Pictured, from left, are: Olympian Herb Perez wraps his arm around both Imani Horton and Master Ron Whitted.
Courtesy of Ron Whitted
Clinton celebrates two rising stars in Taekwondo
Pictured, from left, are: Olympian Herb Perez stands with Caleb Gutierrez and Master Ron Whitted.
Courtesy of Ron Whitted
Taekwondo is a niche sport in Sampson County but has made waves over the decades with local Taekwondo Master, Ron Whitted, at the helm. The master of his craft has taken in the youth in the county, bringing them in and training them in the martial arts.
Whitted has won four National Taekwondo Championships including the U.S. Open Taekwondo Championships which were held in Texas in 2006. He also was the first USA Taekwondo NC State President and is a USA Taekwondo certified referee and level one Taekwondo Coach.
Eight year old Caleb Gutierrez is a rising star in Sport Taekwondo excelling in academics, chess and the piano while practicing the craft. In 2023, not only did Caleb win the Gold medal in Kyorugi (Sparring) at the BodyArmor State Games of NC Sport and Traditional Taekwondo Championships, he also won Gold in Sport Poomsae (Forms) at the 2023 Global Open Kukkiwon Cup Taekwondo Championships.
Local Taekwondo student Imani Horton also won the Gold medal in Kyorugi, (Sparring). The BodyArmor State Games Taekwondo event was held at the Cabarrus Arena and Events Center in Concord, NC and are sponsored by North Carolina Amateur Sports (NCAS). North Carolina Amateur Sports is a non-profit organization established in 1983 to host the first sanctioned State Games in 1986 and the U.S. Olympic Festival-87. Today, it operates with the goal of promoting health and wellness for all ages and skill levels through organizing best-in-class sporting events that enrich the quality of life and enhance economic well-being of North Carolina communities.
The Kukkiwon serves as World Taekwondo Headquarters and was established in 1972 to spread knowledge and raise popularity of Korea’s representative martial arts, Taekwondo while also serving as a place where coaches are trained, and offers Taekwondo experience programs for foreigners. Currently, the World Taekwondo Championships and various national competitions are held at Kukkiwon. The 2023 Global Open Kukkiwon Cup was held in Smithfield at the Smithfield Recreation & Aquatics Center. The 2024 event will be held in New Jersey on June 1.
Directing the 2023 Global Open Kukkiwon Cup was Olympian Herb Perez, who won the gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. Perez also starred in the WMAC Masters TV show which aired in 1995. The late Mayor Emsley Kennedy and the late former City Councilman Ed Faison attended the event.
“Grandmaster Herb Perez was my first Sport Taekwondo Instructor. We brought him to Clinton, NC in 1993 to conduct Sport Taekwondo seminars. We had been participating in Taekwondo point fighting tournaments like the Karate events, but this was a game changer. Our Clinton Taekwondo Competition Team has won over 50 National Medals at the USA Taekwondo Championships and are currently training to participate in the upcoming 2024 BodyArmor State Games.” Whitted said.
Taekwondo event which will again be held in Concord, NC at the Cabarrus Arena and Events Center scheduled for June 15, 2024.
Reach Anthony McConnaughey at amcconnaughey@www.clintonnc.com, X @SampsonSports or on the Sampson Independent Facebook page