Tom Burns

EVENT: Taekwondo: Men's -68kg

Tokyo 2020 was the first Olympic Games for Taekwondo athlete Tom Burns.

The 19-year-old Christchurch athlete fought his way to the Olympic Games after moving to Narazene University in South Korea. The University fosters taekwondo talent and is recognised as one of the top taekwondo institutes in the world.

Burns will compete in the -68kg weight category at Tokyo 2020. Over the past two years, Burns has competed in more than 15 international competitions, including the 2019 World University Games and 2019 WT World Championships.

Burns began learning taekwondo as a child as he “wanted to become a ninja.”