What was something that started badly for you, but ended well in the end?
This question is closely related to this stage of my life.
I started practicing Taekwondo when I was 21 years old, without having practiced any other sport before in my life. In Venezuela, my native country, the athlete must go through several stages, child, junior, youth and adult, in my particular case I skipped all those stages, and started in the adult category. I just liked that sport, I didn't know anything about what that sporting world was like. However, my coach had confidence in my abilities and possibilities, since she had noticed my physical conditions, ideal for that specific sport.
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The only chance I had was to enter the national team, that was the category or adult stage in my country. My coach began to train me with a view to the different regional and national competitions in which I had to participate in order to gain experience, and then have the opportunity to go to the most important competition, which was the First Division National Championship.
Whoever wins there would represent the country internationally in its corresponding category. My weight at that time was 51 kg.
The problem or difficulty began when my coach began to request financial aid for me at the sports institute in charge of providing financial benefits to athletes when they had to travel to compete. It was very difficult, since they never gave me help so that I could travel, because their excuse was that I was not a youth athlete, they said that I was too old to compete, and the help was only given to youth athletes, they were not at all They trusted my coach, nor me, they did not know my conditions, they only limited themselves to denying me help.
We knocked on many doors and got nothing. Then my coach with what little she could take me to the competitions, it was not easy to travel almost without financial resources, where you had to pay for transportation, hotel and food. I wanted to compete, I had a goal that I wanted to achieve and she supported me.
In one of the many times that we sought help, we went with a letter to speak to a doctor who was the president of one of the government's mayoralties in the city where I lived, we spoke with him and he agreed to give me help for that event.
In addition to money for hotel, transportation and food, he also provided me with the regulation uniform to compete and sportswear to train.
The day of traveling to the First Division National Championship arrived. Well I never forget a phrase that my coach told me "more does the one who wants than the one who can and does not want to."
I felt safe, I trusted God and I trusted myself and the confidence that my coach had in me. I won the competition and became Champion in my category in 1997. I began to practice taekwondo in 1995 and in just 2 years I was already in the national team, from there, in the year 97, I began to travel many countries of the world including: Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, South Korea, Germany, Holland, France, Spain, etc. I obtained many gold, silver and bronze medals, and although in the few competitions that I lost, all of them left me an apprenticeship, which helped me to improve my competitive techniques. I also got to know a lot about the culture of the countries I visited, I made the most of it.
The most beautiful thing about all that was that while those people denied me their help, it gave me more strength to continue, I said to myself “if I can, I will show everyone that I can”, “if I am going to be able to stay in the national team and I will travel to represent my country ”, they thought to hurt me and only gave me more strength. That was part of my divine plan, to show myself what I was capable of, that I had to keep evolving. And this sport really changed my life, to be a better person every day, to value my country, the people, to be humble, to thank and not feel anger or resentment for anyone.
I love this sport because it gave me a lot of satisfaction and I feel very proud of it. At first it was very difficult, but the results were excellent.
I hope you liked a part of my life story.
I invite @benavides54 to join the contest
Thanks for viewing and reading my publication
All images are my own.
by: @mirla33
WOW, we have a champion here!!!
“No difficulty can discourage, no obstacle dismay, no trouble dishearten the man who has acquired the art of being alive. Difficulties are but dares of fate, obstacles but hurdles to try his skill, troubles but bitter tonics to give him strength; and he rises higher and looms greater after each encounter with adversity.” – Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Kudos to you, @mirla33.
Thanks for sharing, and good luck with the contest!
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Maravillosa y bienvenida a esta casita de las damas de hive. Es impresionante tus logros. Me encantó tu aporte grandes logros sin lugar a dudas @mirla33
Gracias mi querida amiga @sacra97. Gracias por tu hermoso comentario. Te abrazo fuerte. Saludos y muchas bendiciones para ti.