Nigara Shaheen, Toronto-based judoka and refugee Olympian, fought her way to the top

NIGARA SHAHEEN'S ROAD to this year's Paris Olympics has been more treacherous than most. Born in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, in 1993, she was just six months old when her parents carried her across the mountainous border into Pakistan, fleeing the country's raging civil war.

- KATIE UNDERWOOD

In the city of Peshawar, she grew into a fighter, first as part of a rare all-girls karate team and, later, as a champion in judo, a sport she appreciated for its emphasis on intellect over aggression.

Shaheen's love of judo took her all over: back to Afghanistan, where she endured ambient gunfire and harassment to train and earn her undergraduate degree; to Russia (again, to train, albeit unsuccessfully, during COVID); and, in 2021, to the Olympics. After struggling to find a country that would host her, she competed on the IOC Refugee Olympic Team, a group of athletes representing the millions of displaced people around the world. A shoulder injury cost Shaheen a place on the podium, but this summer, she'll get a second chance.

Thanks to a sports scholarship arranged by the International Olympic Committee, the International Judo Federation, World University Service of Canada and UNHCR, the UN's refugee agency, Shaheen, now 30, has been prepping for the Paris Games in Toronto since 2022. She has a new dojo, a new permanent resident card, a new degree from Scarborough's Centennial College and a renewed desire to medal. She won't be carrying Canada's flag but, for now, home is here.

Your parents fled the civil war in Afghanistan in 1993, when you were a baby. What have they told you about that journey to safety?

After attacks by mujahedeen rebels, my mom left Kabul with the four of us kids.

My dad was trapped and hid at his office, but met up with us a day later. We travelled by car to the Pakistani border town of Torkham. From there, we walked through the mountains over two days and two nights. My eldest sister was 13 at that point, and my mom stayed awake all night to make sure no one assaulted us.

How did your family adjust to this new life in Peshawar?