Paige Krahn, a 14-year-old from Morris, isn’t your typical teenager.
Last summer, after several conversations with her parents, Reba and Andy Krahn, and coach, Master Kate, Paige committed herself to the competitive side of taekwondo. Now, her decision and the hard work that comes with athletics is paying off.
“Before last July, Paige was enrolled in a competitive school program, three days a week with local competitions,” shared Reba Krahn. “Now she trains five days a week with her teammates in Winnipeg. We get her to the gym as well and match her level of commitment.”
“After my first big training event in Vancouver [in July 2023], I realized [that taekwondo] could take me anywhere and I had real potential,” Paige Krahn says. “I really understood the game after the training camp.”
She won her first exhibition match at the Toronto Open in November.
Since then, Krahn has attended the Canada Open in Vancouver in February, winning bronze against a competitor from Lithuania. She went onto win gold in Minneapolis in April and qualified for Team Manitoba at provincials in May.
She trains with members of the Junior and Senior competitive team.
“We spar every other day, practicing our fighting [techniques] against everyone on the team. Everyone has different size [bodies] and fighting styles,” Krahn explained.
Most recently, Krahn took silver in an international event in Chicago.
“The great thing about Paige’s taekwondo club is they don’t put emphasis on medals. She commits to a goal,” said her mom.
“My goal was to work well in the ring and control the other person better,” added Krahn. “I did really well [in Chicago] and my coach agrees.”
The competitive side of taekwondo takes the basic patterns learned in the early years of the sport to fights against opponents in a ring. One match is three rounds of two minutes each, with a one-minute break between rounds. To keep the matches as safe as possible, opponents are entered into categories by belt rank and weight, then matched by height.
“We wear equipment with magnets inside of them that send signals to the score board when we are hit,” explained Krahn. “The magnets are located in easy-to-score locations in the chest protectors, head gear, socks.” The competitors also wear arm and elbow guards, mitts, and groin and shin protectors.
If Krahn wins gold at Nationals in July, she can accept a place on Team Canada. This would mean a trip to Mexico in August for Worlds.
For now, however, the teen is focused on her first large international fight at the Australia Open in September.
“The large, international competitions are crazy to think about, to see how big the taekwondo community is, but I concentrate on representing myself as best I can,” said Krahn. “Olympic set-up begins when I turn 15. I’ll earn points at little tournaments and need a certain amount of points to qualify.”
Krahn credits Yosipa Kafadar, her training mate from British Colombia who just made the Olympic team, as a large influence in her competitive taekwondo journey. Additionally, her coach Master Wade always has suggestions “that make me a better fighter.”
“Honestly, getting Paige into taekwondo was just a fluke,” laughed Reba Krahn “She liked it and was good at it and we’re very blessed that we have this opportunity. We couldn’t do half of what we do without the support of ‘Taekwondo Nana’ Terra Corrigan, Paige’s grandmother. All the kids love hanging out with her at practices and competitions. They adore her.”
Additionally, Krahn and her mother entered and won a design competition for the provincial taekwondo medals. Their design was included on this year’s medals and will be used for next year’s competition as well.
“Watching Paige’s gradual progression of finding her spot in the sport is what makes me incredible proud,” Reba Krahn said. “It is validating to see we have put her in the right sport and it’s amazing to see her grow and gain confidence.”
