Gulnar Carlisle – NV resident realizes we’re all Olympians

Kenya’s Golden Jubilee Games impacted the lives of all they touched

Gulnar Carlisle / North Shore News / Sunday, September 14, 2008

Watching the Olympics got my heart racing again.

“Come on, come on, you can do it!” my fists tight, perched at the edge of the sofa, I urged the Canadian athletes on. As we reached the end of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, I was hit with a flood of memories of my own “mini-Olympic” event, the Golden Jubilee Games, held in June in Kenya to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of the Aga Khan.

Complete at the source: North Shore Sun

So what if I was the oldest female tennis player? I had the opportunity to play against individuals from all over the world. I didn’t win any medals but I was overjoyed to have made it to the semi-finals in the singles and the quarter finals in mixed doubles. I received hundreds of congratulatory e-mails and cards which I will cherish forever.

Isn’t each one of us an Olympian at heart as each of us fights our own personal battles? The Aga Khan says that, “Struggle is the meaning of life, defeat and victory are in the hands of God, but struggle is a man’s duty and should be his joy.”

North Shore Sun

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Author: ismailimail

Independent, civil society media featuring Ismaili Muslim community, inter and intra faith endeavors, achievements and humanitarian works.

6 thoughts

  1. THE GOLD MEDAL

    The road of faith is not easy
    It tests our strength and courage
    It tests our patience and tolerance
    It tries our anger and pride
    Humility, integrity, truth
    Equity and justice
    All these values put to the test
    The road is not without its pitfalls
    But having overcome these obstacles
    By training hard as an Olympic athlete does
    The gold medal of eternal joy and peace are achieved

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  2. Dear Gulnar, I congratulate you on your achievement at the Kenya Jubilee games.I wish I could have been there to support our ‘Olympians’.

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  3. Struggle is the meaning of life, defeat and victory are in the hands of God, but struggle is a man’s AND WOMAN’s duty and should be his joy.”

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  4. Mr. Nizar – by adding AND WOMAN’S, you have not changed the meaning of the firman – as the word “man” in this text means mankind, meaning human beings, meaning man and/or woman.

    Gulnar- congratulations.

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