Grandmaster Javier Mayen, a member of the Official Taekwondo Hall of Fame, has devoted more than 50 years of his life to taekwondo as a coach, competitor, and school owner. He competed in three world championships, earning bronze at the 1982 Ecuador event, and was also Pan American champion in 1982.
Above he executes a flawless pi chagui against his opponent at the North American Taekwondo Championship. At left he stands alongside Dr. Chungwon Choue, president of the World Taekwondo Federation, at the XXII World Taekwondo Championship in Russia.
Grandmaster Barry Jordan still goes airborne in his seventies, competing frequently and successfully around the world. He's Australia's first World Taekwondo poomsae world champion, a gold medalist at three U.S. Open championships, and a three-time gold medalist at the World Hanmadang in Korea.
Grandmaster Jack Rozinszky started training in judo and taekwondo 1950 and in 1963 established the Melbourne Taekwondo Centre, which has grown into one of the largest and most successful clubs in Australia. A member of the Official Taekwondo Hall of Fame, he is recognized as his country’s taekwondo pioneer. His achievements include training three world champions in sparring, poomsae, and para taekwondo.
Grandmaster Russell Wood of Australia is still competing in his eighties. After many years as a dominant force in sparring, he now focuses on poomsae, breaking, and other technical events. In 2014 he won four gold medals at his country's National Championships and a bronze medal at the World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships. At the 2015 Australian Open he captured five gold medals.
Grandmaster Chi Duong uses a ridge-hand strike to destroy cement blocks in this 2014 photo. He is a five-time USA Taekwondo National Champion and two-time silver medalist at the World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships.
In this 1978 photo Grandmaster Son Myung-Soo, President of the Royal Tae Kwon Do Federation of Canada, demonstrates the power of a jumping front kick. He began his lifelong study of the martial arts in 1955.
Speed, power, flexibility, and balance combine for this impressive breaking demonstration by Grandmaster Young A. Kwon of Massachusetts.
A youthful Grandmaster Bobby Kim shows what a high kick is all about. He used this kick often during his film career to knock out the bad guy standing behind him. A global action movie star, community leader, and lifelong taekwondo devotee, he is one of the great pioneers of taekwondo in America.
An early photo of Grandmaster Ki Sung Chang executing a flying kick. Grandmaster Chang has devoted his life to teaching "whoever loves learning Taekwondo." He notes that his interest in supporting the growth of Taekwondo "will continue to the end of my life."
The Ancient Warrior Society photo collection