After finishing out of the medals at the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Canada’s Taekwondo athletes will be looking to get back on the podium in Rio de Janeiro. Heading into the Games, the WTF Taekwondo Association of Canada has set a target of winning more gold medals and more total medals than any other nation competing in Brazil.
Despite a talented roster, achieving success at the Pan American Games is not guaranteed for Canada as all the Taekwondo events feature a random draw with a single elimination format – meaning anything can happen. Nevertheless, Canada’s eight Taekwondo athletes are all expected to contend for medals in Brazil.
In 2006, Canada’s Taekwondo team enjoyed a highly successful international campaign highlighted by the team capturing the overall title at the Senior Pan American Championship for the first time in the event’s history.
On the men’s side, Canada will be led by two of its top senior athletes, Jocelyn Addison (58 kg) and Sebastien Michaud (80 kg). Michaud is currently Canada’s top ranked Taekwondo athlete and recently won a gold medal at the 2007 U.S. Open [not to mention bronze at World Championships]. Ranked as the number two male athlete in Canada, Addison captured gold in his respective weight class at the 2006 Senior Pan American Championship.
The top international challengers in the men’s division are expected to include Mexico’s Oscar Salazar Blanca (58 kg) along with Santos Leonardo (80 kg plus) and Wenceslau Marcio (58 kg) of Brazil.
Blanca is the defending Olympic and Pan American Games silver medallist in the flyweight division while Brazil’s Leonardo and Marcio should also figure prominently in the men’s competition as each is coming off a gold medal performance at the 2006 Senior Pan American Championship in Argentina.
In the women’s event, Canada’s team will be led by Ivett Gonda (49 kg) and Karine Sergerie (67 kg). Both Gonda and Sergerie are veterans of the Canadian Taekwondo team and both medaled in the 2006 Senior Pan American Championship, Karine with gold and Ivett with bronze.
An Olympian in 2004, Gonda is expected to make her second consecutive appearance at the Pan American Games and will be looking to build on her top-16 finish from four years ago in Santo-Domingo.
Over the last four years, her team-mate Sergerie has arguably been the most successful Canadian Taekwondo athlete competing for Canada on the international stage after recording podium performances at the last two World Championship events [and Gold in 2007].
Canada’s main competition in the women’s tournaments at the Pan American Games is expected to come from Cuba’s Mirna Hechavaria (67 kg) and Dainellys Montejo (49 kg) and Mexico’s Iridia Salazar (57 kg).
A relatively new competitor on the international stage, Hechavaria took home the gold medal at the 2006 Pan American Games Qualification tournament while her compatriot Montejo captured a bronze medal at the 2005 World Championship and was a gold medallist at the 2006 Pan American Games Qualification Tournament. Salazar finished first in her weight class at the 2006 Pan American Games Championship and will be looking to defend her Pan American Games gold medal from 2003.
| Canadian Taekwondo Team | ||
| 2007 Pan Am Games – Rio de Janeiro | ||
| Female Fin | Ivett Gonda | Female Bantam | Shannon Condie | Female Light | Karine Sergerie | Female Heavy | Dasha Peregoudova | Male Fin | Jocelyn Addison | Male Bantam | Ali Ghafour | Male Light | Sebastien Michaud | Male Heavy | Eric Ahn |
» 2007 Pan Am Games site
» Canadian Olympic Committee Athlete Profiles
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