Young black belts all set to tackle the world

– Shaun Inguanzo
A DANDENONG taekwondo club has produced world-class youngsters set to participate at a global competition in South Korea next month.
The Dandenong branch of the Melbourne Taekwondo Centre will send black belts Cameron Andre and Natasha Fantone, both aged 10, to the World Taekwondo Festival in Jeonju, Korea, in June.
Excited father Dominic Andre said he was proud of his son Cameron’s achievement to qualify for the tournament, which will pit him against the world’s best young students.
“I am very, very excited about it,” he said.
“It looks awesome. They’ve got an opening ceremony, and the kids will wear an Australian uniform.”
Mr Andre said the selection process was enduring.
“To go to Korea they had to be black belt and had to have competed at a national level,” he said.
In addition, the young students had to participate in tournaments against other taekwondo clubs and attend a special selection event.
The Dandenong Branch of the Melbourne Taekwondo Centre is riding a wave of success with both Natasha and Cameron, along with fellow students Priscilla Choundary, 12, and Sav Curtio, 10, collecting silver and bronze medals at the Victorian Chang Open – a state taekwondo championship earlier this month.
To enquire about taekwondo classes, contact instructor Toohey Choundary on 0402 940 193.