Bahrain is 7,032 miles from Chicago. That is the distance junior Ava Farhat traveled to compete for Team USA karate in the ISF (International School Sport Federation) Gymnasiade Junior Olympics.
The ISF, according to the AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) sports website, is an organization “recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to organize world championships for youth ages 11 to 18 years old.”
This year the ISF hosted the Gymnasaide Junior Olympics in October, welcoming 26 sports across 70 countries compiled of over 5,000 athletes.
Farhat was one of the 20 athletes selected to compete for team USA.
“I don’t know why, but it didn’t really register how important the competition was until a little afterwards. I wasn’t really nervous because my sensei at home didn’t really freak me out about it like he normally does when one of the athletes has an important tournament,” Farhat said.
She has been doing karate since she was eight and said that led to a sense of comfort when competing. “I wasn’t as scared. When you compete so much, you get used to it, even if it’s in another country.”
Not only does Farhat attribute her comfort level with her experience, but she also attributes it to the community of karate as a sport. “The team members are always very loyal and supportive of each other, making sure no one misses their event and hustling to grab whatever someone needs (water, their bag, etc.).”
This community also had an influence on Farhat’s experience in Bahrain. “I competed the last day of the tournament. The first two days I spent my time supporting my team, helping them warm up, bringing them waters, and helping fix errors in registration.”
Farhat also recognizes the experience as special because of the high level of sports she was immersed in. “It was the first competition I went to where it wasn’t just karate. It was all sports because it was run by the International Olympic Committee. So it was like all the Olympic sports, but only for high schoolers.”
In the end, Farhat’s karate team took home 39 of the 50 medals the U.S. earned, Farhat herself placing second in her division. “It felt good to see my hard work come to fruition, but after I won, I just kept looking forward and thinking about how I could improve and fight better.”
