Athlete Categorisation

The purpose of athlete categorisation is to identify athletes who have the potential to achieve Olympic and Paralympic success and support the aims of the Combat Institute of Australia's high-performance program. The National Categorisation Framework consists of five levels across the Podium Pathway.

  • Podium
  • Podium Ready
  • Podium Potential
  • Developing
  • Emerging

The Athlete Categorisation Criteria for Taekwondo aligns, as is required, with these five Podium Pathway categories.

While there is no longer an International Category as part of the National Categorisation Framework, there is a Taekwondo specific Associate category to recognise athletes that don't currently meet the performance requirements for the Podium Pathway but are internationally experienced athletes that are selected for Australia's National Team to compete at a BME and/or who add significant value to the DTE.

Athlete categorisation is conducted annually in the final quarter of each calendar year and will take effect from January the following year. Athletes categorised in the Podium Pathway will receive a level of investment to support targeted camps and competitions from The Australian Institute of Sport and the Victorian Institute of Sport. 

2024 Athlete Categorisation

The following Athlete Categorisations have been approved by the Australian Institute of Sport and, unless otherwise communicated to specific athletes, will apply from 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024. Please note, * denotes a transitioning athlete.

Podium

Podium Ready

Podium 

Leon Sejranovic

VICTORIA
Club: Notorious
Home Coach: Ryan Carneli
RESULTS
Podium Ready

Bailey Lewis

VICTORIA
Club: City West Taekwondo
Home Coach: Frank De Pasquale
RESULTS

Podium Potential

Podium Potential

Stacey Hymer

VICTORIA
Club: Notorious 
Home Coach: Ryan Carneli
RESULTS
Podium Potential

Juliet Lahood

NEW SOUTH WALES
Club: Global Martial Arts
Coach: Ali Khalil
RESULTS
Podium Potential

Liam Sweeney

QUEENSLAND
Club: One Taekwondo
Coach: Sadhbh McCarthy
RESULTS

Podium Potential

Saffron Tambyrajah

VICTORIA
Club: Notorious 
Home Coach: Ryan Carneli
RESULTS

Developing

Developing

Matthew Summerfield

WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Club: Rawlins Taekwondo
Home Coach: 
RESULTS
Developing

Rebecca Murray

QUEENSLAND
Club: Edge Taekwondo
Coach: Neil Cowperthwaite
RESULTS
Developing

Tyrone Staben*

SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Club: Adelaide Taekwondo Academy
Home Coach: Ruth Hock
RESULTS

Developing

Reba Stewart

VICTORIA
Club: Hall's Taekwondo
Home Coach: Jerry Moraitis
RESULTS

Emerging

Emerging

Jake Buhagiar

VICTORIA
Club: Hall's Taekwondo
Home Coach: Jerry Moraitis
RESULTS
Emerging

Xavier Nikolovski

VICTORIA
Club: Notorious
Home Coach: Ryan Carneli
RESULTS
Emerging

Ben Camua

NEW SOUTH WALES
Club: Prodigy Martial Arts
Home Coach: Peter Vass
RESULTS
Emerging

Seth Healy

VICTORIA
Club: MTC Malvern
Home Coach: Alf Dell'Orso
RESULTS
Emerging

Sofia Querubin

NEW SOUTH WALES
Club: TAYA Taekwondo
Coach: Abby Sangalang
RESULTS
Emerging

Akon Baak

SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Club: Total Taekwondo Academy
Coach: Mohammad Reza Hassani
RESULTS
Emerging

Giuliana Masiello

AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
Club: Forza Taekwondo
Coach: John Masiello
RESULTS
Emerging

Luke McMahon

QUEENSLAND
Club: Hartmann Taekwondo
Coach: Sadhbh McCarthy
RESULTS
Emerging

Tiarnagh Sweeney

QUEENSLAND
Club: One Taekwondo
Coach: Sadhbh McCarthy
RESULTS
Emerging

Gabriella Blewitt

NEW SOUTH WALES
Club: Spirit Taekwondo
Home Coach: Jason Smith
RESULTS
Emerging

Damon Motta

VICTORIA
Club: Notorious
Home Coach: Ryan Carneli
RESULTS
Emerging

Bianca Motta

VICTORIA
Club: Notorious
Home Coach: Ryan Carneli
RESULTS
Emerging

Jamie Cefai

VICTORIA
Club: Notorious
Home Coach: Ryan Carneli
RESULTS
Emerging

Amber Heslop

AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
Club: Forza Taekwondo
Coach: John Masiello
RESULTS
Emerging

Zaine Mansfield

QUEENSLAND
Club: 5th Element Martial Arts
Coach: Igor Geyl
RESULTS
Emerging

Ryan Yoo

QUEENSLAND
Club: One Taekwondo
Coach: Sadhbh McCarthy
RESULTS

Anastasia Typou

VICTORIA
Club: Hall's Taekwondo
Home Coach: Jerry Moraitis
RESULTS

Associate

Associate

Tom Afonczenko*

VICTORIA
Club: Notorious Martial Arts
Home Coach:  Ryan Carneli
RESULTS
Associate

Arash Mozhdeh

VICTORIA
Club: Mozhdeh Martial Arts
Home Coach: Behnaz Mozhdeh
RESULTS
Associate

Adam Meyers

VICTORIA
Club: The Story Centre
Coach: Karim Dighou
RESULTS
Associate

Molly Park

VICTORIA
Club: Mozhdeh Martial Arts
Home Coach: Arash Mozhdeh
RESULTS
Associate

Emily Stellino

NEW SOUTH WALES
Club: Global Martial Arts
Coach: Ali Khalil
RESULTS
We acknowledge that our office is spread across many traditional lands, and we pay respect to all traditional owners of these lands and elders past and present.