Taekwondo: Medal haul shows sport progressing well in NZ

Oceania Taekwondo silver medallist Rhiannon O'Neill lost to the world champion in the final. Photo / Andrew Warner

Tauranga/Mount TKO coach and president of NZTU (NZ United Taekwondo Association), Master Kesi O'Neill, is pleased with the progress his sport continues to make at local and national levels.

O'Neill holds the rank of 4th Dan Black Belt and is the first Samoan Taekwondo Master to gain his 4th Degree Kukkiwon Black Belt in New Zealand.

He guided three of his fighters to medals at the prestigious Oceania championships and Australian championships that were held in Sydney over four days between August 14-18.

Undoubtedly the star performer was Rhiannon O'Neill, who won a silver medal in the under-62 kg division of the Oceania championships. She lost to 2014 world champion Carman Martin in the final and was highly competitive in the fight.

O'Neill was also proud of his other two fighters Stephen Crystal, 15, who won bronze, and Kayla Ronin, 22, who won silver in her division.

He says he talked to many of the top coaches from around Australia and the world at the recent Sydney tournaments.

They told him the sport is really moving forward in NZ. "They say it is moving better here than in Australia, especially because of the new cadets competition which is for 12 to 14 age group," O'Neill said. "It adds development for them to move into the juniors (15-17 years) and then into the seniors, so we are now starting to get that rotation.

"It is like any other sport really in how it is developing. The cadets and juniors are really important, especially with selection in October for the world championships in Russia next year. Everybody here is realising we can do it, even though we still don't have the funding everyone else has got."