Twenty-year-old Fred Valentina is set to become only the third taekwondo athlete from the Solomon Islands to compete at the World Taekwondo Championships in China.

Solomon Islands Taekwondo Union (SITU) head coach Junior Maetia, who will accompany ther young lad to the 27th edition of the Championships in Wuxi, China, from October 24-30, expressed confidence in the young athlete’s potential.

“He is an athlete selected by the Federation who has shown incredible commitment and determination. 

“I believe he will deliver a strong performance and, hopefully, achieve a good result for our country,” Maetia said.

Valentina, who has previously claimed gold at the 2023 Solomon Games and silver at the 2023 Oceania Taekwondo Championship, is expected to gain valuable experience from competing on the world stage.

“This will be his first time at a global event, and it will be an excellent learning opportunity. He will get to face some of the best taekwondo athletes in the world and bring back knowledge to further develop the sport in the Solomon Islands,” Maetia added.

Highlighting the growth of the sport locally, Maetia noted, “With our world-class facilities and improved support, I believe Fred will perform even better than our previous athletes who have competed at the World Championships.”

Valentina and Maetia are set to begin their journey to Wuxi on Wednesday, October 15. The coach also expressed his gratitude to those who supported their preparations.

“A huge thanks to everyone who has helped us on this journey. I want to thank NSC for assisting with the airfare, David Leong for the uniforms, and many others who I may have missed,” he said.

By TIMOTHY INIFIRI JNR