Few events in the history of Australian sport have captured the imagination of the country like the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. The Games of the XXVII Olympiad took on extra special significance for the rapidly growing sport of Taekwondo, which made its first appearance on the Olympic program for both men and women in Sydney, having twice been included as a demonstration sport in Seoul 1988 and Barcelona 1992. 

And for Australian Taekwondo there was even more reason to celebrate. A gold medal to Lauren Burns (in the Women's 49 kg) on the opening day of competition thrust Taekwondo into the spotlight and set the tone for a superb showing by Australia’s leading Taekwondo athletes in front of thrilled capacity crowds. Then on the final day of Taekwondo competition, Daniel Trenton claimed a well-deserved silver medal.

In between those two magnificent medals, a number of other Australian Taekwondo representatives delivered performances of note in their own right. In fact, the Australian team would have surpassed its original target of three Taekwondo medals had the 2000 Olympics awarded two bronze models in the sport as first anticipated. (In subsequent Olympic Games two bronze medals have been awarded.) This denied the host nation an additional two bronze medals, which would have taken our overall tally to four Olympic medals for Taekwondo.

Medals are always a massive bonus, of course, but the Olympic Games is about so much more. Taekwondo had announced itself as a sport to be taken seriously on the world stage; a sport offering a pathway to international recognition and success for Australian athletes.

Following the Sydney 2000 Olympics, Australia’s junior performance program excelled under the guidance of Olympians and 2000 Olympic Athlete Program squad members, claiming a number of international medals at Junior World Championships over the years.

Much has changed in the sport since 2000. From Australia’s perspective there have been highs and lows along the way – it’s the nature of elite sport – but Taekwondo remains on the Olympic program and Australian athletes are still highly competitive at this level. That legacy began at the Sydney Olympics, and it will always be a source of pride and inspiration for Australia and its passionate Taekwondo community.

In this spirit, as we fast approach the Paris 2024 Olympics, Australian Taekwondo asked the Sydney 2000 Olympics Head Coach and Performance Director for Taekwondo, Grandmaster Ross Hartnett from Oh Do Kwan Australia, to share his reflections and insights on such an unforgettable event.

AUSTKD: Grandmaster Ross, take us on a trip down memory lane – what are your strongest recollections of the Sydney 2000 Olympics and why were these Games so special?

Ross Hartnett: The Sydney 2000 Olympics was the culmination of an involved process of intricate planning with heavy engagement in competition and development over a four-year period that I was involved in. The lead-up program resulted in Australia going into the Games with five of the athletes having been World Championship medal winners over the previous three years, and additionally several had also won World Cup medals (equivalent to a Grand Prix now) during this period.

As Head Coach, together with Technical Coach, Jin Tae Jeong, we were fairly confident that we would garner a couple of medals on the basis of the improvement that the athletes had made over several years in both individual technique and overall performance.

The athletes in the team were very passionate and supportive of each other. This contributed to a great team atmosphere, which goes a long way toward garnering success. Kudos to Paul Lyons (R.I.P.), Tanya White, Cynthia Cameron, Warren Hanson, Lisa O’Keefe, Daniel Trenton, Carlo Massimino, and of course Lauren Burns, who all contributed to Australia's successes.

From the perspective of the event, given it was the first time Taekwondo had been included as an official sport, a lot of people were curious about it. There was quite a bit of attention from the media as well as athletes from other sports. We tried pre-competition and during the competition to minimise the team’s exposure to the attention so as to relax and focus, however this proved a little difficult especially after the gold medal on day one which created a media storm. Credit to the team, they managed to stay focused despite the extra attention. 

The event was extremely well run in all aspects, not just the Taekwondo but the entire Olympics. In relation to Taekwondo, hats off to World Taekwondo and the many Australian volunteers who made it such a well-run event. The support from spectators and other sports was intense, not something we had previously witnessed in Australia. This was very impressive and a good driver for our team to perform.
AUSTKD: What did the Sydney 2000 Olympics mean to Taekwondo athletes and coaches in Australia?

RH: While an Olympic medal is a dream for most athletes, without the myriad of other athletes that did not make it, there would not have been the level of competition needed for the athletes that succeeded in selection to improve and perform as well as they did.

It was my experience that there were many athletes on the Olympic journey that fell narrowly short of making the team, and some on the team that narrowly missed out on a medal. These athletes were not defined by the results but grew from the journey into fine role models in Taekwondo and other sports. To do well we need to love Taekwondo so that we can sustain success through the many highs and lows. Whatever your target, make time to enjoy your Taekwondo life and the overall journey.

AUSTKD: What was your experience from a coaching perspective when Lauren Burns won that famous gold medal?

RH: Prior to the Olympics, Lauren had several bouts with World Champions and World Cup Champions which, while she lost, on nearly every occasion they were by the narrowest of margins, proving her competitiveness with the best. We were confident that if she performed at her very best a medal was in the offing, although we were not sure what colour it would be.

In the lead up to the finals, while all players in the division were very good, the three fighters we considered most dangerous were all on the same side of the draw as Lauren, setting up a challenging route to the final. In her first fight Lauren defeated Chi Shu-Ju (Taipei), a world class athlete in a hard fought match. Hanne Poulson (Denmark) defeated Kay Poe (USA), both top athletes, setting up another tough match between Lauren and Hanne in the semi-finals. In a close fight, Lauren defeated Hanne by chasing her down and putting her continually on the back foot. Generally speaking there was an expectation from the coaching staff going into the finals that Lauren could and would win. While we did not want to count our chickens before they hatched, we were strongly but quietly confident in Lauren.

In the finals Lauren synced very well with coach Jintae Jeong, controlling the match confidently and pretty much to our expectations. She scored with some exceptional axe kicks, I think as coaches the quality of these kicks elicited quite a lot of excitement. The crowd’s reaction to Lauren’s win was amazing. Given the stadium was nearly full, it was deafening for those few minutes after the match and the medal awarding ceremony with the Australian anthem playing. I think everyone involved in Australian Taekwondo was proud and pleased for Lauren.

While we were all proud of Lauren and excited by her achievement, the fact that she was on the first day tempered our emotions as we had to refocus on the next three days of competition. For the coaches I believe the true significance did not fully sink in until after the Taekwondo competition had finished. Both Lauren and Daniel Trenton can be proud of their accomplishments, in fact all the athletes represented Australia exceptionally.

AUSTKD: What are you hoping to see at the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics?

RH: I was delighted at the Para Bronze Medal we won through Janine Watson at the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo. I would be ecstatic if Australia were to win medals in Paris. I think any colour medal would be a great achievement and I wish the competitors and coaches the best of luck.

Twenty-four years on from the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, the world is preparing for the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad to be held in Paris from 26 July to 11 August. The Olympic Taekwondo competition will begin on 7 August.