PNG martial arts duo, Gibson Mara and Kevin Kassman have qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games in July, after a courageous performance at the Oceania Taekwondo Olympics Qualifier in Honiara, Solomon Islands.
Newcomer Mara who competed in the 80-kilogram division did not shy away from some of his more experienced opponents throughout the tournament coming out on top to claim the gold medal. Mara’s partner in crime Kassman picked up silver in the 68kg division.
Mara lives and trains in Goroka, while Kassman is Moresby-based and trains under his big brother and first PNG Gold medalist in taekwondo at the 1995 South Pacific Games in Tahiti and now national Coach, Edward Kassman.
The team arrived in the country with the good news on Sunday.
For East and West New Britain gentle giant and Goroka representative, Mara admitted he had some niggling injury before the tournament, but had the willpower and a strong mind to prove his critics wrong with a class act performance against some of his more experienced opponents from the Oceania region.
Mara eventually took out the Gold Medal in the 80-kilogram division and the ticket to the Paris Olympics.
For a novice fighter, this would be Mara's biggest breakthrough yet and setting a new record for being the first male martial artist in the sport of Taekwondo from outside of Port Moresby to qualify for the Olympics.
Meanwhile, Taekwando PNG President, John Cholai when welcoming the team back on Sunday congratulated the athletes for such a pleasing outcome and expressed great confidence in Mara and Kassman doing well at the Paris Olympics.
Cholai also attributed the latest achievement to all the sacrifice and hard work put in by his team, let alone the generous sponsors and partners for their support.
Two PNG Para Athletes (male and female) who also competed at the Oceania Olympic Qualifiers have partially qualified however, will have to go through another stringent qualifying process before they can be considered for the Paris Games.