Canberra teenagers to represent Australia at taekwondo junior world championships in Korea

Two 16-year-old Canberra girls will represent Australia at the junior world championships of taekwondo in Korea in October 2024.

Valentina De Robertis and Jaidah Ly-Diep, who train at Phillip martial arts school Forza Taekwondo, excelled at a nationwide selection event in Sydney in June.

“They had to beat the best in Australia and that’s what they did,” coach John Masiello said.

”If you look at the calendar, we are hopeful they might compete at the Olympics. To do so in front of their home crowd in Brisbane would be special.”

Taekwondo is a Korean form of martial arts that involves punching and kicking techniques. Valentina and Jaidah have already competed overseas in the sport and regularly won national championships over the past five years.

“Words can’t describe how excited I am about this opportunity,” Jaidah said.

”I started taekwondo when I was seven years old and fell in love with the sport right away.

“I really want to thank my coach John and parents and my younger sister Kierah for supporting me all the way.”

Dad Nicholas is immensely proud.

“For her, it’s an amazing achievement,” he said. ”She puts over 25 hours a week into it in all the training camps, preparation and competition. We’ve had incredible support from our coach John and club, as well as Taekwondo Australia.

“It’s a great sport for girls as it teaches them a lot about confidence that they take into other aspects of their life, like work and school … she performs really well academically, so she’s got the balance right.”

Valentina started taekwondo when she was six years old. She has been the national champion for her age group since 2021 and represented Australia at the world championships in Bulgaria in 2022. This year, she also won the Canadian Open and received a bronze medal in the US Open.

“I’ve watched her journey from a young age,” her dad Michael said.

”We got her into the sport to boost her confidence. We never expected her to achieve what she has so far.

“It’s a credit for the commitment she shows. She’s got an overall desire to improve in everything she does.”

Coach Masiello, 52, has been involved in the sport for the past four decades and run his Phillip academy for four years.

“Since I established the club in Canberra, we’ve had five national team representatives and they’ve all been female. We’ve had 13 national champions as well,” he said.

“The sport is a mix of the technical, tactical and physical; you have to be good at all three. It’s more of a game than just beating up people.

“We always welcome newcomers. It’s a sport that can appeal to anyone. Some people may have a genetic advantage, but if you’ve got the desire, that’s the most important thing.”

The 2024 World Taekwondo Junior Championships take place in the Korean city of Chuncheon from 1 to 6 October.