ANDOVER, Minn. — Alasan Ann has already made Olympic history. Ann will represent The Gambia, his father's native country, in taekwondo at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. The 23-year-old is the first to achieve an Olympic qualifying spot in taekwondo for The Gambia.
"Definitely top-tier moment of my life," said Ann, of Maple Grove.
Ann's journey to Paris hasn't been a smooth one. Just four months before the African Qualification Tournament, Ann was hit in the leg by a stray bullet.
"It just kind of reminded me how fast you can lose things," Ann said.
Ann's journey to Paris began 16 years ago
As a kid, Ann said he had trouble focusing.
"I was kind of a wild child, a little bit. I just didn't like... bullies, really... I took it the wrong way," Ann recalled. "My mom brought me into taekwondo to really focus me and you can't fight taekwondo masters."
When Ann was 7 years old, he started training at World Taekwondo Academy in Maple Grove under Grandmaster Eui Yong Lee.
"I think his hard work and his work ethic, as he matured, really blossomed and made him into a great athlete," Lee said.
Ann's mom, Adja Kaba, enrolled all three of her sons in taekwondo to help with self-confidence.
Growing up in Liberia, Kaba said the sport was never an option for her. After watching her sons, Kaba also ended up getting her first-degree black belt in taekwondo.
While that's as far as Kaba went with taekwondo, Ann started to see success competing in tournaments as he grew up.
"One day he told me... 'I want to go to the Olympics.' It was his dream," Kaba said.
"That was the one thing... I said, 'Me and coach are going to Paris.' That was my goal since after the 2020 Olympics, 2021 Olympics," Ann said.
Four months before Olympic Qualifiers, Ann is shot
Last October, Ann was walking to grab some food with friends near downtown St. Paul when they heard gunshots.
"Everybody started running," Ann said.
A stray bullet hit Ann in his right leg. He kept running to his friend's car and they then drove to the hospital.
"It was scary... I was lucky it was just my leg," Ann said.
The bullet did not hit an artery or bone. Doctors told Ann his muscle was flexing at the time, which helped.
"They said I've got a lot of muscle in the leg... they said that helped out a little bit which was awesome," Ann said.
The shooting happened just a week before the African Taekwondo Championships.
"Obviously, we're blessed that it could have been a worse scenario. Timing was pretty horrible because he missed a major event a week... after he just got shot. So that was a tough pill to swallow there. But the recovery? Pretty amazing. He was back in six weeks," Ann's coach, Lee said.
Ann said doctors believed his high-level intensity workouts helped him recover quicker.
Four months later, he qualified for the Paris Olympics — a first for The Gambia.
Ann is sometimes referred to as the "Gambian Goliath."
"A big dream and this is just the first part of it. The next part of it is my medal. I'm definitely going to be one of the first Gambians to medal," Ann said.
Ann's mom, Kaba, was too nervous to watch the Olympic qualifier. She was trying to keep herself busy, running errands, when she got a text from Lee.
"He said, 'We made it.' I just cried," Kaba said. "All these years of hard work and everything is now paying off. He actually did it. He is going to the Olympics."
Preparing for Paris while training the next generation
Ann has been busy training for the Olympics. While he trains in the morning with Grandmaster Lee, in the afternoon and evening he can be found teaching.
Shortly after coming back from qualifiers, Ann helped open up World Taekwondo Academy's Andover location. Lee is not only Ann's coach but now his business partner.
"Being able to learn how to run a business and train is a lot of work; I'm not going to lie," Ann said. "I really love what I do and I'm just so excited for what the future holds."
In June, Joseph Njie heard Ann's Story. Njie is originally from The Gambia. He enrolled his son, David, at the Andover location.
"I'm actually excited to watch the Olympics," Njie siad. "I've never watched it but now I have a reason to because he's representing so that's exciting."
At World Taekwondo Academy in Andover, a banner hangs outside the building reading, "Home of Alasan Ann: 2024 Olympian."
Ann said, "Taekwondo has really done a lot for me and I'm so proud."
For those wanting to support Ann's journey to Paris, there is a GoFundMe.
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