Nigara Shaheen: From fleeing war to Paris Olympics

PARIS – When Nigara Shaheen was six months old, her parents fled Afghanistan, carrying her successful her mother’s arms. Last week, she stepped onto nan judo mat successful Paris for her 2nd Olympics, nan culmination of a travel that has taken her from state to country, and yet to Canada, looking for a spot to live, study and train.

Shaheen, who has lived successful Toronto since 2022, said making it to Paris arsenic portion of nan Olympic Refugee Team was a “dream travel true.”

“It’s really joyful and I’m really excited to beryllium portion of this squad for a 2nd time, but astatine nan aforesaid clip it’s besides a large responsibility,” she said. “I consciousness for illustration we tin dispersed nan connection that we want to dispersed done our squad and done nan different platforms we get arsenic athletes.”

Shaheen’s Olympic communicative successful Paris did not spell perfectly. She mislaid to Mexico’s Prisca Awiti Alcaraz successful nan judo information of 32 contest, and nan exile squad besides mislaid successful nan mixed squad elimination information of 32 by a 4-0 separator against Spain. Shaheen had besides moved down a weight class, going from nan 70-kilogram class successful Tokyo to nan 63-kilogram successful Paris.

She said that while she felt physically amended prepared than ever, she still has activity to do connected controlling her emotions connected nan mat.

“I conscionable want to spell drawback nan personification and triumph nan match, which doesn’t ever activity nan aforesaid measurement and it’s a batch of risk,” she said. “I deliberation I request to activity connected that, to calm down a small spot and return much clip connected nan mat truthful that I tin activity my way.”

Shaheen’s travel to nan Olympics has not been a elemental one. She started successful martial arts arsenic a measurement of defending herself against nan harassment she faced arsenic a exile woman increasing up successful Pakistan. Because she wasn’t eligible for regular schools that had extracurriculars, her mother convinced a section coach to springiness her a first martial arts people connected a family member’s mini pavilion successful Peshawar.

Shaheen moved backmost to Afghanistan astatine 18 successful bid to study, past to Russia, wherever she was studying erstwhile she was invited to nan Tokyo 2020 Games. Afterwards, she wanted to return to Afghanistan, but nan governmental business had deteriorated, resulting successful her returning to Pakistan, wherever she became “a exile for nan 2nd time.”

All along, she said she faced unit from nine to springiness up her sport, and some she and her family person sometimes faced harassment for her prime to participate successful combat sports arsenic a woman. “In my country, they don’t respect athletics arsenic a career,” she said.

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She moved to Canada successful 2022, wherever she completed postgraduate studies successful world improvement astatine Toronto’s Centennial College. She has besides obtained imperishable residency. While moving to Canada has fixed her opportunities, it besides required her to make nan achy prime of leaving her parents for a 2nd time.
Shaheen said athletics has been nan 1 changeless successful her life, getting her done her darkest days.

“When I get excessively stressed, I for illustration to train judo,” she said. She runs done nan tasks arsenic accelerated arsenic she can, “so that I tin hide immoderate is happening successful my life.”

She hopes to 1 time constitute a book astir nan sport’s accuracy and believes judo has lessons that tin construe to mundane life.

“The first point is, you request to study is really to fall,” she said. “That’s really life is.”

There’s besides nan balance, she said. “You request to equilibrium everything successful bid to get to somewhere.”

This study by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 5, 2024