Photograph: Antonio Olmos for the Guardian
Kayla
Harrison took her spot on the medal stand, determined not to cry during the
national anthem. She was in tears after one note.
On this day,
emotion was the only thing she could not beat. The United States finally has
an Olympic judo champion: a 22-year-old from Ohio who was sexually
abused by a former coach as a child, became a self-described "teenage
punk" who hated everything about her sport and then found a way to turn
everything around.
Harrison
took the final step in the journey on Thursday. She beat Britain's Gemma
Gibbons 2-0 for the gold medal in the women's under 78-kilogram division.
"Kind of just reflecting back on my life. Everything it's taken to get
here, and everything that I've gone through," Harrison said. "I'm
America's first gold medalist in judo and always will be."
Not only did
she end America's title drought in judo, but she did it in an arena where
British flags were flying wildly. Gibbons was a surprise finalist, spurred by a
crowd that chanted her name in every match. Even that wasn't enough to take
down Harrison.
….
(Team USA
Coach Jimmy) Pedro, who has spent a lifetime chasing Olympic gold, gave Harrison
the same pep talk on Thursday over and over again. He said she must have heard
it 150 times throughout the day: "There's one girl in front of you. That's
all we worry about is that one girl. Are you better than her? Are you stronger
than her? Are you tougher than her? Yeah? Well, then, go beat her because she's
in your way to be an Olympic champion."
It worked.
"Never give up on your dreams," Harrison said. "I mean, if I can
do it, anybody can do it. Things have happened, but now, my life is a dream. I'm
living my dream right now."
Harrison
moved to Massachusetts when she was 16 and found refuge at Pedro's Judo Center.
Her mother was pursuing charges against Daniel Doyle, who had started coaching
her when she was eight. He started abusing her when she was 12, perhaps
earlier, on trips to Venezuela, Estonia and Russia. For years, Harrison had
mistaken it for being in love.
The coach
was later sentenced to 10 years in prison and expelled for life from USA Judo,
the sport's national governing body. After Harrison came forward, her mother
went to Massachusetts, and placed her future in the hands of Pedro and his
father.
It was not
easy. Harrison simply did not want to be there. In time, the trust issues were
worked out. Harrison got back into school. She believed in what Pedro and his
father, whom everyone calls "Big Jim," were telling her. Eventually,
she believed in herself again as well.
"She
should inspire many to be brave, to have courage, to realize that they're a
victim and to come forward and move on with their lives," Pedro said.
"Mentally,
they get twisted into thinking that they're somebody they're not. And Kayla
Harrison stepped forward. She should be a hero. She is a hero. And she's one
brave, tough, tough girl one that no man would want to mess with if you don't
know judo, I'll tell you."
Harrison and
Pedro had an agreement before London: if Harrison, who is engaged to a
firefighter and is working to become one herself, had not won the gold medal,
she would compete at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
Except she did win. So
retirement is now an option. Pedro will undoubtedly lobby to keep her around,
but Harrison is, at best, noncommittal.
"I
can't wait to get started helping others and helping others realize their dream
and realize that there's more to life than what they are living in right
there," Harrison said.
She went on: "I can't wait. I want to help kids
realize their Olympic dreams. I want to help kids overcome being victims. I
want to help change the sport and change people's lives."
