A Jozi karate kid, a dream, a community and the kind of victory that no medal can outweigh. Christo Prokas’ story will make you smile even if you don’t know anything about karate.
Global (25 July, 2023) — Jozi karate kid Christo Prokas recently competed in the WUFK World Championships in Scotland—a celebration in itself before any podium placements. However, his story is not just about karate bucket lists or big moments. It’s about a lot of little moments that made this one possible, and a homecoming that saw Christo touch down with the kind of victory no medal can outweigh!
Earlier this year, we reported on the legends in the Fourways community and at DC Coffee Co who all pulled together to make 11-year-old Christo’s dream to get to the World Champs possible.
It was the tail-end of a lot of fundraising efforts his family had committed to and ultimately sealed the deal by securing the outstanding funds in the nick of time.
His story resonated with a lot of people in the community partly because they wanted to see Christo have his moment on the global stage, and partly because it would be a real notch of hope for anyone going through bullying.
Christo had found his superpowers in karate through a twist of fate; initially signed up for the sport as a confidence kickback to years of bullying.
So, when July came around and the Championships were in full swing (and kicks), Christo wasn’t just backed by talent, but by an entire community of people who didn’t even need him to win to make them proud. The Jozi karate kid simply being there was already enough!
Christo still did exceptionally, placing 4th and narrowly missing bronze by 0.1 points as Kali Joannou Prokas recently filled us in.
He returned home to happiness posters made by his neighbours featuring his name in bold. He also came back with a special kind of win only a few people get in a lifetime: the victory of a dream lived, an entire community backing you AND a story that will inspire countless others who experience bullying.
So, the next time you see a story where someone’s been selected for their dream but needs a little help getting there, keep this in mind. You never know how many people one person’s dream can inspire.
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