Elliott Loonstra PLY has done it again. Team Loonstra arrived in Río de Janeiro for the 2022 Pan Am Para Taekwondo Open Championship in which 59 athletes and 17 countries participated.
The first fight was against Brazil and finished in 26 secs with a score of 5-0 in favor of Loonstra after the Brazilian athlete withdrew. This secured his spot for the semi-finals. The next fight was against another Brazilian athlete and after a hard fight, in the end, the Brazilian advanced to the final. This moment represents the second Pan Am Para Taekwondo Open Championship medal that Loonstra has achieved in his short ParaTaekwondo career.
Keep in mind that the category that Loonstra participated in was the largest at the tournament with 14 registered athletes. Coach Luciano Mazzeo was requested to coach for other countries whose coaches did not have the proper certification to coach at this high level event. The countries that requested his help were Argentina, Chile, and the Dominican Republic. Argentina received Silver, Chile received Bronze, and the Dominican Republic received Silver. The athlete from the Dominican Republic has an additional disability, being deaf, making coaching more difficult.
Mazzeo supports the ‘Deaflympic Movement’ in ParaTaekwondo. This goes to show that Coach Mazzeo has vast international experience that fellow countries appreciate. Team Loonstra would like to thank Bodyzone Gym, Romina Martinez (RoroFitness), Astrid Flores, Julieta Moral (Nutritionist), CEMEDAR, along with Loonstra’s family for the extensive support of Loonstra and Mazzeo in their craft.
Let’s welcome Team Loonstra back to Aruba Sunday, April 17th when the team arrives at 4:45pm on the Avianca flight.
Thank you to Aruba for the support and a thank you to Luciano Mazzeo for making the achievements possible.
