BARBADOS’ top ranked taekwondo athlete Askia Alleyne will represent the island at the World Taekwondo Championships in Manchester, England.
Alleyne, competing at the bi-annual event for the first time, will be vying for honours in the 87+ kilogramme weight category on Sunday.
He is the reigning national champion and has been Barbados’ No. 1 senior competitor for several years. In 2017 he participated in the World Taekwondo Championships
training programme in Muju,
South Korea.
The World Taekwondo Championships enable athletes to compete against the best in the world and provides them with an opportunity to improve their World and Olympic rankings.
Turton is coach
Alleyne is accompanied on the trip by president of the Taekwondo Association of Barbados, Henderson Turton, who will serve as coach/manager. Prior to their departure, Turton expressed his satisfaction with Alleyne’s conditioning. He said that Alleyne had recently participated in the Pan Am Games qualification tournament in the Dominican Republic, following which Barbados was awarded a wild card placing for the Pan Am Games.
Turton said Alleyne’s exposure at the World Championships will also provide much needed international competition experience in the lead-up to the Pan Am Games in August.
While in Manchester, Turton will also represent Barbados at the World Taekwondo General Assembly. (PR/HG)
