Photo: JC’s Chevaughn Wilkins displaying his gold medal he won the competition opening day.
Jamaican fighters have started well at the fifth International Tae Kwon do Federation (ITF) World Cup at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in Rose Hall, St James. The competition now into its third day running has seen the Country’s junior fighters, along with a few veterans reaping good success thus far.
The country’s medal count presently stands at a record number of 19. They bagged 9 medals on Wednesday opening day, two gold, four silver, and three bronze in individual sparring competition, before racking up 10 more on the second day, four gold, two silver and four bronze, including two clean sweeps of weight divisions.
Some of the outstanding medal winners thus far are ; 14-year-old Jamaica College student Chavaughn Wilkins of Jamaica Taekwon-Do Centre, picked up the island’s first gold, defeating Argentina’s Fernando Grababi 3-1 in 12-14 coloured belt, -60kg weight category. Forty-two-year-old veteran David Hall, who is making a return to the event, also won a silver medal in the men’s black belt 68-kilo category, 17-year-old Excelsior High student, Delano Francis, yesterday outclassed Puerto Rico’s Gustavo Lipezker with lightning-fast footwork to claim Jamaica’s first black-belt gold medal .
There was a podium sweep for the -50kg junior medal through Jamaica College’s Tahj Hewitt who claimed gold ahead of Calabar pair of Christopher Campbell and Akeem Bancroft, who took silver and bronze, respectively. Jamaica Taekwon-Do Centre’s Richard Stone had claimed silver in 18-35 coloured-belt patterns . Other medal winners on Wednesday’s opening day were Mandeville Taekwon-Do Centre duo of Alexia Webb and Kahleel Haighs, who claimed bronze, in 15-18 coloured belt patterns and Haighs in pre-junior 12-14 sparring, +60kg.
Today’s action will see some of the more familiar names in Jamaica’s taekwando fighting going for more success. They will include Jamaica’s black belt stars team captain Nicholas Dusard, Kenneth Edwards, Sheckema Cunningham and another junior who is touted to take gold, Merl Grove’s Subrina Richards.
Friday the 29, of August is dubbed, World Cup’s gala night will see the black belt finals taking place. There will be great entertainment for the fans and supporters with the likes Elephant Man and Kip Rich . The crowd was thrilled on the Competition opening ceremony night by high riding Dancehall sensation I-Octane
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