TAEKWONDO OLYMPICS!AMERICA PLEASE HELP!?

Question

Hello,i used to practice taekwondo when i was a child and i had a shot at the 1988 olympics in Soeul,Korea but i got scared and i messed up.I am 35 now and I have been thinking about getting back into the sport/art and competeing again and going to the 2012 olympic.there has not been a female from the usa to win an "offical" olympic gold medal in this sport and I have been seriously thinking alot about this and i would like to be the first.What do you think,I think i still have a shot and even though i have not practiced the sport/art much in the last 20 yrs.i went outside and threw a few puches and kicks around & it is almost like i did not stop practicing,in other words i still have it and i know have got what it takes AMERICA since this will be for you also please tell me what you think!

Answer 1

Go for it. Just don't volunteer to be a ref for the Cuban team.

Answer 2

Great, you will be playing for our country, CONGRAGULATIONS, well I am a Black Striped belt in Taekwondo, and I have seen many older people in the Taekwondo olympics, they are in shape, and can kick great. If you are strong/ rember every kick (cresent kicks are mostly used)/ and are in great shape, GO FOR IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GET A GOLD, BE THE FIRST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good luck fighting,

sincerly,

Go Lakers, Celtics Suck!!.

edit: don't kick a reffere!!!!!

Answer 3

Well if you do intense training for the next 4 years dedicated to WTF Tae Kwon Do sparring it may be possible to qualify. To be honest at that age for the 2012 Olympics your body will not be as fit compared to the younger athletes who compete at the age of 20-30. Most Tae Kwon Do athlete don't compete majorly past 30 because of the impact on the body it i'll have. Also to even compete in the Olympics you need to first qualify for the nationals.

To register for the national you need to have a black belt in Kukkiwon Tae Kwon Do, that is the only organization that WTF style tae kwon do is affiliated with.

If you compete in the nationals for your country you will need to place in 3rd or better i believe to have a chance to qualify for the Olympic Tae Kwon Do.

If you do qualify you will need to be in at least 2nd place i think since this year they only accepted four people from the USA(Lopez family and the girl from Texas). That's 2 males and 2 females from the USA.

Answer 4

I think it's great that you are in TKD and I agree that it would be great to get back into it.

That being said, I think your chances of making the US team are slim to none.  

I got back into TKD at the age of 35, 2 years ago.  It all came back really fast.  I am a heavy weight and this summer I was a sparring partner for Chika Chukwermerjie, Beijing Bronze Medalist today for Nigeria (yeah!) when he was training with us in Michigan.

Chika is 24, I was 36 at the time we sparred.  Chika is by far the best opponent I have ever sparred and I have 22 years of experience.  I've competed at the local level, and travel level, and I have students that I've lead to the national level, but the international level is just like 3 more jumps up from the national level.  

In 4 years, you will be 39.  You will have to be competing in a lot of tournaments starting now, and I'm talking the big USAT tournaments, not the local ones.  Pan Am games, etc.  

But then again, Darra Torres won a Silver Medal in swimming at age 41, but this wasnt her 1st Olympics.

Good luck!

James

Answer 5

your going to have to train hard and really go for it, but I think you can still do it. Look at dana torres, she is 41 and got silver, even though its swimming, she did it, so you can too! It also wouldnt hurt if you started training with a good taekwondo instructor. Look at Su Li-Wen (my hero!), fractured leg, torn ligament, fractured toes and alot of other stuff, and she still ranked fifth! so dont think you cant do it, just go for it and give it your all! Let the power of youth explode!!!!!!!!!!!!