Sailing, which was named an official sport in 1896, tests an athlete’s ability to adapt to constantly changing sea and wind conditions by adjusting a boat's sails to control its speed. Fillah competes on a Laser, a single-handed racing dinghy known for its relatively easy-to-rig structure.
Fillah Karim’s journey started in 2009, after he participated in a summer sailing camp at the Hollyburn Sailing Club. There he realised his passion for sailing and took it seriously. Training rigorously for the next few years, he honed his craft, balancing schoolwork with sailing practice and later traveling long distances to seek out ideal sailing conditions.
He credits his parents and grandparents as his biggest influences: “The mentality that they imparted on me as immigrants that came to Canada and just committed themselves to working hard and overcoming challenges and obstacles in order to create the life they dreamed of for their children is the same hard work, no excuses, find a way, mentality that carried me through my sporting career.”
His stellar performances in the competitions leading up to the 2020 Olympics prompted him to reflect on his experience and consider his plans for the future. While those post-2020 plans hadn’t involved sailing on Fillah’s original timeline, he couldn’t give up on his dream. He dove back into training and competitions, with 2022 being a particularly successful year. He sailed personal best times at every major event that year, distinguishing himself as the best Canadian Laser sailor. He also received the Sail Canada 2022 Gallagher Skippers’ Plan Athletes of the Year Award, recognizing him for his achievements in Canadian sailing.
More recently, Fillah represented Canada in the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, an Olympic-style competition that takes place every four years for athletes from the Americas. Earlier this year, he also took part in the 2024 Men’s ILCA 7 World Championship, a qualifying event for the 2024 Paris Olympics, and the Princess Sofia Trophy Regatta, a part of the Sailing World Cup. Both are annual sailing competitions featuring top-class athletes from around the world.
Fillah’s journey, filled with achievements but also with unexpected detours and setbacks, is an example of the unpredictable nature of life. He acknowledges the importance of resilience in the toughest of times, stating that “sometimes you feel super motivated and other times you don’t and training is the last thing you want to do. It’s really just about making a series of small choices over and over to do what you need to do, instead of what is easy. I think if you believe in what you are doing and you understand how it fits into the big picture and will help you improve, that makes it easier to find the resolve to make the choice to keep pushing through.”
His inspiring comebacks and unshakeable drive are a reminder for us to not only chase our dreams, but also to adjust our sails to make the most of change.
