Taekwondo Canada Salutes Canadian Olympians Skylar Park and Yvette Yong
Posted on
Over the weekend, Team Canada left it all in the ring at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Although they were not the results the athletes were hoping for, Canada still made their presence known.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Taekwondo competition took place at Makuhari Messe Hall in Chiba, Japan. The competition featured two female Canadian athletes making their Olympic debuts. Yvette Yong, accompanied by her coach, Young Su Choung and Skylar Park with her father and coach, Jae Park, in her corner.
Yvette Yong, 31, opened the competition for Canada on July 24th ranked 9 th in the Female -47kg division. Yong fought her Round of 16 match against Thi Kim Tuyen Truong of Vietnam. Although Yong showed drive and determination, Vietnam took the match 19-5.
Yong reflected on her Olympic experience saying:
“I don’t regret anything… I am so proud to represent Canada, my family, and our taekwondo community.”
Following Yong’s competition, Skylar Park, 22, entered her competition ranked 3 rd in the Female -57kg division on July 25 th . After defeating Australia’s Stacey Hymar 25-15 in the Round of 16, Park was eliminated from the competition in the Quarterfinals by Chinese Taipei’s Chia-Ling Lo. Lo defeated Park by a score of 18-7.
It was evident from post-match interviews, that both Yvette Yong and Skylar Park left the competition feeling discouraged. Park stated,
“I wanted that gold medal so badly, but today was not that day… It’s disappointing, when you have so much support behind you, not to get the results that you want.”
Following the competition Executive Director Dave Harris said
“We cannot overstate how proud we are of Skylar and Yvette. Their dedication and determination was inspirational, not only to the taekwondo community, but to all Canadians.”
It is clear to all Canadians that these female athletes are not only an inspiration, but have given their supporters much to be proud of. The dreams of an Olympic medal will now focus on Paris 2024. With their dedication and perseverance alongside lessons learned from Tokyo, Team Canada will be up for the challenge.
Full results from Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games can be found here.
About Taekwondo Canada
Taekwondo Canada is the official governing body of taekwondo in Canada, governing the sport in all Provinces and Territories. Taekwondo Canada is recognized by World Taekwondo, the International Olympic Committee, World Taekwondo Pan America and Sport Canada.
Contact
Dave Harris
Executive Director
(519) 859-7410
ed@taekwondo-canada.com
