Australian Taekwondo is pleased to announce the finalists for its 2023 National Awards.
All finalists and winners will be celebrated at the Green Carpet Gala, which will take place at the Rendezvous Hotel Perth Scarborough on Friday, October 13. The evening will also officially open the Australian Taekwondo National Championships. A limited number of club tables are now available for purchase.
Janine Watson will lead the night as Master of Ceremonies, while Lauren Burns will make a special guest appearance to present the Athlete of the Year Award - the Lauren Burns Medal.
Ross Hartnett, who stepped away from his role as Performance Director earlier this year, will also be celebrated with the High-Performance Coach Award set to become the Ross Hartnett Performance Coach of the Year Award. Ross' commitment to high performance spans decades, and his work in this space has been critical to ensuring Australia's high-performance success.
In the senior athlete award categories, finalists include Liam Sweeney (One Taekwondo, QLD), Reba Stewart (Hall's Taekwondo, VIC), Juliet Lahood (Global Martial Arts, NSW), Leon Sejranovic (Notorious Martial Arts, VIC), Bailey Lewis (City West Taekwondo, VIC), Carmela Hartnett (Taekwondo Oh Do Kwan, WA), Sheena Kennedy (Reeves Taekwondo, QLD) and Ricci Jandu (Flinn Taekwondo Academy, QLD).
In the community club award category, finalists include Tierney's Taekwondo Academy (NSW), San Taekwondo (QLD) and Spirit Taekwondo (NSW).
The hotly contested volunteer award sees Orla Brassil (Yun Hap Taekwondo Club, QLD), Grace Civitarese (Edge Taekwondo, QLD), Bishan Dao (Professional Taekwondo, VIC), Theresa McCoombes (Cho's Taekwondo, QLD), Andrew Mansi (Song's Taekwondo VIC), WendyMurray (Reeves Martial Arts, QLD), Anthony Thunyin (Musa Taekwondo, NSW), Anuke Warakaulle PK Taekwondo, QLD), and Jacqueline Mannell (Hartmann Taekwondo, QLD) all finalists.
In our coach award category, finalists include Amy Tierney (Tierney's Taekwondo Academy, NSW), Sammy Rachele (Koryo Taekwondo Centre Australia, VIC), Mohammad Reza Hassani (Total Taekwondo Academy, SA), Sadhbh Sweeney (One Taekwondo, QLD), Anne Marie Smith (Spirit Taekwondo, NSW) and Jerry Moraitis (Hall's Taekwondo, VIC).
Our referee award categories sees Muhktar Kadiri (Palace Martial Arts, VIC), Rebecca Green (Edge Taekwondo Brisbane, QLD), Benjamin Flinn (Flinn Taekwondo Academy, QLD), Wayne Mahoney (Tans Taekwondo, QLD) and Colin Kerr selected as finalists.
In addition to this, our junior athlete awards, plus several recognition awards, will be presented to individuals in our community who have supported our athletes, events and programs over the last 12 months.
A limited number of club tables are available for purchase until September 30, which provides a cheaper way for members who wish to access a ticket. Please check with your club if they are attending in the first instance.
Please join us in congratulating our 2023 finalists. We look forward to celebrating with you on October 13 in Perth.
