Young taekwondo stars pack a punch at tourney

The Koryo Taekwondo Club’s young athletes won 19 gold, 10 silver and 10 bronze medals to emerge as overall champions during the 14^th Nestlé Koko Krunch Junior Taekwondo Championship 2019 (Central Region).

Smart MA Club came in second with 4 gold, 4 silver and 8 bronze medals.

The event, held at Stadium Juara, Bukit Kiara in Kuala Lumpur on 29th March 2019 was marked by the participation of 490 aspiring Taekwondo athletes from 19 taekwondo clubs across Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.

The young athletes were competing in age groups 7-9 (boys and girls) and 10-12 (boys & girls).

Contributing to Koryo Taekwondo Club’s success were Muhammad Asyraff Haiqal and Auni Syakirah who took home the Best Performance award for the Boys Ages 10 – 12 category and Girls Ages 7 – 9 category respectively.

Meanwhile, their fellow participants Akid Muqri Mustazah from Smart MA Club and Amni Hafiya Hanif from TYC Club received the Best Performance Award for the Boys Ages 7 – 9 category and Girls Ages 10 -12 category respectively.

Ministry of Education sports division director Zainal Abas officiated the medal presentation and closing ceremony.

“The Nestle Koko Krunch Junior Taekwondo Championship gives the young Taekwondo exponents the chance  to gain experience and sharpen their martial arts skills from a young age. Moving forward, I am positive that Taekwondo can become an inclusive sport and hope that our young Taekwondo exponents present here today will be able to realise their full potential,” he said.

Cereal Partners ASEAN (Nestlé) business executive officer Laurent Therond said, “We are fully committed to supporting events such as the Junior Taekwondo Championship, which encourages children to be physically active. This event is a platform that nurtures future champions and we are pleased to contribute to the positive development of Malaysian children through sports.”

All the medallists, including from three other regional zones (North, East and South) will qualify for the grand finals of the 14th Nestlé Koko Krunch Junior Taekwondo Championships on July 6 to compete for the coveted Tunku Imran Challenge Trophy.