JUPITER, Fla. — Former Palm Bay teen Kristina Teachout, and her quest for gold in taekwondo will bring tremendous pride to everyone in Florida who has been part of her journey.
A sport rich in tradition, taekwondo is a practice that has been studied for more than 5,000 years.
"Taekwondo is an Asian and Korean martial art," Grand Master Jung So Han said. "I started when I was very young."
Han is a black belt with over 40 years of experience.
"I competed in the Korean nationals and some big tournaments in Korea," he said. "I was pretty good."
He placed first in national tournaments and now he's sharing his expertise with Canadian national taekwondo standout Jordana Nunez.
"It's been amazing," she said. "He's taught me so much about being strong mentally and physically. All his drills help me so much."
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Nunez is in town training for the AAU National Tournament in Fort Lauderdale. Master Han takes it all in, loving what he sees. He told me how training Nunez reminds him of rising star Kristina Teachout.
"I have been teaching many kids," she said. "She's definitely number one."
Teachout, 18, is a former Palm Bay resident who Han trained from the age of six to 17. Teachout is now ranked 22nd globally and an Olympic qualifier.
"I'm really happy. I'm really proud of her. I was almost crying, really," Han said.
Teachout's dream was to become an Olympian and Han's dream was to train an Olympian. He will now head to Paris for the Olympic Games.
"How fun is that, right? She made her dream come true, and at the same time, she made my dream come true," he said.