Malia Paseka (taekwondo) explained

Malia Paseka
Full Name:Malia Maile Paseka
Nationality:Tonga
National Team:Tonga
Birth Date:30 August 2000
Years Active:2012-present
Sport:Taekwondo
Weight Class:-62kg, -67kg

Malia Paseka (born 30 August 2000) is a Tongan Taekwondo athlete who made her Olympic debut at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.[1] She was an opening ceremony flag bearer alongside Pita Taufatofua.[2] [3]

Sports career

Paseka started fighting taekwondo at the age of 11, after being invited by her brother. In 2019, Paseka won bronze in the women's -62 kg and gold in the team event at the Pacific Games in Apia, Samoa, the first step in her path towards Olympic qualification.[4]

2020 Summer Olympics

In February 2020, Paseka secured her spot in the Olympics after winning gold in the women's 67 kg division at the Olympic Qualifier tournament on Australia's Gold Coast. Her appearance at the 2020 Summer Olympics marked the first time a female Taekwondo athlete represented Tonga at the Olympic Games. She also became the ninth female athlete to represent Tonga in any sport at the Olympic Games.[5] [6] Paseka lost in her debut by a technical knockout, after Lauren Williams kicked her in the head and the referees stopped the contest.[7] Williams going to the final sent Paseka to the repechage, lost to Hedaya Wahba.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: TaekwondoData. 2021-07-24. TaekwondoData. en.
  2. Web site: Tokyo Olympics: Pita Taufatofua shirtless again at Opening Ceremony. 2021-07-24. Tokyo 2020. en-US. 2021-07-25. https://web.archive.org/web/20210725063724/https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/en/news/opening-ceremonies-three-peat-shirtless-pita-taufatofua. dead.
  3. News: 21 July 2021. Malia Paseka: Tonga's new flagbearer for the Tokyo Olympics. RNZ: Radio New Zealand. 24 July 2021.
  4. https://www.thecoconet.tv/coco-tv/women-in-sport/malia-paseka-tongas-first-female-olympian/ MALIA PASEKA - Tonga's first female Olympian to compete in Taekwondo
  5. Web site: Malia Paseka's mission to inspire young Tongans. https://web.archive.org/web/20210516060236/https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/en/news/malia-pasekas-mission-to-inspire-young-tongans. May 16, 2021. 2021-07-24. Tokyo 2020. en-US.
  6. Web site: Taekwondo PASEKA Malia Athlete Profile- Tokyo 2020 Olympics. 2021-07-25. Olympics.com. en-us.
  7. https://matangitonga.to/2021/07/26/malia-tko-kick-head-okay-repechage Malia TKO by kick to the head from European champion