Ottawa, ON – Taekwondo Canada is pleased to announce the Senior National Team which will compete for Canada in the upcoming 2023 World Taekwondo Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. The championships, being held May 29th to June 4th, features the top athletes from Canada competing amongst the best on the world stage.
The Senior National Team consists of 16 athletes (8 male and 8 female) from across the country competing for gold in the event. Seven coaches and three support staff will also attend the event on behalf of Team Canada. The full team is listed below:
Total Athletes: 16
| Name | Event | Hometown | Club | Home Coach |
| Angelique Orozco | F-46kg | Toronto, ON | Young Choung Taekwondo | Young Choung |
| Viviane Tranquille | F-49kg | Champlain, QC | HLD Taekwondo | Carlos Amezcua |
| Megan Brewster | F-53kg | Stouffville, ON | Young Choung Taekwondo | Young Choung |
| Skylar Park | F-57kg | Winnipeg, MB | TRP Academy | Jae Park |
| Ashley Kraayeveld | F-62kg | Mississauga, ON | Black Belt World – Burlington | Carla Bacco |
| Nathalie Iliesco | F-67kg | Montreal, QC | WCAP Team | Terrence Jennings |
| Sofie Nicholson | F-73kg | Surrey, BC | Vortex Taekwondo | Dan Thornton |
| Rachel Fountain | F+73kg | Waterloo, ON | Five Rings Taekwondo | Greg Bauer |
| Nicholas Hoefling | M-54kg | Campbellville, ON | Black Belt World – Burlington | Carla Bacco |
| Braven Park | M-58kg | Winnipeg, MB | TRP Academy | Jae Park |
| Shane Britton | M-63kg | Surrey, BC | Vortex Taekwondo | Dan Thornton |
| Tae-Ku Park | M-68kg | Winnipeg, MB | TRP Academy | Jae Park |
| Charlélie Mercier | M-74kg | Lévis, QC | Club de taekwondo Sainte-Foy | Alain Bernier |
| Cedric Ndzouli | M-80kg | Quebec City, QC | Club de taekwondo Sainte-Foy | Alain Bernier |
| Ethienne Brunet | M-87kg | Montreal, QC | HLD Taekwondo | Carlos Amezcua |
| Marc-André Bergeron | M+87kg | Québec City, QC | Club de taekwondo Sainte-Foy | Alain Bernier |
Total Staff: 12
| Head of Team | Allan Wrigley | Coach 1 | Carlos Amezcua | |
| Medical 1 | Elwin Lau | Coach 2 | Carla Bacco | |
| Medical 2 | Marya Phan | Coach 3 | Greg Bauer | |
| MNA Official | David Harris | Coach 4 | Alain Bernier | |
| MNA Official | Kee Ha | Coach 5 | Young Choung | |
| Coach 6 | Jae Park | |||
| Coach 7 | Dan Thornton |
Taekwondo Canada’s High Performance Director Dr. Allan Wrigley said of the upcoming World Championships, “We are really excited to see our athletes perform at this year’s World Championships. With a strong core of veterans, some new Senior Team members, as well as young and up-and-coming talent our expectations for each team member is different.” “I think we have some younger athletes poised to surprise some opponents, but ultimately, we are looking to be better as a team than the 2022 event in Guadalajara. If we can continue to improve from event to event, we will begin to close the gap against some of the stronger countries and create a solid footing towards qualifying as many athletes as possible to the 2024 Paris Olympics.”
Full results will be sent out to all media following the completion of the event on June 4th.
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