Medal Bonanza in Payerne – 25 Podium Finishes from 27 Entries
- Peter Regan
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
TONG IL CUP 24. May 2025
Waking up at 6 a.m. on a Saturday isn’t for everyone, but our Taekwon-Do students and black belts definitely don’t count themselves among the faint-hearted. While most of us would have happily slept in and enjoyed a leisurely Saturday morning, our team met at 7 a.m. for the nearly two-hour bus ride to Payerne (VD) for the Tong Il Cup.
The journey itself became a team-building exercise: between highway miles, everyone had time to chat, laugh, and strengthen our bonds. Upon arrival at the sports hall, we found three competition rings, twenty referees, and an electric atmosphere.
Our own Matija Lakic and Angela De La Cueva stepped in as referees, gaining invaluable experience and officiating bouts with fairness and precision. As centre referee, I made sure that every match remained respectful and safe—no senseless blows allowed.
The tournament kicked off with patterns (forms) for the younger students and sparring for our black belts, freeing them to take up officiating duties later. Angela performed stellar in both patterns and forms, her speed and technique leaving opponents in awe.
Overall standards varied, but it was clear that our Dojang and partner schools like Döttingen and Fribourg stood out for technical excellence and true ITF spirit: honour, respect, and courage.
Unfortunately, some teams relied on brute force, and we witnessed the occasional biased call. I’m confident, however, that working alongside our partner Dojangs, we can continue to champion fairness and safety in competition.
Despite a few late entries, absentees, and last-minute participants, the organisers managed to stick to the timetable and finish on schedule. Hats off to them!
From the sidelines, I watched our students carefully, noting both strengths and areas for improvement. After reviewing these observations with our coaches and black belts, we’ll integrate them into future training.
I’m especially proud of every competitor, whether you’ve trained for years or only a few months. Congratulations to:
Abjona and Tuana (Kids B class): After just a handful of lessons, they fearlessly stepped into the competition and delivered fantastic performances.
Alem, age 11 (yellow stripe, Group B): He competed in two events and earned well-deserved silver medals in both—a truly impressive debut!
Alina, also Group B: She claimed gold in both sparring and patterns with outstanding technique and power.
Julia, age 53: A shining example of dedication and solidarity, she earned a bronze medal in patterns against much younger opponents. We are very proud of you!
Our team achieved the incredible: we entered 27 events—a potential 27 medals—and brought home 25: 9 gold, 6 silver, and 10 bronze! The slim margin on gold was simply because we sometimes competed against each other in the same category, yet still finished top-three across the board—an all the more remarkable feat. There’s always room to grow, of course: athletes, coaches, and referees alike have areas to refine so that next time we might sweep every title. All in all, a fantastic result!
A big thank-you to Coaches Simona and Jonathan, who supported our team throughout the day, ensuring everyone was in the right place and providing both technical and moral encouragement.
I’m sure they’ll have plenty of exciting stories to share with friends on Monday. Well done, everyone! Now we turn our sights to the Swiss Open on September 20 in Davos (GR)—where I hope to see even more students and black belts in action.
Peter Regan
Schwarzgurte in Aktion zu sehen.
Peter Regan
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