Taekwondo
RISING taekwondo star Ben Harvey has earned the chance to represent Australia at the Commonwealth Taekwondo Championships in Scotland next month.
The Donnybrook teenager won a place in the national squad after he impressed with a gold medal-winning performance in the under 68 kilogram junior division of the Australian taekwondo open that was held in Sydney in August.
He is now preparing to jet to the capital city of Edinburgh where he will put himself to the test at the event that will take place over two days at Meadowbank Stadium.
Over November 15 and 16, about 500 world-class fighters are expected to vie for international glory at the tournament and Harvey is looking forward to once again flying the flag for his country.
No stranger to competing at an international level, the 16-year-old most recently appeared on the world stage when he put himself to the test at the World Taekwondo Federation Junior Taekwondo Championships and the Youth Olympic Games qualifications, both of which were held in Taipei City in March.
Harvey, who does most of his training at home and attends Manea Senior College, said the level of competition at the events was beyond what he had experienced before.
“The amount of knowledge I got from that made it a very good experience,” he said.
“Just seeing the level of competition, the greatest athletes in the world competing, what you have to do to be best–it was all worthwhile.”
The third dan black belt holder has been practicing taekwondo for about 10 years and said he enjoys every aspect of his sport, including the martial arts and respect sides.
“I like that it’s included in the Olympics – that’s what I’m aiming for,” he said.
