Australian Taekwondo has returned from the Korean Tour with a rich haul of medals and invaluable international experience, as a large contingent of athletes from multiple programs tested themselves against world-class opposition. The tour united the Australian Para High Performance Team, the Senior High Performance Team, the Fighting Futures squad and the Extended Performance Pathway athletes for a campaign contested in tough conditions. Fighting both air quality in the arena as well as late fights, some finishing as late as 4am, our athletes were tested both physically and mentally in trying environments.
Para Team Delivers on the World Stage
The Australian Para High Performance Team set the standard at the Gangwon Chuncheon 2026 World Para Taekwondo Open Challenge, one of the premier events on the international para calendar, with our two upcoming stars both reaching the podium.
Shrijana Ghising was outstanding on her way to silver in the K44 F-47kg division. She defeated a string of higher-ranked opponents to reach the final — Azerbaijan's world No. 20 in the Round of 16, Turkey's world No. 5 in the quarter final and Brazil's world No. 11 in the semi final — before going down to Thailand's world No. 3 in a hard-fought gold-medal bout. Defeating three higher-ranked international athletes en route to the podium marked a significant step forward on the world stage.
Shrijana Ghising (left) with her fellow competitors on the podium.
Evie Ruffle claimed bronze in the K44 F+65kg division in her first fight in the Australian dobok. Ruffle defeated Brazil's world No. 10 by a 2–1 margin in the quarter final, before a narrow 0–2 loss to Russia's world No. 5 (a Paralympian and recent GP Roma G6 silver medallist) in a semi final decided by the finest of margins. To medal at her first official G4 international event and move straight into the world's top 30 is an outstanding achievement and a clear sign of what lies ahead.
Evie Ruffle has an outstanding debut for Australia.
Pathway Athletes Show Grit at the Chuncheon Korean Open
The Extended Performance Pathway and Fighting Futures athletes were thrown into the deep end at the Chuncheon Korean Open, and they rose to the challenge. The standout came from Leonardo Angell, who fought his way to a bronze medal against a strong international field — a deserved reward for his composure and work ethic.
Leonardo Angell was the standout for the pathway group at the Chuncheon Korean Open.
For the rest of the squad, the podium proved agonisingly close. Several athletes had all the pieces in place, the movement, the tactics, the fitness, but couldn't quite find the breakthrough onto the podium. That is the nature of international competition, where the finest margins decide results, and the perseverance and hard work the group showed in the face of tight outcomes was a credit to them.
A Second Chance at the Kim Un-Yong Cup
That determination and perserverance was rewarded at the Kim Un-yong Cup, where the pathway athletes returned to the mat and converted their experience into a strong medal haul. Gold went to Mackenzie Macdonald, Samantha Blewitt and Riley Harper; silver to Maysa Khalil, Bilal Atay, Rose Ward, Nikolas Stroskas and Jayden Vuong; and bronze to Decima Boon, Chloe Spencer, Josh Soh and Kierah Ly-Diep.
Kim Un-Yong Cup Gold Medalist Samantha Blewitt (Hong).
Performance Pathway Lead Ali Khalil praised the process behind the results:
"We're proud of these performances, but even more proud of the process behind them. The commitment shown by our athletes, clubs, and coaches is laying the foundations for sustained international success. We're building something that will last, and we're doing it one step at a time."
High Performance Team Backs Up in Style
The Senior High Performance opened its campaign with a gritty bronze medal from Xavier Nikolovski at the Chuncheon Korean Open, earned with three hard-fought wins against China, two Korean fighters before going down to Türkiye in the semi final. Gaby Blewitt won two fights to reach the Quarterfinal, with Saffron Tambyryjah, Bianca Motta Rebecca Murray, Juliet Lahood, Ryan Yoo and Aiden Stilley all making It through to the Round of 16.
Chuncheon Korean Open Medalist Xavier Nikolovski (right) with his coach Ryan Carneli (left).
The squad alongside the Fighting Futures team saved its best for the Kim Un-Yong Cup, returning another impressive haul. Gaby Blewitt and Reba Stewart led the charge with gold, while Bianca Motta, Akon Baak and Aiden Stilley fought their way into their finals to add silver. Bronze medals followed for Juliet Lahood, Rebecca Murray, Jobe Stewart, Chelsea Gomez, Taye Ragheb and Rose Abela — a result reflecting the depth of talent and the standard of coaching within the senior program, with the Fighting Futures athletes also contributing to the podium tally.
A tour of this scale is only possible through the collective effort of coaches, staff and partners. Australian Taekwondo extends its sincere thanks to Combat Australia for their ongoing work with the HP program. Congratulations to National Coaches Ryan Carneli and Seoukhun Lee for their leadership across the senior team, and to Para Program coaches Jessica Borg and Jerry Moraitis, whose hard work helped guide Evie and Shrijana to the podium. The pathway success was underpinned by coaches Ali Khalil, Dong Min Cha, Jerry Moraitis, Safwan Khalil and Jomil Millares, along with Team Manager Ani Smith, whose behind the scenes work kept the campaign running smoothly despite the challenges arising.
The Korean tour has provided a strong platform for multiple programs to break through at the international level. The results reflect the depth of talent within the program and the standard of preparation behind it, as well as a great support team to get our athletes there. Australian Taekwondo leaves Korea with plenty to celebrate and excitement for what the future holds.
