College Sport: Tough champ kicks into top gear for big challenge

Mackenzie Vellenoweth is recovering from injury, but she can still stretch out. Picture / Jason Oxenham

Olympic gold is the ultimate dream ... but there’s a lot of hard work to be done first

Mackenzie Vellenoweth is tough, physically and mentally. That much is apparent from a 15-minute chat with her at her Hobsonville Point Secondary School.

The 14-year-old had risen at 5.30 that morning for a run, despite a hamstring injury which has curtailed her taekwondo training in the past fortnight.

But it doesn't seem to slow the Year 10 student down. She can still show her full kick extension for our photographer, and cannot wait to be fully fit so she can resume her hard training.

Last year, she won her school's excellence in sport award, but more impressively, she is a two-time national titleholder in her weight (67kg) and age division in taekwondo.

Known as "Macca", Vellenoweth is an allrounder, dabbling in basketball, touch and athletics.

She has had good success in netball - she is in the North Harbour Under-15 Maori squad for the national championships in Wellington over Easter. Her height gives her an advantage, and she plays either in the shooting circle or occasionally at the defensive end.

But her heart lies with taekwondo. She holds a blue belt with red tips. The next step is red, then the top-ranked black.

She is coached in Titirangi by Mark Hall, who has produced many fine fighters and recognises her inner drive and passion for the sport.

"He's tough and really hard-core at training. He makes us focus on our techniques and mindsets," said Vellenoweth, who was introduced to the sport through her father, Peter, a teacher at the school.

She doesn't spar a lot with him any more as he is a green belt, one below his daughter, and might get smashed by his her.

"I like how you can kick people and not get in trouble, but it's no fun getting kicked back," said Vellenoweth.

Taekwondo is about speed of movement and exploiting weakness in your opponent and she did that to great effect at the Taekwondo NZ Open last year, when she won gold, beating an Australian fighter who was ranked higher than her.

As well as her desire to have more international experience and fight in more tournaments, she has extra motivation for the national championships this year.

"I'm keen to win because I had a really bad fight last year. I should have won but I just didn't listen to my coach."

That drive and passion are fuelled by a burning ambition: to get to the Olympics - be it in 2020 or 2024 or even 2028.

"That's my ultimate dream."

But she knows she has to be one of the top 16 fighters in the world to reach that standard. Hence the four-a-week training sessions with Hall.

"I get really upset when I can't go to training and lose," declares a determined Vellenoweth. "I don't like losing."