Bronze for Blewitt Highlights Australia's World Championships Campaign

If there’s one thing these past few World Taekwondo Championships have taught us, it’s that winning medals on the global stage is incredibly difficult. Before 2021, Australia had secured only a handful of medals across the Senior, Junior, and Cadet divisions, a reflection of just how competitive the international field is. Despite this, the growth of new pathway initiatives, centralised national training programs, and the commitment of new high-performance staff, coaches, and athletes, combined with a passionate and ever-growing Taekwondo community here in Australia, are helping to raise our level like never before.

Australia’s national team delivered an inspiring showing at the 2025 World Taekwondo Championships, proudly representing their country on the global stage. Across seven days of world-class competition in Wuxi, China, our athletes demonstrated composure, courage, and a determination to succeed against some of the best fighters in the world. With a medal-winning performance and multiple Round of 16 finishes, this campaign reflected both the strength of our current cycle’s high-performance athletes and the promise of those coming through the pathway.

Gaby Blewitt led the way for Australia with an exceptional performance, securing a bronze medal in her first Senior World Championships.

Still only 18 years of age, Gaby was tested in every match, with her first three going to the third round. She beat Puerto Rico in what was a high-scoring affair in her round of 32 fight. Gaby showed excellent poise and composure in her Round of 16 match against Türkiye, sealing it with two timely and precision punches. In the Quarterfinal, Gaby was exceptional and displayed a very high level of skill against the #2 seed from Equador.

The win sent her through to the semi-finals, guaranteeing her a spot on the podium. She came very close to winning the first round, requiring just one more Gam-Jeom to take the round. The Tunisian defended the edge of the mat well and held on. Gaby was right in the second round as well, and ended up conceding a few points while fighting to stay in the hunt. The Tunisian was the eventual Gold Medalist in the F-62kg division, which just shows how close she was to having it all.

Regardless, this was an incredible performance from Gaby and her team at Spirit Taekwondo, setting a new benchmark for Australian athletes at the world level. Gaby’s World Championships Bronze medal comes off the back of consecutive Australian Open Gold Medals, and a Silver at this year’s Oceania President’s Cup.

Reba Stewart came into this World Championships fresh off being crowned the Lauren Burn’s Medallist for 2025. Double gold at the Australian International Competitions this year saw her seeding go straight through to the round of 32.

She faced Aruba, where she showed great discipline, advancing without conceding a point. Up against a former Olympic silver medallist in the round of 16 was always going to be a big ask, but Reba fought incredibly well losing both round by only 1 point. It was a very low scoring affair highlighting the technical prowess off both athletes, and showing how close Reba is to breaking all the way through to the top.

Matthew Summerfield produced one of his most mature and dynamic performances to date, also reaching the Round of 16.

The 20-year-old was dominant in his first fight against Saudi Arabia, winning both rounds by points difference. He then faced Spain in the Round of 32, which was closely contested. A great second round from Matt saw him through.

He face the Jordan in his final match, and got off to a great start. The Jordanian came back strong in the second to take the match.

Matty fought well and showed great heart and spirit in a performance that made his country proud.

Aiden Stilley impressed throughout his tournament run, demonstrating both technical skill and mental toughness to reach the Round of 16. Competing with poise and confidence, Aiden displayed a well-rounded game built on sharp reactions and disciplined execution of his game plan.

Seeding took Stilley straight into the Round of 32 against Lebanon. Aiden showed off his skills and won in two rounds. He then faced an Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN) in the Round of 16, who was ultimately too good and went through.

Still only 18 years of age, with so much strength and skill, this was a very promising start to Stilley’s international career.

Saffron Tambyrajah is always entertaining to watch, with great reach and footwork on display. She did very well at this years World Championships, making it all the way through to the Round of 16.

Saffron breezed through her first fight against Bosnia and Herzegovina, keeping her opponent scoreless in both rounds. In the Round of 32 she faced Guyana, which was a lot closer. It was two timely head kicks from Saffron in the second round saw her go through to the Round of 16.

Saffron faced Türkiye, who proved to the country to beat topping the medal table. The Turkish fighter was good ending a great day for Saffron.

Saffron’s performance reflected the growing strength of Australia’s female team and highlighted her continued upward trajectory on the world stage.

The remainder of the Australian National Team demonstrated exceptional resilience, professionalism, and unity throughout the Championships. For many athletes, this marked their first Senior World Championship campaign; an invaluable experience that tested their preparation, composure, and ability to perform on the sport’s biggest stage. Each competitor embraced the challenge with determination and pride, displaying technical skill, discipline, and a clear commitment to growth. Their efforts, both in competition and as supportive teammates, reflected the strong culture within the Australian squad. Collectively, the team’s attitude and approach underscored the depth of emerging talent within Australian Taekwondo and the exciting potential for future international success.

Head Coach Seokhun Lee led the Australian team with exceptional professionalism and strategic insight, guiding athletes through every stage of the World Championships with composure and expertise, aiding them in reaching their full potential. Australian Taekwondo extends its sincere thanks to Ryan Carneli, Jerry Moraitis, Mint Napaporn, and Safwan Khalil for their outstanding coaching support, technical guidance, and mentorship throughout the event. Their combined experience and dedication were instrumental in helping athletes navigate the intensity of world-level competition. Special thanks also go to Strength and Conditioning Coach Yosup Kim, who also played a key role in ensuring our athletes were able to compete at the physical capacity.

These athletes aren't where they are today without the hard work and support of their local clubs, who have not just taught them how to kick and block, but the mannerisms of what it takes to be a professional athlete and a good person. We thank the nine unique clubs who have made up our world championships team, as well as all the other clubs from the selection event who have their own athletes so close to breaking through to the highest level.

Australian Taekwondo extends its deepest thanks to Combat Australia, the Victorian Institute of Sport, and the wider Australian Taekwondo community for their invaluable support. The collective effort of coaches, support staff, families, and training partners continues to play a vital role in helping our athletes prepare for and perform at this level. The results from this year’s World Championships reflect the progress of Australian Taekwondo’s high-performance program and the strength of the community behind it.

Australia leaves this championship proud, motivated, and ready to build on these achievements as we continue to elevate our presence on the world stage. This brings on a consecutive streak of medalling at each world championship event since 2022 for Australia, a testament to the hard work and revised pathways focused on producing future Olympic Medalists.

Full Australian National Team

Recent Medal results since 2021