TaeKwonDo Inauguration Huge Success
LiYan Chow on their victories
The work from countless months of planning, organisation and training finally came together as Imperial College Union TaeKwonDo (ICUTKD) hosted their very own competition at the Ethos sports hall last Sunday. The Imperial College Open 2012 was the kick-start to the competitive year for many university clubs around the country and also the first TaeKwonDo competition to be held on Imperial grounds in the history of the club.
Attracting over 100 competitors from universities all over the country travelling from as far away as Sheffield and Southampton, the atmosphere in the sports hall on Sunday morning was full of excitement and anticipation for the day ahead.
For the ICUTKD team, we knew that running a competition on top of competing was not going to be easy; many of our team having to act as officials as well as preparing for their own fights. However, that did not appear to faze our 14 fighters, as they brought back an impressive 12 medals.
Within two of the categories, our members dominated the opposition, with the gold medals and silver medals going to members of the ICUTKD team who fought their way into the finals. Roy Lambert and Yemi Williamson-Taylor won gold, with Kristian McCaul and Nathaniel Gallop winning silver medals. Mabel Lew and Ernest Tan also won silver medals with Andreas Panteli, Mayghal Vijapura, Christopher Dancel, LiYan Chow, Ramdisa Agasi and Mathieu Hu all winning bronze medals.
However, it was the dedication of all the volunteers and officials on the day which truly encapsulated the spirit of TaeKwonDo. Without a doubt, they all went out of their wayto ensure that the competition as a success. Without them, the day would not have run as smoothly as it did. We have to thank the British Student TaeKwonDo Federation (BSTF), the staff at Ethos and Sport Imperial for all their support and a huge thank you to all the first aiders, photographers, referees, competitors and instructors without whom, Imperial College Open 2012 would have never happened.
Finally, we could not have achieved any of this without the hard work of our instructor, Master Reza Saberi, who gave us the encouragement and confidence to take on this task in style. With the Imperial College Open 2012 done and dusted, ICUTKD can look forward to the next Imperial College Open 2013!
