A taekwondo prodigy who suffered a season-ending back injury last year has made a stunning comeback in time for this year’s world junior championships.
Hoppers Crossing teen Liam Wilson is hoping to make amends for events of last year when he represents Australia next month in Canada.
The second dan black belt was training hard for the World Cadet Taekwondo Championships in South Korea when, a week out from the competition, he suffered back pain after performing a turn side kick.
He competed despite the pain, but couldn’t progress beyond the first round.
When he got home, scans revealed Liam had sustained a stress fracture in his back, requiring him to wear a back brace for 23-and-a-half hours a day for six months, followed by 12 weeks of physiotherapy.
“We didn’t realise how bad it was until after the competition,” Liam said.
He returned to training in July this year, and six weeks later won a title at the Australian National Championships to secure a place in the Australian team for the World Junior Taekwondo Championships in Canada.
“The odds were against me, but I had to try,” he said.
Now, the 15-year-old has his sights set on the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
His coach, Frank De Pasquale, said Liam’s determination, diligence and work ethic were his biggest strengths.
“He’s already got all the skills to be an elite international athlete – we just needed his body to catch up,” he said. “He’s a good kid, good role model.
“I think he’ll do very well [at the world championships].”
