The American Taekwondo Association (ATA) held its annual World Championship tournament in Little Rock, and four students from ATA Martial Arts in Bentonville earned world champion titles.
Fairy Degener, a 4th Degree Black Belt, won the gold medal in combat weapons sparring. Terence Lee and his son Nathan Lee, both 2nd Degree Black Belts, each placed first in traditional forms, and Katherine Spaulding, a 3rd Degree Black Belt, was named World Champion in point sparring.
They competed against nine other Top 10 finalists from around the world in their respective divisions at the Little Rock Statehouse Convention Center.
Jena Ramsey, a 3rd Degree Black Belt, and Johnny Kopp, a 2nd Degree Black Belt, also ranked among the Top 10 in the world in their divisions. The ATA school also finished the year with 57 Arkansas State Champion titles and 11 district champions.
“To have six Top 10 World Champion finalists in one school is a huge accomplishment.” said three-time world champion Adam O’Connor, the chief instructor at ATA Martial Arts . “It is truly a testament to the dedication and these students and the example being taught by the instructors.”