Unlike her teammates who found love in other sports, 23-year-old Helen Beete, embraced Karate and she is currently honing her skills at the Golden Martial Art Academy, Lagos. P.M.Sports’ BIMBO AJAYI, cornered her, where she disclosed why she chose the combat sport and her future plans.

Why did you choose Karate as a career over other sports ?

The reason is not far-fetched. Before venturing into the sport I was always excited whenever I saw karatekas at their training session at the stadium.

I used to admire the female ones among them, with the understanding that one needs to be physically fit before venturing into a sport of that nature. And I had the impression that the athletes must be deriving great fun in what they were doing. After I had pondered on the issue and also discovered that the sport was good for me, I concluded that it wouldn’t be a bad idea if I become one of them.

After joining them I discovered that there was more to the sport than I had imagined, but I have no reason to regret getting involved in the sport.

What was the first reaction of your family about your chosen career?

My family kicked against it at first. I can’t really condemn them for this, considering the fact that I’m the first to venture into a combat sport in my family.

My parents thought I was going on a suicide mission because of their misguided belief that Karate is only for men. They assumed that it was only men that could withstand the training that Karatekas undergo. But they had no choice than to give their blessings when they realised that I have made up my mind on the sport. However, they later realised that I knew what I was doing and that the sport is also good for women.

What are your gains since taking up the sport?

I’m happy to say that Karate has helped me in a number of ways. That’s why I have made up my mind to give it my best. For instance, I used to be very shy and was not adventurous prior to my involvement in the sport. But the sport has made me to believe in myself and to realise that I have an inbuilt capacity to do anything that I set out to do in life. In addition, the sport has kept me in great shape.

What are your future plans?

The desire of every serious-minded person is to make a mark in whatever he or she is doing. And that also applies to me as a Karateka. I want to be a champion and as well win many belts as possible.

And I have made up my mind not to allow anything to stop my progress. I wish to go abroad to hone my skills in the sport in order to win laurels for Nigeria and bring honour to my family.

How can Karate be developed in Nigeria?

I am convinced that Karate will soon be at par with other established sports in Nigeria, despite the fact that it is still relatively young in the country. But the major problem is that it is not getting enough assistance from both the government and corporate organisations to keep pace with other sports.

We don’t have enough competitions where we can exhibit our talents. Sometimes we have to wait for months before we get competitions in which we can participate in. We don’t even have the privilege to rub shoulders with our foreign counterparts due to lack of sponsors. But I know that Karate will surely move forward if the government and the private sectors change their mindset and begin to fund the sport as they do for football.

How do you feel that Karate will not feature at London 2012 Olympics?

I’m not really disappointed that karate will not feature at the London Olympics. The reason is that Karate has not been incorporated into the Olympics unlike the sports that will feature at the games.

It is obvious that the issue is general and not peculiar to Nigeria alone. But we know that something positive will soon happen in that respect since Karate will feature as a demonstration sport at the London Olympics.

Perhaps in four year’s time the sport would have been fully incorporated into the Olympics and Karatekas will have the privilege to showcase their talent like athletes in other sports.