By Rebekah Yew (27S05A) and Saadhana Kalimuthu (27A01C)

All photos courtesy of Fang Rui Shan (26S06R) and Tay Kai Xin (26A01C) of Raffles Art and Photographic Society

Let the numbers speak first. 

RI Girls: 9 gold, 6 silver, 8 bronze. 

RI Boys: 4 silver, 6 bronze. 

Overall? RI Taekwondo finished in 2nd place–the Girls 2nd, the Boys 4th. Three years ago, RI’s Taekwondo team sat second-last, but now, they’re podium regulars. 

Kicking It Off

Before diving into the athletes’ stories, let us start with the basics–because taekwondo isn’t just kicking and yelling. It’s a Korean martial art with roots over two thousand years, shaped by Buddhism, Confucianism, and the ancient Hwarangdo (the way of the flowering knights) warrior spirit. 

At its core are 5 tenets: Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self-Control, and Indomitable Spirit, built on the philosophy of disciplined power–feet that move like hands, hands that strike like steel, and a mind that stays calm when everything else is fired up.

At the National School Games, the discipline contested is poomsae (pronounced pum-say). Unlike sparring, where you fight an actual opponent, poomsae is a choreographed battle against an imaginary enemy. Competitors perform a fixed sequence of blocks, strikes, stances, and kicks, moving across the mat in patterns that have been passed down for generations.

Judges score based on precision, rhythm, power, and expression. A wobble? A deduction. A rushed breath? A deduction. A single bent knee at the wrong angle? You guessed it. 

Athletes are also divided according to belt ranks in the order–white, yellow, green, blue, red, and finally black, which itself has 10 degrees. In this competition, out on that mat, it is a battle down to the decimal points.

The moment we stepped into the hall, our chests vibrated from the sheer noise of 10 schools, over a hundred athletes, and numerous supporters and teammates packed in the stands. 

Every time a competitor finished their routine and bowed, a specific corner of the stadium erupted like a bomb had gone off–their school supporters screaming and clapping, chanting cheers in a rehearsed unity. 

Every time the podium results were announced for each category, fellow teammates and photographers swung into action to capture that moment of pride. The atmosphere was truly one of pure, unfiltered hype. 

This year, the competition was truly heated. And yet–clad in our school’s colours of green, black and white–our very own RI taekwondo team stood tall, ready to do their utmost best in order to taek the gold. 

Building Up The Punchline

Of course, none of these countless placings would have been possible without the hard work from each and every taekwondo member. In a simple one minute performance, what we all see is merely the well rehearsed lines of their bodies as they perform their poomsae. Every seemingly simple punch, every flawless kick, is not instinctual, but rather the result of countless hours of practice drilled into memory and honed to perfection. 

In the weeks building up to NSG, RITKD found themselves with a minimum of 5 hours of training a week on Wednesdays and Fridays, compounded with their own individual exercises done in the comforts of their homes. 

Each training session–a hybrid of each member’s sweat, effort and dedication to the sport– truly serves as a testament to the very characteristics that define RITKD: self-discipline and motivation. 

A Major Setback

However, morale wasn’t always high leading up to the NSG. Following the team’s performance at the annual Taekwondo Open Competition (TOC), the morale of RITKD could only be said to have been at an ‘all-time low’ after the team had been described to have “lost quite badly” by Taekwondo Captain Patricia Cayadi. 

Following this crushing loss, the team took it upon themselves to up the intensity levels of their training. Training became tougher and was taken more seriously, and their need to win burned brighter than ever.

This was especially true for the Year 6s, for this NSG period, all they could do was go big, or go home. 

Taekwon-Day

After about 5 weeks of relentless training, the day had finally come.

On 8 May 2026, 10 schools gathered in Jurong East Stadium with the same goal in mind–bringing honour and glory to their schools by clinching as many golds as possible.

However, reality often fails to match expectations. As Coach Syabil aptly puts it,

“In Poomsae, most of the time, nothing will go your way.” 

Nevertheless, despite all the challenges, the team had still managed to successfully make the podium for almost every single event they had participated in. Beyond the glamour of each punch thrown, and the vigour of each kick, in Taekwondo, the most important part of poomsae is simply showing up and doing your best, no matter how scared or fearful one may be.  Following the grand finale where RITKD placed second overall amidst all other strong competitors, we managed to sneak small wins of our own–interviews with the members. 

Chai Chang Xuan Cheryl (27S03N), who participated in the Keumgang Individual and Team events, had placed 4th and 2nd respectively for each event. After deep reflection, Cheryl shared that these wins were not something that came easily. 

Coming into this NSG season, Cheryl expected that she would be able to tape her leg as per normal in the other NSG days. However, neither her nor her fellow team members were allowed to do so on this day. This placed her  at a heavy disadvantage during her events as pain struck through her body without it. When asked how she overcame this massive hurdle, she shared some wise words from her senior, 

Keane Tang (27S05A), who participated in the Koryo (Black 1) Team event, and Keumgang (Black 2) events, lamented about similar setbacks faced when preparing for his events. 

Racked by nerves from missing his call to go down, Keane was unfortunately unable to make podium for his individual events. However, desperate to not let his team’s months of effort go down the drain, Keane was able to collect himself and place 3rd with his team for his Koryo event. 

Beyond The Medals

RITKD truly runs on good vibes. When asking Coach Ranen to describe this batch, he paused for a second, trying to find the right word that would encapsulate all the training and memories shared before that day. Then he plainly said, “truly extraordinary.” 

The training window leading up to the NSG was short, especially for the Year 5s who were new, but they still found ways to practice on their own. The coaches also joke around with the team during drills, weaving in laughter into every session, and teach them how to “aura farm”. When asked about the team’s vibe, Coach Syabil did not even hesitate for a second.

“I would say this is definitely a team that can aura farm.”

Then there’s coaches Jessy and Joyce. When asked how the team can improve for next year, coach Jessie leans in, eyes glinting, “I think we should give them a very very hard training.” Coach Joyce grins before adding, “And recruit more people.” 

They both chuckled, their tones suggesting it was a joke. Mostly. Little moments like these are what makes the CCA less like a team and more like a family, beyond the medals.

Patricia, the Captain, has watched this team evolve from the front lines. The improvements have been massive–more golds than any other previous year, and almost every event clawed its way onto the podium. 

“I could see the spark and fighting spirit in their eyes [during] NSG,” she said proudly. “I count that as a win.” For her, results aren’t the entire point. She’s quick to remind us that athletes are human beings first. Team spirit and how much someone has grown–that’s what really matters. Mindset over medals. Work hard and play hard; balance discipline and fun. 

(No one got disowned by the way, everyone made it!)

On a final note, coaches Jessy and Joyce kept circling back to one thing: more people. The team’s tight, but to clinch that first place next year, they need numbers. No experience? Don’t know your belts? It doesn’t matter. (Preferably a dance background or anything that’s blessed you with some flexibility–it helps.) 

If you are interested, just show up, learn, and bring the aura. Taek on the challenge. The coaches are waiting for you. And that gold? It’s coming home.

[RESULTS HIGHLIGHTS]