Local center fares well at taekwondo regional
TEMPE, AZ — A group of 10 students from the U. S. Olympic Taekwondo Center in El Centro recently competed at the 2018 Amateur Athletic Union Regional Qualifier held on the campus of Arizona State University here on Feb. 24.
All 10 students earned gold medals in their respective divisions and qualified to represent the state at the 2018 Amateur Athletic Union U.S. National Taekwondo Championships to be held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida from July 2- July 7 later this year.
The Center’s gold medalists include, Alex Aguayo, a 17-year-old black belt, Ricardo Osuna, a 15-year-old red belt, Amanda Gonzalez, a 9-year-old blue belt, Houston Weller, a 10-year-old green belt, Roberto Ibarra, a 16-year-old blue belt and Gitzelle Tellez, a 13-year-old green belt.
Additional gold medalists are 10-year-old green belt Dillan Garcia, 10-yearold yellow belt Pedro Meza, 5-year-old yellow belt Ian Acosta and 12-year-old yellow belt William Sekwick.
All of the local students competed in sparring against competitors from California, Arizona, Utah, Nevada and New Mexico.
“My students had an outstanding performance, which reflects their devotion to their training and commitment to become elite-level athletes,” expressed, Master Jorge Enriquez, the students’ instructor. “I am very proud of their achievements and the benefits that the sport of taekwondo as a martial art brings into the development of their lives.”