Port Hedland taekwondo prodigy takes silver at the national championships in Perth

Port Hedland prodigy Beau Keller has won a silver medal in his division at the Australian Taekwondo Championships in Perth. As a member of team WA, Keller travelled to Perth to take part in the national tournament held from October 13-15. Keller competed in the 85kg and over, 15 to 17-year-old division where he faced off against the national champion Aiden Stilley in the final. Writing on Facebook, Hedland Taekwondo club member and deputy mayor Tim Turner said Keller had made his hometown proud with his courageous efforts. “He fought national champion Aiden from Victoria who had just returned from international competition in Bulgaria,” he said. “Aiden had kept his previous opponent scoreless but Beau took 5pts in the first round and was leading the first half of the first round. Legs were flying round like spaghetti in a bowl! “In a truly exciting bout, Beau put everything on the line and represented WA and more importantly Hedland with pride as he made the Victorian work for the win. We want to congratulate Beau for his outstanding effort and achievement.” The result caps off a successful year for taekwondo in Port Hedland after it held the first sanctioned North West competition in the region in 15 years. Speaking to the North West Telegraph at the time, Hedland Taekwondo club founder Relma Bule-Turner said the tournament was huge for the growth of the sport in the region. “For most of the kids, this might be the only competition they get to attend, so it helps to develop their skills and inspire them,” she said. “We are trying to get other clubs to get on board but right now Broome and Hedland are the most active. “We would like Karratha to come on board, Newman has a smaller club and we would like to help develop them, so this is just the start, and moving forward we aim to have more clubs.”