Years of training and competition have finally paid off for Melissa Muscat, a first-year Bachelor of Nursing student from Central Queensland University Mackay.

Melissa has turned her bruises to Bronze at the 2005 Taekwon Do Senior World Championships held in Caloundra recently.

In her first Taekwon Do competition as a Senior (over 18), Melissa and her team have won two Bronze medals in the Second Degree Black Belt team events of ‘Team Patterns’ and ‘Team Sparring'.

“It was really exciting to be part of a Senior World Championship competition held at home in Australia, and even more exciting to achieve Bronze for the Australian team,” said Melissa of her world championship win.

Melissa’s Taekwon Do success has come as a result of hard work and training for the past six years.

Originally introduced to Taekwon Do by her mother, Melissa started training at a local Marian gym in 1999 at the age of 12. She grew to love the sport and quickly progressed through the ranks by training four nights a week. In 2002, Melissa achieved her First Degree Black Belt and represented Australia in the Junior World Championships in Puerto Rico.

According to Melissa, it takes a lot of dedication and commitment to make the Australian team with regional, state and national competitions held annually, and selection for the world championship team every second year.

“It’s also costly travelling to the events, but thanks to Reliance Petroleum I was able to attend.

“The world championship competition is just like a mini Olympic Games with opening and closing ceremonies and great home country support. The competition involves a lot of ‘mind games’, and we never let our competitors see our bruising or they will use it to their advantage.".

Although Taekwon Do tends to be more of a hobby in Australia, other countries, such as Korea, receive government funding to enable their athletes to train and compete full-time. The fact that Australia achieved 5th place on the overall medal tally in competition with 60 countries, is testament to the talents of the Australian team.

Melissa has now returned to her nursing studies at CQU Mackay and was congratulated on her win by staff and students alike.

“Even fellow students I’ve never spoken to came up and congratulated me, which was really nice.".

Melissa has always been drawn to the medical field, and following Year 11 work experience at the Mater Mackay, she decided to enrol in the Bachelor of Nursing Degree Program at CQU Mackay.

Melissa is currently completing a clinical practice at the Mater Mackay as part of her Undergraduate Nursing Program and is enjoying a welcome break from Taekwon Do competition.

Photo Caption (left): CQU Mackay Bachelor of Nursing student Melissa Muscat in her Taekwon Do uniform.

Photo Caption (above): CQU Mackay Bachelor of Nursing student Melissa Muscat and her fellow team members won Bronze for Australia at the Taekwon Do Senior World Championships held in Caloundra recently.