John Paul Kozicynas, left, exchanges kicks with Triumph Taekwondo clubmate Michael Beck at the Western Canadian Taekwondo championships in Coquitlam earlier this month. Beck won gold in the junior boys black belt hyperweight division, edging out Kozicynas.
Photograph by: Gord Goble , Coquitlam NOW
Moscrop Secondary student Tumai Baptiste medalled in two separate divisions at the Canadian Taekwondo junior nationals and senior team trials in Vanouver earlier this month.
The 15-year-old Baptiste won a silver medal in the A featherweight division. She also earned a bronze medal in the senior first division despite competing with a fractured hand.
In her first senior-level competition, Baptiste held her own with two current national champions, finweight champ Yvette Yong and flyweight Melanie Phan.
Baptiste also defeated bantamweight champ Sydney O'Shaughnessy at the nationals.
Byrne Creek high school student, Rowena Lau, went on to place third in the A finweight division after injuring her hand in the opening match.
Marborough Elementary 11-year-old Aaron Gomez took gold in the C light middleweight class.
Marlborough schoolmate Gisuk Baptiste, 10, won a silver medal in the C fin class.
Three other martial artists from OMAC Master's Taekwondo in New Westminster finished in the top 16 at the nationals.
Jorge Gomez of Moscrop and New Westminster Secondary's Maxim Cojahmetov and Gary Jiang all placed in the top 16 in the A featherweight group.
"It was a good learning experience for all the athletes," said head instructor Master Young Suh.
OMAC Master's TKD is located on 12th Street in New Westminster.
