The 2026 Kukkiwon World Hanmadang Championships saw more than 4,000 competitors from 61 countries compete for honours across a myriad of age divisions and categories.
Australia’s athletes did not disappoint, delivering a number of outstanding performances and finishing the Championships with an impressive medal tally of two gold medals, two silver medals and two bronze medals.
Leading Australia’s medal tally were Carmela Hartnett (WA) and Robert Schembri (VIC), who both claimed gold.
Carmela produced an outstanding performance in the Female Masters 1 Poomsae division, defeating competitors from Canada and Germany before meeting Australian teammate Cheri Parks (QLD) in the final. Carmela secured the gold, while Cheri claimed silver to make it an impressive Australian one-two finish. Cheri progressed to the final following a bye before defeating Germany in her semi-final.
Robert Schembri, competing in Male Masters 2 Poomsae, progressed to the final after victories over competitors from Mexico and Germany. He then delivered a strong performance against a seasoned French competitor in the final to secure Australia’s second gold medal.
Both Robert and Carmela will return to Korea in September as members of the Australian National Team competing at the WT World Poomsae Championships.
Jasmine Manabat (VIC) secured Australia’s other silver medal in Senior 3 Female Poomsae. Jasmine defeated competitors from Japan and China on her way to the final, before going down to a strong Norwegian opponent to finish with silver.
Australia also secured two bronze medals. Ehsan Lohrasbi Peydeh (VIC) claimed Australia’s first bronze in Kyorugi after a tough bout against Korea.
Morteza Sadafian (NSW) added another bronze in the Masters 1 Side/Back Break category. Competing in a strong field of 15 athletes, Morteza delivered an impressive back-kick break to secure his place on the podium.
There were also a number of strong Australian performances in Poomsae that, while not resulting in medals, demonstrated the quality of the team.
The Female Poomsae Under 29 division was particularly competitive, featuring almost 50 athletes from 21 countries. Leah Park (NSW) and Shannon Bourke (VIC) performed well against strong opposition but were unfortunately unable to progress beyond their opening matches.
Andrette Chua progressed through to the third round, recording victories over competitors from China and France before being unable to progress past her next opponent.
Overall, it was a fantastic effort from all Australian athletes competing at the 2026 Kukkiwon World Hanmadang Championships. The event also provided valuable international competition experience and mat time for Australia’s World Championship representatives Carmela Hartnett, Robert Schembri and Dennis Park ahead of their return to Korea in September.
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