chaotic; it required an abundant amount of travel, training, money, and not to mention, stress.”
She also credits her grandfather:
“My grandpa Nana, as I call him in the Punjabi language, he was so supportive of me. He would take me to the dojo every single day when I was two and hiding under the benches.
“And he would just persevere with me and be like, ‘You know what, Rayna? I believe in you’.
“She’s going to do this. She’s my kaur, she’s my lioness. And kaur I actually have tattooed on me because it means ‘lioness’ in Punjabi.
“And I think that every time I look at it, I just feel so empowered.”
The support has fuelled Rayna Vallandingham’s desire to break boundaries, both in martial arts and in the entertainment industry.
She explained: “It’s always been like, ‘Rayna, you are the first Indian American to do this, or you’re the first female Indian American to lead a music video’.
“And for me, that was so crazy because it’s like Indian women are so incredible.
“I never got to see a female Indian lead in an action movie.”
“And that’s why I want to be that. I want to inspire so many girls who don’t see people that look like them.”
Since 2014, Rayna Vallandingham’s online presence has grown as she regularly posts videos of her Taekwondo training on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
With over 650,000 YouTube subscribers, the star also shows fans what she gets up to at her gym.
@raynavallandingham sorryyy coach ? #martialarts #taekwondo ? original sound – Jake Peters
This includes flooring her coach with an incredible kick.
Rayna has had experience in the entertainment world before her Cobra Kai breakthrough.
She made her acting debut in the 2015 film Underdog Kids.
Rayna went on to feature in Shawn Mendes’ music video for the 2018 hit ‘Youth’, which features singer-songwriter Khalid.
She is seen in the video showing off her incredible martial arts skills alongside other talented individuals.
Rayna’s Cobra Kai breakthrough could now open up more acting roles.
Episodes six to 10 of the popular show were released on November 15, 2024.
But fans will need to wait until 2025 for the five instalments, which are set to be released on February 13, and whether Rayna will return as Zara.
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