Newmarket’s freestyle martial arts maven has added another win to her growing list of accomplishments both on the mat and international pageant circuit.
Mahta Gharaei, 15, who attends Sacred Heart Catholic High School, was crowned first runner-up July 27 in the Miss Teen Globe International 2019 competition in Paraguay, South America.
That accomplishment awarded her the title of Miss Teen Globe America, an opportunity she hopes will allow her to visit some of the 35 countries that make up the Americas and “advocate for important causes and be a role model for other young females out there”.
“Honestly, I felt very blessed to be representing my country and standing on that international platform,” Gharaei said. “By bringing this honour to my country, I not only felt happy but thrilled and excited for the journey ahead.”
The young woman’s well-honed kumite skills, one of the three elements of karate that places sparring against an adversary front-and-centre, also landed her the top spot in the sport portion of the competition, where she was crowned Miss Teen Globe Sports.
Gharaei, who is a youth ambassador for York Region’s at-risk youth organization, 360Kids, holds dear its mission to help young people overcome crisis and ensure access to a safe home. It is a vision that she hopes the crown will afford her a chance to speak about.
She is also part of Operation Smile Canada’s official student ambassador program, where she advocates for life-changing surgery for children with cleft lip and cleft palate.
When not out in the community volunteering or raising awareness for a variety of causes, Gharaei likes to play the clarinet and violin, and enjoys the challenge that school subjects such as math and science offer.
But at five-feet, two-inches tall, a majority of Gharaei’s pageant competitors tower over her, she said, laughing. She was also crowned first runner-up at the 2018 Miss Teenage Canada competition.
“I’m usually the smallest on the stage,” she said.
It’s apparent that Gharaei’s talent and ambitions are big, particularly when it comes to the sport of karate, which she has been practising since she was a child.
Later this month, the silver-medal award winner and member of the Junior National Team of Karate Canada, will compete in the cadet category for kumite in the 2019 Junior, Cadet & U21 Junior Karate Pan Am Championships in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
If successful at that Aug. 28 to 31 competition, Gharaei will compete at the World Karate Federation (WKF) Junior World Championships in Chile in late October.
The karate champ earned a silver medal in 2017 at the WKF Youth World Cup in Croatia as a junior national team member and ranked in the top five at the Junior Pan Am in Argentina that same year.
Gharaei expresses gratitude to the many family, friends, coaches and others who have helped her on her path.
Perhaps most importantly, she said, is the unconditional love and support she receives from her sister, Ava.
“My sister is always there when I need her. She’s very supportive of me and makes everything possible,” she said.
