By Jeffrey Parent
A swollen mouth is a small price to pay when a North American TaeKwon-Do Championship is on the line, said Behroose Yadollahi. Even Yadollahi’s bitten tongue from a vicious kick in the face during his second round match couldn’t diminish his excitement.
At 16-years-old, Yadollahi, a Centretown resident, is one of the youngest third degree black belts in Canada. Coming into the tournament he was the highest ranked competitor in his division.
The tournament, which featured over 1,000 martial artists from Canada, the U.S., Puerto Rico, Columbia and Japan, was at Algonquin College on Oct. 24 and 25. It was sponsored by the International Federation of TaeKwon-Do.
Two years ago when the championships were held at the University of Ottawa, Yadollahi kicked and punched his way to a gold medal. This year he duplicated that feat.
“It was tough but I did it. I won,” said Yadollahi.
Before a panel of judges, Yadollahi demonstrated the techniques of TaeKwon-Do, which consist of kick and punch combinations. Yadollahi proved he was the best, winning a gold medal.
After his victory, Yadollahi faced off against eight others in a full contact sparing match.
Yadollahi won his first match easily, dispatching his opponent with a flurry of flying punches.
“I completely dominated my first match. At the end I thought I broke my opponents nose and was going to get disqualified,” said Yadollahi.
Yadollahi said he was surprised by the size of his second opponent, and even more surprised when he lost by a score of 3-2. The loss held Yadollahi to a bronze medal.
Competitors must wear hand and foot pads and are allowed to wear head protectors if they wish. The winner must accumulate the most points in a two minute match. To score a point competitors must successfully strike their opponent with fists or feet in the upper body or the head, or knock them off balance. They cannot hit below the waste or in the back.
Hung Ly, an instructor at Lu’s TaeKwon-Do, said he thinks Yadollahi could be a competitor at the world championships.
“Some masters saw Yadollahi and said he has the skill to compete on a world level,” said Ly.
Yadollahi said the martial arts are not just about winning tournaments but are a way of life. “For me TaeKwon-Do is an activity to come and teach kids, get my own exercise going and just a way of life. Going through high school is tough. I can come to the dojan and relax and train and build more strength and confidence in myself,” said Yadollahi.
He said he is planning to compete in the next world championships. After he graduates from high school Yadollahi wants to study computer science at Queens University.
For now though, Yadollahi wants to concentrate on simply being a teenager.