Red Deer twin taekwondo athletes medal at national championship

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The Champion Taekwondo team at the National Championships in Winnipeg, from July 6-7. (Supplied)

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“This was the first nationals for all of them, and the Champion Sparring Team we have has been preparing them for the last three years to be able to take that step. These are the best fighters in all of Canada, so the amount of training it takes to be prepared is immense,” says Couturier.

“We took the team to Texas for a training camp with Olympic silver medallists, then we went to Missoula, Montana for another camp, and then brought their athletes up here. It’s that exposure to the next level that’s given our athletes the confidence to say, ‘I belong here.'”

For Couturier, the best part of it all was that his fighters were in every fight.

“There were no easy Champion Taekwondo steps for other teams, so I’m super proud of all of them,” he says.

The next step is competing in the 2025 Canada Open and U.S. Open, which feature international fields.

Alex (left) and Xavier Raskin of Red Deer’s Champion Taekwondo with the national championship medals in Winnipeg on July 7, 2024. (Supplied)

“It was a great day for both Alex and Xavier, who had some really tough fights, and then unfortunately had to fight each other, but that’s just the way it goes. With cadets, it was double elimination; Xavier lost his first fight, and then had to win a couple more to get back into medal contention. He lost such a close fight in the final,” says Couturier, of the loss to Charlie Spano of Black Belt World in Vaughan, ON.

“All the others did great, but ran into some of the best fighters in Canada. With Xavier’s success, the whole team can see we’re doing that right stuff, and that’s a huge morale boost.”

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