INDEPENDENT NEWS

New Zealand Targeting Top Spot At World Champs

Published: Fri 29 Mar 2019 09:44 AM
A strong New Zealand team has been confirmed for the ITF Taekwon-Do World Championships in Inzell, Germany next month as they try to go one better than their silver medal two years ago
The 50-strong team ranges from juniors (12-18 years) to competitors aged over 40. New Zealand is rated as one of the ‘big’ nations to beat out of the over 60 countries which are entered with over 1000 athletes expected to take part.
The New Zealand team has a strong spread around the country including strong representation from the Southern Cross Taekwon-Do Academy in Palmerston North, plus Tauranga, Levin, Wellington, Christchurch and various clubs from the Auckland region.
Individual stars returning from the previous world champs where New Zealand was second include the popular Wesley Filiki from Pil Sung Taekwon-Do Club in Wellington in the power category and Mark Trotter a nine-time world champ.
Courtney Weir (Mark Trotter Club, Auckland), Angel McCreedy (Dragons Spirit, Papatoetoe), Phillipa Henry (Mark Trotter Club, Auckland), are all previous world champions. Plus teenagers such as Jack Watson in his last year at Palmerston North Boys High School who was a gold medallist at the world cup last year and Kyla Walton from the Berhampore club in Wellington who excelled as a junior two years ago and is now rated highly in the senior category.
Team manager and former competitor Nathan Bowden is looking forward to another top result.
“The team is a good mix of current world champions and those new to world championships level International Taekwon-Do. They are learning from each other, testing and pushing each other and being well coached by experts and masters from ITFNZ.
The very top rankings in the ITF Taekwon-Do world are becoming a common place for these New Zealand teams to sit but they are not taking that for granted. Their unique Haka and team name "Nga Kaponga" (the ferns) keeps the team grounded and humble, these athletes know who they are and who the competition is, they are well prepared to take on the world in Germany in April 2019 once again.”
Over the past ten years New Zealand has had great success at world championships, finishing second in Argentina in 2009, winning the title in Wellington two years later, finishing third in Spain in 2013, before winning the title two years later in 2015 and finished a close second to hosts Ireland in 2017.
The World Champs are run from 24-28 April at Inzell, Germany. The New Zealand team has its final training camp in Auckland April 6-7.
Coaching staff includes a number of current and former champions with Gray Patterson the head coach alongside Lawrence Mantika, Suzanne Patterson and Kara Timmer. The team is managed by Nathan and Paula Bowden.
New Zealand team (seniors):
Individual Male Pattern:
1st Degree; Callum Woodill (Riccarton Taekwon-Do, Christchurch), Tiane Williams (Silla Taekwon-Do Tauranga).
2nd Degree; Damon Williams (Tamaki Mt Wellington Academy - Auckland), Kees Hooper-Whiti (Phoenix Taekwon-Do, Levin,)
3rd Degree Matt Bowden (Dragons Spirit), Alex Petrovich (Southern Cross Taekwon-Do Academy, Palmerston North).
4thDegree; Dane Canton (Southern Cross Taekwon-Do Academy, Palmerston North), Brendan Doogan (Dragons Spirit, Papatoetoe, Auckland).
Individual Female Pattern:
1st Degree; Courtney Weir (Team Mark Trotter Auckland), Layne George (PaulM Papakura, Auckland).
2nd Degree; Angel McCreedy (Dragons Spirit, Papatoetoe Auckland), Phillipa Henry (Team Mark Trotter Auckland),
3rd Degree; Sam Young (Khandallah, Wellington), Brenda Contti (Team Mark Trotter Club,Auckland).
4th Degree; Helen Caley (Pulse Taekwon-Do, Christchurch).
Individual Male Power; Wesley Filiki (Pil Sung Taekwon-Do, Wellington), Brendan Doogan (Dragons Spirit, Papatoetoe, Auckland).
Female Power; Kyla Walton (Berhampore Taekwon-Do, Wellington), Courtney Weir.
Individual Male Special Technique; Sean Neary (Team Mark Trotter, Auckland), Vinu Vijayakumaran (Jungshin Red Beach, Orewa).
Female Special Technique; Rose Biddiscombe (Southern Cross Taekwon-Do Academy, Palmerston North), Helen Caley (Pulse Taekwon-Do, Christchurch).
Individual male sparring: Tom Biggs u57kg Phoenix Taekwon-Do - Levin,
Damon Williams, Calum Woodill 57-63kg,
Igor Kim – (Van Roon Martial Arts, Auckland), Matt Bowden 63-70kg,
Alex Petrovich, Sean Neary 70-78kg, Dylan Cooper (Team Mark Trotter, Auckland), Riley Phillips-Harris 78-85kg (Van Roon Martial Arts. Auckland),
Alister Villiers (Taekwon-Do Glendowie, Auckland), Brendan Doogan 85kg,
Individual female sparring: Kvita Jaduram u50kg (Van Roon Martial Arts, Auckland),
Phillipa Henry Team Mark Trotter - Auckland, Brenda Contti 50-56kg,
Layne George, Sophie Daborn 56-62kg (Hamilton Taekwon-Do Hamilton),
Angel McCreedy, Courtney Weir 62-68kg,
Rose Biddiscombe, Gracie Frontin-Rollet 68-75kg (Pil Sung Taekwon-Do,Wellington).
Team competitors:
Female patterns; Courtney Weir, Layne George, Angel McCreedy, Phillipa Henry, Brenda Contti,
Men’s sparring; Dylan Cooper, Sean Neary, Calum Woodill, Alex Petrovich, Riley Phillips-Harris.
Women’s sparring; Courtney Weir, Rose Biddiscombe, Layne George,Angel McCreedy, Phillipa Henry,Brenda Contti,
Men’s Power; Calum Woodill, Wesely Filiki, Taine Williams, Alex Petrovich,Matt Bowden,Brendan Doogan,
Women’s Power; Kyla Walton, Courtney Weir, Grace Frontin Rollet
Men’s Special Technique; Dylan Cooper, Sean Neary, Calum Woodill, Vinu Vijayakurmaran, Alex Petrovich, Brendan Doogan.
Women’s Special Technique; Rose Biddiscombe,Sophie Daborn, Helen Caley.
Prearranged Sparring: Matt Bowden, Alex Petrovich.
ends

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