A Tauranga taekwondo team are taking the Korean martial art discipline and turning it into a gold-medal win.

The Korean martial art and combat sport involving punching and kicking techniques is more popular in Tauranga than one might assume.

Team KO Taekwondo, based in Mount Maunganui, recently sent a team to compete in the Caboolture Taekwondo tournament near Brisbane, Australia.

The team, consisting of competitors Gabby Callaghan, Sam Hallinan and Ella Wilce, along with coaches Master Kesi O’Neill (2012 London Olympics coach), and Joe Callaghan, brought home an impressive haul of five gold medals and one silver medal, says coach Master Kesi O'Neill.

“Sam and Ella are members of Team KO Tauranga and Gabriella is a member of Team KO Waiouru, which is our partner club. Gabriella sometimes competes under the Team KO Tauranga banner, as was the case for the Caboolture tournament.

“Ella, in addition to her four gold medals, also claimed the tournament’s best junior athlete trophy.

“Sam, who won gold, is on the Taekwondo New Zealand long list to attend the world junior championships being held in South Korea later this year.

“Gabby, from Team KO Waiouru, put in an impressive performance to earn silver.

“The success of Team KO at the Caboolture tournament highlights the strength of Tauranga’s taekwondo community and the dedication of its athletes and coaches.

“We are proud of Sam, Ella, and Gabby, who have trained hard and with dedication.

“Their performances not only bring honour to our team but also inspire younger athletes in the club to strive for excellence.”

Coach Joe Callaghan (left), with Sam Hallinan, Ella Wilce, Gabby Callaghan and Master Kesi O'Neill. Photo supplied.

“It was great to experience new styles of fighting using the latest technology,” says 14-year-old Ella Wilce.

Ella refers to the KPnp scoring technology, which uses rfid tags to measure the position and force of strikes for real-time automated scoring, says Kesi.

“I enjoyed the tournament. The standard in Australia is high, and I learn the most when competing against strong opponents,” says 15-year-old Sam Hallinan.

Competitor Gabby Callaghan, 14, says, “It’s hard for me to find competition in my weight and class back home in NZ and it’s not uncommon for me to be uncontested in tournaments here.

“It feels so good being matched against someone within my level not just in belt but age and weight as well.

“It was exactly what I needed to challenge and improve myself and was a great experience.’’

Busy times ahead for Tauranga Taekwondo athletes

“The team are now in training for the Kukkiwon Cup tournament, being held at Mercury Baypark Arena, Tauranga on August 17,” says Kesi.

“This is an important event on the New Zealand Taekwondo calendar, with foreign teams also attending.”

In addition to tournaments this year our local taekwondoins have some big goals they aim to achieve by the end of the year.

Ella is training to earn her black belt by the end of the year, “if she gets noticed by selectors, then they will push her to get her belt earlier,” says Kesi.

“Sam is travelling to Invercargill next weekend to attend the New Zealand Juniors training camp and is working hard to earn a spot representing New Zealand at the Taekwondo Junior World Championships being held in South Korea in October this year.”

Gabby will also be attending a junior training camp; however, she plans to represent her mum’s country, Tonga. Gabby will be travelling to Brisbane, Australia, to attend the Tonga Juniors training camp to try to earn a spot representing Tonga at the Taekwondo Junior World Championships, says Kesi.

“The final selections for the World Juniors Championship will be made after the Kukkiwon Cup.

“Following the Kukkiwon Cup, the club are looking at attending the back-to-back Australian Open and President’s Cup tournaments in Australia this September.

“The TUNZ Taekwondo Open is being held late September in Wellington, and this is the final New Zealand tournament that Team KO will attend this year.

“In October a Taekwondo team from Taiwan will visit NZ, based here in Tauranga. This is a great opportunity for local Tauranga Taekwondo athletes to train with overseas athletes.”

To keep updated with the Tauranga Taekwondo Club’s achievements visit their Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/teamko1