Laguna Niguel Taekwondo Athletes Win Big in Vegas, Bring Home Medals

Submitted by Jimmy Kim’s Taekwondo Center:

Local Taekwondo athletes from Jimmy Kim’s Taekwondo Center in Laguna Niguel brought home medals from the U.S. Open Taekwondo Championships held from February 19th to February 23rd at the Las Vegas Hotel in Las Vegas.

The annual U.S. Open Taekwondo Championships is one of the highest rated international Taekwondo championships in the world. The U.S. Open annually draws the world's best black belt taekwondo competitors, including world champions, Olympic medalists and national teams from around the globe.

More than 2,000 competitors ranging in age from 10 to 70 from more than 70 countries registered to compete in this five-day event. Almost 5,000 spectators came to watch the world-class sparring (kyuroogi) and the forms (poomsae) competition.

BOBBY DARVISH won a gold medal in the Ultra Senior Male Heavyweight Sparring Division.

MALIA JON won a bronze medal in the 10-11 year old Youth Sparring Middle weight Division.

SKYLAR FARRELL won a gold medal in the 10-11 year old Youth Sparring Heavyweight Division.

JAZI JON won a gold medal in the 12-14 year old Cadet Sparring Heavyweight Division.

Other members from the JKTC team to compete at this event were Ethan Chao, Daniel Kim, Seth Villanueva, Alexandra Brinkman, Gina Williams, Madison Butts (who placed 7th in a division of 60 competitors) and Muhammad Chishti, who reached the finals and lost in a tie-breaker, placing 5th overall in the Senior Forms event.

Special mention goes to Danielle Machado of Cerritos, who receives Forms training at Jimmy Kim’s Taekwondo Center. Danielle Machado of Cerritos placed 2nd after a team from Korea in the 1st Female Team (18-29 yr division) along with two team members.

The competitors were led and coached by Jimmy Kim of Jimmy Kim’s Taekwondo Center in Laguna Niguel and Ibrahim Chishti and Muhammad Chishti, who served as coaches for the Poomsae (Forms) competitors.