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Chambers Path to Redemption

FISU 24 June 2015

 

OHIO – The 2015 Summer World University Games will be a time of redemption for Aziza Chambers. The Ohio native will represent the United States in Taekwondo at her third games this July. Gwangju will be the stage for the story of the comeback athlete such as Chambers. She will be competing in the birthplace of the sport that has kept her grounded through the many trials she has endured.

Days before competition began for the 2011 Summer World University Games, Chambers received a phone call informing her of the death of her grandmother.  With pride and determination, the US team captain decided to stay with her team and compete. She became the only US Taekwondo member to earn a medal, taking home the Bronze.

Just two years after her grandmothers passing, Chambers encountered yet another setback and tore her Achilles tendon in South Korea while competing for the US National Taekwondo Collegiate Team. Doctors told Chambers she would be likely to never compete again. Friends, teammates, and coaches doubted her and encouraged her to hang up the sport. Chambers never listened.

The Wright State student-athlete underwent surgery just one week before classes began. Despite her demanding schedule, Chambers began physical therapy while balancing her classes and clinicals without missing a single one.

After months of painful therapy, Chambers defied the odds, cutting the standard post-op recovery time in half. Astounded by her four-month recovery, surgeons and physical therapists wished they had done a case study over her remarkable progress.

“Her perseverance and determination have earned her many National Team positions and international success”, said Jacky Baik, Manager of the USA National Collegiate Taekwondo Team.

Chambers remains one of the most recognizable and respected athletes throughout the taekwondo community. She is full steam ahead to continue her path to redemption at the 2015 Summer World University Games.

 

Lizzy Whitbeck (USA), FISU Young Reporter