How a gorilla got me into the Olympics | Elsa Sanlara (Sanchez-Lara) | TEDxPortsmouth

Key Concepts

Taekwondo, Mexican National Team, Olympic Center, Discipline, Resilience, Adaptability, Immigrant experience, Overcoming challenges, Internal strength, Fighting spirit, Redefining success.

Taekwondo Training and Early Life

• Elsa Salara's childhood was shaped by martial arts, specifically taekwondo, after witnessing a man defend himself against attackers.
• She and her brother, nicknamed "Gorilla," trained in a small taekwondo school in Mexico, where the song "We Will Rock You" became their battle cry.
• The training instilled a sense of self-belief crucial for overcoming limited opportunities in their town.
• Her brother's success in making the Mexican national team fueled her ambition and fear of missing out (FOMO).

The Olympic Center Experience

• At 17, Elsa achieved her goal of joining the Mexican national team, which required moving to the Olympic Center in Mexico City.
• The Olympic Center was characterized by intense training, strict diets (no tacos, even on Taco Tuesday), and rigorous discipline.
• A turning point occurred when the entire team was punished for one teammate's poor performance, leading Elsa to consider quitting.
• Her brother's challenge to her strength and resilience motivated her to stay and prove herself.
• She competed in a world championship in Europe, reaching the semifinals but not winning any medals, leading to heartbreak and a knee injury.

Immigration and New Challenges

• The family's move to the United States transformed Elsa from an elite athlete into an immigrant facing new challenges.
• She describes the immigrant experience as "being thrown into a fight with Mike Tyson you never train for," lacking support, rules, and protection.
• She had to learn English, adapt to a new culture, and build a community from scratch.
• Her expectations of a warm welcome based on American movies were unmet, replaced by cautious stares and the need to prove her worth.
• She highlights the subtle but persistent challenges immigrants face, such as accent-based biases and prejudice related to their names or skin color.
• "The manager that talks over you in every meeting, not because your ideas weren't good, but because he couldn't just get past your accent."

Redefining the Fight and Success

• Elsa argues that the fight isn't always physical; it can occur in conference rooms, phone calls, and moments of self-doubt.
• She emphasizes the choice between giving in to challenges or fighting back, drawing on the resilience instilled by her taekwondo training.
• Her brother's words, "I thought you were stronger than this," and her refusal to let others define her future fueled her determination.
• She reframes setbacks as training, recognizing that the Olympic Center prepared her for life's challenges, not just competitions.
• She concludes that the biggest wins are not always accompanied by external rewards but come from showing up, fighting back, and rewriting one's story.
• "Sometimes the biggest wins do not come with medals, ribbons, brownies, or applause. The biggest wins come quietly, but they only come when you show up, when you fight back, when you rewrite your story, when you rock it."

Conclusion

Elsa Salara's speech is a powerful narrative about resilience, adaptability, and redefining success. Her journey from taekwondo training to navigating the challenges of immigration demonstrates how the discipline and mental fortitude developed in one area of life can be applied to overcome obstacles in unexpected arenas. She encourages listeners to embrace their "Olympic center" – the source of their inner strength – and to fight for their place in the world, even when the battles are subtle and the rewards are not immediately apparent.