📷Palestinian karate champion Maryam Bisharat | @embpalestina tw page
When Maryam Bisharat felt anxious before her final match at the 13th World Karate Federation (WKF) Championship in Italy, it was her mother’s reassuring words that gave her the final push to victory.
“You are going to not only fulfill your dream or the dream of your father and the family, but also the dream of all of Palestine, and to raise the flag of Palestine high,” her mother told her.
Bisharat defeated her Egyptian counterpart winning the title in the Junior and Youth World Championship earlier this month. Her victory also meant she won the first gold for Palestine in the junior and youth categories, which saw athletes from 113 countries participating, Al-Jazeera reported.
“This was my personal dream and the dream of the family and Palestine, and it is the first global achievement that history will record for the first Palestinian woman,” she said.
Karate-Loving Family
Born in the occupied West Bank town of Nablus, the young woman hails from a karate-loving family that established its own karate institution called Al-Aqsa Karate Academy.
She is one of 32 members of the Bisharat family, males and females, who have achieved professional strides in the sport, winning on the local and international stage.
Congratulations from Gaza
Amin Bisharat, Maryam’s father and first coach, explained that having achieved a professional level in the sport himself, he and his brother founded the academy more than two decades ago.
He explained that he wanted to make Palestine proud and ensure the Palestinian flag was raised on the global stage.
“Maryam’s victory was not only athletic but also political, as she triumphed for her cause, especially at a time when the Palestinians are being exterminated,” said Bisharat.
The gold medalist said that after her win, “I received the first call congratulating me on my victory from an athlete and karate coach from Rafah, Gaza.”
According to reports, Bisharat earned a gold medal at the 2024 AKF Cadet, Junior & U21 Championships held in Manila, Philippines this year. She also won gold at the 2024 Karate 1 Youth League in Spain. | via The Palestine Chronicle
This article ‘Political Victory’ – Who is the Palestinian Athlete Who Won Gold at World Karate Junior Championship was originally published in The Palestine Chronicle.
