Mackenzie Macdonald has successfully weighed-in at the Youth Olympic Games and is set to climb the mountain for Olympic glory. She will be competing in the W-49kg division tonight (Monday), commencing at 10:20pm AEDT. She will face off first against Rwanda's Francoise Uwamahoro in the Round of 16.
"Mackenzie has risen to the occasion, showing great commitment, determination and intensity in her preparation", said her coach Jerry Moraitis. "She is embracing the opportunity and is looking forward to testing herself on the biggest international stage so far in her journey".
Mackenzie and coach Jerry have spent the week settling into the games by training in Dakar.
Road to Gold:
| Draw | Dakar Time | AEDT Time | Match #No | Opponent |
| Round of 16 | 11:24am | 9 Nov 10:24pm | 120 | Rwanda |
| Quarterfinal | 1:00pm | 10 Nov 12:00am | 128 | Paraguay |
| Semi Final | 4:30pm | 10 Nov 3:30am | 132 | Cyprus/Senegal |
| Gold Medal Match | 5:00pm | 10 Nov 4:00am | 134 | Winner Pool A |
Mackenzie Macdonald has made history, claiming a silver medal in the women's 49kg division at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal. This marks a major milestone for the sport in Australia, with Macdonald acquiring the first ever medal at the Youth Olympic Games for Australian Taekwondo.
Australia's Para Taekwondo coaching team recently gathered on the Gold Coast for a coach development and strategic planning weekend, bringing together coaches from across the program to sharpen their skills and map out the next phase of Para Taekwondo in Australia.
The weekend was made possible through a Para Coach Development Grant funded by the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS). The grant aims to deepen coaches' knowledge of the high performance para environment, helping to build coaching capability and grow Para Taekwondo across the country.
The Australian Poomsae Team has returned from the 2026 World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships in Chuncheon, South Korea, with three medals: one gold and two silver.
Over five days of competition at the largest World Poomsae Championships ever held, Australian athletes made history in both the cadet and masters divisions, and pushed deeper into the draw across more age groups than in recent campaigns.
