Taekwondo Canada  – (Ottawa, Canada) Melissa Pagnotta has been named a recipient of the Canadian Olympic Committee’s Athlete Excellence Fund (AEF). Pagnotta, 28, finished fifth at the 2017 World Taekwondo Championships in Muju, Korea. She is currently ranked 9th on the World Taekwondo World Ranking in the female under 67kg category. Pagnotta will use the grant to offset expenses associated with traveling and accommodations for the upcoming tournaments, including the Commonwealth Taekwondo Championships, Canada Open and Grand Prix 3.

“I would like to thank the Canadian Olympic Committee and Taekwondo Canada for recognizing my abilities and performance at this year’s World Championships finishing Top 5,” said Pagnotta, “It was bitter sweet for me as I fell shy of a medal but gained a lot of experience in and out of the ring. This funding makes me eager to get back in the ring. As an athlete, sometimes I forget how hard I train and how much time and effort I put into the sport without hesitation, and this funding is a reminder that my hard work doesn’t go unnoticed. I’ve been very fortunate to receive this fund that will help me finish the end of the year on a high note.”

The Canadian Olympic Federation and the COC established the Athlete Excellence Fund to support high performance athlete going forward. For Pagnotta, she already has her eyes set on this year’s President’s Cup to be held in Las Vegas in early October.

“One of my goals this year is to defend my title at this year’s G2 event, the President’s Cup.  I want to max out point accumulation for the rest of the year as I will be competing at Commonwealth and Canada Open and will finish this year up with Grand Prix Series,” said Pagnotta. “Next year I will compete at Opens and Grand Prix Championships to accumulate my ranking points.  I also plan on qualifying a spot on the 2018 Canadian Pan American Championship Team.”

“I also wish to continue to dominate my Olympic division 3 and represent Canada at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games and win a medal for my country.”

“I am truly honored to be receiving this funding amongst all the other amazing Canadian athletes throughout our country.  I hope many more Canadian athletes will receive this funding in the near future.”

About Taekwondo Canada

Taekwondo Canada is the official National Sport Federation for Taekwondo that promotes the growth and development of Taekwondo in Canada for all its athletes, officials, coaches and participants to achieve their greatest potential. In honoring tradition, we will serve our affiliates with the utmost respect, transparency, and integrity.

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Fei Wu

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