A record number of inspirational athletes gathered to do battle in Samsun in the wake of the announcement that para-taekwondo is to appear on the Paralympic program in 2020
In a remarkable double victory, Russia took home the overall male and female titles at the 6th World Para-Taekwondo Championships, held in Samsun, Turkey on Sept. 17, 2015.
Fittingly, the event drew a record number of participants as the sport gears up for its official Paralympic debut: Earlier in 2015, the WTF had been informed that para-taekwondo will be on the program in Tokyo 2020.
The one-day tournament, held at the Yasar Dogu Spor Salonu, attracted a record 118 athletes from 34 countries. A total of 130 athletes from 38 countries had registered to participate in the Samsun event, but visa and other problems reduced numbers at the last moment.
Although kicks were only allowed to the body, not the head, combat was torrid and the standard of athleticism high. In fact, a handful of the competing para-athletes have even won national titles in able-bodied championships. When the smoke cleared, it was Russia which stood dominant.
In the male division, Russia took two gold medals, one silver and three bronzes for a total of 60 points for the top honors, followed by Azerbaijan with two golds, one silver and three bronzes for 41 points. The third place went to Iran, which grabbed two golds, one silver and one bronze for 39 points, while Turkey finished at fourth place with one silver and two bronzes for 32 points. Mongolia came next with one gold, one silver and one bronze for 25 points.
In the female category, Russia took home two golds, one silver and one bronze for 30 points and the overall female team crown. Turkey came next with one gold, two silvers and one bronze for 23 points, followed by Azerbaijan with one gold and one bronze for 13 points. Denmark came next with one gold for 11 points, while Morocco finished at fifth place with one silver for 6 points.
Denmark’s golden girl Lisa Gjessing, the gold medalist in the female K44 A -58kg category, was selected as the female MVP of the Samsun championships. Turkey’s Fatih Celik – a friend and student of Turkish Olympic taekwondo legend Servet “The Cheetah” Tazegul – the silver medalist in the male K44 A -75kg division, was chosen as the male MVP.
Kazakhstan’s Murat Temiraliye, Indonesia’s Rahadewineta and Canada’s Eric Wah were selected as best referees of the championships.
While only kyorugi will be contested at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2020, a poomsae event for the intellectually disabled was a vital part of the Samsun championships, featuring a range of determined perfomances.
An opening ceremony was held at the venue, drawing such figures as WTF President Chungwon Choue; Ibrahim Sahin, governor of Samsun; Ms. Bennur Karaburun, member of parliament; and Metin Sahin, president of the Turkish Taekwondo Federation.
“This year began with the best possible news for our sport,” Choue said in his opening speech, referencing news delivered on January 31, 2015. “On that day, we were informed by the International Paralympic Committee Governing Board that taekwondo will be on the program of the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics!”
Addressing the athletes, he said, “Five years from now, many of you who are here today will be marching under your national flags into the arena in Tokyo. Five years from now, some of you who are here today will be wearing Olympic medals around your necks … and I am confident that you will continue to inspire me as we walk the road to Tokyo together.”
Indeed, many athletes attending are deeply inspirational people.
Gjessing, a state-prosecutor and mother who lost an arm to cancer is a double gold medalist in para-taekwondo, which she compares to “gasoline for life.” Celik fights with the same kind of panache and punch as his mentor Tazegul, one of the most admired fighters in the sport. Great Britain’s Amy “Kickarse” Truesdale had recently won a national title in able-bodied taekwondo before arriving in Samsun. And Russian champ Spartak “Grizzly” Gazzaev is simply one of the most extraordinary humans one is likely to meet anywhere (see story below).
Before the opening ceremony, a joint press conference was held at the venue.
Thanking the WTF for the World Para-Taekwondo Championships, Samsun Governor Ibrahim Sahin said, “Samsun is a sport city and we are building new sports facilities” in advance of 2017 when Samsun will host the Deaflympics.
Also attending the press conference in a wheelchair was Turkish Parliamentarian Ms. Karaburun – herself a disabled former athlete. “Whoever is in sport, learns a lot for their lives,” she said, to applause.
