OTTAWA, ON (April 26, 2022) – Following four days of competition, Team Canada returned home with four bronze medals from the Goyang 2022 World Taekwondo Championships.
After two years of online poomsae competitions due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, World Taekwondo hosted the 2022 World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships in Goyang, Korea from April 21st to April 24th. This international competition included 63 countries and over 750 athletes.
Team Canada excelled in Freestyle Poomsae events where they earned three of the four medals. Jinsu Ha won his first bronze medal alongside his partner, Michelle Lee, in the Freestyle O17 Pairs event and earned a second bronze medal in the Freestyle O17 Individual Male event. Alan Van and Christine Cho secured their bronze medal in the Freestyle U17 Pair event. In the Recognized Poomsae competition, Shelley Vettese Baert earned a bronze medal in the Over 65 Individual Female event. In addition to medal performances, Team Canada narrowly missed the podium with nine fifth place finishes.
Lead by Head Coach Master Ri Seong Kang, Team Canada featured 29 male and female athletes from across the country and competed in 24 events. Supporting the team were dual role athlete-coaches Master Bhajan Mann and Master Shelley Vettese-Baert, as well as Master Lisa-Mae Petropoulos as Team Manager and Elwin Lau as the team’s athletic therapist.
“We are extremely proud of our National Poomsae team and their showing at the World Championships” said Executive Director Dave Harris. “The four bronze medals captured was the strongest result for a Taekwondo Canada team in years and we would like to recognize all our athletes for the efforts and dedication during this event”.
Taekwondo Canada would like to congratulate and thank all the athletes and support staff that attended the 2022 World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships!
Full Team Canada results can be found below. Please visit the World Taekwondo website for complete results from the 2022 World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships.
|
EVENT |
TEAM MEMBER(S) |
RESULTS |
| Freestyle U17 Pair | Alan Van & Christine Cho | Bronze Medal |
| Freestyle O17 Pair | Jinsu Ha & Michelle Lee | Bronze Medal |
| Freestyle O17 Individual Male | Jinsu Ha | Bronze Medal |
| U65 Individual Female | Shelley Vettese-Baert | Bronze Medal |
| Freestyle U17 Individual Male | Kai-Hsin Chang | 5th |
| Freestyle U17 Individual Female | Rachel Lee | 5th |
| Freestyle O17 Individual Female | Michelle Lee | 5th |
| Freestyle U17 Mixed Team | Kai-Hsin Chang, Grace Campbell, Cailin Cooke, Ivan Leung, Heinrich Botha & Jake Kang | 5th |
| Cadet Individual Male | Jake Kang | 5th |
| Cadet Individual Female | Rachel Lee | 5th |
| Junior Pair | Ethan So & Christine Cho | 5th |
| O65 Individual Male | Bhajan Mann | 5th |
| O65 Individual Female | Claude Champagne | 5th |
| Freestyle O17 Mixed Team | AJ Assadian, Alan Van, Evan Van, Valerie Ho, Holly Cheuk & Ivan Leung | Semi-Final Round |
| U30 Team Female | Evelyn Wu, Kaitlyn Wiens, Valerie Ho | Semi-Final Round |
| O30 Pair | James Gies & Ming Chu Chan | Semi-Final Round |
| O30 Team Male | James Gies, John Ko & Jeehoon Sohn | Semi-Final Round |
| U60 Individual Male | Jeehoon Sohn | Semi-Final Round |
| U65 Individual Male | John Ko | Semi-Final Round |
| U30 Individual Female | Faith Tai | Round of 16 |
| Junior Individual Male | Ethan So | Round of 32 |
| U30 Individual Male | AJ Assadian | Round of 32 |
| U30 Pair | Khalil Thompson & Faith Tai | Round of 32 |
| U40 Individual Female | Breanne Folk | Round of 32 |
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.
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Contact:
Dave Harris
Executive Director
(519) 859-7410