South Windsor Teen Takes Gold in International Taekwondo Competition

For most high school kids, the normal after school routine includes some sports, some homework and hanging out. High-level sports teams may travel as far as other states for games.

But if you're an Olympic hopeful, like Kelsey Junious, normal is hours of training each night and competitions all over the world.

Kelsey, a junior at South Windsor High School, spent the past weekend in Queretaro, Mexico, where she competed with Team USA at the 7th Pan American International Taekwondo Championships. 

Two years ago, Kelsey took bronze at the competition but this time, she won gold.

There were seven girls in her division, her mother, Doreen Junious said, and Kelsey had a first-round bye. In the next round, she fought an opponent from Mexico, winning 7-4. In her next fight, against Brazil, she won 10-4 for the gold medal. 

The victory is exciting for Kelsey, but she has her eyes on a higher prize - making the 2014 Youth Olympic Taekwondo Team and the 2016 Olympic Taekwondo Team.

She is already a five-time USA National Taekwondo team member and has competed in Brazil, Colombia, Egypt and all over the United States. But the road to get there has been rigorous.

"She’s not your typical teenager," Doreen Junious said. "She doesn’t go hang out at the mall - she goes to school, comes home, does her homework and she trains."

It's just one of the great things about Kelsey, though.

"She’s a great person. She always stands up for people if they get picked on and bullied; she's always helping the weaker person and she loves animals," she said.

Kelsey also maintains honors status and keeps up with her work while away, often doing her homework in airports.

Kelsey says taekwondo, which she began at age 4, has helped shape who she is.

"It's about moral stuff - it’s not just about winning. You have to learn how to deal with losing and it teaches you how to be a better person. You have to know how to control yourself and use it at certain times – taekwondo teaches you self control," she said.

Find out more or follow Kelsey at http://www.kelseyjunious.com/.