Strong New Zealand Team Selected For World Championships

New Zealand has selected a strong team for the 2013 Taekwondo World Championship to be held in Benidorm, Spain next month in a bid to defend its current title at the world’s top Taekwondo nation.

The entire team is training in Auckland this weekend, including preforming a demonstration at 1pm on Sunday 22 September at Papatoetoe High School where they will also be presented their uniforms for the world championships to be held 23-27 October.

The team, which features multi world champion Carl Van Roon and Mark Trotter will depart from New Zealand 17 October with the event starting a week after.

Other notable competitors from New Zealand include Niketa Wells in the Individual Female Sparring, Micro-Weight.

Wells, 14 from Waiuku south of Auckland was struck down with Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy or Comlex Regional Pain Syndrome in 2011 and was unable to walk and confined to a wheelchair as well as constant pain. She was told she would never use her feet again.

However through mental toughness and various personal incentives she beat the pain barrier and is now a rising star of the sport in New Zealand.

To keep her inspired and still thinking of competing she received a letter from Grand Master Lan a Taekwondo World Champion in Germany saying he believed she could beat the disease and that she was a fighter and he would see her at international competitions.

There was also help from her instructor, Master Paul McPhail of Papakura as well as intense and painful physio treatment on a disease which is uncommon and almost untreatable by medicine. Despite the fact the symptoms could return she is now in the team and able to move and fight again.

New Zealand was the top nation at the 2011 World Championships which were held in Wellington.

Taekwondo World Championship Team, Benidorm, Spain.
Senior team:
Individual Male Patten:
1st Degree
Ogy Kabzamalov, Michael Davis
2nd Degree
Ethan Parker, Aramai Tahau
3rd Degree
Mathew Davey
4th Degree
Mark Trotter, Brendan Doogan
Pre-Arranged Sparring: Mark Trotter, Karl van Roon,
Individual male sparring:
Mico-weight: Michael Davis,
Light-weight:
Ogy Kabzamalov, Matthew Davey
Middle-weight:
Kaine Paigent, Ethan Parker
Light-weight:
Aramai Tahau,
Heavy-weight:
Karl Van Roon,
Hyper-weight:
Ross Black

Individual Female Patten:
1st Degree
Rosin Giles , Phillipa Henry
2nd Degree
Helen Caley
3rd Degree
Melissa Timperley, Toni Moki
4th Degree
Suzanne Patterson
Individual Female Power:
Patrina Guptill, Kirsty Leong.
Teams :
Men:
Patterns: Matthew Davey, Ethan Parker, Ogy Kabzamalov, Michael Davis, Aramai Tahau
Sparring: Kane Baigent, Aramai Tahau, Ethan Parker, Ogy Kabzamalov , Carl van Roon, Matthew Davey,
Special Carl van Roon, Aramai Tahau, Kane Baigent, Michael Davis, Ethan Parker,
Power: Brendan Doogan, Kane Baigent, Aramai Tahau, Wesley Filiki, Gray Patterson
Women:
Teams:
Patterns: Courtney Meleisea, Alisa Parker, Melissa Timperley, Phillipa Henry, Rosin Giles, Kristy Leong,
Sparring: Courtney Meleisea, Alisa Parker, Philipa Henry, Patrina Guptill, Melissa Timperley, Estelle Speirs
Special: Estelle Speirs, Melissa Timperley, Helen Caley,
Power: Patrina Guptill, Toni Moki, Kristy Leong