Year 10s Represent UK at Taekkyeon Competition

Taekkyeon 2025

During October, four Year 10 students represented the United Kingdom on the international stage! Cassius Roohi, Darius Roohi, Fin Wood and Milo Wood headed to South Korea to take part in the 16th World Taekkyeon Competition 2025. Taekkyeon is a traditional Korean martial art, known for its dance-like, graceful movements. The four boys have been training in mixed martial arts for the past five years and are now just two belts away from achieving their black belts. We are very proud of the outstanding dedication that they have shown in addition to their studies.

In this competition, they performed brilliantly - winning two bronze, four silver and two gold between them! This was an incredible opportunity, not only for the competition itself but also to expose them to a new culture, grow their independence and build their confidence. We asked Darius to write a short reflection on this superb achievement, which you can read below.

Last month we travelled to Korea with 15 other members of our MMA club to represent the UK in a Korean martial arts competition near Seoul.

In the four days before the competition, we attended a martial arts training camp each morning, along with the other competitors from 21 countries around the world! Each afternoon we took part in some amazing activities ranging from traditional Korean calligraphy and archery to paragliding and rafting.

The actual competition lasted three days and when we first entered the arena we all felt a mix of excitement and nerves. It was great to watch other the athletes compete, especially the over 18s categories.

The trip was an unforgettable experience for all of us and we hope to compete in other events like this in the future and to win even more medals.

Congratulations to these students for their superb achievements. They are not the only Isleworthians balancing elite sporting pathways with their day-to-day studies. We support all aspiring athletes in managing these demands. While it is important that students develop a deep understanding of the key contributing factors to their chosen elite sport, it is also vitally important that school recognises and responds to the various pinch points in the respective performance seasons. If your child is on an elite performance pathway, then let us know so that we can support them with their sporting and academic journey.