Sophomore finds success in Taekwondo

At age 5, sophomore Shayan Moraveji was introduced to the world of taekwondo by his father, who wanted him to participate in some type of physical activity. Since then, he’s never wanted to do anything as much as taekwondo.

Over the years, Moraveji, now 16, trained, honed and perfected his skills. He will represent team USA in the World Championships in Spain this October. More than 20 countries, including Russia, the United Kingdom and New Zealand will participate in the World Championships.

Moraveji has been training for 10 years for such an opportunity.  

“My father thought taekwondo would help my determination and self-respect,” Moraveji said. “Taekwondo was my first sport and I just really liked it.”

Originally, Moraveji was part of the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF). However, after he got his black belt at age  9, he became dissatisfied with WTF.

“After I got my black belt, I felt my my teacher was using me — I wasn’t learning anything, I wasn’t improving,” Moraveji said. “So I switched to the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF), which has more traditional taekwondo.”

After switching to ITF, Moraveji continued to train and made it his goal to one day represent the United States in the World Championships.

That dream came true for him last spring break, when he went to the National Championships in Connecticut. There, over a gruelling four days of competition, more than 100 competitors fought for a place on team USA. Moraveji earned a coveted position on the team in the junior males’ (14-18) division.

Moraveji is undergoing special training to prepare for the World Championship.

“Every Thursday night, my coach and I, we condition, we train, we have mock competitions, we do a lot to prepare [for the World Championships],” Moraveji said.

Even in the sport of taekwondo, there are many different types. Moraveji said that he specializes in jumping and breaking.

“Basically [jumping and breaking] is a board at a certain height — for me it’s 8 feet 4 inches — and I have to jump, hit [the board], and break it,” Moraveji said.

Moraveji said he feels confident in his abilities.

“I’m pretty sure that if I am determined and focused I can come home with a gold medal,” Moraveji said.

Winning the World Championships may have a great impact on Moraveji’s future.

“If I win the World Championships this time, I will potentially represent team USA in the Olympics,” Moraveji said. “I’m looking forward to it.”