Stevenage teen to compete in Taekwondo World Championships

Evie, 14, has been practicing and training in Taekwondo at Stevenage Taekwondo club since the age of seven - and she will be the first student from the club to compete at the world championships at the under 17 level.

In 2023, the teenage star began competing in Poomsae, a form of Taekwondo which simulates combat -  scoring on skill and technique rather than hitting an opponent. 

After switching to Poomsae Evie has won numerous medals nationwide. (Image: Evie)

Within six months, she was selected for the GBR elite squad and has been training with the team in Manchester every month.

Evie said: "It is one of my biggest dreams, it's going to be nerve racking and more competitive than any of the local competitions I've done before.

"To represent GBR is an honour and I'm happy just to be there as so many people competed for that spot. My coaches have helped me a lot through this journey and its kept boosting me further."

The World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships will take place in Hong Kong between  November 30, to December 4, 2024. This event is the pinnacle of the Poomsae discipline and is the highest ranked competition with over 1,200 athletes competing from across the world.

Thus far Evie has maintained a balance between school work and her hours of training, using evenings and weekends to practice her Taekwondo.

Evie is committed and dedicated to the sport - spending hours of her free time in training. (Image: Evie)

She added: "My coaches believe that it will cost me roughly £2,500 for all the expenses but it would be worth it just to compete, and to win would be incredible, a dream, especially after the whole team has put in such hard work."

As a self-funded sport Evie and her family are appealing for support via a GoFundMe page to help finance her uniform, tracksuit, entrance fees, accommodation and travel.

You can donate at https://gofund.me/6b453de6.