The Tribune

Seven-year-old Amber Colebrook has returned home with an impressive performance after representing The Bahamas at the 2026 ISKA US Open World Martial Arts Championships at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, Florida.

Amber was among approximately 15 young Bahamian athletes from three local martial arts schools who travelled to compete at one of the world's premier martial arts tournaments.

Competing against athletes from several countries, she won gold trophies in Clash Fighting, Continuous Fighting and Padded Sword, earned a silver trophy in Flag, and finished as a finalist in Point Sparring.

The achievement followed months of preparation. Amber trains five days each week at the Bahamas Centre for Martial Arts, while maintaining straight A's at Summit Academy.

For her parents, however, the most memorable moment of the tournament came during one of her fighting events when Amber was knocked to the mat.

"We were concerned she may have been injured, and every instinct we had as parents was to stop the match and go to her," said her mother, Melissa Colebrook. "But once we realised she was able to continue safely, we knew this was an opportunity for her to discover her own strength. Watching her get back up reminded us that resilience isn't about never falling, it's about having the courage to keep going."

Her father, Roderick Colebrook, said seeing Amber continue the match became one of the proudest moments of the trip.

"Amber is such a sweet child, but when she steps into the ring, a fighting champion emerges," he said. "After she fell, we watched her gather herself, continue the match and ultimately win. As a father, I couldn't have been prouder, not because she won the trophy, but because she refused to give up."

Amber's family expressed appreciation to Sensei Simone Francis, the coaching teams and everyone who supported Team Bahamas throughout the championships.

The ISKA US Open attracts competitors from around the world each year and provides young athletes with the opportunity to gain valuable international competition experience.

Reflecting on the tournament, Melissa said the experience was about much more than trophies.

"We're grateful for the results, but even more grateful for the lessons," she said. "Long after the trophies have been placed on a shelf, we hope Amber remembers the courage it took to get back up and keep going.”