Kris hits big time
TOWNSVILLE’S Kris McCulloch has started his international martial arts career in medal- winning form.
The first degree black belt, from Sun Soo ITF TaekwonDo, won silver and bronze at the recent Unified International Taekwon- Do Federation World Championships in Argentina.
McCulloch joined an elite team of Australian TaekwonDo athletes at the world championships, where he won excelled to win silver in the men’s team patterns.
He then backed that up with bronze medals in the men’s team power breaking.
McCulloch came close to representing Australia four years ago in London, but injury hampered his qualification.
This time there was no setback, and McCulloch more than made up for lost time.
“I did a lot of lead- up work, so I was well prepared,” he said.
“It was an exciting experience and I was part of an amazing team.
“I guess it’s hard to say if it was a surprise – it took a lot of hard work to get there – but I’m definitely happy with it overall.”
Sun Soo master instructor Nigel Paul and head coach Andrea Smith sixth dan, both world champions themselves, said they saw McCulloch’s potential from the start.
“Kris was dedicated to his training and had the desire to be successful,” Paul said.
“We merely provided the platform to launch him, as we have done for many others.”
Smith said McCulloch’s hard work had paid dividends.
“The early mornings and intense training, as well as pushing through injury, has put Kris at the forefront,” she said.
McCulloch said he had no immediate competition on his calendar, but was hopeful of kicking on from his international success.
“We’ll see what happens, but I learned a lot,” he said.
“I’ll just keep training hard.”