RELEASE — Hannah Lee (Cambridge, Ont.) went into the Taekwondo Canada Open in Montreal knowing she would compete individually and with her partner in Poomsae – the discipline of performing Taekwondo patterns – but ended up on the podium in the team competition.
The Canada Open welcomes members of the World Taekwondo community to the country each year, featuring high calibre athletes, such as the current Pan Am champion.
The team from Puerto Rico was short one member, so, just an hour before the competition, they asked Lee to join them. The first-year Officer Cadet at the Royal Military College of Canada jumped at the opportunity, making the most of the limited time to learn her role on a new team. While most teams train together for months to fine-tune the synchronization and rhythm required in the discipline, the Puerto Rican team, featuring Lee, impressed coaches from around the world and the judges with their performance, earning the silver medal in the female team under 30 category.
Lee is pictured [above] far left with Puerto Rican teammates Fabiola Krystal Ruiz and Arelis Medina.
Samuel Xiao, Lee’s fellow first-year at the military college, earned a bronze medal in the individual male under 30 Poomsae category, and the pair placed fifth together.
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