Dominique Bosshart could singlehandedly put taekwondo on the Canadian
sports map. The martial art sport makes it Olympic debut at the Sydney
Games and Bosshart is the only Canadian who qualified directly for the
Games.
She was second at the 1999 world championships in the 67 kilograms and over
category. She lost the final in one of the highest ever scoring matches for
the heavyweight division. She'll enter the Games ranked in the world's
top-10. Bosshart started the sport in 1991 at age 13 at the urging of her
brother who would eventually quit.
"I was always in sports before taekwondo and had good athletic ability,"
said Bosshart, a seven-time national champion. "So taekwondo came to me
quite naturally and I did well at it right away. It's a very individual
sport. I'm really into the competition aspect.
She is coached by Master Kang at Kang's Taekwondo Academy in Winnipeg. He
is originally from Korea which is the birthplace of the sport. "He kept me
on the track to achieve the highest level in the sport. When it became an
official Olympic sport it was very exciting."
2000 Games Sept. 30: Women's heavyweight (67-kg plus): Dominique Bosshart, Winnipeg, won bronze medal, with 3-1 record.
Sept. 30: Women's heavyweight (67-kg plus): Dominique Bosshart, Winnipeg, won bronze medal, with 3-1 record.