Taekwondo is one of the most spectacular disciplines the Olympic games have to offer, and without a doubt Tokyo 2020 is going to be the venue where we will see the best the world has to offer, and this time we want to talk about another member of the Team USA Senior National Team who is not only preparing but also competing in the Olympic Cycle working hard to be part of the final team, that is one Christian Suh.
Born in Okinawa, Japan in August 1991, he moved and grew in Bayside, New York in the US, where he went to H. Frank Carey Highschool and in 1997 he wore his Taekwondo uniform for the first time under the guidance of Master Jin Suh. He graduated from high school in 2011. One of the curiosities of this Taekwondo practitioner is not just that he was born in Japan but also that he is half Korean and half African.
But that day back in 1997 when he wore is Taekwondo uniform for the first time was not in fact the first time he was close to either the clothing or the sport, his father Jin Suh was precisely in that year part of the US National team and then in 2000 he was also part of the team that competed in that year’s world cup.
IN COMPETITION
More so, and as we will talk about in a bit, he also got to be part of the US Senior Taekwondo Team which makes them first as father and son to achieve such a goal.
His career has been very prolific as he started earning medals in 2006 when he captured the silver in the Buffalo National Qualifier where he competed in the Jr. Heavy division. That same year Suh went to capture the gold in the Junior Olympics – Elite Open also in the Jr. Heavy division.
2007 was a busy year for Suh who started by capturing two consecutive gold medals, both in the Providence National Qualifier where he competed first in the Sr. Heavy division and then in the Jr. Heavy division. After this incredible feat he went and competed in the Senior National Championships where he participated in the heavy division capturing a bronze medal.
He won the gold in the Junior Olympics and was also first place in the Junior team trials. He ended the year participating in the Pan-American Jr Championships where he captured the silver medal in the Jr. Heavy division.
His first competition as part of the US Junior National Team took place in 2008 and his best year in 2009 when he became part of the US National Team Trials where he ended up in second place as well as in the Under 24 US National Team trials.
From there on he has kept on competing with a pause in 2011 after competing National Collegiate Championships where he captured the bronze medal. He returned to active competition in 2016 at the President’s Cup G2 Sparring where he captured the Silver Medal in the heavy black belt division.
It is also important to recognize that he already competed as a member of the senior national team in “Costa Rica Open” and in the “President’s Cup” in Las Vegas Nevada obtaining a bronze medal. His latest competition took place this year when he was part of the US Senior national team.
Suh considers himself a lover of Korean cuisine as well as an ice cream expert.