DIDSBURY - A Didsbury teenager will get a chance to take on the world as he represents Canada at the Taekwon-Do World Cup this month in Budapest, Hungary.
Harrison Jelinek, who attends Didsbury High School, qualified after receiving his blue belt.
“You have to get to a certain level and show you can compete,” said Jelinek about how he qualified. “I'm competing in the lightweight category for 15- to 17-year-olds.”
The World Cup goes from Oct. 11-16 and Jelinek is thrilled to get a chance to compete against the best in the world. “I'm excited and nervous,” he said. “I hope to do well and learn a lot.”
Jelinek is in his fourth year of Taekwon-Do and is now a red belt with a black stripe, one test away from a black belt. He trains twice a week in Crossfield at the Rising Sun Taekwon-Do Club under the tutelage of coach Beth Gabriel.
He enjoys the physical nature of Taekwon-Do. “It's good exercise. It's fun. It's a means of physical and mental exercise. It's used as self-defence,” he said.
Jelinek joined Taekwon-Do after deciding he wanted to try a martial art. “I was playing hockey and I wanted to do something different so I dropped to a lower league and found Taekwon-Do,” he said.
Last March, Jelinek competed in the Western Canadian Championships in Regina and picked up the gold medal in his class for sparring and bronze for patterns.
Heading into the worlds, Jelinek said he's really working on his combinations in preparation. “I'm practising mixing it up so the opponents don't catch on,” he said.
Gabriel, who is also competing at the World Cup, said coaching Jelinek is a pleasure because he's such a hard worker.
“He is a good athlete,” she said. “He is always trying to push himself and work on any corrections and techniques I present to him. He's also so fast on his feet when we spar. He definitely keeps me on my toes and gives the rest of the club a good challenge.”
Gabriel told the Gazette that Jelinek will be in tough in Budapest with 83 young men competing in his pattern category. “Although I have faith in my student, we are focusing more on his performance than the outcome,” she said.
“For sparring on the other hand there are 18 competitors and I think he stands a good chance of finishing in the top 10. Top 10 in the world would be pretty darn amazing.”
Gabriel added that Jelinek is one of her most studious and dedicated athletes. “I couldn't be more proud of him,” she said. “Putting yourself out there on a global level is, in itself, a huge accomplishment. I can't wait to be standing ringside watching him take on the world.”
