Two Te Puke youngsters will fly the flag for Aotearoa Taekwondo New Zealand when they compete at the 2013 Australian Taekwondo National Championships and Festival to be held at the Pat Rafter Arena, Brisbane, beginning on September 28.
Mahinarangi Wirihana, 8, and Maanauri Wilson, 12, were selected to represent theTe Puke club at the tournament after a string of outstanding results in the past 12 months, including at the nationals held in Tauranga in June. They have impressed their coach, Master Eruera Wilson, with their dedication and commitment to their sport and have excelled at the highest level.
"They have improved so much this year as it has been pretty tough compared with last year," Wilson said.
"With my background as two-time Korean Open champion and national champion I know what to expect and have been able to pass my knowledge on and we have been able to keep on top of their training. They both fight from the heart I guess."
Taekwondo is one of the newest sports available for youngsters to get into and is growing quickly at all levels since being introduced in 2000 as a demonstration sport.
"It is still new compared to all the other sports out there, but it is definitely growing in a big way, especially with all the juniors who are competing in competitions," Wilson said. "It benefits them in many ways. When it comes to self-esteem and the juniors growing up to the youth age, it gives them that motivation to take what they have learned here and apply it to school as well."
