Australian Taekwondo Talk

If you have ambitions of competing at the highest level and you haven’t met Ali Khalil yet – you will.

Because it is his job to help make it happen.

He discovered martial arts as a schoolboy and went all the way to the Olympics.

Now, he has taken on the role of National Performance Pathway Lead and the challenging task of clearing the way for the talented to triumph.

Hear his plan and what it means for you.

She is a three-time Olympian, a sporting pioneer and football royalty.

Now, she's the new boss of Taekwondo - and it may be her toughest challenge yet.

Heather Garriock says the bus is ready to roll and she wants you on board.

Hear her answer the tough questions and paint her "dream" vision for Australian Taekwondo.

Whether it is traveling to a remote region to support a small club, coaching tomorrow’s stars or refereeing, this 9th dan master has – for more than 40 years - been an outstanding contributor to Taekwondo and the people across Australia who love it.

He is Principal instructor at the University of South Australia Taekwondo club, a Technical Presenter; Referee Presenter; Coaching Presenter; International Referee and one of only three Martial Artists in Australia who is LEVEL 3 NCAS Accredited.

He has some strong thoughts...

The Golden Gun.

Twenty years ago, Sydney hosted the Olympic Games down under and Taekwondo was a medal sport for the very first time.

In this series, we're meeting every fighter who wore the green and gold at that historic event, re-visiting that golden era for the sport in Australia and finding out what life is like two decades on.

In Part 4: Lauren Burns.

Precisely 20 years ago, when Juan Antonio Samaranch placed Australia’s first ever Taekwondo gold medal around her neck, Lauren Burns' place in sporting folklore was immortalised.

In the final episode of this special series, the wit and wisdom of third dan black belt, best-selling author, World Vision ambassador, motivational speaker, OAM, soon to be PhD and Olympic gold medalist Lauren Burns.

The Silver Bullet.

Twenty years ago, Sydney hosted the Olympic Games down under and Taekwondo was a medal sport for the very first time.

In this series, we will meet every fighter who wore the green and gold at that historic event, re-visit that golden era for the sport in Australia and find out what life is like two decades on.

In Part 3: Daniel Trenton.

Daniel won silver in the heavyweight (80 kg) class at Sydney 2000. Trenton comfortably accounted for his opponents in his three preliminary bouts but was defeated in the final by Kim Kyong-Hun of Korea. Daniel also represented at the 2004 Athens Games and was Australian head coach in Beijing in 2008.

The Reunion of the Sisterhood.

Twenty years ago, Sydney hosted the Olympic Games down under and Taekwondo was a medal sport for the very first time.

In this series, we will meet every fighter who wore the green and gold at that historic event, re-visit that golden era for the sport in Australia and find out what life is like two decades on.

In Part 2:

Lisa O’Keefe - who fought in the lightweight division at the Sydney Games,

Cynthia Moir, then known as Cynthia Cameron, who competed in the under 57 kilogram division and,

Tanya White, who contested the over 67 kilogram division.

Twenty years ago, Sydney hosted the Olympic Games down under and Taekwondo was a medal sport for the very first time.

In this series, we will meet every fighter who wore the green and gold at that historic events, re-visit that golden era for the sport in Australia and find out what life is like two decades on.

In Part 1, Warren Hansen, who featured in the under 80kilogram division and Carlo Massimino who competed in the Feather Weight under 68kg division.

Australian Taekwondo's Chief Executive Officer John Gradisar is responsible for driving the sport and martial art in Australia - from delivering on board directives, finance and governance, to overseeing Olympic pathways and high performance, growing participation among school kids, para-athletes and over 65s and a whole lot more.

Hear him talk about the mistakes of the past, the pro-active strategies now in place and the vision for the future of Australian Taekwondo.

Could you survive?

Kununurra is home to just 5,000 people

And for 25 years, at the very heart of that community…has been Kununurra Taekwondo Club.

How does a club survive, let alone thrive, in such a small community and what can we learn about how a martial art run out of the local leisure centre can connect across generations in a remote Australian township.

Sue Riley is a Third Dan and longtime Lead Instructor at Kununurra.

Janine Watson was told she'd probably be dead by now.

Instead, she is one of Australia’s great para-athletes and is re-writing para-Taekwondo history.

This is her amazing tale in her own words…