Bronx-Born Athlete Dreams of Gold in Judo

Tomorrow, Bronx native Taraje Williams-Murray will board a plane and begin his journey to Beijing with the hope of becoming the first American to ever win an Olympic gold medal in judo.A four-time national champion in his sport, Mr. Williams-Murray, 23, has overcome a lifetime of obstacles and unusual circumstances: a childhood growing up in the sometimes violent shadows of Yankee Stadium; college enrollment at the age of 15; disappointment as a teenager competing in his first Olympic Games, and fear of death when doctors suggested he may have leukemia just months before these Beijing Games.In November, as he was beginning to ramp up his training for the Olympic Trials, Mr. Williams-Murray, who competes in the 132-pound weight class, noticed his muscles cramping frequently during matches. He was experiencing increased shortness of breath. He went to see a doctor and got news that no person, let alone an athlete training for the Olympic Games, wants to hear: You may have leukemia.It was three long days before doctors returned with more test results disclosing a better, but still sobering diagnosis. Mr. Williams-Murray was anemic, with a low red blood cell count.The cause of the anemia is still unknown, although a hematologist recently told Mr. Williams-Murray it could be alpha or beta thalassemia, a blood disorder that reduces the amount of oxygen delivered to the body. While the condition isn’t fatal, the training modifications have put more stress on the 23-year-old’s mind and body.There were the expensive doctors’ bills. And he must wear a mask that simulates the high-altitude air of the Rocky Mountains for 12 hours a day, which raises his red blood cell count by as much as 5%.Mr. Williams-Murray also spends about $180 a month on additional supplements, taking more than 30 pills a day, and he has had to redefine his workout regimen, eschewing weight lifting in favor of more aerobic exercises.“It’s been extremely irritating, but it’s necessary for me to compete on this level,” Mr. Williams-Murray said of all the changes. “I’ve just found a way to keep my composure.”He credits judo with keeping him focused, especially when he was a child growing up in a violent section of the South Bronx in the 1980s, where he said growing up “was difficult for people my age.” He said the neighborhood has improved since he was young, but many of the people he grew up with have been unable to escape the temptations of the streets.Unlike a lot of his friends, Mr. Williams-Murray grew up in a stable home. Despite the fact that Yankee Stadium was visible outside his window, he says he never considered stardom in a mainstream sport such as baseball. He was first introduced to judo when he was 8 years old, after a cousin showed him some moves on a mat in the Williams-Murray living room. It quickly became his passion, and he spread the message to his five brothers and sisters, who all now practice the sport.A mixture of wrestling and martial arts, judo involves throwing opponents to the ground from the stand-up position, or forcing an opponent’s submission through various choke holds or maneuvers.Judo took a backseat to education for Mr. Williams-Murray, who was homeschooled from a young age by his mother. This enabled him to get a high school diploma at age 13, and after scoring an 1160 on the SAT, to enroll at Long Island University at age 15. Mr. Williams-Murray graduated with a degree in computer science after seven years in college in 2007. He’s currently working on a graduate degree in financial services at Boston University.Mr. Williams-Murray is now facing another obstacle in trying to afford an expensive plane ticket to China for his mother, Cheryl, who he calls his “biggest fan.” His father, Michael, is a construction supervisor.“I’ve been living off loans, donations, and sponsors. Making the Olympic team is the most selfish thing you can possibly do. You have to put everyone else’s feelings aside, you can’t worry about how much money you spend, how much debt you get into. I look back on it sometimes and I don’t know how I’ve made it through these last months,” he said.His first name, Taraje, means “to expect” in Swahili, and Mr. Williams-Murray, who has his own Web log, has big aspirations for his second Olympic appearance. As a wide-eyed 19-year-old in the 2004 Athens Games, Mr. Williams-Murray compiled a 1-2 record, losing in a round that included 16 competitors. He now says he was caught up in the Games’ pomp and circumstance, and lost focus on the actual competition. In a sport where athletes tend to peak in their mid- to late 20s, the Beijing Games present his best chance of medaling.“I’ve risked everything, I’ve given everything with the promise of nothing, and I’m almost there,” he said. “I think about being on the podium with a medal. It’s something that I visualize every day, and it keeps me pushing hard through everything. You can almost cry just thinking about it.”

Bronx-Born Athlete Dreams of Gold in Judo

Bronx-Born Athlete Dreams of Gold in Judo

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