Flushing Taekwondo martial artist
eyes spot in 2020 Tokyo Paralympics
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
Flushing Taekwondo
martial arts fighter Ismael
Oumarou Gouzae isn’t letting
his disability deter him
from achieving his dream to
compete in the Tokyo 2020
Paralympic Games.
Fighting with one hand, 18-
year-old Gouzae competed in
the U.S. Open Championship
held in Las Vegas on March 1,
winning a bronze medal. Over
2,400 athletes from more than
80 countries participated in
the international competition
to pave the road for the
Summer Olympics in Tokyo
in 2020; it will be the first
time the Paralympics will be
included.
“Ismael won against a
USA athlete he once lost to in
Morocco, and he lost a close
match against a No. 1 ranked
Mexico Player,” said Andrew
Park, head coach of the Team
Eagles Training Center,
located at 42-27 162nd St. in
Flushing.
A native of Bosso, Niger,
Gouzae lost his right hand
(wrist down) at the age of 12
from a grenade explosion
caused by the Islamic terrorist
group, Boko Haram.
“He was a hero that day, as
he tried to throw the grenade
away from a crowd of people,
it exploded in his hand,” said
Park, on behalf of Gouzae who
doesn’t speak much English.
“He ran to wash it off with
water since the acid was
spreading, then someone from
the street wrapped it around
to stop the bleeding and he
went to the hospital.”
With no family in the U.S.,
Gouzae resides at a shelter in
Manhattan and attends Bronx
Regional High School. Every
day, he commutes two to three
hours to the Flushing Team
Eagles Training Center, where
he has been training regularly
three to four times a week. On
weekends, he trains late until
11 p.m. or later, according to
Park.
Currently, Gouzae is
ranked top 10 in the world and
will most likely participate in
the Tokyo Olympics, according
to Park. He previously
He has a
heart of
a lion on
and off the
mats.
Andrew Park
Head coach of
Flusing Taekowndo
participated in African Games
and the World Championship
in Morocco, where he earned
valuable ranking points along
with his medals to be eligible to
compete at the Paralympics.
“He has a heart of a lion
on and off the mats,” said
Park. “He is well mannered
as our taekwondo sport
promotes integrity, courtesy,
perseverance, self-control and
indomitable spirit, which are
five tenets of taekwondo. Our
cadet and junior athletes learn
from his disciplined training
method, dedication, and
sometimes reminds us how
fortunate we are.”
Gouzae has expressed
his gratitude to Park, who
has sponsored him with
equipments, uniforms,
warm-ups, flights, hotels,
competition registration
fees, and much more from
fundraising events.
The team is preparing
for the New York State
Championships this weekend
and will be competing in April
at the National Collegiate
Taekwondo Association High
School Championships in
Texas.
“He will be representing
Niger and we’re very thrilled,”
said Park. “It would greatly
help if outside sources of
sponsorships recognize his
passion and dedication for his
Olympic dream.”
Reach reporter Carlotta
Mohamed by e-mail at
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.
com or by phone at (718) 260–
4526.
Team Eagles Training Center head coach Andrew Park (r.) with Ismael Gouzae, 18, who is training to
compete in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. Courtesy of Andrew Park
Gouzae (l.) competing in the U.S. Open Championship, held in Las Vegas on March 1.
Courtesy of Andrew Park
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