Snohomish County, Washington – The 2021 AAU Taekwondo National Championships took place July 7th – 10th in Las Vegas, Nevada. This event was the first national championship event to be held since the summer of 2019. All belt levels and age groups were invited to compete.
In addition, black belt competitors in the Cadet (12-14y), Junior (15-17y) and Senior (18-32y) Olympic Style Sparring divisions had the opportunity to qualify for the AAU National Team Trials, to represent the USA in an upcoming international event.
The Washington United Taekwondo team put on a record-breaking performance, taking 1st place overall, with athletes from North West Black Belt Academy bringing home 8 gold medals, 8 silver medals and 7 bronze medals, respectively.
GOLD
- Akilah Franklin (Senior Female -62kg Black Belt)
- Fergus Curran (Senior Male -68kg Black Belt)
- Kiana Yoshimura (Junior Female +68kg Black Belt)
- Gabriel Simon (Junior Male -55kg Black Belt)
- Tiara Roy (Junior Female -46kg Red Belt)
- Meara Curran (Junior Para Female -49kg Black Belt)
- Mckinley Rapp (Cadet Female -55kg Red Belt)
- Aeva Park (Mini-Cadet Female -30kg Black Belt)
SILVER
- Sebastian Tan (Junior Male -51kg Black Belt)
- Jordan Brito (Junior Male -55kg Black Belt)
- Joseph Brito (Junior Male -48kg Black Belt)
- Montana Miller (Junior Female -46kg Black Belt)
- Victor Sanchez (Junior Male +78kg Black Belt)
- Brandon Sanchez (Youth Male +40kg Orange Belt)
- JP Yang (Cadet Male -37kg Blue Belt)
- Logan Lau (Youth Male -40kg Orange Belt)
BRONZE
- Melina Daniel (Senior Female -49kg Black Belt)
- EJ Brual (Junior Male -55kg Black Belt)
- Keawe Santiago (Junior Female -46kg Black Belt)
- Grace Pesigan (Cadet Female -59kg Black Belt)
- Justin Lau (Cadet Male -41kg Orange Belt)
- Shayla Olson (Tiger Female +30kg Orange Belt)
- Enzo Yang (Tiger Male -25kg Orange Belt)
ATHLETES QUALIFIED FOR NATIONAL TEAM TRIALS
- Akilah Franklin (Senior Trials)
- Fergus Curran (Senior Trials)
- Kiana Yoshimura (Junior Trials)
- Gabriel Simon (Junior Trials)
- Sebastian Tan (Junior Trials)
- Jordan Brito (Junior Trials)
- Joseph Brito (Junior Trials)
- Montana Miller (Junior Trials)
- Victor Sanchez (Junior Trials)
- Melina Daniel (Senior Trials)
- EJ Brual (Junior Trials)
- Keawe Santiago (Junior Trials)
- Grace Pesigan (Cadet Trials)
**Special Note: Aeva Park (Mini-Cadet National Team Member)**
North West Black Belt Academy is located in Lynnwood, WA.
About Snohomish County Sports Commission: The Snohomish County Sports Commission works to enhance Snohomish County’s economy, image as a premier sports destination and way of life for its residents by attracting regional, national, and international sporting events to the county. For more information, visit www.snocosports.org.
Author: Lynnwood Times Staff