“I’ve always wanted to be on Team USA, and just the idea of competing for your country and going on that world stage and going against other countries, it just means a lot to me,” Aryan Gautam said.
Neuqua Valley freshman Aryan Gautam is preparing to head overseas to compete for the U.S. at the 2026 World Karate Championships in Spain this October. It’s an incredible opportunity for a young athlete who has been practicing martial arts since he was five years old. This story is sponsored by Fair Oaks Ford and Fair Oaks Lincoln.
An incredible debut at Diamond Nationals
“I used to always like contact fighting as a young child. And I guess my parents picked up on that and enrolled me in MMA. And ever since then, I fell in love with the idea of martial arts,” said Neuqua Valley freshman Aryan Gautam.
For the next ten years, Gautam worked and trained, deepening his understanding of the discipline, until his coach pushed him to take on a new challenge…