Woodbridge taekwondo student receives financial boost with hope to compete for Canada at 2020 Olympics

Yorkregion.com
By Michael Hayakawa
Sept. 1, 2016

Andrea Jerom has a vision.

What the 17-year-old Woodbridge resident has her sights set on is to represent Canada in the taekwondo competition at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

That’s not all.

At the same time, she wants to make a trip to the coveted medal podium.

Jerom’s objective was made a little easier recently as she was one of 52 young Canadian athletes, representing 39 different summer and winter sports, who received a grant from Petro Canada’s Fuelling Athletes and Coaching Excellence Program.

Jerom is in some select company as a number of former Olympic medallists also received this grant.

Those included the likes of King City resident and two-time Olympic trampoline gold medallist Rosie MacLennan, women’s hockey player and gold medallist Hayley Wickenheiser and silver medal figure skater Patrick Chan.

“To be part of this select group of athletes is truly an honour,” Jerom said.

A first degree black belt who trains at Sons Taekwondo Academy in Woodbridge and currently fights in the under-53 kilogram women’s division, Jerom is a four-time national team member and has accomplished quite a bit since  taking up the sport at the age of 10 through the encouragement of her mother.

Some of those accomplishments include being a six-time provincial champion, silver medallist in the Junior and Senior Pan American Championships, gold medallist at the Commonwealth Championships, Spanish Open gold medallist and Pan American Open gold medallist.

While training with the Canadian team at the recent Senior Pan American Championships in Aguascalientes, Mexico, she was approached by a member of Taekwondo Canada who gave her the news they nominated her for the sponsorship.

With the grant providing the athlete and coach with $5,000 each, Jerom said it will definitely be an asset in taking her training to the next level and to cover the costs of competing in international tournaments.

Citing a number of individuals have been influential in her budding career, including her parents and grandparents, who provide motivation, Jerom was also quick to credit her coaches, SungMin Son and Grandmaster T.H. Son, for helping her become the competitor she is.