28 Jul. 2015 – We as Lebanese Athletes always expect to see athletes who are training abroad to achieve greatness, win in the Lebanese Championship or we always consider training abroad expecting to improve more with international coaching and a professional training group. What does Charles KARAM think of all this?
Charles KARAM lives in the United States and trains with a group of professionals. He came to compete in the Lebanese Championship for the first time. He was placed second in the 400 meters with 49.57 and third in the 200 meters with 22.26 seconds.
“It was a good competition. Everyone was expecting me to win, calling me Champion before I even stepped on the track. It put a lot of pressure on me. I had to adjust to the time difference and it is also my first international competition! I tried for it and didn’t execute my races the way I normally do especially the 400m.
I’ve had a very inconsistent year running very fast and slow, I had to adjust to a new training group and coach. I spent the entire year correcting my running form and applying it to competition.
I feel that 2016 is where everything will come together!” Said Charles.
Charles is used to compete against great American athletes. Coming to Lebanon was another world, another experience to be added to his career. He didn’t underestimated us, as Lebanese athletes training in Lebanon! We, maybe, underestimated ourselves!
“I’m used to running against top athletes; NCAA All-Americans, Olympic/World Medalists and Professional Athletes in the States, especially over these past 2-3 years. So coming to Lebanon I was already mentally prepared to compete with the best!
In the 200 Meters I made the mistake of running my Semi Final to easy which gave me a horrible lane draw of lane 1 in the final. Everyone was warning me of the tight turns on that particular track so it made it difficult. Nour and Mahmoud really took it to me finishing strong over the last 20 meters. They are talented sprinters and great athletes.
In the 400 meter I did similar to my 200 meter Preliminary, running it to nonchalantly instead of opening up and attacking the first 150m like I usually do. How it felt was like a test effort in practice; didn’t strain during the race and kept the same pace from start to finish. I ran it way to relaxed. Losing by a couple hundredths of a second in both races sucks, but I have none to blame but myself!” Added KARAM.
Competing in Lebanon and meeting most of the athletes here was a great experience for Charles! We have a small group of athletes in Lebanon compared to other countries, and we all know each other, creating a unique spirit that we can’t find abroad.
“All the people and athletes I’ve met and raced against have been so welcoming and humble, this has definitely been one of my most memorable and enjoyable championships!” Added Charles.
When asked if he encourages the Lebanese athletes to train abroad, Charles said: “I would say to look at opportunities to compete in the NCAA at University level. You can get world class coaching, compete against some of the best in the US and in some conferences, the best athletes in the world, and most importantly get a solid education.
If they have the potential to be great and compete on the pro circuit and qualify for future World and Olympic Championships then yes, fork out the money to join a Professional / Olympic Training group to do so!! It’ll be worth it and they will see change and growth.”
Finally, we noticed a very humble Charles KARAM during this championship. We can learn a lot from this very kind guy who’s driven by his passion for this sport. We will see him running again in the Lebanese Open Clubs Championship that will be held on the 6th, 7th and 8th of August on the Jamhour track!
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