Mackenzie Macdonald has recently earned her selection as a Team Australia representative at the 2022 World Cadet & Junior Taekwondo Championships, in Sofia, Bulgaria on 28 July-1 August.

Mackenzie is a 12 year old Black Belt and is the current National Champion in the 12-14 years Cadet u33kg, the division in which she will contest at the world championships. As a young athlete, with incredible support from her coach and teammates at Hall's Taekwondo, Mackenzie is a 6-time National Champion and now ready to step onto the world stage as a Team Australia representative at the upcoming world championships.

Australian Taekwondo has advised that funding is unfortunately not available to support the team representatives on this tour and we have been encouraged to reach out to community to support her participation.

The importance of the World Taekwondo Cadet Championships cannot be understated. At the delayed Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021, 17 out of the 32 medallists had medalled either at the World Taekwondo cadet or junior championships, or at the Youth Olympic Games. These statistics demonstrate that the cadet athletes who will be competing in Bulgaria have the potential to be nurtured into World or Olympic champions. The 2022 World Championships develop a pathway for international events and the Olympics.

We reach out to the community to achieve our fundraising target. The funds raised will contribute to athlete costs (estimated to be $5,800) as well as parent supervision on this exciting experience (estimated $3,000). Expenses for the World Championship Cadet Tour include airfares, accommodation, entry fees and uniform.

We humbly request your support to see Mackenzie begin her international Taekwondo career.

You can follow Mackenzie's journey on her socials @mackenziemacdonaldtkd