Canterbury Ninja’s dreams lead to Tokyo Olympics

Impressed by motion films, 19-yea- outdated Burns took up taekwondo when he was a younger boy with the dream of turning into a Ninja.

Receiving his taekwondo black belt on the tender age of 10, it is honest to say he has been honing his craft for a while now.

Final 12 months the Christchurch native sealed his Olympic qualification by profitable gold within the males’s below 68 kg division on the Oceania Olympic Qualifying match in Queensland.

After ending secondary college, he moved to South Korea to additional pursue taekwondo at Nazarene College in Cheonan, which is taken into account one of many high taekwondo institutes on the earth.

With none information of the Korean language, it wasn’t a straightforward transition to make for the younger man.

“After I first got here it was very onerous mentally, I felt very remoted I did not have anybody to speak. I might say it is taken me a really very long time to completely assimilate and get snug right here, however I’ve acquired there in the long run” he stated.

Nonetheless based mostly in South Korea, he may have a brief distance to journey when the Tokyo video games start in July.

Within the coming months, Burns does not anticipate to have a lot spare time along with his strict coaching regime in Cheonan preserving him busy.

“Throughout a daily day, I will get up at 8, go to power and conditioning coaching until 11 and after that I will have a snack after which I will go do weights within the health club from 11:30-12:30 after which I will come house and sit back till 3,” he stated.

“From 3-5 we have now taekwondo coaching and in earlier years we have had one other coaching from 8-9 at evening however due to COVID we won’t practice that late in the mean time.”

The depth of taekwondo coaching in South Korea is in contrast to something he had ever skilled, it’s the nation’s nationwide sport in any case.

Even within the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic Burn’s coaching did not let up along with his coaches seeing it as a chance to coach extra.

“It is very intense all 12 months spherical, it is very bodily and mentally demanding and the coaches may be harsh and push you fairly onerous, the extent of coaching companions is fairly excessive up right here as effectively.”

Burns initially greeted the postponement of final years Olympics optimistically pondering it might presumably enhance his probabilities.

Because the youngest fighter in his division, an additional 12 months of coaching and growth gave him extra time to develop in each ability and in bodily stature.

Nevertheless, the pandemic has halted all taekwondo competitions in South Korea, leaving Burns with no testing floor outdoors of the health club he trains in.

“It is all effectively and good having the ability to say that you’ve got improved and within the consolation of coaching it feels good however if you cannot take a look at it on the mats when persons are making an attempt to knock you out it is a bit onerous to inform how effectively it is translated,” he stated.

In what will probably be his first Olympic Video games, Burns is preserving his targets practical.

“My objective for the Olympics can be to get an Olympic Diploma which suggests getting high 8 in your sport, I would need to win my first spherical so that’s one thing that I am specializing in.”

In Tokyo, Burns could have the prospect to battle in opposition to his Taekwondo idol, an opponent who’s fiercely revered amongst fighters and followers alike, South Korea’s Lee Dae Hoon.

“It is one thing me and my coach joke about as a result of they’re each Korean, so he likes teasing me about it and tries to make use of it as motivation to make me do an additional lap or sprints.”

He teases me by saying “it is time to put within the work, you would be combating Lee in six months.”

“It is a surreal thought nevertheless it’s additionally fairly thrilling and it undoubtedly makes me work more durable understanding I may very well be sharing ring time with him.”

Burns says that after the Olympics he’ll replicate on his journey within the sport thus far and see whether or not there’s extra that he needs out of it.

Trying again at why he began the game he admits he is virtually achieved what he got down to do as a younger boy.

“I would say going to the Olympics might be about as shut as you will get to being a licensed ninja.”