Master Jimmy Kim heads team that brings home two silver medals

The U.S. National Taekwondo Poomsae Team turned in its best medal performance ever by winning two silver medals at the 4th WTF World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships held in Cairo, Egypt November 30th to December 2^nd 2009.

Head Coach Master Jimmy Kim, President of Jimmy Kim's Taekwondo Center, Laguna Niguel and Director of Oriental Moo-Do School, Cerritos lead a team of 27 athletes and coaches to participate in the event. "This was our strongest showing ever and our worldwide competitors have realized the US is a serious contender at the Taekwondo Poomsae World Championship level", said Master Kim.

The three-day championships, which took place at the Cairo Stadium, attracted a total of 564 athletes from a record 59 countries. Korea won nine gold medals and one silver to clinch the overall title of the championships, followed by Vietnam with two golds, one silver and three bronzes.

The US silver medals were won by Ms. Akiko Reyes (Chatsworth CA) and Master Dure Chang (Anchorage, AK). The US team was comprised from athletes from all across the nation.  The win gives Chang her third world championship medal, adding to her 2007 silver medal and 2008 silver medal.

The event also served as an opportunity for Team USA to serve as goodwill sports ambassadors with the other participating nations. On the first day of the trip, the team received a special briefing from the Cultural Affairs department of the US Embassy in Cairo which provided valuable insight into local culture and traditions of Egypt.

The Oriental Moo-Do School in Cerritos has a rich history of champions and has been serving the community for over 38 years headed by Grandmaster Chan Yong Kim. Under the guidance of his father Grandmaster Kim, Master Jimmy Kim won the first Taekwondo Olympic Gold medal for the US at the Seoul Olympics in 1988. The vision of Grandmaster Kim is to develop Life's Champions through the sport of Taekwondo.