Eye of the Red Tiger: The Bustleton-based Red Tiger Taekwon-do recently won 10 medals at the International Taekwon-do Federation World Championships in Benidorm, Spain. The team competed against almost 1,100 other fighters. PHOTO COURTESY OF RED TIGER
Bustleton-based Red Tiger Taekwon-do won 10 medals, including one world championship, at the recent International Taekwon-do Federation World Championships in Benidorm, Spain.
Almost 1,100 competitors from around the globe gathered for the largest event in the federation’s history. The event consisted of Juniors (14- 17-year-olds) and Seniors (18-plus) competing in Sparring, Patterns, Breaking and Traditional Sparring
Red Tiger, based at 1912 Welsh Road, represented the largest group in the country with 11 competitors and three coaches.
A stronghold in ITF since the 1980s, Red Tiger is led by former national team member and international medalist Marcello F. Cancelliere. Its 11-member team was made up of black belts from Philadelphia and Bucks County.
The team won its lone gold medal on the final day of competition, compliments of the Traditional Sparring team of Adrian Santana and Brandon Yan. This competition consists of two individuals choreographing a fight scene that must last between 60 and 75 seconds and include aerial acrobatics. It is a crowd favorite and one in which the United States never has won a medal. The team defeated Puerto Rico, Hungary, New Zealand and host country Spain in the final on its way to the gold.
Bryan Eng and Santana earned silver and bronze medals in the Junior Patterns category. Yan won a bronze of his own.
The five-boy Junior team tied for a gold with Poland and New Zealand in the Special Technique (Flying Breaking competition) but finished with a bronze in the tiebreaker.
In Sparring, Allison Hanusey captured a bronze in the Female Heavyweight Sparring Division after losing to a Russian opponent in a hard-fought match.
Here are the official results:
• Gold Medalist- Adrian Santana/Brandon Yan (Traditional Sparring)
• Silver Medalist — Bryan Eng (Patterns- III degree)
• Bronze Medalists — Brandon Yan (Patterns — III degree)
• Adrian Santana (Patterns — II degree)
• Allison Hanusey (Sparring — Hvy -70 kg)
• Noel Rivera (Special Technique Breaking)
• Nicholas Santana (Special Technique Breaking)
Bryan Eng (Special Technique Breaking)
Brandon Yan (Special Technique Breaking) ••
