The 13^th edition of the World Junior Taekwondo Championships has officially come to a close. 

Twenty of Australia’s most promising 14 to 17-year-old Taekwondo athletes shone brightly on the international stage, proving they belonged amongst the world’s brightest stars.

Some of the Aussies’ journeys ended in the Round of 32, while others went deeper into the tournament, but the entire team put in strong performances and gained valuable international experience. 

Matthew Summerfield was Australia’s standout performer, besting Algeria, Portugal, Bulgaria and Croatia in a brilliant run to the Semi Finals. There, he was narrowly defeated (PTF 2:1) by Italy’s gold medallist, Angelo Mangione. 

Bianca Motta, Damon Motta and Sofia Querubin all made impressive runs to the Quarter Finals, falling just short of bronze in defeats to Chinese Taipei (bronze), Thailand (silver) and Iran (gold).

Maddison Camillo, Jake Buhagiar and Xavier Nikolovski all impressed en route to the Round of 16, where they lost competitive bouts with their division’s silver, bronze and gold medallists. Giuliana Masiello and Reyna Herbertson also reached the Round of 16, before falling to Turkey and Uzbekistan. 

Ava Tang, Ryan Yoo, Jamie Cefai and Angus Tranter also put in strong efforts in Round of 32 defeats to Quarter Finalists from Poland, Great Britain, Spain and Kazakhstan. 

Overall, ten Aussies made the Round of 16, four made the Quarter Finals, and one took home bronze.  

You can catch up on all of the Aussie results below. 

Australian World Junior Taekwondo Championship Results 

Next up, Australia’s Taekwondo athletes will battle for the chance to fly the flag at the upcoming Oceania Championships and Senior World Championships – at the National Selections event at the Gold Coast Recreation Centre. You can watch the event live on the 13^th and 14^th of August via Australian Taekwondo’s Facebook page.