Lucas Mamonitis’ career as an Australian representative in Taekwondo has kicked off in great fashion as he took out the silver medal in a Malaysia tournament.
The 13-year-old talent competed in the KPNP Malaysian Open Series, held from 2-5 August, fighting in the 38-41kg, 12-14 yo cadet division.
Lucas was among 20 other fights from around the world, participating in four fights overall and winning the first three on his way into the final.
His route saw him defeat two current National Champions, one from Thailand and one from Malaysia, which eventually saw him compete in the final against a fellow competitor from the Australian team.
He was made to settle for the silver after a loss in the final, capping off an impressive debut outing as an Australian representative.
Lucas stated his immense honour and excitement in getting to represent the country, explaining that an added bonus was participating in the tournament while the Olympics were on at the same time.
Speaking on the Malaysia event, he stressed that his main goal was to learn from this experience and gain knowledge from his first international competition.
“I knew that there would be great fighters from around the world there,” Lucas told Neos Kosmos.
“Making it to the final was a dream in itself and coming home with a silver medal with over 20 talented fighters in his division made it all that more special.”
Lucas’ father Phillip expressed his immense pride in seeing his son represent Australia overseas.
“I know how hard he trains and it is every athlete’s dream to represent your country. To see him medal in this major event was an astonishing achievement,” Phillip told Neos Kosmos.
“His coaches and I are so proud of what Lucas has achieved. We are already talking about multiple overseas competitions next year in 2025 and are even looking beyond that to start focusing and preparing for an Olympic Games in the near future.”