GERMAN OPEN ---GOLD

Above are some pics from the German Open where I am still very sweaty and messy from fighting! The awarding ceremony was quick on court due to the large number of competitors at this event (1200...so thats why I am upstairs~!)

I fought:
1) Kazhakhstan: 7-1
2) Germany, disqualified
3) Spain, 1-0
4) Netherlands, 4-1
5) Croatia, 7-0

It was great to be out there again! It was a little different this time because we used electornic scoring...which meant you had to score your own points and not rely on referees to press the buzzer thus trying to eliminate bias. The system has definately progressed since last time I used it but there is always room for further improvement.

5th Place - Olympic Test Event

Bronze Medal Match (Final of Repacharge)
Losing the Bronze Medal Match (5-4)

The comp finished a few days ago and I am now in Germany preparing for the German Open. I ended up equal 5th place on the tally in China.

I opened up strongly in the competition, winning against Japan 7-0 and then Sweden 3-1. In the semi final I was edged out by China 2-1 and then I went into a reparcharge system to fight off for bronze. In the final of that reparcharge I lost again to a chinese athlete 5-4. My mistakes came from a split second lack of concerntration, conservatism and perhaps lack of matt time. Although I am very dissapointed with the result (no medal) I am happy that I am back fighting fit again!!!

When I look at things in perspective, 10 months ago I could not kick at all - let alone walk, and now I am back doing the thing I love so much. This was my first official international comp since my injury and as far as I can see the only way is up!

.........Towards Gold in Beijing!>>>>>>>>>>>HUNGRYYYYYYY!

BEIJING: GOOD LUCK OLYMPIC TEST EVENT

The time has finally come to compete at the Olympic Test Event in China. From the 26th Feb to the 29th, four Aussie athletes will fight to test themselves against the best and see how they will fair come this Olympics. Although not all the athletes qualified for the games will be present, there will be other athletes to fill the quota and make the gold medal just deserved. As I see it, it is a look, a see and a feel....

Bits n pieces about Beijing so far:
1 = The weather is quite cold but not as bad as we expected. -3 is just ...crisp!
2= Good healthy food is a little hard to come by but we all have our protein power bars to keep us in check!
3= The competition venue looks amazing! We saw the referees do a trial run and trained in the warm up area! You can see some of the pics above from 2 venues.
4= Daniel J has discovered a new excting way to train by himself!

The schedule :

1st day: Safwan -58kgs: First fight against Japan
2nd Day: Daniel -68kgs: First fight against China
3rd Day: Tina -67kgs: First fight against Japan
4th Day: Carmen +67kgs: First fight against Brazil.

Since it is a test event, the comp will be run exactly like it is at the Olympics. So we will have 4 fights to win gold, and if in the case we lose to the gold or silver medallist we will go through a repacharge system. To ensure the bronze here we would have to make the final of this system.

Anyhoooo Wish us luck! xxx

OLYMPIC PREPARATION TOUR

The Aussies are getting geared up for a major tour before the Olympics. For myself I have been appointed to go to China for the Olympic Test Event and after that we will head off to Germany for the German Open, Korea for a month training camp and then Spain for the Spanish Open.

I believe the test event will be a great event to see how I fair in the world again, show I"M BACK and a good chance to get over the "WOW" factor the Olympics bring. That probably sounds really strange to some because the Olympics is always "WOW"!!!!I guess to explain it... the more I know what to expect the less stress I'll unconsciously put on myself in August: THUS GIVING A GOLD MEDAL PERFORMANCE.

The Team going to the Olympic Test Event:

http://www.taekwondo2008.org.cn/en/

Daniel Trenton: Head Coach

1) Safwan Khalil: -58kgs

2) Burak Hasan: -68kgs

3) Tina Morgan: -67kgs

4) Carmen Marton: +67kgs

BAHRI & AZIZE QUALIFIED

1: Turkey
2: Azebaijan
3: England 1: Croatia
2: Turkey
3: Israel

Just an update on whats happening on the Olympic front. Both my boyfriend and his sister have now also qualified for the Olympic Games. Bahri won the European Qualification last weekend, beating Moldova, Armenia, Poland and Azebaijan. Azize narrowly finished 2nd to Croatia but booked her ticket to the games non the less. 2008 is shaping out to be a much better year than the last.

ALL QUALIFIED FOR 2008 OLYMPICS

NEW CALEDONIA : OCEANIA OLYMPIC QUALIFIERS

The Team with IOC Member Phil Coles (left) and President of the Oceania Region John Kotsifous (right) at the welcome party
Fighters: Amy Ryan and Myself

WE ARE FINALLY HERE!!!! AT THE OCEANIA OLYMPIC QUALIFIERS! It was a long day to get here even though the country is only 3/4 hours north east of Sydney. All the teams are here now...not that there are many of them, but Im sure every athlete will be fighting with their hearts on their sleaves to qualify.

Present on the Team:

Head Coach: Daniel Trenton
Assistant Coach: Tae Ho Uhm
Team Manager: Stuart Lee
Head of Team: Bryan Wilson (ASC)
Osteopath: David Collosimo

Athletes:

Ryan Carneli: u/58kgs
Amy Ash: +67kgs
Tina Morgan: u/67kgs

Our schedule is:

Thur: Training/Relax etc
Fri: Weigh in/Draw
Sat: Fighting:) All 8 weight categories:

I will fill this in after training.....I have to go now:)

My knee's Come back

My knee has recovered from injury, but it hasn't been an easy ride. There are still times it is painful, but the progress I have made in 7 months has been worth it.