The athletes selected to represent Paraguay in the discipline of taekwondo in the next South American Games are preparing to get medals with the Director of the National Team, Sebastián Giovine.
Sebastián Giovine is director of the National Taekwondo Team, physical trainer and member of the Board of Directors of the Paraguayan Confederation of Taekwondo WT. He embraces this sport from a very young age and is a coach for athletes who will compete in the ASU2022 Games.
“I started in Taekwondo when I was very young, at the age of seven, and almost without realizing it I was competing at an international level since I was 12. At the age of 15 I started to be an assistant instructor and then I became an instructor and opened my own academy. “, he pointed.
He won medals at various international events and was also a national referee. “I did a master’s degree in Korea in 2014, I also had several diplomas, such as training for people with disabilities in Brazil.”
Sport and social action
Sebastián is a member of the Board of Directors of the Paraguayan Confederation of Taekwondo WT and director of the combat area in said institution. “As a coach I started with national and international training. We formed a combat team called Hankook Paraguay, and it is a taekwondo association that also carries out social projects for low-income children.”
Since 2016, Giovine has represented the country in international events in Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Brazil. Currently he is the technical director of the Paraguayan National Team of Taekwondo WT, for 2 years.
“With the team we never stopped training, we were always in competition. With the pandemic, the Odesur Games were almost out of our reach, but once the organization was confirmed in our country, we got to work. We made selections and the boys achieved very good results”, he pointed out.
He commented that there are six classified in combat, and that a team of five classified for Poomsae (Forms) will also be presented for the first time. “As a coach you practically know each athlete in depth. I am very demanding, I expect a lot from them, because I know their ability and I know that if things are done well, they can be on the podium”.
He pointed out that the athlete’s career is short, so he hopes that they can enjoy this stage, and develop their maximum potential. “The sports results will be an evaluation to continue working,” he indicated.
Selected athletes
The athletes selected today are: Thais Trinidad, Carlos Giménez, Joel Torres, who are the youngest in the team, but with a lot of experience. Johana Fernández, Lourdes Benites, Carlos Von Lucken and Sergio Park have more experience in the sport. “They are all number 1 in their category and they have been training together since July of this year, the date on which the first places of the selected team were defined,” he said.
Giovine added that they have a Poomsae (forms) team, “it is very new, it is another modality within Taekwondo. she was selected in August of this year.
Those selected are: Jaesson Garay, Betharram Chamorro, Mayra Caceres, Camila Vargas, Taekyo Priore. “They have managed to form a very united team and work hard. I also wish the greatest success to the athletes and their coach”, he concluded.
