Have A Go Olympic Challenge 2024

HAVE A GO AT OLYMPIC SPORTS

FIND YOUR SPORT
Background image

Taekwondo trio selected to Australian Olympic Team

 

Taekwondo trio selected to Australian Olympic Team

Author image
AOC
Taekwondo Team Paris 2024

Stacey Hymer, Bailey Lewis and Leon Sejranovic are bound for the Paris Olympics, with the three taekwondo athletes selected by the Australian Olympic Committee today.

Stacey returns for her second Games, competing in the 57kg division, while Bailey (58kg) and Leon (80kg) will make their Olympic debuts in Paris. The Paris 2024 taekwondo competition will be held in the famed Grand Palais des Champs-Élysées.

The athletes earned a quota for Australia by winning the continental qualifying event in Solomon Islands earlier this year, with the trio’s official selection announced today by Australian Olympic Team Chef de Mission Anna Meares in Melbourne.

Stacey, Leon and Bailey are all multiple Australian and Oceania champions. Leon ended a decade long Taekwondo World Championships medal drought for Australians last year, winning bronze in the 74kg division, while Bailey is a two-time Paris Grand Prix bronze medallist.

Australian Olympic Team Chef de Mission Anna Meares announced the athletes’ selection at the CombatAUS National Performance Centre.

“Congratulations to Stacey, Leon and Bailey on their selection to the Australian Olympic team for Paris,” Ms Meares said.

“It’s fitting to celebrate today’s Olympic milestone here at the National Performance Centre – where the athletes work tirelessly day in and day out, away from the bright lights, to hone their craft and chase their Olympic dream.

“When they enter the incredible arena at Paris’ Grand Palais, it will be due to all the work put in right here with their coaches, teammates and support staff.

“Thank you to Australian Taekwondo, CombatAUS and the Victorian Institute of Sport for your ongoing support of these athletes to achieve their Olympic selection.”

Twenty-one-year-old Leon said it was an honour to be selected for the Australian Olympic Team.

“It just feels so incredible to achieve what has been a dream of mine since I started Taekwondo,” he said. “To see all my hard work and dedication towards the sport I love pay off makes this whole journey worth it.

“I’m still not satisfied until I show what I am capable of on the world’s biggest stage. My goal for Paris is the same as it is for every competition I fight in and that is to win gold.

“Leading into the Olympics I want to get my body in peak physical condition - I want to be stronger and fitter than anyone that I come up against in Paris.”

Victorian Stacey said earning selection to her second Games was a special feeling.

“It feels amazing, to be selected for my second Olympic Games and to call myself a dual Olympian means the world to me,” she said. “I can't wait to tell everyone and show the world once again who I am and what I can bring to the mats.

“My goal for Paris is to win the first two fights and make it to the semi-finals. After that, I know I have put in the hard yards to get there, and I will have full confidence in myself and in my team.

“My main focus is to stay positive and calm and to keep enjoying training. Training is really tough at the moment, so focusing on my recovery and clear mindset is really my top priority.”

Twenty-six-year-old Bailey was thrilled to make his Olympic debut.

“It’s so exciting, I've worked so hard for so long to have this opportunity to represent my country at the Games,” he said. “I want to inspire the next generation by putting on a great performance and taking home a gold medal.”

Australian Taekwondo CEO Josh O’Brien welcomed today’s announcement.

“Australian Taekwondo congratulates Stacey, Bailey, and Leon on their Olympic selection,” Mr O’Brien said. “The dedication and sacrifices all three athletes have made to earn their place on Australia’s Olympic Team has been immense and an inspiration to those aspiring to be Olympians.

“We recognise the fantastic work of National Coach, Seokhun Lee, who has worked tirelessly to nurture, develop, and prepare these athletes on their journey to Paris. We are incredibly proud and, along with all Taekwondo sport fans, eagerly await the games to commence.”

CombatAUS CEO Alex Vallentine congratulated the athletes.

“We’re incredibly proud, in partnership with Australian Taekwondo, to see these athletes selected to the Australian Olympic team for Paris 2024,” he said. “Three incredibly talented and experienced athletes, all with genuine medal potential.”

The Taekwondo competition will be held at the Grand Palais venue in Paris from 7 to 10 August. The Grand Palais des Champs-Élysées (commonly known as the Grand Palais) is a spectacular complex in the heart of Paris. Built for the Universal Exhibition in 1900, the Palais is renowned worldwide for its magnificent nave and glass roof and is listed as a historic monument by the French Ministry of Culture.

MORE ON STACEY HYMER
MORE ON BAILEY LEWIS
MORE ON LEON SEJRANOVIC
MORE ON TAEKWONDO TEAM | PARIS 2024
MORE ON PARIS 2024
MORE ON TAEKWONDO
MORE ON AOC
Top Stories