Faith Dillon Explained

Faith Dillon
Birth Date:23 June 2002
Birth Place:Waterbury, Connecticut, U.S.
Hometown:Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Height:5 ft 9 in
Weight:57 kg
Education:DeVry University
Country:United States
Sport:Taekwondo
Event: –57 kg

Faith Dillon (born June 23, 2002) is an American taekwondo athlete. She will represent the United States at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Early life

Dillon was born to Brendan and Doison Dillon in Waterbury, Connecticut, and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada.[1] [2] She began training in taekwondo at five years old, after seeing the television series Jackie Chan Adventures.[3] She attended West Career and Technical Academy in Las Vegas.[4]

Career

Dillon made her senior international debut for the United States in June 2021 at the 2021 Pan American Taekwondo Championships and won a bronze medal in the women's 57 kg event.[5]

In May 2022, she competed at the 2022 Pan American Taekwondo Championships and won a bronze medal in the women's 62 kg event.[6] In November 2022, she competed in the women's lightweight event at the 2022 World Taekwondo Championships held in Guadalajara, Mexico.

In June 2023, she competed in the women's lightweight event at the 2023 World Taekwondo Championships held in Baku, Azerbaijan. Later that month she then competed at the 2023 World Taekwondo Grand Prix in Rome, Italy and won a bronze medal in the women's 57 kg event.[7] In December 2023, she competed at the 2023 World Taekwondo Grand Prix in Manchester, United Kingdom and won a silver medal in the women's 57 kg event, losing to Luo Zongshi.[8]

In January 2024, she competed at the U.S. Olympic Trials and defeated 2022 world champion Makayla Greenwood to advance to the 2024 Pan American Taekwondo Olympic Qualification Tournament.[9] [10] Later that month at the Fujairah Open she fractured the metacarpal bone in her ring finger after an axe kick to her hand. She underwent surgery and missed three to four weeks of action.[11] In April 2024, during the Olympic Qualification Tournament, she won her semifinal match and qualified to represent the United States at the 2024 Summer Olympics.[12] [13] [14]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Faith Dillon . teamusa.com . August 5, 2024.
  2. Web site: Taekwondo Standout Faith Dillon Riding High Heading Into First Olympic Experience . teamusa.com . Drew . Silverman . May 8, 2024 . August 5, 2024.
  3. Web site: Young North Las Vegas resident dreams of making the Olympics . . Kristi . Jourdan . August 15, 2011 . August 5, 2024.
  4. Web site: Las Vegas freshman rising to the top in national taekwondo tournaments . . Jan . Hogan . October 27, 2016 . August 5, 2024.
  5. Web site: Results Panamerican Taekwondo Championship (Day 2) . mundotaekwondo.com . Carlos . Hernandez . June 4, 2021 . August 5, 2024.
  6. Web site: Results Senior Division Kyrougy XXII Panamerican Taekwondo Championships 2022 #Puntacana (Day 2) . mundotaekwondo.com . Carlos . Hernandez . May 4, 2022 . August 5, 2024.
  7. Web site: Great Britain and Uzbekistan capture gold on opening day of Roma 2023 World Taekwondo Grand Prix . . June 9, 2023 . August 5, 2024.
  8. Web site: Opening day of Manchester 2023 Grand Prix Final delivers gold for Italy, Thailand, Hungary, China and Korea . . December 2, 2023 . August 5, 2024.
  9. Web site: Rising taekwondo athletes take out Olympic, world champions at U.S. trials . . January 5, 2024 . August 5, 2024.
  10. Web site: Meet the US Taekwondo team for Paris 2024 Olympic Games . olympics.com . Grace . Goulding . May 6, 2024 . August 5, 2024.
  11. Web site: UF Health Helps Team USA Taekwondo Athlete Faith Dillon Get Back to Fighting Shape . ufhealth.org . Christine . Preusler . July 29, 2024 . August 5, 2024.
  12. Web site: USA and Brazil secure three Olympic berths in Taekwondo Pan-Am qualifiers . . Rafael . Khalatyan . April 11, 2024 . August 5, 2024.
  13. Web site: Taekwondo 101: U.S. Olympic roster and athlete news . . Shawn . Smith . August 3, 2024 . August 5, 2024.
  14. Web site: Las Vegan fulfills potential on taekwondo mat, makes US Olympic team . . Jeff . Wollard . July 17, 2024 . August 5, 2024.