Chi Nok at Hong Kong International Cadet Kyorugi (Sparring) Team
In January, I was selected from the Hong Kong Taekwondo Feeder Programme to join the Hong Kong International Cadet Kyorugi(Sparring) Team, and I have to say that all the training in the Hong Kong Team and the times before has really been worth it, allowing me to get a bronze medal – the first ever international Taekwondo competition that I have ever participated in.
This competition (The 22nd Asian Cities Championship) took place at the Kowloon Park Sports Center, and I was extremely nervous as I entered the doors of the hall that I was going to be competing in. International teams were everywhere, making me even more nervous as I walked by. People had flags and the name of their country neatly printed and stitched onto their Taekwondo suits, and jackets, a few which I recognized as I walked by: Mongolia, India, Indonesia, Taiwan and most of them all: China, all ready to compete against everyone else.
But finally, I set my nervousness aside, and managed to win two matches, which were two separate Chinese teams: The Huizhou Elite Taekwondo team, and the JinJiang Taekwondo Teams, who were easily defeated by myself. But later on, I was met with another competitor, who was from Taipei. He was different from the first two that I fought, who watched my moves and struck with perfect precision. At first I was pretty nervous and even a bit scared as the scores were up to 0 – 11, but something inside me surged up and before I knew it, the points were up to 14 – 16, 14 being me, and I had almost caught up to his score. Unfortunately, the time ran out, and even though I came so close, I lost my chance to win a silver medal.
But as I watched my filmed videos after the end of my competition, I found my own personal weaknesses, and am training to be better in my next.
On Monday 26 March and Wednesday 28 March, I will be competing against my teammates for a place in the next competition, which will be taking place in Osaka on April.
I Hope everyone will support me on this journey, and wish me good luck!
Chi Nok Choi
