“Elijah”

Do you know what it is like to live in someone’s shadow? Some of us do. We have an older brother, or an older sister that could sing, dance, play football, basketball or any other ball so well that no matter what we accomplished, our accomplishment would always be compared to “theirs.” What if that shadow was so huge that it was all consuming! What if the comparison was based on the accomplishments of your older brother winning at the largest tournament in one of the most difficult sports in the world! That is how it was for young Elijah Davis. Both Elijah and his older brother Asante compete in Tae Kwon Do. Tae Kwon Do is the most popular Martial art in the world. A summer Olympic Sport considered by many to be the most difficult sport in the world! Unlike Asante success in the sport didn’t come as easily for Elijah! Asante is very well known in the sport. He is the winner of 3 consecutive gold medals at the junior Olympics, and most impressively he is also an Us Open Gold Medalist! Elijah is also very well known in the sport. He does extremely well and is a Washington State Champion, Oregon State Champion, National Champion and a Junior Olympic Gold Medalist, but it was the Us Open Gold medal that seemed to elude him. The Us Open is the highest level full contact Tae Kwon Do tournament held in the United States. This International Level Tournament attracts the best Tae Kwon Do fighters from all over the world. Many National Teams, World Champions and even Olympic Champions compete at the US Open. In 2009 Elijah made his first attempt to step out of that huge shadow. In February of that year Elijah would make his first attempt at winning the US Open. Sadly it was not to be. Although he fought well and made it to the finals from a field of over 60 fighters, Elijah lost in the finals and won the Silver Medal. For most this would have been a fulfilling accomplishment. After all it was Silver! But for Elijah it was not Gold! He was crushed! His Coach Lionel Lee knew how important this win was for him and sat, holding the then 11 year old, while he let out his anguish. Coach Lee also informed him that dreams do not always come true immediately. If he really wanted this victory then he could not give up! He had to hold on to the dream and continue to work hard towards it. In a sport that has one of the highest attrition rates amongst Olympic Sports this was a lot to ask of the young child. Elijah Davis is no ordinary child. He is a member of an extraordinary team of Tae Kwon Do fighters. He is a member of the Yi Sport Tae Kwon Do Team. This Seattle team has produced over 32 Junior Olympic gold medalist, 17 Junior Olympic silver medalist, 18 Junior Olympic bronze medalist, and 32 National Champions. The School also has 4 members that are ranked in the top 4 fighters in the country and are profiled on the United States Olympic Committees Tae Kwon Do website. The team is also home of 4 US Open Gold Medalist, 3 US Open Silver Medalist and 1 Us Open Bronze Medalist. It was with the help of this incredible team that Elijah would once again make the long arduous journey towards the US Open. On February 11th 2010 in Las Vegas Nevada, with over 5,000 competitors and spectators in attendance, Elijah and his coaches would once again fight towards the gold medal! His first fight of the day was against a competitor from California. Elijah quickly set the tone with a kick to the head that let his competitor know that on this day he was outclassed! Elijah had what it took to win! Elijah’s second fight was against a player that stood at least 4 inches taller than Elijah but in the end the difference in height only made Elijah’s incredible kicks to the head seem more dramatic. The taller fighter was no match for Elijah’s resolve. His next fight was against a much more seasoned fighter from Mexico. This was a much tougher challenge for Elijah. The fight went back and forth, ended in a tie, and would go to sudden death, where the first fighter to score a hit would be the winner. After sudden death the score was still tied and the decision as to who won would rest in the hands of the judges. The Judges voted in Elijah’s favor. Elijah once again made it to the finals. The finals were fought at a pace that is seldom seen in our sport. The lead went back and forth. For every head kick Elijah threw his competitor would answer with the same. Again Elijah was in sudden death overt-time against his opponent but it was not a good day to be facing Elijah. Elijah wanted this more and the thought of losing again was enough to drive him. With a bone cracking punch to the sternum, Elijah scored the winning point, stepped out of that shadow, and basked in Gold! Yi Sport Tae Kwon Do is located at 800 23rd Ave. S. Seattle Washington 98144, website: www.yisporttkd.com, phone: 206.850.9449, email:abukhailil7@netscape.net, FB: yi sport