Levin's new junior Taekwon do World Champ says it is 'a little weird'

Gold at the Taekwon Do World Championship in Germany in individual and team powerbreaking for Levin's Janae Whakarau.

Sixteen-year-old Levin Taekwon Do practitioner Janae Whakarau is the best in the world in both individual and team power breaking in her sport.

She won gold in both at the recent World Championships in Inzell, Germany, but said the idea that she's the junior number one in the world, is "a little weird".

The World Championships are held every other year and it is something she had to trial for as part of the national team. It was her second World Championship. Last time she won two bronze and one silver.

"The play-offs were intense," she said. "It was just me and a competitor from Argentina. I came first and when the other person came on there was dead silence in the arena."

Janae was the youngest competitor in the NZ team and has been doing Taekwon Do for the past eight years.

She belongs to the Southern Cross Club in Palmerston North and had to take time off school to attend the World Championships. Her fellow club member Dan Yates also brought home gold, for special technique.

Janae was delighted when her school mates at Waiopehu College welcomed her back with a haka to celebrate her achievements.

For the next few months she wants to spent more time playing her other sports -
basketball, netball and rugby. But she will not resting on her laurels as she's an U19 Rep for Manawatū in basketball and will have to play the national championship next month.

There were 1234 competitors at the Taekwon Do World Championships from 64 nations.

When it comes to Taekwon Do, when she's ready to return to, it she will be focusing on next year's World Cup Championships and then the World Championships in Finland the year after.