Buffalo Grove's Qazi Earns Silver Medal at USA Taekwondo National Championship

In a first step on the path to athletic glory, young red belt Iman Qazi of Buffalo Grove proved victorious at the 2013 USA Taekwondo National Championship. The 7-year-old student of the White Tiger Martial Arts Center in Wheeling came home from the world’s largest taekwondo competition with a silver medal in poomsae (known as forms).

According to her instructor, White Tiger Head Master Shik Lee, Qazi has a bright future in the sport. “Iman began studying taekwondo at the center because of her elder brother, a former student here, but she has come into her own and certainly proved herself at the nationals,” said Lee. “Her deep emotional strength helped her find her way to being a truly tough competitor, bringing great pride to herself, her family and our center.”  

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. For young athletes under the age of 16, who are not yet eligible to enter Olympic trials, the USAT nationals serve as the highest and most prestigious level of competition they can achieve.