It’s time again for Canada’s top senior Taekwondo black belts to battle one another for the prized spots on the national podium. And again this year it’s being hosted at Montreal’s Centre Claude Robillard, an excellent venue with ample seating. As always this is a two-day event, spanning March 8-9.
The fights have been posted (see links below) and include many exciting, as well as unusual matches. Several experienced fighters have switched weight categories, possibly to avoid—and in some cases to target—the strongest players.
While most athletes have spent months training for this event, some have had bigger concerns. Canada’s Olympic hopefuls—Karine Sergerie, Ivett Gonda, and Sebastien Michaud—have just returned from the Olympic Test Event in Beijing, an invitational event designed to prepare both athletes and organizers for the real deal this August.
Preparing for the Olympic Test Event
Taekwondo fans across Canada (not to mention the athletes themselves) should be very excited about the results, which certainly make Canada’s prospects for Olympic medals look all the better.
Gonda finished with bronze by fighting two matches before losing to China. Michaud also placed third after losing his fourth fight 2-1 to Turkey (watch video: Sebastien Michaud defeats Juan Sanchez of Puerto Rico). Sergerie, the 2007 World Taekwondo Champion, fought her way through four matches to beat China 1-0 and take the gold (watch video: Karine Sergerie beats China’s Hui Ji in the final).
Some competitors at the upcoming National Championships may be relieved to know that none of the fore-mentioned athletes are scheduled to compete this weekend. The trio are no doubt taking time to recover from jet lag and the physical effects of international competition, including the weeks of intense training preceding it.
Photo by Dr. Terry DeFreitas
» 2008 Senior Nationals information (PDF)
» 2008 Nationals draws: Fin, Bantam, Light, Middle
» 2008 Nationals draws: Fly, Feather, Welter, Heavy
» Taekwondo Olympic Test Event: Canadian results
» Taekwondo Olympic Test Event: full results
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