There is an underlying restlessness with this month’s Don Deeble sports star Jobe Stewart.
Having started taekwondo when he was just eight because his mum said he had too much energy, he has risen through the gradings and achieved his black belt.
“My first fight was in Canberra as a twelve-year-old,” the now 19-year-old recalls. “I had no tactics; I was just scared.
“Scared of being hurt is the first hurdle you must get over. Fight, flight or freeze is very real at this age.
“I didn’t freeze and I didn’t run.”
Stewart soon made inroads and last month he was chosen to represent Australia in his first World Taekwondo Championships in China in the 80-87 kilogram men’s competition.
He was one of the youngest competitors.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” he said. “I won my first fight against a Portuguese opponent and then came up against the second ranked Ukrainian.
“I got inside my own head and put too much pressure on myself. I scored some good points but lost the fight.”
Stewart knows that at the elite level, it’s all about your mindset.
“We have all trained for thousands of hours, we are physically fit and technically sound,” he said. “Our psychological mindset will determine whether we win or lose.”
“Experience does play a part, I suppose. Most fighters in the competition were in their mid-twenties to thirties.”
Representing Australia is just the latest in a string of achievements for Stewart.
Stewart won Australian National Championships gold in the junior male 68-73 kilogram event in 2020 and 2021.
In 2024-25, Stewart finished fifth in the Canadian and Korean Open titles among some other good results.
He has won either silver or gold in Australian selection events that have taken him overseas to compete.
“It’s the winning and making World Championship teams that make the sacrifices all worthwhile,” he said.
“You need a lot of discipline when you are 15, 16 and your mates are going out, you must train, remain disciplined with your training, missing socializing with friends and staying on a strict diet.
“However, in the long run it gives you perspective and a deeper understanding of wanting to be the best.”
It hasn’t been all smooth sailing, with Stewart breaking his leg in a fight and not realising it was broken.
Stewart holds down a daytime job and has his own gardening business.
His days start at 5.30am and when it’s time to down tools his real work starts.
He trains six days a week across various programs, including the Taekwondo Australia Performance Pathway Program.
Stewart gives credit to his parents for the countless hours and money they have put into his career.
His other inspiration is his sister Reba Stewart, who has represented Australia at the Olympics.
He is hoping to join her as an Olympian in 2032.
There wasn’t much rest for Stewart, who is back training for the under-21 World Championships in Kenya starting on 6 December.
“I am working hard on every aspect of my training, especially the one percenters that can take me to another level to compete with athletes from around the world,” he said.
“I realise now that it is all about mindset.”
The Don Deeble Sports Star Award is sponsored by the Yarraville Club Cricket Club, Strathmore Community Bank, the Deer Park Club, Ascot Vale Sports and Trophies and Star Weekly Newspapers.
If you would like to nominate a monthly winner or attend a dinner, contact swrsportsclub@gmail.com or 0408 556 631.
