\n<\/p>\n
Hafezan was born in Singapore before moving to Paris when she was three for her father\u2019s work.<\/span><\/p>\n While her family is based in France, they return to Singapore at least once a year during summer school breaks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In 2022, she set her sights on securing a place on the national team. She got in touch with the Karate-do Union of Singapore, and would meet and train with coaches whenever she returned.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cFor me to be able to qualify, I would send videos (of) my competitions from overseas and they would take it from there. They would tell me if it was good enough \u2026 what competitions I needed to participate in,\u201d she\u00a0said.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAfter a while, I think they recognised my discipline and merit, and that\u2019s how I got into the team.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Hafezan trains with a club in Paris and has participated in the French Cup, which she likened to the Singapore National Karate Championship.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI guess how I fell in love (with karate) is that I\u2019m a competitor at heart, and just being able to kick and punch \u2013 I just really loved it. It was like love at first sight,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n