By Pham Tran
When you miss a train, you can’t catch up to it. You have to wait for another train to come or another opportunity to reclaim. At this point, you arrive at the destination later than anyone else. Having a broken arm in karate is like missing a train ride; it’s almost impossible to arrive at the finish line on time and take on the championship. But freshman Andersen Nguyen made all of the impossibilities possible.
Nguyen stayed low for a while because of his broken arm, but after recovering, he decided that it was finally time for him to rise. His recent championship at the Karate Tournament organized by the International School Sport Federation (ISF) in October 2024 marked his successful comeback. The ISF Gymnasiade is a multi-sport event for youth athletes that takes place every two years and includes karate as one of its categories. This year, the event took place in Bahrain, where Nguyen represented the USA Karate Team after proudly being selected to be one of the 20 karate competitors.
‘‘I feel proud of myself and all of the hard work that I put in these months to enter this tournament,” Nguyen said.
He participated in the Kata event, Japanese for “form”, where you perform a series of movements in precise forms and timing that you would use in a karate fight against an imaginary opponent. Kata is categorized by the belt color that the competitor possesses. Nguyen participated in the Kata event of brown and black belts, (the highest belt levels in the karate world) for boys from fourteen to sixteen years old.
In the competition, Nguyen went through a total of five rounds. Each round required him to face off against another person individually, and there must be a flag being raised from the judges’ position indicating you have won this round to move on to the next. He successfully took over all of the rounds with five flags being raised out of five. Nguyen brought glory to Team USA with his victory of first place in Kata.
“I feel very relieved that the tournament is finally over and proud of my achievement,” Nguyen said. “I’m also thankful for my sensei and friends for helping me.”
However, the win didn’t come easy, especially when Nguyen just recovered from his broken arm. Before ISF, he trained for a month and a half. At first, he hesitated in himself as going to this world tournament might be a risk for his health but his mom was the person who pushed him through this hardship and encouraged him.
“I came into the tournament scared because I just recovered from my broken arms. I felt like I couldn’t go 100%, but my mom helped me push through,” Nguyen said. “She encouraged me to try my best, and she told me that even if I don’t do well, she’ll still be proud.”
Although impressive, Nguyen’s victory at ISF isn’t the only achievement on his list. Nguyen has competed at many international and national competitions before, including the 2023 World Karate Championship in Scotland, Karate 1 Youth League in Mexico this year in August and last year’s USA Karate Nationals in the state of Florida, where he earned his ticket to ISF.
Like all skillful athletes, Nguyen was once a beginner. He stepped his foot into the world of karate in the middle of the midst when he was just an elementary schooler, knowing nothing about the rough journey ahead of him. Nguyen’s karate journey began about seven years ago when his sister fostered his spark of interest in the sport. Now, Nguyen is an avid student of the Jinen Kai Karate school.
“Originally I didn’t do karate, it was just my sister,” Nguyen said. “She then won a tournament so I was motivated to join karate too.”
Tournaments and awards are not the only reasons why Nguyen fell in love with karate. He enjoys how his mind will focus on karate, and only karate despite whatever is happening around him when practicing. All of his worries are gone the second he enters a karate match as having a strong mindset is especially crucial for winning this karate game.
“Karate taught me that if you put your mind to something, you can accomplish it,” Nguyen said. “For years, I’ve wanted to win. When I was younger, I didn’t win much. But ever since putting my mind to it, by going to practice consistently, I started to progress.”
In addition to seeking excellence, Nguyen also seeks out karate lovers in his community who have yet to earn a chance to prove themselves. He wants to help foster their love for karate and make the sport more known and recognized by the world.
“Karate is an amazing program,” Nguyen said. “My friends and I are starting a nonprofit for youth getting into karate. Everyone’s just really passionate. Everyone’s really nice. Karate is a great way to expand your knowledge and friendships.”
