Sixteen year-old Seda Demirkiran demonstrates the skill that helped her win four medals at two recent tournaments in Korea.
By Stuart Teather
SIXTEEN-year-old taekwondo star Seda Demirkiran had the perfect upbringing for her chosen sport.
In her typically honest way, Keysborough resident Demirkiran explained her motivation to take up the sport was self-defence as much as anything.
“My brother used to do taekwondo,” she explained. “He used to beat me up, so it was a jealousy thing.”
Not that much has changed, despite three years in the sport and international success.
“He’s massive, he’s like six foot, so he still wins.”
Demirkiran has just finished up a string of tournaments, starting with the World Taekwondo Festival and Korea Classic Open, and the World Taekwondo Culture Expo, both held in July.
In her first international tournaments, she walked away with four medals, including a gold in the Classic Open, and a sudden death silver at the Culture Expo.
Demirkiran said she had only one expectation from her Korea adventure.
“Honestly, I expected to get the absolute crap beaten out of me,” she said. “To be honest, nobody does well on their first time (at an international tournament).
“I thought I was going to get knocked out, but I ended up knocking a girl out.”
The toughest fight she faced was in the final of the Cultural Expo, when she came up against the Korean junior champion.
“All the other team-mates that went up against Koreans, they got pretty much annihilated.”
Demirkiran fought admirably, however, and at the end of the bout the scores were tied at three-all, and the match went to sudden death, where the first to register a point would take the win. “We went into the fourth round (sudden death) and I kicked her but it didn’t score, then she kicked me and registered.”
Just after returning from Korea, Demirkiran fought at the Victorian Championships, winning silver despite some lingering injuries.
“I tore the ligament in my arm and I had a bruised bone … and I tore my hamstring. I wasn’t supposed to fight at the Victorian Championships … but I got silver. If I was in better shape I could’ve done better. I’ve never pulled out of a fight so I thought I’d give it a go.”
The silver qualifies her for the National Championships, to be held in Sydney from September 4.
Demirkiran put a lot of her good form down to her new coach, Master Joon No, who she said had completely changed her fighting.
“I recently changed clubs, I’ve been with (Joon No) for eight or nine months, but he’s completely changed me. I’m no longer known as a girl, I’m known as a boy,” she joked. “I train with the boys — they knock me around and I knock them around… I take it as an advantage.”
Her next goal is the selection trials for the Commonwealth Games in two months time, where Demirkiran hopes she can enhance her international profile. Until then, she will keep up with her six-days-a-week training schedule, and work on beating up her brother.
