Former Tara Anglican School student ends 2016 with taekwondo gold

Leah Park has claimed taekwondo gold at the Poomsae Oceania Continental Championships in Fiji

Former Tara Anglican School student Leah Park with her gold medal in Fiji.

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While most of her classmates were focused solely on their HSC, former Tara Anglican School student Leah Park was preparing for a competition of a very different kind.

As her classmates sat in a stuffy exam hall, Leah was in Fiji taking out the gold medal at the taekwondo Poomsae Oceania Continental Championships.

Poomsae is the sparring and technical category of taekwondo, where competitors are judged on the accuracy, power and presentation of their traditional taekwondo moves.

Leah credited her win to the extensive preparation she put in leading up to the competition.

“During the competition I was excited and confident in the fact that I could perform to a high standard because I was prepared,” she said.

“I felt honoured to have won gold because I was up against athletes from various Oceanian countries and that gave a new level of atmosphere and excitement to the competition.

“Along with the competitive and encouraging nature of competition, being able to experience and appreciate a new culture and lifestyle in a place different from Australia was itself unique and memorable.”

Leah will continue training and competing on both a national and international level with a view to taking part in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.