Work Hard Wednesday: Junior Liam Golan Competes in Taekwondo World Cup

by Hannah Fineman, SSLI '25

Editor's Note: For today’s article, PPN writer Hannah Fineman interviewed junior Liam Golan on his experience and success competing in the Taekwondo World Cup.

Hannah Fineman [HF]: What was the tournament that you took part in?

Liam Golan [LG]: The tournament that I competed in over the weekend is called the Taekwondo World Cup, and it took place in Virginia.

HF: Explain your background in taekwondo.

LG: I have been training taekwondo for 12 years now at Taecole Taekwondo. For the past two years, I have joined the instructor team and have begun teaching over the weekend to kids ages 3–17.

HF: How many years have you competed in this tournament?

LG: In this specific tournament, this is my second year. But I have been competing for around five years now.

Congratulations, Liam, for all your hard work from the staff at PPN. (L. Golan)

HF: What did you have to do to prepare for this tournament?

LG: Throughout December and January, we spent countless nights preparing all that we needed for last weekend.

HF: What was your experience like at the tournament?

LG: We arrived Friday at around midnight and woke up early Saturday and Sunday for competition. Saturday night, we had a banquet with all the other teams.

HF: What did you win?

LG: I won two separate divisions, one of them being self-defense, where you and your team simulate a fight scene. The other division was breaking, where you [break] as much wood as possible and show your strength.

HF: How did it feel to win?

LG: After finding out that I won, a wave of pride fell over me. It was the 100th day of the war in Israel, so before the tournament, I decided that I would wear my dog tag [necklace] for the hostages in solidarity with the war. So not only did I win for myself but also for the hostages in Israel.

HF: What advice do you have for others who are trying to develop their taekwondo skills?

LG: For people just starting out in taekwondo, my advice for you is to stick with it. Getting to the black belt is not the end of it; it's just the beginning. The most important thing is to not get too big of a head and keep your ego down.

Hannah Fineman is a writer for Paw Print Now and has been published on the site since November 2021. Hannah is currently a junior at the Schechter School of Long Island and can be reached at the following email address: hfineman25@schechterli.org