Taekwondo black belt Teresa Mao of Buffalo Grove, a student of the White Tiger Martial Arts Center in Wheeling, continued her career with an impressive performance at the 2013 USA Taekwondo National Championship. The 15-year-old earned a bronze medal in board breaking at the tournament, the world’s largest taekwondo competition. Mao, a veteran student who has medaled consistently at competitions and appeared in the Junior Olympics, now also serves as a teacher at White Tiger.
“Teresa may seem quiet and reserved, but within her is the heart of a true competitor,” said her instructor, White Tiger Head Master Shik Lee. “Her high level of talent shone through at this competition and we are all very proud of her.”
Find out what's happening in Buffalo Grovewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
More than 4,000 athletes competed at this year’s national championship, held in Chicago, IL from July 3-9 and boasting Olympic-level training technology. The United States Olympic Committee recognizes USA Taekwondo as the governing body for the sport in the U.S., and victory at USAT’s national level is an important step on the road to compete for the U.S. at the XXXI Olympic Summer Games, to be held in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
