PeakNews Online
As a world champion in a different sport, Omid Ahmadisafa is not afraid to aim high when he boxes for the Refugee Olympic Team at Paris 2024.
“I want a medal,” the 31-year-old tells Olympics.com. “I’ve seen everything, only an Olympic medal is left.”
Initially for Ahmadisafa when growing up in the Islamic Republic of Iran, kickboxing proved a useful outlet for his energy during difficult times as a teenager.
“I started kickboxing when I was 16 years old,” he says. “I used to fight a lot, brawl. They told me to stop fighting so much and took me to training.
“During training, I saw people hitting each other, it was great. They hit each other, they get paid, they’re shown on TV, and their photos are everywhere. I said, ‘Okay, I’m here too.'”
Ahmadisafa was evidently a natural at kickboxing and, while representing Iran, won gold at the 2015 Asian Championships. He was then crowned world champion two years later.
By that point, he was already boxing as well, having been invited to train in Tehran with the Iranian national team after injury prevented him from being allowed to kick for five months.
He progressed in Olympic-style boxing so much that he represented Iran at the Asian qualifier for Tokyo 2020, held in Jordan in March 2020, where he was beaten in the quarter-finals by reigning Olympic champion Shakhobidin Zoirov.
Seven months later, when competing in a tournament in Italy, Ahmadisafa left his hotel and sought asylum in Germany. In his new home, he was invited to train with the German national boxing team in Cologne.
Ahmadisafa impressed, forcing him to focus more intensely on boxing, and in August 2023 he was among 10 new athletes awarded a Refugee Athlete Scholarship.
The Olympic dream moved closer, and then came the tears when he was confirmed on the Boxing Refugee Team’s squad for Paris 2024 in May.
“I cried,” he says. “I was very surprised [not to qualify for Tokyo 2020]. I did very well. God didn’t want it there, it didn’t happen.
“During Covid, while the selections were being made, Carlo Paalam and I were both sixth place, we were in the same position (editor note – Paalam was higher in the Road to Tokyo rankings). They chose him. They said, ‘You go to Tokyo,’ and he went and won a silver medal. This stayed in my heart. I wanted to go to the Olympics very, very, very much.
“This time when I heard my name for Paris, I was very emotional. I cried. God willing, I hope to win a medal. Let’s see what happens.”
Culled from Olympics.com
Joe
