MBABANE – Taekwondo cadets have hoisted the country’s flag once again.
Siblings Phiwokuhle Soko (12) and Melokuhle Dlamini (11) secured a podium finish. The duo competed in the 2025 Kukkiwon World Taekwondo Hanmadang.
Soko secured first place in her category, winning a gold medal. Furthermore, Dlamini won third place to earn bronze. Reports suggest that they departed the country for this competition last Tuesday.
Nevertheless, the main purpose of the trip was to visit their father who is based in the United States of America (USA). As a result, they aligned their visit with the competition that was taking place from July 17-19 at the Anaheim Convention Centre in California.
The term cadet refers to athletes between 10 and 14 years old. This age group competes in specific cadet divisions within taekwondo competitions, both nationally and internationally.
They were accompanied by Coach Wandile Maziya and their mother. It was gathered that the mother catered for everything.
Eswatini Taekwondo Federation (ETF) Vice Secretary Mbongeni Ndo Nsibandze lauded the achievements.
“As a federation, we are happy about the performance. It really shows that if we can set up proper development structures, we can go very far. Our cadets and juniors in general, have the potential to win medals at continental or global competitions. They only need as much exposure as possible,” he said.
He further added that having cadets compete in such competitions is crucial for the future.
“If we can get them to such competitions frequently, by 2032 we can have globally competitive athletes in our senior team,” Nsibandze said.
The Kukkiwon, the World Taekwondo Headquarters, announced the establishment of new overseas branches in the United States, including New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Illinois, Texas, Florida and California, alongside the formation of the 45-State (including Puerto Rico and Guam) Kukkiwon Branch Alliance last year.
This was not the first time local cadets shone abroad. During the 2022 Taekwondo African Championship, Bongumusa Mkhatshwa bagged a silver medal.
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