World Games: MIT Sport Taekwondo Club Earns High Marks

This summer, senior Erika Lee and Rene Chen '07 of the MIT Sport Taekwondo Club represented the United States at the World University Games in Shenzhen, China, as a part of the national collegiate Taekwondo team.

Chen competed in the female individual poomsae division and posted an impressive overall finish of eighth place, the best result ever for a U.S. female individual poomsae competitor at a world collegiate event. Chen also competed with partner Brandon DeSouza in the mixed pairs division, where they performed the poosmae Keumgang and Taebaek. The pair finished 13th overall, falling just shy of the finals round.

Chen began learning Taekwondo in the MIT Sport Taekwondo physical education class and, in just eight years, has skyrocketed to her current rank of eighth in the world. She continues to live in the Boston area and train with the MIT club.

"It was my great honor to be an ambassador for Sport Taekwondo, my school and my country. It wouldn't have been possible without the mental, physical and financial support of many people and organizations. These kinds of events really bring out the best of humanity," Chen says.

Chen and Lee represented the United States in the women's team poomsae division along with Carissa Fu, where they performed the poosmae Taeguek Pal Jang and Koryo. After a strong performance in the semifinals, they finished ninth, one place shy of the finals by a margin of just 0.08 points.

Lee was co-captain of the Sport Taekwondo Club team at MIT last year and, as of April 2011, was ranked second in the country for sparring at the National Collegiate Taekwondo Championships. She helped lead the team to a national second-place ranking and looks to continue that leadership as she begins her senior year at MIT.