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08/31/2017 12:00 AM

Nine Branford Athletes Combine for 13 Medals at USA Taekwondo National Championships


Branford World Championship Taekwondo had several athletes claim gold, silver, and bronze medals at the 2017 USA Taekwondo National Championship in Detroit, Michigan. Pictured are (front row) Arya Nadgouda; (middle row) Ramy Tantawny, Haley Han, Nour Elbahwi, Emilie Agamie, Paul Rinehart, and Liev Shpitalnik; (back row) Melissa Behler, Master Kyeongseob Han, and Adham Tantawny. Photo courtesy of Cornelia Evans

Nine athletes who train at Branford World Championship Taekwondo won a total of 13 medals at the 2017 USA Taekwondo National Championship competition, which was held from June 28 through July 10 in Detroit, Michigan. Training under Master Kyeongseob Han, director, and instructor Kris Hyun, the students were among more than 5,000 athletes from the United States who qualified to compete nationally through their performances in state competitions held around the country. The Branford team performed choreographed routines in which they broke half-inch boards and executed select Taekwondo forms. The team’s 13 medals included seven gold, two silver, and four bronze.

Paul Rinehart, 13, won a gold medal for form and a bronze for breaking; Liev Shpitalnik, 12, took home a gold for breaking and won a bronze medal in form; Arya Nadgouda, 11, won a gold for breaking and a bronze for form; 11 year-old Emilie Agamie claimed a gold medal in breaking and won a silver in form; Nour Elbahwi, 10, won a gold medal in breaking; 10 year-old Haley Han captured a gold medal in form; Ramy Tantawny, 9, captured a bronze medal in form; and Adham Tantawny, 6, won a gold medal for breaking a silver in form.

Branford World Champion Taekwondo is a member of the larger World Champion Taekwondo (WCT) family of studios located throughout Connecticut. All together, 56 athletes and 19 masters and instructors from WCT participated in the USA Taekwondo National Championships, winning a total of 81 national medals. Out of the 240 total medals awarded at the USA competition, WCT students earned 30 percent of all medals in poomsae and breaking, including 27 gold, 25 silver, and 29 bronze.