There were over 140 countries that participated in the largest Tae Kwon Do world championship in history.
"The competition was as fierce as the Olympics approach," states Master Wayne Mitchell of Kee's Tae Kwon Do in Yorkton.
Autumn Ashcroft was one of the competitors, says Mitchell, and she had a very tough division, as well as a tough first draw went she went up against the Dominican Republic.
"They are known for their aggressive and relentless attacking," notes Mitchell, who added that there was plenty of added pressure on Ashcroft who apparently had centre stage for the fight, both literally and figuratively.
"Not only that, but Autumn's match drew the centre ring which is raised on a platform three feet above the other matches and was broadcast around the arena on multiple jumbrotrons."
Ashcroft said she wasn't even thinking about the fact that she was on several big screens.
"I totally forgot," she said. "I went in there and was so focussed."
She added that her biggest challenge was in dealing with the 12-hour time change.
Master Mitchell said Ashcroft's coach was the Canadian Olympic coach, shin Wook Lim, and it seemed to help her get through it.
"Autumn was surprisingly relaxed after the first few seconds and settled into her game plan," observed Mitchell.
The first round saw the Dominican Republic fall behind by a score of 5-0 and Ashcroft stuck to her game plan and ended the bout early by a point gap of 12. Final score was 13-1.
Mitchell said the next round put Ashcroft against the Ukraine. Mitchell added that he wasn't any more impressed then he was with Ashcroft's first opponent.
"I felt this fighter was not much better then her first fight, but the game plan did not materialize for Autumn."
Two face kicks by her Ukrainian opponent helped put her into the next round whee she took on the eventual gold medalist. The Ukraine lost 3-0, one face kick was the difference, said Mitchell.
The experience added plenty to the resume for Ashcroft, who earlier in the year, advanced to Germany to compete in the German Open.
Says Mitchell: "We are extremely pleased with Autumn's first exposure to the World Championships and feel that she was capable of advancing to a higher level. Her finish in the top 32 in the world is an impressive first start."
Next up for Ashcroft is the team trials set for Toronto at the end of July.
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