A 29-year-old woman in Jacksonville, Florida, earned her first-degree black belt in karate during a recent ceremony that took place at Hanna Park.
She is now the first person with Down syndrome to reach that goal at Zone Martial Arts School, News4Jax reported Sunday.
It was a special day Christina Haas has been working towards over the past four years.
Video footage showed the moment she received the belt:
NEVER GIVE UP: 29-year-old Christina Haas earns her first degree Black Belt this weekend. She becomes the first person with #DownSyndrome to reach this milestone at Zone Martial Arts in Jacksonville. Tonight on @wjxt4, hear why Christina’s fight stretched beyond #karate. pic.twitter.com/qsbizdZ6Cf
— Aaron Farrar (@aaronfarrarNews) December 5, 2021
“It feels powerful,” she explained when talking about putting on the special belt. “I like to feel power and strength.”
Down syndrome is described as a condition where an individual has an extra chromosome, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.
Now, her achievement is something her parents will cherish forever.
“It was a joy,” Christina’s mom, Luisa, stated. “I was so proud of her because she has been working so hard.”
The young woman went through over a dozen difficult tests in recent years, which challenged her physically and mentally. The drills included takedowns, defense mechanisms, and even breaking boards.
“Back chuck, front chucks, all of that stuff,” she recalled.
Luisa and Michael Haas told News4Jax their daughter was fearless and urged her loved ones to participate in karate.
Christina will be the first girl with Down syndrome in Jacksonville to earn a black belt in karate! It should have been…
Posted by Luisa E Mike Haas on Friday, December 3, 2021
“She pushed me to go,” Michael commented. “She pushed all of us to go every day.”
“She is not a quitter that’s for sure,” Luisa explained.
Erik Ekholm, the instructor at the Zone, said Christina stopped attending at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic and missed over a year.
However, she was determined to earn the black belt and eventually did, using all the lessons learned at the school.
“To watch her persevere and to just set her mind to it and accomplish that goal, that is what is important in life,” Michael stated.
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