>>
>> YOU
>> YOU WON'T NEED THE COAT FOR NEXT WEEK, SO THAT IS GOOD. >>> FINALLY ON THE TOWN HALL
TONIGHT, WE ARE HEARING
DIRECTLY FROM A WESTERN NEW
YORKER WHO WILL COMPETE IN
TOKYO LATER THIS SUMMER.
BRIAN HER MADE TEAM USA AND
WILL COMPETE IN KARATE.
>> HE SPENT ALMOST ALL HIS LIFE
IN NIAGARA COUNTY BUT HE HAD TO
MOVE DOWN SOUTH IN ORDER TO
TRAIN AS HE WAS HOPING TO
QUALIFY FOR THE GAMES.
IT BECAME OFFICIAL YESTERDAY
MORNING AT LAST NIGHT I GOT IN
TOUCH WITH HIM AND I WAS ABLE
TO GET HIS REACTION TO BECOMING
AN OLYMPIC ATHLETE.
>> FOR WESTERN NEW YORK'S
NEWEST OLYMPIC ATHLETE, THE
TREK TO TOKYO HAS BEEN MORE THAN
TWO DECADES OF THEM MAKING.
HE STARTED KARATE AT A GYM IN
LOCKPORT AT THE AGE OF EIGHT.
HE FOUND OUT YESTERDAY HE MADE
IT ONTO TEAM USA.
>> THERE ARE FEWER THAN 300
AMERICANS WHO HAVE AT THIS
POINT QUALIFIED FOR THE
OLYMPICS.
TO BE ONE OF THOSE FEW PEOPLE,
WHAT WENT THROUGH YOUR MIND THE
MOMENT THAT YOU KNEW YOU WERE
GOING TO TOKYO?
>> MOSTLY IT WAS A RELIEF
BECAUSE SITTING ON THE EDGE OF
MY SEAT WAITING AND THEY HAD
SAID SOMETIME NEXT WEEK.
I'M SO THANKFUL THAT I DIDN'T
HAVE TO KEEP WAITING.
BUT THAT SWEET RELIEF OF FINALLY
GETTING THE OFFICIAL
CONFIRMATION NOT JUST THE
UNOFFICIAL RUMORS GOING ABOUT.
>> EXTRA SPECIAL CONSIDERING
KARATE HAS NEVER BEEN AN
OLYMPIC SPORT AND IT WILL NOT
RETURN FOR PARIS 2024.
WHEN IT WAS ANNOUNCED FOR
TOKYO, BRIAN PACKED UP AND LEFT
NIAGARA BOUND FOR TEXAS TO
TRAIN WITH TOM SCOTT AND THEY
COMPETED AGAINST EACH OTHER
SINCE THEY WERE TEENS.
>> WE WENT FROM RIVALS TO
TEAMMATES TO FRIENDS.
>> TEXAS IS HOME BASE FOR THE
KARATE COACH. BRIAN KNEW THAT
HE NEEDED TO BE THERE.
>> HE TOLD ME WHEN HE WAS
PLANNING ON COMING, SAID WHERE
DO YOU PLAN TO LIVE?
AND HE SAID I WILL SLEEP IN MY
CAR IN FRONT OF THE DOJO.
I SAID WE WON'T DO THAT.
>> FOR YEARS, HE TRAINED AND
COMPETED AS PART OF THE LOAN
QUALIFICATION PROCESS.
IT PAID OFF, THE NEWS IS
SPREADING QUICKLY TO HIS
HOMETOWN, THE NEWFANE ALUMNI
SITUATION BE END -- BEYOND
PANTHER PROUD ALUMNI
ASSOCIATION.
>> YOUR REACTION TO THE FAN
BASE THAT IS KIND OF GOING TO
SWELL OVER THE NEXT COUPLE
MONTHS?
>> THE AMOUNT OF SUPPORT HAS
BEEN OVERWHELMING AND REALLY
APPRECIATED AND REALLY
ENCOURAGING.
I'M STILL RECEIVING MESSAGES.
I'VE BEEN REPLYING TO MESSAGES
ALL DAY LONG AND I STILL HAVE
MORE MESSAGES TO RESPOND TO
THAT I HAVEN'T EVEN GOTTEN A
CHANCE TO LOOK AT YET.
IT'S BEEN A PRETTY WILD DAY,
BUT IT IS REALLY COOL TO SEE
THE SUPPORT AND FEEL THE LOVE
FROM EVERYBODY BACK HOME.
>> FROM HOME, IT IS SOME 6500
MILES TO NIPPON RECON, THE
INDOOR ARENA AT THE
NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE BRIAN WILL
BE JUST ONE OF 10 PEOPLE IN THE
WORLD TO COMPETE IN HIS
CATEGORY.
>> COULD YOU HAVE IMAGINED 4
YEARS AGO WHEN YOU DIDN'T EVEN
KNOW KARATE WAS GOING TO BE AN
OLYMPIC SPORT THAT YOU WOULD BE
IN THIS POSITION TODAY?
>> I HOPED FOR IT, I SAID
THAT'S PRETTY COOL, I WILL GO
FOR IT.
BUT DID I REALLY BELIEVE THAT I
WOULD BE HERE AT THAT TIME?
I CAN'T HONESTLY SAY YES TO
THAT.
IT WAS MORE ONE OF THOSE THINGS
LIKE I'M GOING TO, MY ATTITUDE
TOWARDS IT IS I'M GOING TO DO
THE BEST I CAN WITH WHAT I'VE
GOT AND I'M GOING TO TRY TO SET
MYSELF UP FOR SUCCESS AS MUCH
AS POSSIBLE.
>> THE GOAL IS PRETTY OBVIOUS.
>> HOPEFULLY I WILL MAKE IT ON
THE PODIUM.
>> USES THE SUPPORT FROM
WESTERN NEW YORK WILL BE WITH
HIM IN TOKYO.
>> I'M EXCITED JUST FOR
EVERYONE ELSE'S EXCITEMENT.
[ LAUGHTER ]
>> WE REALLY ARE EXCITED FOR
HIM.
THE THING THAT IS SO COOL ABOUT
THIS, IT IS AMAZING ANYTIME YOU
MAKE IT TO THE OLYMPIC'S.
IN THIS CASE, THIS IS ONE AND
DONE FOR KARATE AND IT'S NOT
COMING BACK FOR 2024.
SO AT LEAST WITHIN THIS WINDOW
OF HIS CAREER, THIS IS THE ONE
CHANCE AND HE GOT IT.
>> YOU CAN SEE THE LIGHT COMING
OUT OF HIS FACE AND IT'S FOR
ANYBODY, I WILL GO FOR IT AND
SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
THAT'S THE BEST ATTITUDE YOU
CAN HAVE.
>> THAT WILL LEAD TO SUCCESS.
YESTERDAY WAS SO NUTTY, I HAD
TO INTERVIEW HIM FROM MY CAR AS
HE SAW THEM BECAUSE THE
SCHEDULE SO CRAZY ANY TEXT AND
SAID HEY, I CAN TALK AND I WAS
LIKE OKAY, LET'S DO IT.