By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net    

With her sights set on making it to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, California, judokan Karra Hanna has made a gigantic leap forward in the International Judo Federation (IJF) women’s division.

The 25-year-old native of Acklins just competed at the Panamerican and Oceania Senior Championships in Santiago, Chile on April 25 where she was fifth overall in the +78 kilogram class.

Based on her performance, the latest IJF rankings released yesterday now have her pegged at number 80, the highest achievement by any Bahamian from the Panamerican and Oceania region.

Hanna, a full-time judokan, said she was very pleased with her performance although she lost in the first round to the Brazilian Olympian Beatriz Souza, whom she forced to get a penalty.

“I do believe I gave her a run for her money because she only won by a half point,” said Hanna, who went the full four minutes in the match. 

“I’m very proud of that. I went there with hopes of bringing home the medal. I was unable to win my first round against her. But I won my second round in the repechage over American Jessica Alaynick in 30 seconds.”

That placed her in the bronze medal round where she lost to the Cuban Brigitte Carambali. 

With the matches she participated in, Hanna said she gained a lot of exposure and insights on what she needs to work on against her rivals who are much bigger than her.

The most significant achievement for Hanna is the fact that she finally got on the board with a top 100 ranking when she didn’t have any prior to going to Santiago.

“It’s amazing. It feels great,” Hanna stated. 

D’Arcy Rahming, president of the Bahamas Judo Federation, said they are very proud of Hanna’s performance at the championships, one of the most prestigious in the region.

“This has really raised a lot of eyebrows and has put the Bahamas substantially on the map in judoka,” Rahming said. “She’s home training with a Bahamian coach and is doing exceptionally well.

“I could not be more delighted with her ranking. I always knew Karra had the ability to be an Olympic champion and a world champion. I’m very pleased with the work she has put in with her coach with the limited resources and methodology to get her to this point.”

Rahming, whose daughter Cynthia fell short of Hanna’s rankings before she officially retired from the sport, thanked both the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture and the Ministry of Education, the Bahamas Olympic Committee and some private donors for assisting Hanna in her latest accomplishment.

Hanna was introduced to the sport by her uncle Sensei Elrick McKinney, who encouraged her to attend Sensei Rahming’s Dojo in 2026. Two weeks later, she was competing in her first international competition in Barbados where she captured the silver medal.

The rest was history.

In 2017, she won the gold medal in her debut at the CARIFTA Games, avenging her loss to the winner in Barbados. She also was the first Bahamian to win a medal at the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2017 where she earned the bronze.

“I was very proud of my accomplishments,” said Hanna, who unfortunately took a break from the sport that expanded to six years before she made her return last year.

Competing in her first international meet in her return to active competition, Hanna went to the Quebec Open in November where she was crowned the gold medalist.

Currently Hanna trains at the Sports facilities at the Edmund Moxey Community Park on Blue Hill Road under the supervision of Sensei Willard McKenzie. 

McKenzie, who has been working with Hanna since she made her return last year, said he was pleased with the rapid progress that she has made.

“She has improved a lot,” he said. “I think she has made an outstanding achievement on the world stage where she’s now holding an international ranking.”

As she prepares to continue her journey, Hanna admitted that she needs to work a little more on her strength, her endurance and be better prepared to tactic and to throw the bigger opponents with her 5-feet, 8-inches frame.

“We need to work on her strength and conditioning,” McKinney said. “We are still on the road to the Olympics, so she will have to continue to work on improving her world ranking by competing in more internationally ranked tournaments.”

Hanna’s next competition is expected to be at the Lima Panamericana Open on July 13 before she heads to the Montreal Panamerican Open on November 15th.

She thanked God for allowing her to get back into judo and competing at such a high level. She also commended her family, including her mother, Sarah-Ann McKinney and her grandmother, Alrina McKinney, her friends and her coaches for all of the support they’ve given her.

She noted that as the journey now continues to Los Angeles in 2028, she will need their support more than ever before if she is going to make it to the Olympics, along with aspiring junior sensation Xavion Johnson and senior competitor Andrew Munnings. 

If she does, Hanna would be the first female to represent the Bahamas and she would like nothing better than to “make us all proud.”