CombatAUS has finalised the Judo and Taekwondo athlete cohorts who will train out of the National Performance Centre (NPC) in 2023.
The NPC is an athlete-centred, coach-led program maximising the performance potential of Australia’s best Judo and Taekwondo athletes, through targeted technical and performance support services. With 29 of Australia’s best Judo and Taekwondo athletes training at the NPC full-time, this highly competitive, performance-focussed environment will support athletes to succeed on the international stage at world leading events.
Based at the Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS) in Albert Park, Melbourne, the VIS provides support to the athletes through embedded staff in Strength & Conditioning, Physiotherapy, Nutrition, Psychology and Performance Lifestyle.
CombatAUS Chief Executive Officer, Alex Vallentine, is excited about the year ahead for all NPC athletes.
“This full-time performance environment will maximise performance outcomes and allow Australian Judo and Taekwondo athletes to deliver success on the world stage. 2023 is a huge year for all CombatAUS programs with the Paris 2024 Olympic Games less than 18 months away” Vallentine said.
Seokhun Lee, National Technical Lead – Taekwondo adds “I’m looking forward to working with our National Program Coach Ryan Carneli and the 2023 NPC squad this year. Our team have been training extremely hard with the new KPNP system in preparation for the upcoming Europe tour, World Championships & Grand Prix competitions. I believe that the team can produce great results in these competitions.”
National Technical Lead – Judo, Maria Pekli, believes 2023 will be an another huge year for Australian judo athletes on the world stage as a results of improvements made in the full-time environment. “Having all interdisciplinary services together and year-round contact with the coaching staff is benefitting the athletes greatly. We just completed our first tour for the year and achieved out best ever performance for the team. This year we have a few junior athletes in the program who are learning so much from the seniors, not just on the mat but off the mat as well.”
In 2022, The NPC was awarded Olympic Training Centre recognition by the Australian Olympic Committee. The Olympic Training Centre status recognises the role the facility plays in preparing Australian athletes to succeed on the world stage and compete at the Olympic Games.
Congratulations to all athletes selected for 2023:
| Judo | Taekwondo |
| Abigail Paduch | Anastasia Typou |
| Anneliese Fielder | Bailey Lewis |
| Aoife Coughlan | Damon Motta |
| Danny Vojnikovich | Leon Sejranovic |
| Jake Bensted | Liam Sweeney |
| Josh Katz | Matthew Summerfield |
| Katharina Haecker | Reba Stewart |
| Liam Park | Rebecca Murray |
| Maeve Coughlan | Saffron Tambyrajah |
| Maria Swan | Stacey Hymer |
| Nathan Katz | Tom Afonczenko |
| Noah Nightingale | Tyrone Staben |
| Rihari Iki | Will Afonczenko |
| Ryley Rametta | |
| Saya Middleton | |
| Tinka Easton |
