Local Karate Kid Wins National Championship – Daily Local
WALLACE – With balance comes clarity.
Victory.
Claire Wesolowski, 9, a resident of Wallace Township, mastered key martial arts principles this summer as a taekwondo student.
She won gold at the TKD U.S. National Championships in San Antonio, Texas on August 8, where she fought against the nation’s top green belts in her age group.
The score for the semi-final was 8-3. The final round score ended at 8-4.
Claire is a fourth grade student at Springton Manor Elementary School in Downingtown.
Earlier this summer, Claire won gold at the TKD Series United States Grand Prix in Greeneville, SC on June 26 for her height, weight, sparring belt and full contact.
In 2019, Claire previously competed in Minnesota where she won a bronze medal at the national championships.
Claire trains every Saturday with the MOST Regional Training Team – which stands for Master Orlando’s Sparring Team – based at Eagleville Taekwondo Academy at 6 N. Park Ave. in Norristown.
“It’s very easy to quit,” said Claire’s training coach Master Antonio Orlando, “but it’s very difficult to continue.”
He added: “Claire is not giving up. “Giving up” is not part of his vocabulary. “
Orlando praised Claire’s courage and determination as a fearless and resilient taekwondo student.
Clarie’s parents are Luke Wesolowski and Katie Wesolowski.
The nine-year-old girl began studying taekwondo, a Korean martial art, when she was just four years old, her mother, Katie Wesolowski said.
The middle child has an older sister, Molly, 14, who attends Westtown High School. Her brother, Luke, 11, is also a Taekwondo student.
He is in sixth grade at Delaware Valley Friends School.
“We are extremely proud of her,” Wesolowski said of her daughter. “She has put a lot of time and effort into her training.
She continued, “It takes a lot of dedication for them to get to this point and for her to win at this level. We are very proud.
Claire and Luke are both members of Lupo Taekwondo in Downingtown, where Claire is currently a Blue Belt.
A key principle of Taekwondo is respect. Her children know these principles very well in the dojang and in their daily life.
“It was incredible. Especially for my son, â€Wesolowski said.
It should be noted that USA Taekwondo is the national governing body of the US Olympic Committee.
Claire joined Lupo Taekwondo Dojang in January 2018.
“Claire represented not only the MOST team and our school, but all of Pennsylvania with her victory. And she was just a green belt when she competed, â€said Robert Fox, owner of Lupo Taekwondo.
“If she stays the course, winning as a black belt could mean a blow to the Olympic team,†Fox said. “She has a competitive spirit that is rarely seen.”
