Wednesday 3 October 2018 11:49am
Otago Zoology Master's student Katherine Lockton with the gold medal she won in the 2018 Taekwan-do World Cup last month.
If Katherine Lockton needed to justify taking time off from her research to compete in the Taekwan-do World Cup, then coming home with a gold medal was the perfect way.
The Zoology Master's student had a week’s respite from her thesis to compete at the International Taekwan-do Federation (ITF) event in Sydney, and four minutes in the ring was enough to secure gold in her category.
“It was so cut-throat with such a short amount of time. Basically you spot your opponent and the clock starts straight away,” she says. “My nerves were through the roof.”
"I really wanted the gold medal. That’s also the reason I only entered one event as I just wanted to put all my energy into doing my best at one thing to improve my chances of winning."
With five entrants in her category, Katherine’s fight for gold involved sparring against two competitors for two minutes each.
“I really wanted the gold medal. That’s also the reason I only entered one event as I just wanted to put all my energy into doing my best at one thing to improve my chances of winning.”
Katherine has been a member of the University’s TKD club for five years, since her second year at Otago, and in that time has attained the level of red stripe, one of the sport’s highest rankings.
Katherine draws similarities between TKD and study including the high levels of discipline and perseverance required in both. She also says that a big part of TKD is not just about competing with others but against yourself.
The Master's student is in the final stages of writing her thesis on genetic divergence in brooding clams across New Zealand.
Bringing home gold from the World Cup adds to her collection of two other gold medals won at the New Zealand TKD champs earlier this year, including an award for the best overall blue belt.
“I have been so excited the past few days. Focusing on the World Cup gave me a break from my research, but now I am back I am motivated to finish my thesis.”