By Esther Lauaki
Discipline and hard work paid off for a Point Cook taekwondo team.
A sparring team of 15 students from Martial Fitness Australia snatched a haul of medals when it represented Victoria in the National Taekwondo Championships at the Gold Coast earlier this month.
Lead by coach Master Allan Malachowski, the team returned with four gold, one silver and three bronze medals.
Adele Elsley, whose 14-year-old son Ryan competed, said the team’s motivation and dedication was commendable.
“It’s a credit to the athletes on how much time and effort they put in and the very long hours they spend training,” Ms Elsley said.
“These kids were training six days a week to ensure that they were prepared and in peak condition, both mentally and physically.
“As parents we are extremely proud of what the athletes have achieved.
“Taekwondo is not a highly publicised sport and we would love for these young competitors to receive the recognition they deserve.”
Ms Elsley said Ryan had been attending classes since he was nine and had achieved a black belt in taekwondo.
She said his next dream was to compete on the world stage.
