How taekwondo helped me set a world record
World Indoor heptathlon record holder Ashton Eaton is one of an exciting clutch of young talented mutli-eventers from the US. He spoke to spikesmag.com about how his passion for taekwondo has helped him reach the top.
“I played American football and I did wrestling as a kid, but I also did taekwondo and this sport helped my athletics more than anything. I received my black belt and it taught me about body awareness. Now, I can manipulate my body the way a coach would want me to.
It helps me master certain techniques. It is great to have a background in taekwondo for events like the pole vault, for example. Taekwondo taught me good body awareness and it means I am comfortable when I'm upside down in the air or when I’m doing a hitch-kick in the long jump.
I started the sport when I was ten because I really liked the Teenage Mutant Ninga Turtles as a kid and I competed in taekwondo until I was about 15. I also went to the World Games one year as a point fighter – which basically means I went there as a wildcard. I had to fight my way up and I finished sixth – which meant I was sixth in the world for my age group.
Taekwondo helped with my discipline, too. The physical demands are quite intense, but 90 per cent of the sport is a mental challenge. I eventually gave up not because I wanted to but because my instructors moved to Hawaii. I don’t incorporate it as part of my training today, but I guess it is a bit like riding a bike and I do fool around at home to see if I still have it.”