First dan with can-do attitude to taekwondo

Henani Kanter is a teenager who succeeds at whatever he applies himself to.
Kanter has excelled at taekwondo since the age of  9 when he took it up, influenced by his father who loved the sport.
That love of martial arts emanated through Kanter who recently won the national title for black belt 16-year-olds in the poomse (patterns and movement) division and the fighting division, along with the best overall black belt award at the Auckland-based tournament.
He also claimed the poomse bronze medal at the Trans Tasman Cup in Perth.
Discipline is what Kanter enjoys most about the sport - and that discipline has taught the Te Kura Kaupapa Maori O Te Rawhiti Roa Year 12 student to do things well "if you are going to do them at all".
"I really like the discipline this sport gives you - and the attitude towards sport, as well as the fitness," he said.
It took plenty of discipline and commitment to prepare for the competitions, as well as time spent travelling.
"I spent nearly two months travelling to Tauranga once a week to train for the Trans Tasman competition and nationals, as a group down there were heading over so I joined up with them," Kanter said.
On top of this extra training, Kanter practised twice a week with Northland taekwondo under instructor Master Lee at the Kura - after rugby training.
"I also play halfback for Whangarei under-16s - we train Wednesdays, and also fly-half for Kamo under-16s.
"We train on Tuesdays and Thursdays also. I race home from rugby, get changed, then go straight to taekwondo," he said.
If he was forced to choose between the two sports, it would be a really hard decision as he loves both, he said. He doesn't have to make that choice yet but focus would be on taekwondo as he was aiming for selection with the Kiwi team travelling to a Brisbane-based World Taekwondo Federation competition later this year.
This young sportsman's aims do not stop there - he contests the WTF, full-contact competitions as they are a pathway to the Olympics, which is exactly where Kanter dreams of going, one day.
Currently a first dan black belt, Kanter said he would sit his second dan early next year.
With tertiary studies looming, Kanter said he was looking at attending Waikato University in Hamilton after year 13 at the Kura, as the region had a competitive taekwondo contingent.