Australian Taekwondo’s future stars are set to take on the world’s best at the 5th edition of the World Taekwondo Cadet Championships in Sofia this week.
The prestigious event is finally going ahead after a one year delay due to the global pandemic.
Seventeen Cadets will the fly flag for Australia at the Championships, which will take place from July 28-31 at the Arena Armeec.
These promising 12 to 14-year-old athletes earned their spot on the Australian team last month, by winning their weight categories at the 2022 World Cadet Championships Selection Event at the Whitlam Centre in Liverpool.
World Taekwondo President, Chungwon Choue, said the tournament will provide vital experience to the sport’s champions of tomorrow.
“The importance of the World Taekwondo Cadet Championships cannot be understated. At the delayed Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021, 17 out of the 32 medallists had medalled either at the World Taekwondo cadet or junior championships, or at the Youth Olympic Games,” President Choue said.
“This goes to show that the Cadet athletes who will be competing in Sofia have the potential to be nurtured into World or Olympic champions.”
Who are the Aussies fighting?
The Aussies will begin their campaign in the Round of 64 tomorrow and will take on the following opponents. You can see the draw for Day 1 here.
How long are the fights?
1 minute 30 seconds x 3 (2) rounds with 1 minute break for all matches.
The official tournament timetable can be found here.
Where can I find the tournament’s results?
If the Eastern European Summer Time Zone gets the better of you, you can check out the official results at this link.
Don’t forget to also tune in to the World Junior Taekwondo Championships, where another 20 young Aussies will take to the mats at the same venue this weekend – from August 2-7.
Australia’s para taekwondo program will be represented by two athletes on the Gold Coast this month, with Shrijana Ghising and Evie Ruffle set to contest the Australian Open, WT President’s Cup and Oceania Championships in an important competition block ahead of the Para World Championships later this year.
The Gold Coast is set to host two major World Taekwondo sparring events over one massive weekend! From proven senior campaigners to rising prospects pushing into the upper tier, here are 10 Australian athletes to watch when the action begins on the Gold Coast.
Shrijana Ghising, Australia’s newest Para Taekwondo hero has claimed a Silver Medal at the Turkish Open following a series of high-quality performances across multiple fights with some of the world’s best.
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