Blackbird Moves Closer To National Team

Cobra’s Taekwondo Training Centre athletes Jewelian Blackbird, Keegan Kovar and Trenton Blackbird represented PCT – Sports Taekwondo Team at the Canada Open, which was held on February 12-15 in Toronto, Ontario at the Westin Harbour Castle. This was a black belt only event which was hosted by Taekwondo Canada and sanctioned by the World Taekwondo Federation as a WTF International G1 ranking event.

Jewelian Blackbird in her second of a three year junior career competed in the Junior women’s (birth years 2000, 1999, 1998) middle weight (59-62.9kg) division. Her first match was against a fellow Canadian that was in her final year of junior and placed third at the 2014 Pan Am Open in the senior division. Blackbird won this match by a score of 14-9. The semis she matched up against a athlete from the USA and was victorious with a score of 7-6. In the finals she met up against another opponent from the United States of America. Jewelian kept the match close for the first two rounds of three. Got caught with two high section scores in the third (7 points for the 2 kicks) to earn silver with a final score 18-6.

Canada Open also served as a pre-requisite for obtaining a national team spot as well as the results from the upcoming National Championships in June to be held in Montreal, Quebec. With Jewelian’s points she earned from Canada Open this silver puts Jewelian in prime position to make the Junior National Team which will compete at the 2015 Junior Pan Am Championships in Columbia in September.

Keegan Kovar also competed in the male youth (birth years 2004 and 2005) under 27kg division. Kovar displayed a lot of talent in the semi finals but lost 7-2 and finished with bronze. Trenton Blackbird also competed in the youth division in under 35kg. He won gold by no contest. Trenton also competed in an exhibition match with a athlete from the under 33kg youth division. Blackbird dominated this match and ended it early by point gap with a score of 12-0.

Other PCT athletes Danielle Ennett won gold in the Junior women +68kg and Chloe Pretty won bronze in the Junior women -44kg division. Both girls are from Sarnia Olympic Taekwondo Academy.