Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (March 27, 2023) – Following two days of competition, nine Canadian athletes qualified for nomination to Team Canada for the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games.
The Pan American Taekwondo Union held the 2023 Pan American Games Qualification Tournament from March 22nd to March 23rd, 2023 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This tournament serves as the pathway for National Olympic Committees to earn spots for the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games hosted in Chile from October 20th to November 5th, 2023.
The tournament featured competitors from over twenty Pan American countries and was highlighted by the inclusion of male and female team kyorugi as a new event. Taekwondo Canada’s National Team qualified athletes across all events at the tournament – recognized poomsae, freestyle poomsae, kyorugi and team kyorugi.
Athletes that qualified for nomination are as follows:
| Name | Hometown | Event(s) | Coach |
| Valerie Ho | Red Deer, AB | Individual U30 Female Freestyle O17 Pair | Seoungmin Rim |
| Jinsu Ha | Richmond Hill, ON | Individual U30 Male Freestyle O17 Pair | Seoungmin Rim (Home coach: Ri Seong Kang) |
| Angelique Orozco | Toronto, ON | Female -49kg | Young Choung |
| Skylar Park | Winnipeg, MB | Female -57kg | Jae Park |
| Ashley Kraayeveld | Mississauga, ON | Female -67kg | Carla Bacco |
| Braven Park | Winnipeg, MB | Male -58kg | Jae Park |
| Tae-Ku Park | Winnipeg, MB | Male -68kg | Jae Park |
| Charlélie Mercier | Lévis, QC | Male -80kg | Alain Bernier |
| Marc-André Bergeron | Québec City, QC | Male +80kg | Alain Bernier |
*Male and Female Kyorugi teams for Canada will consist of the kyorugi athletes listed above
“Our team goals coming into this event were not simply to qualify for the Pan Am Games, but to demonstrate our strong medal potential across all disciplines.” said High Performance Director Allan Wrigley. “With the addition of Male and Female Team Kyorugi to the Games program, we are well positioned to earn multiple medals across all three event disciplines.”
“Our Taekwondo Canada athletes have proven that they are amongst the best in the region and the results show it,” said Executive Director Dave Harris. “Our Team Canada athletes have now qualified to be nominated to the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile. We look forward to seeing our athletes continue to elevate their performances at one of the top events in the region.”
Before the multisport Pan Am Games in the fall, Team Canada’s Senior National Team athletes will shift their focus and build on their performances in Rio de Janeiro at the World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan at the end of May 2023.
Taekwondo Canada would like to congratulate and thank all the athletes, coaches and support staff that attended the 2023 Pan American Games Qualification Tournament!
About Taekwondo Canada:
Taekwondo Canada is the official governing body of Taekwondo in Canada, overseeing the sport in all Provinces and Territories. Taekwondo Canada is recognized by World Taekwondo, the International Olympic Committee, PATU and Sport Canada. Taekwondo Canada will continue to be a leading nation in the sport by providing leadership and opportunities to enable its participants to achieve their goals.
Contact:
Dave Harris
Executive Director
(519) 859-7410
dharris@taekwondo-canada.com