Zoe Moffatt
Local fighter, Lacie Gleeson, 13, travelled overseas twice for taekwondo competitions in 2022 with the help of Hume council sports grants.
Lacie, who trains with Halls Taekwondo in Tullamarine, said the grant was helpful to travel internationally and compete.
“[The grant] was so helpful, anything counts. Going international definitely isn’t cheap,“ she said.
“The two international fights [I competed in last year] cost $22,000.”
Lacie was awarded the $750 grant for her trip to the Cadet World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria where she won her first international fight.
“My highlight was when I won my first international fight… it was really exciting,” Lacie said.
“When I was in the marshalling area I was sitting on the chair and I had no idea what to expect, I was so nervous.
“It was overwhelming walking out, everyone [was] cheering [and there was] a huge crowd at home watching on youtube.”
After that competition, Lacie travelled to Amsterdam where she competed in the Dutch Championships and won bronze.
Simone Gleeson, Lacie’s mother, said she was able to generate a world ranking after these fights, and is currently ranked number 1 in Australia.
This year Lacie is hoping to qualify for her second world championships, which will be held in Bosnia later this year.
“I’m really looking forward to selections for the world champs in Bosnia,” she said.
“I’d love to go back to my second world championships.”
