This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.

06/23/2017 12:00 AM

Nine Branford Students to Represent Connecticut in USA Taekwondo National Championships


Branford World Champion Taekwondo recently saw nine of its students qualify to represent Connecticut at the USA Taekwondo National Championship competition in Michigan. Pictured are competitors Paul Rinehart, Ramy Tantawny, Liev Shpitalnik, Nour Elbahwi, and Arya Nadgouda, along with Master Kyeongseob Han, and competitors Adham Tantawny, Emilie Agamie, Melissa Behler, and Haley Han. Photo courtesy of Connie Evans

Nine students who train at Branford World Champion Taekwondo have qualified to represent Connecticut at the 2017 USA Taekwondo National Championship competition, which will be held from Thursday, June 29 to Thursday, July 6 in Detroit, Michigan.

Training under Master Kyeongseob Han, Director, the students each received gold medals within their age ranges in form and breaking at Connecticut and New Jersey state competitions. These competitions pitted the students against hundreds of competitors from studios located throughout the Northeast. The students’ outstanding performances have qualified them to compete at the national level.

The Branford team includes Melissa Behler (age 18), Paul Rinehart (13), Liev Shpitalnik (12), Arya Nadgouda (11), Emilie Agamie (11), Nour Elbahwi (10), Haley Han (10), Ramy Tantawny (9), and Adham Tantawny (6). Starting the sport at the age of four, each of the students have spent years training year-round, regularly spending as many as six days per week in the studio to perfect techniques in form, breaking, sparring, self-defense, kicking, team demonstration, and sword art. To meet the standards necessary for success at the national level, they have engaged in an extra 4½ hours of preparation per week since October of last year.

Branford World Champion Taekwondo is a member of the larger World Champion Taekwondo (WCT) family of studios located throughout Connecticut. World Champion Taekwondo students have been competing at the national level since 2010 and have earned more than 150 medals, making WCT schools among the most successful in the nation.