Australia delivered an impressive campaign at the 2026 Kukkiwon World Hanmadang Championships, winning two gold, two silver and two bronze medals against a field of more than 4,000 competitors from 61 countries.
A senior National Poomsae team of eight athletes and two coaches from Australian Taekwondo will contest the World Poomsae Open Challenge in Muju, Korea, from November 3-5.
The competition, which was first introduced in 2021 as an online event due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will see over 300 athletes from 20 countries contesting for medals and prize money in the first-time live event.
Australia has had previous success in World Poomsae Open Challenge events, with gold medals having been won by Barry Jordan NSW/ACT, Bronwyn Butterworth VIC and Carmela Hartnett WA. The group of senior athletes were selected to the National Team, based on results from the Australian Open/Oceania Open and Oceania Presidents Cup held in Brisbane earlier in the year.
The 2023 World Poomsae Open Challenge team will see the following athletes represent Australia.
O65 Female Bronwyn Butterworth – Melbourne Taekwondo Centre (VIC)
U65 Female Sylvia Chiang – Schembris Taekwondo (VIC)
U60 Female Carmela Hartnett – Taekwondo Oh Do Kwan (WA)
U50 Female Kate Hodgen – Lee’s Taekwondo (ACT)
U30 Female Tayla Eckley – City West Taekwondo (VIC)
O65 Male Barry Jordan – Eclipse Taekwondo (NSW)
U Male 65 Chiang Cheuk Hung - Schembris Taekwondo (VIC)
U40 Male Choi Min Sueng – Songs Taekwondo (VIC)
Head Coach: Ross Hartnett - Taekwondo Oh Do Kwan (WA)
Coach: Yukyung Song – Songs Taekwondo (VIC)
Australian Taekwondo wishes the team all the best for the competition.
Australia delivered an impressive campaign at the 2026 Kukkiwon World Hanmadang Championships, winning two gold, two silver and two bronze medals against a field of more than 4,000 competitors from 61 countries.
Australian Taekwondo's National Poomsae Team delivered a standout campaign across three international events on the Gold Coast — the 2026 Australian Open G2, Oceania President's Cup G3 and Oceania Championships G4 — collecting a haul of gold and two Overall Team Trophy runner-up finishes. A record 14 Para Poomsae athletes also set new participation and medal benchmarks. With momentum building and depth emerging across the pathway, attention now turns to September's World Poomsae Championships in Chuncheon, South Korea.
As we reach the midpoint of 2026, I want to take a moment to reflect on what has been one of the most rewarding and significant quarters in recent memory […]
