The United States-based welterweight fighter, who lives in Plantation, Florida, competed for the US during her earlier career.

This year, she became eligible to compete for Haiti, and an outstanding performance at the Pan American Olympic qualification tournament at Heredia in Costa Rica in March saw her claim a place at the Tokyo Games.

Victories over Colombia's Katherine Dumar Portacio and Madelyn Rodriguez of the Dominican Republic earned her one of the two available spots for the under-67 kilograms along with the Brazilian favourite, Milena Titoneli, the 2019 world bronze medallist.

Although Haiti first entered the Olympics in 1900, the number of athletes representing the country at the Games has generally not reached double figures.

That mark was attained at the Rio 2016 Games, where there were 10 representatives in seven sports – although only one in taekwondo, 17-year-old Aniya Louissant. 

For the Tokyo Games, however, Haiti is so far sending just one athlete in one sport – and that is Shipman.

The qualifier was only Shipman's third experience in senior competition after she took bronze at the US Open at Kissimmee, Florida as part of her preparation – before doubling up to win the youth final 20-0.

At the start of 2020 she earned bronze at the Turkish Open.

"I am a senior in high school, and have been accepted to the University of Miami to study medicine," she told mundotaekwondo.com after the Costa Rica qualifier.

"I started taekwondo when I was nine-years-old, and I started training with my current coach Mohamed Ali Melghagh in 2017.

"I train six days a week. 

"I joined team Haiti in 2019, after I earned my spot by fighting in nationals which took place in Cap-Haitien Haiti."