Hello. My name is Valentina. I am a Senior Taekwondo Athlete from Canberra and my local club is called Forza Taekwondo.

I have been competing as a Taekwondo athlete for many years now. This includes participation in local, interstate, and overseas competitions whereby I have had the honour of representing my country in World and Oceania Championships, International Opens, and Australian Club based Competitions.

In the past and when I was a Junior athlete and a Cadet prior to that, the large majority of events were Australian based. Whilst the cost was still quite significant, as a Senior athlete the cost is much higher because I must travel overseas as much as possible to compete across the various International Opens.

In 2023 and 2024 I competed for Australia in the Cadet and Junior World Championships. These were formidable years that helped me to develop into a strong competitor and to build a reputation for being a fighter with an edge factor and with "pizzazz" (as described by others). My Junior/Senior transition year in 2025 put an immediate stop to this when I sustained a major injury during Senior World Selections with a complete avulsion of my hamstring. After nearly a year of emotional and financial challenges to rehabilitate myself, I'm back on track and eager to return to my pre-injury best.

Thus far in 2026 I have competed overseas in the Belgium and Dutch Opens and will soon travel to Korea for the Korean Open. Whilst I receive a small amount of funding as an AusTKD Fighting Futures and Performance Pathway Athlete, my costs for these events were high. Interstate costs are lower but up to the present time I have competed in the Australian Open and President's Cup, Oceania Selections and Championship, and AusTKD PPP events.

I don't have an exact figure on my cost but it will definitely exceed $20k for this year. Now that I am an adult, I am making a conscious effort to rely less on my family and to manage my own campaigns. The platform offered here by the Australian Sports Foundation is an important part of this plan.

Thank you for your time.