Skip to content

Airdrie martial artists medal at Taekwon-do nationals

Two Airdrie martial artists could be on their way to Germany for the 2019 Taekwon-do world championships, following impressive performances in national competition.
Black belts, silver medals
Eighteen-year-old Kevin Escoto (left) and 16-year-old Jacob Heide (right) each medalled at the 2018 Canadian Taekwon-do Federation Internationals championships, held Nov. 9 to 11 in Calgary. Richard Kraska (center) is one of their instructors.

Two Airdrie martial artists could be on their way to Germany for the 2019 Taekwon-do world championships, following impressive performances in national competition. Eighteen-year-old Kevin Escoto and 16-year-old Jacob Heide were among 34 members of Airdrie’s Berjaya Taekwon-Do who competed at the 2018 Canadian Taekwon-do Federation International (CTFI) championships, held Nov. 9 to 11 in Calgary. After two tough days of competition, the two black-belt holders took home the silver medal for sparring and the bronze medal for patterns in their respective age categories. Escoto competed in the 18- to 34-year-old age group, while Heide took part in the 14- to 17-year-old age group. Escoto said it was a rewarding experience to spar against some of the top Taekwon-do athletes in the country. “It was my first national tournament in that age category, so it was fun,” he said. “I think I could have done better, but I was very nervous. I know for next time to control my emotions.” Escoto, who has been involved with Taekwon-do for “eight or nine years,” tied both of his matches in the “A” pool. Heide, meanwhile, was just a whisker away from taking home the gold medal in sparring. He quickly advanced out of the “B” pool and was put into the “A” pool, which he said included a round-robin format with matches against three other fighters. “I won both my [first two] matches and tied against one guy,” he said. “But [the person I tied] got one more point against one of the other guys. “…He got gold and I got silver, so it was pretty close.” Richard Kraska, the head instructor for Berjaya Taekwon-do, said he was very proud of Escoto and Heide’s performances. Kraska has trained the two martial artists for many years, he added. “You watch their stages, every year, [and see] how much they improve,” he said, adding it takes a lot of work to get to the level the athletes are at. Because of their respective finishes, Escoto and Heide have been invited to a national-team training camp in Montreal in January 2019. There, they will have the chance to earn a berth to compete at the 2019 International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) world championships, which will be held in Inzell, Germany, from April 24 to 28, 2019. “It’s like a second selection for the world championships,” Heide said, of the opportunity to impress the national coaches in Montreal. “They’re going to decide if we’re at that level,” Escoto added. For Escoto, competing in Germany would mark his second time representing Canada at an ITF championship – he said he also competed at the world championships in Dublin, Ireland, in 2017, as a 17-year-old. Both Escoto and Heide said they have long-term goals in the sport of Taekwon-do, including competing in a future Olympics Games.

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks