Our World Champions are celebrated with special reception at City Hall
Mayor of Waterford City & County, Cllr. Seamus Ryan is pictured with team members, friends and families of G Force Taekwon-Do Club. Photo: Noel Browne
In recognition of their recent victories at the World Championships, G Force Taekwon-Do Club were afforded a Mayoral Reception in City Hall last week.
Four athletes from the local club were selected to compete on the Irish team during the Championships held in Barcelona.
Rodrigo Garduno, Diego Garduno, David Pacud and Santiago Garduno each performed across demanding individual and team events, showing not only technical skill but also teamwork and resilience on the world stage.
Rodrigo Garduno competed across sparring, patterns and power breaking, returning home with a silver medal in team special technique.
Diego Garduno also competed in patterns, special technique and power breaking, picking up a silver medal in team special technique.
Meanwhile, David Pacud delivered an exceptional performance as part of the Irish junior male team, earning silver in sparring, bronze in patterns, and gold medals in both power breaking and special technique.
Santiago Garduno also impressed in individual competition, securing silver in sparring and bronze in patterns.
Also representing Waterford and indeed Ireland at the Championships was G-Force Taekwon-Do Club owner, Javier Garduno, who was umpire for the Irish team.
Commending the club during last week’s reception, Mayor of Waterford City and County, Cllr Seamus Ryan, said that the achievement “reflected the high standards of training, discipline and commitment within the club.”
“You have represented your club, your community and your country with pride, and your achievements are something Waterford can be very proud of,” he added.
Speaking to the Waterford News & Star at City Hall, club owner Javier said that it was no easy feat for the young athletes.
“For the lads to get to the level to compete on the world stage against the very best, they need to sacrifice a lot. They need to train sometimes six days a week.
"It’s a lot of commitment and hard work, and it's not easy. That’s why only a few can achieve this and we are all very proud of them.”
The team are returning to work, already training hard for the next World Championships, which take place here in Ireland in 2028.
