A New Milestone
On 18 & 19 July 2026, Chuncheon, Korea played host to the largest field VTKD has assembled yet. The VTKD Chuncheon Open 2026 brought together over 70 athletes from more than 10 countries, all competing for a place on the podium — and for a spot in VTKD’s growing ranked circuit.
From the opening matches to the final bouts, the standard of competition only climbed. Athletes brought everything they’ve got, and the fight stayed intense all the way through to the finals — every podium finish was hard-earned.
The Podium
Four divisions took to the mats this past weekend. Here’s how the podiums shook out:
Under 14 Mixed
| 🥇 Gold | Samuel Freimuth | USA |
| 🥈 Silver | Connor Anthony Ong | USA |
| 🥉 Bronze | Ara Kim | KOR Nathanael Sean Ibrahim | INA |
Under 35 Male
| 🥇 Gold | Nong Thach Khiem | VIE |
| 🥈 Silver | Darius Venerable | PHI |
| 🥉 Bronze | Nikolas Sharpe | USA Choi Gang | KOR |
Under 35 Female
| 🥇 Gold | Nguyen Thi Mong Quynh | VIE |
| 🥈 Silver | Kim Yu Gyeong | KOR |
| 🥉 Bronze | Juvenile Faye Crisostomo | PHI Nuray Kaznabek | KAZ |
Under 35 Mixed
| 🥇 Gold | Nguyen Thi Mong Quynh | VIE |
| 🥈 Silver | Joseph Guimond | USA |
| 🥉 Bronze | Nong Thach Khiem | VIE Taehyung Kim | KOR |
Nguyen Thi Mong Quynh left Chuncheon with two golds — Women’s U35 and Mixed U35 — a standout result in a field this deep. Standing on the podium, she reflected on the moment:
“First, I feel very happy — I’m so proud of myself and so proud of all my teammates. To get a medal here, I want to say thank you to my master and my coach, and all my teammates, because we trained together and had a great competition.”
For Kaznabek Kuray, bronze in the Women’s U35 division capped off what she described as a genuinely special experience:
“Virtual Taekwondo was a really special experience for me. The competition was exciting, and I think the standard of competition was very high.”
And for Nikolas Sharpe, bronze in the Men’s U35 division was just the beginning:
“It was a really fun tournament — the competition was tough, and every match could’ve gone either way. All in all, I had a great time, and I’m definitely coming back to the next tournament to go for gold.”
Looking Ahead
Chuncheon marks another step in VTKD’s ranked circuit, and the momentum doesn’t stop here. Later this year, VTKD heads to the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, standing alongside some of the world’s biggest sporting events on an Olympic-council stage. The athletes who competed at Chuncheon are part of the same story that continues there.
None of this happens without our partners. Our thanks to World Taekwondo for their continued endorsement and support, and to the Chuncheon Leisure and Taekwondo Organising Committee for hosting a competition of this scale.
The stage keeps getting bigger, and Chuncheon is only the latest step. See you at the next one.
Images used courtesy of Chuncheon Leisure and Taekwondo Organizing Committe